Altar girls, jeans, and Crocs

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japhy said:
I don’t see how the “best advice” can exclude taking steps to help alleviate the CAUSE of the distractions.
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There so many things that some name as "distractions -
babies in the Church, women who are dressed ignoring a certain ‘code,’
old people rattling Rosary beads, old people whose responses are “too loud,”
— I think it’s best if everyone acknowledge the need to become LESS distractable.

Offering such distractions up for the good of the Church is a great start.
Policing and defeating one’s own distractability is also WONDERFUL.
 
catharina said:
There so many things that some name as "distractions -
babies in the Church, women who are dressed ignoring a certain ‘code,’
old people rattling Rosary beads, old people whose responses are “too loud,”
— I think it’s best if everyone acknowledge the need to become LESS distractable.

Offering such distractions up for the good of the Church is a great start.
Policing and defeating one’s own distractability is also WONDERFUL.
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Good point. Concentration and active listening are lost arts.
 
catharina said:
There so many things that some name as "distractions -
babies in the Church, women who are dressed ignoring a certain ‘code,’
old people rattling Rosary beads, old people whose responses are “too loud,”
— I think it’s best if everyone acknowledge the need to become LESS distractable.

Offering such distractions up for the good of the Church is a great start.
Policing and defeating one’s own distractability is also WONDERFUL.
Click to expand...
I think the old Russian (?) proverb is apropos here: pray to God, but row for shore. Let me use your “women who are dressed ignoring a certain ‘code’” example. I do occasionally see young women dressed immodestly at my parish. I avert my eyes and pray for forgiveness for looking and entertaining inappropriate thoughts. But I’m sure I’m not the only one affected by it. Thus, for the sake of those who don’t avert their eyes and who do gladly entertain such thoughts, I should bring the problem to the attention of the pastor.

Pray to God, but row for shore.
 
ac_claire said:
Matarial,

Please ignore the attitude of some posters on this thread, it’d be best particularly if your ignore the misapplication of the “judge not lest ye be judged” command.
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I have noticed this quite a bit with Catholics. They act like you can’t say anything to anybody. You just have to shut up and take it. That is so wrong. That is not what God meant. These types of people need to study the SPIRITUAL ACTS OF MERCY.
 
KathleenElsie said:
This is where my family and I are at. Although we are looking into switching to the Byzantine Catholic Rite.
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I switched and all the nonsense faded away. It is a strictly traditional rite and that is that. Everyone knows the score so no one tries to push any liberal nonsense. It won’t happen.
 
jay29 said:
I have noticed this quite a bit with Catholics. They act like you can’t say anything to anybody. You just have to shut up and take it. That is so wrong. That is not what God meant. These types of people need to study the SPIRITUAL ACTS OF MERCY.
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Oh! I know this one!!! CORRECTING SINNERS!!! Yes, I think I read that somewhere!
 
CWBetts said:
Didn’t St. John the Baptist do alot of that kind of thing? And what about hmmm Jesus? You know the whole “Go and sin no more” thing?
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People don’t get it about judging. We are never to judge hearts or souls. Outward sinful actions are to be judged that go against the Gospels. Allowing your fellow Christian brother or sister to wallow in sin and do NOTHING ABOUT IT is a sin unto itself. The lack of charity and mercy for your neighbor is a sin.

**James 5:19-20

**My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

----How can you do that without judging actions? 🤷
 
jay29 said:
People don’t get it about judging. We are never to judge hearts or souls. Outward sinful actions are to be judged that go against the Gospels. Allowing your fellow Christian brother or sister to wallow in sin and do NOTHING ABOUT IT is a sin unto itself. The lack of charity and mercy is a sin.

**James 5:19-20

**My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

----How can you do that without judging actions? 🤷
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Absolutely. We are to say X is wrong, or Y is agianst what the Curch teaches, but we don’t say “You will go to Hell for that!”
 
CWBetts said:
Absolutely. We are to say X is wrong, or Y is agianst what the Curch teaches, but we don’t say “You will go to Hell for that!”
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That’s right. If I know someone has committed a mortal sin, I simply say it is a damnable sin. It could send you to hell. God has the final say.
 
CWBetts said:
Absolutely. We are to say X is wrong, or Y is agianst what the Curch teaches, but we don’t say “You will go to Hell for that!”
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That’s what really turned me off about EWTN. I was watching some discussion program and they seemed to take delight in determining who God would lose to Hell…
 
When was the last time you heard what was ok or not at the Holy Mass? The following is just plane manners that we sometimes forget. The world is not always about us it is about respecting others as well as ourselves.

Don’t chew gum it breaks the fast. Please wear clothing that does not reveal private sexual parts. (look there are short children that see your underwear when you stand up or tall people that if they look you in the face have a direct view of your breasts) People are not looking for issues in dress most of the time it is forced into you face when you kneel and someone is in front of you or the seating in some buildings is stadium type so you sit higher then the person in front of you. Take a screaming child out till they calm down or use the cry room (fussy children are a different matter and should never be removed from Mass). Turn off your cell phones when you enter the Church property. Don’t forget to remember that phones are a private issue and talking on them in public makes everyone within listening distance privy to your conversation. Pray quietly when you are waiting for Mass to start. Don’t visit with friends visit with God. If you are serving at the Mass in any way please respect and honor the Altar. Try not to talk while Mass is being celebrated it just is rude and bad manners.
 
