Dovester, thank you for starting this topic. It is interesting to read other people's views and feelings. When you attend a service, do you stand when everyone else is requested to stand?
Reading this thread reminds me of two experiences...
On our honeymoon 10 years ago, my husband and I toured St. Peter's Basilica very late in the afternoon. As we were leaving, we noticed a service was about to begin, so we stayed. A bystander said the service was not a typical mass, but a special event because priests were being ordained. We saw several cardinals and thought the Pope might have even been there, but we could not see him from our vantage point.
For me, witnessing this service was similar to attending the most beautiful opera. As soon as the spotlights blazed, I knew I was in a place that was larger than life. Although the service was performed entirely in Latin and I did not understand the first word, I could physically feel the beauty, devotion, and faith of the congregation. Each person was dressed in their respective vestments - priests in beautiful robes, monks in various colors of robes, and nuns in varying suits and habits. It is an experience I will never forget.
In September, I visited Sri Lanka to help build a house for Tsunami victims. At the end of the week, one friend and I were invited by a kind couple to attend a Catholic service of the church that donated the land for the house. Periodically, each of the three priests would translate important parts of the service in English. I could tell they were doing this strictly for our benefit. The congregation was so patient to sit through the extra explanations and the warmth, love, sincerity, and compassion is something I will never forget about that day.