Conversation

When I first started to regularly attend church at age 16, I was encouraged by family to drive far from home to attend a Bible church where the “best pastor” was located. This pastor enjoyed national prominence, and the large church sanctuary often spilled into overflow seating in separate rooms with people eager to hear his sermons.

As I walked into church each Sunday, I was handed a bulletin which included a page of fill-in-the-blank sentences to complete during the sermon. I also brought a journal and took meticulous notes of the teaching (which often lasted 30-45 minutes). It was instilled in me that the quality of the preaching was the most important reason for attending church. The church experience was basically reduced to a lecture, with breaks for singing. 

Even today, 20 years later, my Protestant friends ask each other for recommendations on where they can hear the best preaching. Most of them attend a church that serves as a satellite campus for a larger brand. At these satellites, a hologram of the “lead pastor” is beamed in digitally onto the stage. The line between pastor and celebrity is blurred. 

As a new Catholic, I had to abandon this mindset and re-frame my priorities. I still appreciate good preaching, and am fortunate that I often hear homilies that teach and inspire me. But I no longer go to church for the sermon, where the focus is on the speaker. I attend Mass to encounter Jesus in the Sacraments, give thanks to Him, worship Him and receive His Grace.