[Kolokotronis]

“not for very long,”

They do, eh? How long? As long as it takes to get out the front door of the house and through Mass to communion time? In other words, after a fine breakfast of bacon and eggs, toast with butter and coffee with plenty of milk? :) Not good, AAM, not good at all! If the Eucharist isn’t worth proper preparation, how can one expect proper respect for the Mass which centers on that Eucharist?

[AnAmericanMother]

No, we DON'T eat breakfast before we go. I have a cup of tea because I sing in the choir and it won't do to fall out in a faint. And we don't have Mass until 11:30 a.m. I believe the official requirement is one hour before Mass, but most people I know don't eat a big breakfast.

We know that catechesis has been faulty and in some cases absent since the 70s, and many dedicated people are working hard to fix it. But you don't undo 30 years of laxity overnight, especially when the idea that making it 'easy' doesn't make it attractive hasn't really sunk in yet.

But nobody's church is perfect. If our Orthodox here in town had been more welcoming of those who were not born Greek, perhaps they could have served as a more effective good example over the last 30 years.

[TankerKC]

As long as it takes to get out the front door of the house and through Mass to communion time? In other words, after a fine breakfast of bacon and eggs, toast with butter and coffee with plenty of milk? :)

Wow, it must be difficult for you to track all of your parishioners eating habits and still make it to mass on time.