Are Christians becoming lazy during Prayer?

[pnewton]

Some on this forum have no idea how to pray properly.

Do you mean where one’s interior disposition is more important than posture? The way you acted presumptuous to the priest above, I would say tend to your own beam before removing specks. Anyway, my cell phone just went off. Jesus called and wants his throne back.

 

[Agnus-Dei]

If the pneumonia you had was contagious, going to church was not a good idea. Illness is a valid reason to miss a day, and not possibly infect everyone by going anyway.
Dominus vobiscum

 

[MarysLittleFlower]

Dear brother/sister - I am a traditional Catholic. I attend a Latin Mass parish where reverence is highly emphasized. When I was troubled by what I saw at another parish that I have to sometimes attend, my FSSP priest recommended I just close my eyes and pray. It is painful to see irreverence and it hurts my heart. But dont lose your peace over it. Instead seek to be with Jesus and console Him.

Also, it is so important to remember our own sins. And the irreverence you describe might not be real irreverence. i am not saying that there is no such thing as exterior reverence. But for instance with kneeling, some people cant kneel. Some might be extremely tired. Some maybe dont know enough.

Consider this quote from St John of the Cross, I hope this helps to find peace on this:

“Wisdom enters through love, silence and mortification. It is great wisdom to know how to be silent and to look at neither the remarks, nor the deeds, nor the lives of others”

“Never listen to talk about the weaknesses of others, and if someone complains of another, you can tell her humbly to say nothing of it to you”

I believe in this way we can keep interior peace which is so important

God bless you!

 

[dochawk]

I blew through my 60’s genuflecting, kneeling just fine. Somewhere in my 70’s, that became problematic.

I was half of that when it became an issue . . . I was bracing myself just to genuflect, and letting the seat actually bear my weight for kneeling.

My knees were much better after joining my byzantine parish for a few months! (we never go onto that new-fangled western innovation of kneeling, and maintain the traditional standing posture as the position of respect, reserving kneeling for penitential posture)

At Mass, if I happen to note small children attending with their (harried) parents, I smile at God’s beautiful creations.

That. Noisy small children are far better than absent small children . . .

Please answer that?

scrupulosity by proxy?

Really, there are far more important things at Mass calling for your attention.

Two weeks ago I had server Pneumonia and felt faint. I still got out of my sick bed attended church to pray.

You exposed your entire parish to pneumonia? I’d write, “how utterly obnoxious”, but that’s not nearly strong enough.

With that, you sent the cellphone people and the noisy children to the back of the line . . .

 

[Annie]

Christians are on the decline and many Christians do not attend obligation days regular?

The decline of Mass attendance started with those who went to the reverent quiet Masses… not only in the US but all over the world.

Consider France, where Mass attendance was already down to 27% in 1952.

 

[JimG]

The OP’s complaint reminds of a similar complaint to Fr. Z about the same subject:

ASK FATHER: Frustrated by a lack of reverence, liturgical discipline. Am I in the right church? Is this Really God’s house? | Fr. Z's Blog

 

[Margaret_Ann]

I agree with most of your posts. However, in my Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, during Paschaltide, it’s forbidden to kneel (the rest of the year we do). And as @dochawk posted, technically we’re not supposed to kneel on Saturdays, Sundays and Holy Days.

Fr. @edward_george1 is a good priest and I’m sure he does his best to instill reverence in church in his parishioners, so please be nice to him.

Honestly, it scares the living daylights out of me when someone’s cell phone goes off.

Suggestion: Offer up your Holy Communion in reparation to the Holy Face of Jesus for those who are irreverent in church:

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Adorable Face of Thy Beloved Son for the honor and glory of Thy Holy Name and for the salvation of all men.

Our Lord told Sister Mary of St. Peter that one can offer up His Holy Face for any intention.

The Golden Arrow in reparation for blasphemy:

May the Most Holy, Most Sacred, Most Adorable, Most Mysterious and Unutterable Name of God be praised, blessed, loved, adored and glorified in Heaven, on earth and in the hells, by all God’s creatures, and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Amen.

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

 

[TK421]

Over 100 years ago, the London Times (reportedly) mailed to prominent authors, asking them:

“What is wrong with the world today?”

I love this.

 

[JimG]

I can sympathize. Those of us of a certain advanced age may recall times in which one could chat in the vestibule before entering the main church, but once the door to the church closed behind you, there was near total silence. Everyone who was able was kneeling in silent prayer. Children were trained to keep quiet at Mass. No one asked to go to the bathroom during Mass. (At my church, there was no bathroom.) One might acknowledge friends and acquaintances with a nod, but not speak to them. There were no handshakes, hugs, or kisses, and no applause. It was a time long ago and far away.
But times have changed. One will not likely experience that again unless attending Mass at a monastery.

 

[CRV]

recall times in which one could chat in the vestibule before entering the main church, but once the door to the church closed behind you, there was near total silence. Everyone who was able was kneeling in silent prayer. Children were trained to keep quiet at Mass. No one asked to go to the bathroom during Mass. (At my church, there was no bathroom.) One might acknowledge friends and acquaintances with a nod, but not speak to them. There were no handshakes, hugs, or kisses, and no applause.

I remember.