People attend religious services mostly from a desire to stay close to God. There's no obligation on any one's part to go to services. It is done by many people, including me, to hear the scriptures, the sermon and to receive communion. It is also a time to donate to the church so that it can pay the costs of maintenance. Nothing is free, and churches must pay for electricity, water and staff.
Other people go to satisfy a spiritual obligation, and others simply follow a tradition probably instilled by their parents. Either way, religious services have a benefit beyond just sitting in a pew or kneeling in some church, synagogue or mosque somewhere in the world.
I have attended Catholic Churches in countries as far from the U.S. as Oman and Pakistan in the Middle East; Benin in West Africa; and Korea and Indonesia in the Far East. I never had any qualms about attending Mass on Sundays wherever I lived or traveled to on working assignments.
What did attending Mass all of these years do for me? It has kept me aware of my obligation to be grateful to God for all that He has done for me, my children, including my brothers and sisters. Going to Mass has been my way to thank God, and to contribute with treasure to every church that I have ever attended.
Following up with your religion of birth, or perhaps your new religion—if you happen to be a convert—is done in order to stay closer to God. This practice is not a weakness. but a sign of faith, courage and strength of character. It is a moment away from your daily environment to pray to God, and to thank Him for all that He does for you every single day.
Attending religious services together as a family has been proven to be a great way to hold the unity of the family. If you cannot convince your spouse, or companion, and even your children to go with you, don't hesitate to go by yourself. Eventually your family will come around sometime later in their lives.
One word of advice: try not to experiment with various religions that promote concepts which might verge on being a cult. Whatever it is that you join, do your homework first before you jump in head and feet.
If you would like someone to pray for you, or send you a vial of holy water, go ahead and touch base with me on my email. Under Ezine Articles included on this blog, you may want to read up on articles regarding holy water which are posted for your benefit.
God bless,
Tony McCleary
tonymcclr@gmail.com
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