About not being let back in to pew after Communion

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ShowersofRoses

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I had a funny experience at Communion a couple of weeks ago…I thought I’d see if this had happened to anyone else. I wasn’t sure where to post this.

My kids and I usually sit quite close to the front during church, and this time we were in the 3rd or 4th pew, next to the center aisle. At Communion we got up to get in line (me to receive, them for a blessing). There were two older ladies in our pew who got up as well. My kids went back to the pew while I also received the Precious Blood. When I tried to return to my pew, the older ladies were already there. I tried to step in and go past them to my seat, but they just looked right at me, almost a glare, and put down their kneeler, almost on my foot, and knelt down. I was so surprised they had ignored me like that and that they wouldn’t let me get in back to my kids, so I didn’t say anything and instead I circled around all the way to the back and got back in line, then finally slipped back to my seat.

I’m still feeling a little nervous about taking Communion correctly, and this was only the first or second time I’ve been able to receive the Precious Blood because the Bishop just recently allowed our diocese to offer it again due to flu concerns. I shrugged off the incident and went back to praying, but it sure made an impression on me about being charitable at Mass!
 
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😂😂😂😂

Thanks I needed a good laugh.

My guess is they thought you were trying to get into the wrong pew. Some people are just clueless I guess.

I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it. Some people just always tend to get up on the wrong side of the bed.

God Bless
 
ShowersofRoses said:
I had a funny experience at Communion a couple of weeks ago…I thought I’d see if this had happened to anyone else. I wasn’t sure where to post this.

My kids and I usually sit quite close to the front during church, and this time we were in the 3rd or 4th pew, next to the center aisle. At Communion we got up to get in line (me to receive, them for a blessing). There were two older ladies in our pew who got up as well. My kids went back to the pew while I also received the Precious Blood. When I tried to return to my pew, the older ladies were already there. I tried to step in and go past them to my seat, but they just looked right at me, almost a glare, and put down their kneeler, almost on my foot, and knelt down. I was so surprised they had ignored me like that and that they wouldn’t let me get in back to my kids, so I didn’t say anything and instead I circled around all the way to the back and got back in line, then finally slipped back to my seat.

I’m still feeling a little nervous about taking Communion correctly, and this was only the first or second time I’ve been able to take the Blood because the Bishop just recently allowed our diocese to offer it again due to flu concerns. I shrugged off the incident and went back to praying, but it sure made an impression on me about being charitable at Mass!
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Unfortunately at mass the elderly will often block both sides of a row and make all others climb over them to get in the middle of the pew. Usually at mass I see people standing or sitting in foldable chairs in the back due to this issue. It would be charitable if they would sit in the middle but it is what it is.
I once saw a woman go to one of the elderly pew blockers smile and ask her to move in when the elderly woman tried to force the younger woman to climb over her instead the young woman pretended not to understand and she got her way. It was very funny. Anyway, this is a annoying issue at all churches.
 
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Yikes! God’s people. God’s people. You gotta luv em. Jesus said so. (Sigh)
 
Yes, I agree. In this case, I wouldn’t even call them elderly. They were older than me, but not elderly yet. Since we had exchanged the sign of peace earlier, I thought they would have remembered I was in their row! But apparently not. 😂
 
A similar thing happened to me at an Easter Vigil Mass one year.

I was Minister of the Cup, so I needed to sit at the end of the pew, so I could go up to serve when it came time.

The church was packed and I saw a couple sitting at the end with at least three seats available toward the middle.

So I asked if they could please move in and let me sit at the end.

At Communion, I went up to serve. After Communion was over, I returned to the pew and the couple wouldn’t let me in either way.

So, I just nodded that I understood and went to the back of the church for the rest of the Mass.

I bad to wonder, how did this couple manage to go up and receive Holy Communion with such an attitude ? Do they understand what Jesus is about ?

Jim
 
Me - being the awkward person I can be , would have said something , oh so politely 😉 along the lines of " would you permit me to join my children who are now without supervision ? "
 
Yes, I wanted to say something, but I was so surprised and flustered that I didn’t. Luckily, my kids are (usually) well-behaved in church so they didn’t cause a fuss, but I know my younger ones got scared and nervous when I left like that and disappeared from view for a few minutes. Apparently it rattled me enough that I’m still thinking of it! lol 🤣
 
I don’t know…if they were, it’d be pretty strange. My kids were behaving perfectly…just sitting quietly, not making noise or anything. They would have been back in the pew before the ladies. And receiving the Cup only takes a minute or less…and since the kids were sitting so close, I was only a few steps away. But perhaps that couple didn’t like that I came back after them and they had to move aside for me?..or choose not to move aside, as it happened.
 
Glad that didn’t happen to me. My filter (that thing in my brain that prevents what I think from spewing out my mouth) is broken today.
 
To beans with that Showers, next time just step on the pew behind them, walk right behind them and say PARDON ME.

Why be charitable to rude people who flat out want to play the stare down game and act like etiquite only applies when given to them.

Sorry to hear you had that experience, hope it wont happen again.
 
angel12 said:
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Crocus:
Yikes! God’s people. God’s people. You gotta luv em. Jesus said so. (Sigh)
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I need to get back into embroidery so I can put this on my wall, where I’ll see it every. single. day.
❤️
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Yes, I love what @Crocus said! Actually, I’m hearing it in Father Simon’s voice (from Relevant Radio). It sounds like something he would say. I ❤️ Father Simon.
 
The Church is always full…I think it would have caused more of a scene/disruption trying to get the kids to move, and finding an empty pew would have been impossible. People do get territorial about where they sit, don’t they?

I’m not good with confrontation either…which is why I was too startled and shy to say anything.
 
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I think one of the reasons this incident popped back into my head again today, is that when I had managed to cut into the Communion line for the second time, I happened to be right next to two of my friends from RCIA. I felt a short explanation was necessary for why I cut in front of them, and I was so flustered that I was laughing about what had happened with them for a minute. After I got back to my seat, I realized that perhaps I had just sinned by not showing proper reverence in the Communion line and had distracted them from the Eucharist as well. It’s weighing on me that maybe I need to confess this? I do reverence Jesus in the Eucharist, and normally would never be talking or quietly laughing like that in line, but being separated from my kids like that had completely caught me off-guard.
 
You handled that very patiently! I can hardly believe anyone would be that ill-mannered as to slide over and steal your seat after you got up to serve at Mass. 😲 And then to not let you back in?? Well, Jesus knows their hearts. Everyone in church is someone who needs to be there…including me!
 
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