Being seen at Mass

[marypar]

Very scrupulous here and am always looking for something else to worry about.

When at Mass (sometimes Daily Mass), I am so proud to be there that I want the priest to notice me (I am a familiar face). I feel good and do try to say to myself, “stop, this can be the sin of pride.” I feel that he is acknowledging me for doing something good.
Of course, the priests know me by sight not name. I also like it when I see familiar faces in the pews.

I am embarrassed to even mention this in Confession as the priest probably sees me in the pew before going into the Confessional.

 

[Spritus1]

I know what you mean. Priests will be aware of such issues and will have heard it before. I understand it can be embarrassing but you could try to see it as a valuable opportunity for mortification and humility. The sin of spiritual pride is very insidious.

Pray about it. The Lord knows how weak we are and is full of mercy and compassion. Also bear in mind that Our Lord said to St Faustina that is He (concealed by the priest) that we encounter when we go to confession. Our Lord already knows our sins and is full of love and tenderness and longs for us to come to Him so He can give us His love and mercy.

My advice in a nutshell is go to confession. You may well be pleasantly surprised at the outcome.

 

[AKDee]

I used to have a similar issue where when praying before Mass I would be afraid people would see me and that I might be puffed up with pride for how “holy” I was being or something. I had listened to a Lighthouse Catholic Media talk where the speaker mentioned you can ask Our Lady to hide you from view, so I began doing that and would ask that I be hidden from the sight of others so that I could pray without thinking people might be looking at me. I did get over that issue and rarely worry about it now.

You might overcome your own concerns by moving around and not always sitting in the same place, by sitting in the back behind a lot of people, by keeping your head bowed or by wearing a hat or a veil to make your face less visible, etc. Or perhaps pray the Litany of Humility in advance of Mass.

 

[Spritus1]

Remember also that no matter how many times you are at Mass or no matter how holy we may feel ourselves to be, in the sight of the utter Holiness of God we are very far from holy and we stand in need of His great Mercy.

 

[DebChris]

Instead of beating yourself up, ask why you are at Mass. Of course you are happy to see familiar faces. The Eucharist is a communal celebration. We are all members of the Body of Christ. We pray at home as individuals. When we go to Mass we are part of the community of believers. We celebrate the Eucharist with one another. Instead of hiding in the back as an earlier poster suggested, I would actually suggest sitting in the front. This is not so that you can be seen by the priest or others, but rather that you might focus more on the Mass itself and the readings.

 

[marypar]

Instead of beating yourself up, ask why you are at Mass. Of course you are happy to see familiar faces. The Eucharist is a communal celebration. We are all members of the Body of Christ. We pray at home as individuals. When we go to Mass we are part of the community of believers. We celebrate the Eucharist with one another. Instead of hiding in the back as an earlier poster suggested, I would actually suggest sitting in the front. This is not so that you can be seen by the priest or others, but rather that you might focus more on the Mass itself and the readings.

Yes, I do prefer sitting toward the front as I like to see the Blessed Sacrament and also prefer receiving from a priest and not an Extraordinary Minister (more in the back of the line). I am overthinking this with my scruples but will bring it up in Confession.