Right now, I'm just thinking about the question of inviting people to Mass. I'm going to do a post soon (yeah, I know I've said that before and never yet gotten around to a lot of things due to this crisis; but I still haven't forgotten) on the social component of conversion and evangelization, so I'll talk more about this then. Suffice it to say, I think that inviting non-Catholics or lapsed Catholics to Mass, especially if you outnumber them, and especially if it is followed by some other non-religious activity like a meal...can be a great way to evangelize.
Make it seem all matter of course. If there are a few of you with a non-Catholic friend and you're talking say, "Hey, we're getting dinner and seeing this movie tonight. Want to join us?" And then after they've agreed say, "We're going to Mass first, is that okay? It will only take less than an hour. Do you want to just join us?" Then, don't push the issue. They'll probably be curious and have some questions, and then you can address them.
Great in theory. However, I'm writing right now because I realized, like bringing guests home to a messy house, I'd be too embarrassed about the state of our liturgy to invite them to a Novus Ordo. How sad.
And I certainly wouldn't expect it to arouse that much curiosity. I'd think the Old Rite would baffle people much more and seem much more exotic and mysterious. Which is a good thing. The stranger something is, the more questions they'll have, and thus the more opportunities to use it as a teaching experience.
Make it seem all matter of course. If there are a few of you with a non-Catholic friend and you're talking say, "Hey, we're getting dinner and seeing this movie tonight. Want to join us?" And then after they've agreed say, "We're going to Mass first, is that okay? It will only take less than an hour. Do you want to just join us?" Then, don't push the issue. They'll probably be curious and have some questions, and then you can address them.
Great in theory. However, I'm writing right now because I realized, like bringing guests home to a messy house, I'd be too embarrassed about the state of our liturgy to invite them to a Novus Ordo. How sad.
And I certainly wouldn't expect it to arouse that much curiosity. I'd think the Old Rite would baffle people much more and seem much more exotic and mysterious. Which is a good thing. The stranger something is, the more questions they'll have, and thus the more opportunities to use it as a teaching experience.
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