Catechetical Teaching 5. WHEN WE COME TO CHURCH
Dear brothers and sisters!
Last time, we began our discussion about the House of God and how God dwells in it, and how we come to Him as guests. We talked about the importance of behaving appropriately and not being condemned as thieves who turn the church into a den, as Christ said: “My house is a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves” (Luke 19:46).
So, what is the appropriate behavior and what rules should we follow when we come to the church for communal prayer? As mentioned, anything that disrupts prayer in the temple is considered robbery, because this disruption stills from God our attention. And many things can hinder prayer.
Firstly, it is about WHEN we come to the church. For example, if we invite friends to our home for 6 PM, set the table, dress up, and wait for them, but they don’t come at all or are significantly late, wouldn’t that be disrespectful towards us? Similarly, my dear ones, being late for the visit to God is a display of disrespect towards Him, as well as towards our brothers and sisters. When we enter the church after the service has already begun, our presence distracts those who are praying, and what does that mean? Correct: we hinder their prayer and, consequently, become thieves. There may be valid reasons for being late, especially when we come with small children. However, for many people, being late has become a habitual practice, and they may have never entered the church on time, as it should be, BEFORE the start of the worship service. And that is certainly not good. We should strive to improve in this regard.
We all strive to arrive at work on time. And why is that? Because we expect to receive a reward – at the end of the month, we will receive our salary. If you are late or skip work, it will reflect on your paycheck, and you might even be fired for poor attendance.
So why do we take our work so seriously but treat Church prayer so negligently? Or do you think that it won’t affect our reward in heaven or that we won’t be “fired” from the Kingdom of Heaven? I encourage you to find the answer to this question yourself by pondering it deeply. Do you remember what Christ said in the parable when the invited guests did not come? – “none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper” (Lk.14:24).
However, if we happen to be late, let us try to enter quietly and unnoticed, so as not to draw attention to ourselves and not distract those who arrived on time and are already engaged in communal prayer. Moreover, we should always enter the House of God in this manner, as the deacon reminds us before each Service: “For this holy temple, and for them that with faith, reverence, and the fear of God enter herin, let us pray for the Lord”. Only for those who enter with FAITH, REVERENCE, and the FEAR OF GOD. The Church does not even pray for those who enter the temple in any other way. Let us take note of this! And let us strive to take seriously not only earthly and material things but even more so heavenly and spiritual matters!
May God bless you all!