Every now and then someone will say, I believe in God and I pray to Him but I just don’t see a need to go to church. And usually I will hear all kinds of reasons why church is a waste of time.
My first response is that I am sorry you feel that way because I believe our church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints. I go to church because God is there waiting for me to come to His house and visit Him.
Sometimes, I get to experience His special presence in the holy sacrifice of the Mass. I also get to experience the joy of the community when they come together to share their love for each other in God’s house.
Sometimes when people go to church, they feel like they are running on empty and I tell them that they are in the right place for that. I always feel better because I was there.
Finally, I tell them that a perfect church doesn’t exist.
We just go to church to be with others who believe that we are called to do something beautiful for God, and that it is very difficult when we try to do it alone.
Fr. Richard Gielow, C.M., ordained in 1969, offers with his brother, Fr. Bob Gielow, C.M., numerous parish missions each year as director of the Vincentian Parish Mission Center.