Come As You Are But Do Not Stay That Way - By Fr. Patrick Cahill

Added: 2026-05-21

[00:00:00]So, dear friends, we were speaking at the breakfast table this morning about different churches and different churches' theology and approach and the idea of welcome and how important it is for a church to be welcoming, how how important it is for a church to recognize the needs of its people and to to adapt according to those needs. And I think it's something that we're growing in here in in the church in Ireland anyway of this in this ministry of welcome. You know, so it's a kind of a new thing for us where when you come into the church, the people at the back might have the hymn books or the leaflets or whatever and say you're very welcome and >> [clears throat] >> maybe recommend where the slightly warmer seats are or where the cooler seats are or wherever wherever it is and just this ministry of welcome, which is all grand.

[00:00:50]Uh what is risky though is where that idea of adapting the church to the people in front of us also starts to affect our teaching cuz now you've got a problem.

[00:01:05]If then a lot of people disagree with a certain teaching and in order to keep everyone on board or in order to keep everyone happy, we think that changing the teaching of the church will will succeed in that in that goal. Now we've got a problem.

[00:01:19]Because whatever about changing you know, how people are welcomed or afterwards like having a tea and coffee morning in in the the parish hall next door, all those things are wonderful, no problem at all. I think it's actually very important to try and build community where we can especially as as Catholic community in Ireland is becoming somewhat smaller or we maybe in a way we were using the same systems that we did back in the 50s, 60s where because everyone went to mass um the whole celebration was fairly anonymous. You just came in mumbled the responses, didn't sing received Holy Communion and left.

[00:01:58]You know, so there was very little sense of community. So, I think it is important to build up community around the celebration. But, but, but, none of that ever implies changing what we do here.

[00:02:12]The the tradition of the church must remain the same. So, what Otherwise, and this is has been noticed by some other churches as well.

[00:02:22]If if we start to change our teaching according to what people like, what's interesting is it actually has the opposite effect. People then start to leave. Why? Because what does this church actually believe?

[00:02:33]10 years ago it seemed to believe something, now it seems to believe something else, and I just don't feel this is my church at all. So, it just seems like the the the church's teaching will change according to what is popular.

[00:02:42]So, if the church's teaching changes according to what is popular, then that teaching is not divinely inspired. It's humanly inspired.

[00:02:50]What's popular, what's what will get us applause, what will fill seats is what we teach.

[00:02:55]Okay, well, that's Well, then the church's teaching is not timeless.

[00:03:00]It's not based on sacred scripture, tradition, magisterial teaching. It's based on what people like.

[00:03:05]Okay.

[00:03:07]But, then if the church is just based on what people like, then it has no authority.

[00:03:11]What it says is meaningless cuz it's it'll just be a populist kind of a church. You understand? So, I think it's just it's it's very interesting like when you think about these things out loud or when we look at what certain churches have done, either within the within Christianity or even within the Catholic Church or some of some have tried to do within the Catholic Church and the detrimental effects it has. So, I think there's this spiritual principle I read a couple of months back that I think is very helpful.

[00:03:40]And that's when it comes to mass, come as you are, but don't stay as you are.

[00:03:46]Come as you are, but don't stay as you are.

[00:03:51]So, it's important that we you know, we if I had a conversion experience and so maybe my my my marriage is complex. Maybe I'm on a second marriage and then I then I converted. Okay.

[00:04:03]Uh or if I had some habits that aren't in keeping with the church's teaching.

[00:04:10]So, some sinful habits or addictions, whatever it might be. Then I have a conversion experience or I'm still struggling with them. Basically, everyone is welcome to come. Everyone is invited into the family. Everyone's welcome into the church.

[00:04:21]But the the danger there is that all are welcome and you're all great. You're all fantastic. Now go home the lot of you with God's blessing.

[00:04:29]It's a bit dangerous cuz we're all welcome as we are.

[00:04:33]But the Lord doesn't just want us to come as we are and stay that way.

[00:04:38]He wants us to come as we are and metanoia, convert, to change.

[00:04:45]Like growth implies change. You can't grow and stay the same. You can't grow and not change.

[00:04:54]So, if I'm coming to a [clears throat] church and I want the church to change around me or I want society to change around me. If I don't want to grow, if I don't want to change, uh I'm going to find more and more that the the teachings of the church or the people around me or whatever is going on, all this will start to irritate me and I'll want to change what the pope should do now is he should change this and what the bishop should do is he should change that and the parish priest should change and then I want to change the church around me.

[00:05:21]So, rather than changing myself, converting or changing, growing, I want to change the church around me.

[00:05:28]So, I think it's it's a it's a helpful thing to ask ourselves, you know, am I coming as I am and then leaving the same? Or am I coming as I am and then being open to what the Lord is asking me to do, what to change, how he's asking me to change or to or to grow, to go deeper, to let go of certain constellations, to let go of certain notions, to let go of certain ideas, and in order to in order to grow, in order to be set free.

[00:06:03]So, everyone is welcome.

[00:06:05]And that we we must be very clear about.

[00:06:07]Everyone is welcome [clears throat] to come to a Catholic mass.

[00:06:10]Protestant, Catholic, non-practicing, atheist, everyone is welcome. Let's be really clear about that. Anybody can go to mass. There are no bouncers on the doors of any church in this country. In England, not quite sure, probably not, but there are no bouncers. Everyone is welcome.

[00:06:26]Now, receiving Holy Communion is a different thing.

[00:06:28]Going to mass and receiving Holy Communion are two distinct things.

[00:06:30]Everyone is welcome to go to mass.

[00:06:32]Those who receive Communion should be in holy communion with with God and with the church. So, we should be in communion before we can receive. So, even we Catholics, if we're not in a state of grace, we shouldn't receive cuz we're not in a holy communion with God.

[00:06:44]But, all are welcome.

[00:06:48]Let's be very clear about that. All are welcome at any mass.

[00:06:52]But, the Lord invites us all to come as we are, but not to stay as we are.

[00:07:00]So, we pray for that gift of of openness, that willing to willingness to change, that willingness to let grow let go, that willingness to grow.

[00:07:11]That willingness to say, "I can do more, or I should let go of this, or I should change here, or I was wrong."

[00:07:21]Keeping in mind as we often say here, that none of these things that we're asked to do we're asked to do on our own.

[00:07:26]It's always with God's grace. It's always with God's grace.

[00:07:30]So, we ask the Lord today to open our hearts to all that he wishes to offer us so that we might experience the healing and the growth that he offers us. Amen.

[00:08:01]>> Mhm.