We all love shopping for something — yes, even you fellas! It may be clothes, books, outdoor gear, whatever.
In fact, our culture has gotten to the point where we’ve turned everything into a shopping experience.
Dating apps present you with hundreds of potential significant others, allowing you to filter the results according to your (mostly trivial) tastes. The rise in virtual work has led to “state shopping”: the ability to choose which state you live and work from home in.
Even our holiest act of worship, the liturgy, hasn’t escaped this trend. Many people join parishes and suffer from buyer's remorse when the priest’s homily consists of little more than throwing a beach ball to the congregation to symbolize how “connected” we all are. They decide to search around for another parish, often discovering the Traditional Latin Mass or Byzantine Divine Liturgy.
It’s a common story these days. But should we be shopping for a liturgy that suits us or stay where we are?
Here are some thoughts to help you decide.
It’s okay to leave your current parish.
If you want to change parishes to grow spiritually and have better options nearby, you shouldn't feel obliged to stay where the people are irreverent, the homilies are sloppy, and the music is unbecoming.