Lycoming said:
That’s what really turned me off about EWTN. I was watching some discussion program and they seemed to take delight in determining who God would lose to Hell…
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I will say this: There is not one unrepentant soul in heaven. Those who persist is serious mortal sin and refuse to repent and ask for forgiveness, right up until their last dying breath, are in hell (unless they are totally ignorant).

This is an absolute true statement:
**
“Others drink for sterility and commit murder on the human not yet sown. Some when they sense that they have conceived by sin, consider the poisons for abortion, and frequently die themselves along with it, and go to Hell guilty of three crimes: murdering themselves, committing adultery against Christ, and murder against their unborn child.” **

St. Jerome (“Epistle 22,” c. 380 A.D.)
 
jay29 said:
People don’t get it about judging. We are never to judge hearts or souls. Outward sinful actions are to be judged that go against the Gospels. Allowing your fellow Christian brother or sister to wallow in sin and do NOTHING ABOUT IT is a sin unto itself. The lack of charity and mercy for your neighbor is a sin.

**James 5:19-20

**My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

----How can you do that without judging actions?
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You cant. In fact this sounds to me like a scriptural mandate to…yes, I’m gonna say it… judge others in mercy and truth. And it’s not the only one.

Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart, but reprove him openly, lest thou incur sin through him (Leviticus 19:17).

If thy brother sin against thee, reprove him: and if he do penance, forgive him. (Luke 17:3)

Them that sin reprove before all: that the rest also may have fear. (1 Timothy 5:20).

Preach the word: be instant in season, out of season: reprove, entreat, rebuke in all patience and doctrine.(2 Timothy 4:2).

We must judge others with mercy and in truth, and remember that mercy trumps judgement.
 
Matariel said:
Today was Good Friday. As everyone went up to venerate the cross (a plain, empty cross) two altar girls were to the sides. As I went up to kiss the cross, I noticed once again distracting fact that the girls, underneath their albs (which were too short, only about knee-length) they were wearing jeans and pink and lime green Croc shoes. Throughout the service, I found I couldn’t concentrate due to that.

What’s worse, is, last Sunday (Passion Sunday) they did the same thing. They never wear anything formal, you can always see their jeans and shoes and sometimes athletic pants. :mad:

Sigh. It’s super-distracting, and, even worse, tomorrow is Easter Vigil, when we join the Church. If they wear that get-up again… well, I just can’t stand it.

Does anyone know of any way I can kindly inform someone about how distracting this is to the Mass, and actually effect change?

Sorry if this seems like such a minor issue, but I find it unbelievingly distracting.

Any thoughts?
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:nope:
I’m sorry and will pray for you and them (and their parents and priest). If you see this carried out with adults, you might want to mention this to the priest.
 
KathleenElsie said:
When was the last time you heard what was ok or not at the Holy Mass? The following is just plane manners that we sometimes forget. The world is not always about us it is about respecting others as well as ourselves.

Don’t chew gum it breaks the fast. Please wear clothing that does not reveal private sexual parts. (look there are short children that see your underwear when you stand up or tall people that if they look you in the face have a direct view of your breasts) People are not looking for issues in dress most of the time it is forced into you face when you kneel and someone is in front of you or the seating in some buildings is stadium type so you sit higher then the person in front of you. Take a screaming child out till they calm down or use the cry room (fussy children are a different matter and should never be removed from Mass). Turn off your cell phones when you enter the Church property. Don’t forget to remember that phones are a private issue and talking on them in public makes everyone within listening distance privy to your conversation. Pray quietly when you are waiting for Mass to start. Don’t visit with friends visit with God. If you are serving at the Mass in any way please respect and honor the Altar. Try not to talk while Mass is being celebrated it just is rude and bad manners.
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👍
Bad manners and rude to Jesus in the Eucharist, also.:rolleyes:
 
Lycoming said:
That’s what really turned me off about EWTN. I was watching some discussion program and they seemed to take delight in determining who God would lose to Hell…
Click to expand...
Somehow I find that hard to believe about EWTN. I watch it all the time. Are you sure it wasn’t a one-time occurance?
 
Materiel,

I feel for you.
It is disturbing to have such things appear at a particularly holy or reverent part of the Mass. Yes, we are to offer it up. You know some of us have a difficult time doing that because we are not saints like Catherine is. Even we if succeed, it hurts us to see how Jesus is treated with such disrespect by the people who claim to be His disciples. It also over time weakens our own faith to watch the constant indifference to our Lord and His Presence.
My husband suggested once that we wear ear plugs and close our eyes during the whole of Mass in order to relieve the distress.

Whollyroaming Catholic has great advice-find the nearest and best Extraordinary Form Mass eventually.

I always have certain clothes for my sons to wear to daily and Holy Day Masses. No sport shoes are allowed. After all, who is in the tabernacle? At the consecration we are kneeling at the foot of the Cross with our Savior dying on it!!! Do we Catholics really believe this? Then dress accordingly-with respect and teach the children to do so, too!
My children would sometimes wonder why they are the only children not allowed to wear their sport or picnic clothes to Mass. I tell them that the poor people perhaps do not know WHO is there!
Or they have a gnostic flavor to their faith which considers that the body is irrelevant and even bad and so it doesn’t matter how one appears since God looks on the heart. True, but as human beings we are bodied and our body should also worship together with our heart. The respectful and orderly appearance is necessary for ourselves, so that we can worship Him in the unity of body and soul.
I also am a convert. You have made the best decision of your life.
When I found out that God is present in the Eucharist, it explained everything. So we dress respectfully, because we know He is there and we want to show Him and others that we know He is there!!!
 
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