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November 10, 2005
A Finger, Maybe
I'm glad to see this subject is seeing a little light of day.
One of my pet peeves is the way many Roman Catholic congregations have contaminated the Liturgy of the Mass with pedestrian signs of unity like hand-holding during the recitation of the Our Father. To me it's an annoyance when people are reaching over aisles and pews to grasp your palm. It's like saying "It's all about us", rather than what's going on at the altar. I have intentionally chosen a parish that doesn't condone this practice (it also helps that the priest there gives great sermons).
"Old-schoolers and touchy-feelies clash over a whole range of questions that might be lumped together under the heading of worship etiquette: Is it all right to applaud church musicians during Mass? Should we stand or kneel after receiving Communion? And what's with these kids showing up for Mass in their soccer uniforms? The divide over worship etiquette is clear enough that Catholics have their own version of the red state/blue state meme: They talk about whether the Mass should be a vertical or horizontal experience. Touchy-feelies go horizontal, making the Mass increasingly about community and fellowship within the congregation. They hold hands, then they shake hands, and often take time out at the start of Mass to introduce themselves to the person in the pew next to them. Old-schoolers want to restore the Mass's vertical orientation—the focus on the transcendent and divine."
I'm sorry, but if I want a hootenanny, I'll stay afterwards and mingle and buy your daughter's baked goods.
Thankfully, there is a growing rebellion in the Church against this practice. My understanding is that it isn't a sanctioned portion of the Liturgy and therefore, at the very least, the priest should not encourage it, for risk of detracting from the Mass.
If this can't be corrected from within the Church, abandonment of this practice might be one side benefit of a bird flu pandemic.
November 10, 2005 by Chris | Permalink
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Comments
The congregants clap for our choir at special masses. The first time it happened I thought this is wierd, being a former Lutheran, but I've gotten to accept it, but still find it uncomfortable and wierd. During the Lord's Prayer, when I prayed in the few Lutheran churches I'd attended, we would individualy clasp our hands but in my Catholic church we are encouraged to extend our hands out, during the prayer. As I sing on the alter at one of the masses, I found this practice excruciatingly wrong, so I did not do it. Then one day a visiting priest who gave us a week of services at 5:30 a.m. who otherwise serves a leper colony out on the islands, asked us to extend our hands whilst saying the Lord's Prayer, and I've done it ever since. Its so wierd, but our choir director IS NOT EVEN CHRISTIAN, and has recorded a CD of us singing Christmas music, and has inserted his own song he has written into the CD and named the CD after his song. But then, I live in NYC....
Posted by: vittles scooper | Nov 10, 2005 3:15:32 PM
I'm sure that most people who do this type of thing have their hearts in the right places, and they don't realize it goes against Church doctrine. And I'm sure one can get used to it if they just give in to it (even me).
But I'm stubborn, and it's an illicit and distracting interjection into the Liturgy, and there's a certain vanity in doing it that bothers me.
Posted by: Chris | Nov 10, 2005 3:52:24 PM
We don't have the holding of hands at out church. Some raise the hands when we sing or pray. I tend to take the more solemn approach. We have a new minister and we have recently started to applaud when someone sings exceptionally well. I have mixed feelings on that. I want to encourage and show appreciation when someone does well, but I counter that with that the song sung is not a performance for me, but an offering to God. Vertical vs. Horisontal.
One thing not to forget is that Communion is both horizontal and vertical. I believe that the Catholic church (tell me if I'm wrong) sees it as a communion with God as well as a communion with brothers and sister in Christ. We're adopted siblings. That is awesome.
Posted by: Paul | Nov 10, 2005 8:56:13 PM
On a related note, I've seen a book called "Why Catholics Can't Sing : The Culture of Catholicism and the Triumph of Bad Taste " by Thomas Day. It consentrates on the execrable music of modern liturgy. I browsed it and it looks pretty good.
I belong to a hand-holding church. I've often thought about how I could politely not partake in this silliness. Especially during flu season.
Posted by: Marty | Nov 10, 2005 9:26:34 PM
You are correct, Paul. We are all part of the mystical Body of Christ. That alone should inspire reverence.
Posted by: Marty | Nov 10, 2005 9:28:10 PM
Strange habit?! Posts from Mazurland are full of surprises. Yes and thats true too Catholics can't sing.
Posted by: Boris | Nov 11, 2005 2:18:09 AM
They hold hands? That's crazy! In my church, the people say Amen outloud during the sermon if they really agree with what the minister said. That is about as outgoing as they get. Well, actually as my dad said people raise there hands when singing and clap after performances. He also wants us to start clapping during upbeat songs. I find it very weird to clap at church. After our old minister left my church became a lot more contemperary. I like having more upbeat songs, but I miss old hymnes too. I kinda got off topic. Woops.
Posted by: becky | Nov 12, 2005 8:30:23 PM
I love going to Mass but dislike the habit that they've started at some parishes of holding hands or raising their hands during the 'Our Father'. Isn't that the priests' duty?
Posted by: chita | Nov 17, 2005 5:37:03 PM
I don't know where this custom came from. Not all Catholic parishes (in fact probably not even a majority) do it.
Posted by: Marty | Nov 17, 2005 8:05:59 PM
Heres a new one on me which caused me to walk right out of the church: as the priest was consecrating the bread and wine about 90% of the parish started walking towards the alter. They walked right up behind the priest, to the left and right of him and in front. 150 people or so crammed into the alter watching the priest and singing.
A few people stayed in the pews with their hands folded in front of them.
I walked out.
Mass for me is a deeply personal experience between me and God.
What I saw was a farce - a parody of a Catholic Mass. Oh, I forgot to mention the priest using the Lords name in vain during his sermon / story, the ordered " meet and greet " and total confusion with the singing, drums and on and on. The priest was far more interested in making people laugh.
Posted by: Scott swanson | Nov 20, 2005 11:28:02 PM
Wow Scott. And I thought I had it bad around here!
Those kind of antics make the congegates the center of attention. It's all about them. Look how good we pray. Look how deeply we believe.
I would've walked out too.
Posted by: Chris | Nov 21, 2005 12:21:30 AM
Wow! I thought that stuff only happened at swingin' suburban Protestant megachurches. I hear that at many of these churches they have comfy theater style seating and snack bars, where you can buy a "Big Gulp" while being entertained by a rockin' "Praise Music" combo.
Posted by: Marty | Nov 21, 2005 11:42:17 AM
Hi Marty and Chris.
I stumbled across a web site: ourladyswarriors.org/articles/badliturgy.htm
with a lengthy article titled ' Is your Mass Valid? Liturgical Abuse '. Within the article the following:
" Notitiae (17 [1981] 186) reaffirms that the priest may never invite the congregation to stand around the altar and hold hands during the consecration (i.e. other non-priests at the Altar during the Eucharistic prayer with the intent to "co-consecrate" with the priest will also invalidate the consecration). "
That about covers it! Whatever doubt I may have had when I walked out that Sunday night no longer exits. I recommend the above web site - very informative.
Posted by: scott | Nov 29, 2005 12:24:07 PM
I would print out a copy and nail it to the church door, a la Martin Luther.
Posted by: Chris | Nov 29, 2005 12:28:11 PM
