Currently in the United States, like it or not, hand-clapping has become an accepted way for a group of people to say “Thank you.”
In Luke 17, 11-19, Jesus heals ten lepers. All of them are so excited to be healed that they run away, but one healed leper returns, falls on his face at Jesus’ feet, and gives thanks to Him. Jesus praises this leper for giving thanks.
I believe that it is fitting for God’s people to give thanks to God, and in a group setting, applause is the way it is done in this day and age in the United States. It was not so in the past, but this is not the past. It is 2011, and people everywhere say “Thank you” with hand-clapping, again, like it or not. To rail against it seems rather useless, as it has become an accepted part of our culture.
I believe that Jesus is not offended, but rather, pleased, when people give thanks to Him, which is essentially what they are doing when they clap during/after the Mass.
Yes, I’m sure that there are some people in the congregation who are merely applauding a man because they are worldly in their outlook and think he was a good “entertainer,”, but I’m also sure that many more of the faithful have the pure motive of thanking the man (or choir, or speaker or altar servers, etc.) for bringing them a message that has helped them to see God and draw nearer to Him.
What are the alternatives for saying thank you? Lining up to say “thank you” after the Mass? Mailing a letter?
Both of these are very appropriate, but they are not corporate or “group” thank you, but rather, are individual methods of saying “thank you.” Hand-clapping in a group (“applause”) is a group thank you.
It is quite touching and meaningful to receive a hearty group thank you. IMO, the only other possible alternative would be for the entire congregation to call out, “THANK YOU!”, but this is not usually done in the U.S. Perhaps it will eventually become the cultural norm, but it isn’t right now.
As far as I know, the rubrics of the Mass do not forbid the group from saying “thank you” with a round of hand-clapping. I know that one of the popes has made ONE comment that applause is not appropriate during the Mass, but we’re not talking about worldly “applause,” we’re talking about saying “thank you” as a group. Also, one comment from a pope is not binding as a Mass rubric.
I know that there are people who say that we have to be careful not to assume that since the rubrics don’t forbid it, it is therefore allowed. But honestly, that’s the way it is. A lot of people pray the Sign of the Cross during or after the priest pronounces the absolution (in the OF Mass). THAT gesture is not in the rubrics for the Mass, but I see very few posts objecting to this gesture.
My only problem with a weekly round of hand-clapping for the priest’s homily (or for a choir number, or a speaker, etc.) is that it may become a rote exercise, no longer a true “thank you,” but something that the people think they have to do. That’s not good. The gesture means nothing if it does not proceed from the grateful hearts of the congregation, but instead, is just a habitual response.
In case anyone is wondering, the Masses in our parish are not generally punctuated with hand-clapping. There are times, though, when there is a hearty group “thank you” in the form of hand-clapping. I remember one homily in which our pastor denounced, in strong words, the abuse of children by priests, and stated clearly that such crimes need to be handled by the police. THAT brought hand-clapping from a grateful congregation. There are also times when the choir, especially the children’s choir, receives a corporate thank you in the form of applause for particularly stirring music, but this is always done AFTER the priest has pronounced that Mass is ended. Also, in our parish, whenever the priest invites a speaker to do a presentation (usually to invite people to the annual retreat, or invite people to sign up for an hour in the Perpetual Adoration Chapel), there is always applause–I think this has become an automatic response to a guest in the Mass, but I know that most of us are grateful to hear the speaker’s presentation.
