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sedonaman
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Just you wait and see.
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promethius
Guest
I’ve been catholic for a long time, and what I’ve seen is a resurgence of liturgical conservatism… a good thing in my opinion, even if it includes a strain of persons who as a result lose faith in the sufficiency of the Holy Spirit in protecting the church (and who become a bit of modern pharisees in mix).I have faith that God will lead His church, and that a few silly mistakes and even disobedient congregations here and there will not be sufficient to thwart God’s will. Towards that end, I will assist in correcting errors where they occur, but I will NOT allow such an end to destroy either my charity or my sense of peace and rest in God’s will.
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BettyBoop416
Guest
There are two kinds of people in this world. Those who have had this happen to them, and those who will have it happen to them. No matter how careful you are, one day you’ll forget to turn it off. That will be the day that someone decides to call you during mass. Been there, done that.
One of our priests recently had this happen to him. He’s an older, very traditional kind of guy who will sometimes stop and glare at the congregation if someone’s phone starts ringing. Well…his phone started ringing, very loudly, during the Eucharistic prayer. He was terribly embarrassed and was desperately trying to find the offending phone under his vestments. It took at least a full minute before he could locate it and turn it off. He was so flustered that he barely made it through the mass. While I felt really bad for him, there was a tiny corner in the back of my brain that was thinking, “Serves you right.”
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Catholic90
Guest
Yes, if it is super hot or super cold, I would never leave my phone in the car. It is not good for it. Plus, it is also recommended that nothing of value be left in vehicles, because cars do get broken into and things taken. If my phone got taken, it would be horrible, since my life is on that phone! I slip it into my pocket. I almost always have it on vibrate, and always with me.Indeed. Also, some of us are paranoid about leaving electronic devices in their cars, especially in the cold weather. I don’t even like to leave CDs in the CD player. There’s no way I’d leave my phone in my car.
Drinking fountains?
Have you ever watched a child drink from a drinking fountain? They generally stick their whole mouth over the faucet. Some people also spit out some water, hitting the fountain spigot. You want me to drink from THAT? No way. I work in a school, and I see daily what kids do to fountains. No way, no thanks. 
I forbade my children from ever drinking from fountains and have always insisted they have a water bottle.Some people have throat tickles, especially in dry environments. They are not sick, just have a dry throat. I get a dry throat in winter. It is far less distracting to have a water bottle than to get up and leave multiple times per mass. A water bottle is discreetly sipped from - no problem.
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theidler
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In my opinion, aside from what the one fellow said before about having it for emergency situations (being a civil servant of some kind like a fire fighter or paramedic or what have you), the only place that a cell phone belongs is at the bottom of the ocean.
Or maybe I’m a little extreme, ha.
Or maybe I’m a little extreme, ha.
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Catholic90
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Yeah, you are a little too extreme.In my opinion, aside from what the one fellow said before about having it for emergency situations (being a civil servant of some kind like a fire fighter or paramedic or what have you), the only place that a cell phone belongs is at the bottom of the ocean.
Or maybe I’m a little extreme, ha.
Just put it on silent or vibrate. No problem.My cell phone contains my life! It is my clock, my alarm, my calendar, my reminder, my address book, my list keeper, my note taker, my Internet, my phone book, my address book, the way I communicate with my family, the way my kids can reach me in an emergency (or otherwise). It contains a Bible, my prayers, and my email. If something is announced after mass, I can quickly check my schedule and see if a date works for something, add things, or make a note on there to call someone. If someone asks to meet for coffee or dinner, I can immediately tell them if my schedule works and add it to my schedule.
I will not leave my phone in my car, because if it too hot or too cold, it is not good for it. Plus, it could be stolen. I generally do not leave it at home, because I often head out somewhere after mass, and I need the phone to be reached or to reach others, like those I am meeting. Plus, it is a safety and security measure! If something were to happen to me or my car, I must have a phone to call the authorities, AAA, my mechanic, etc.
Common sense for me!
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theidler
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Heh heh, yes, but you’re talking to a guy who reads Aquinas by candelightYeah, you are a little too extreme.
My cell phone contains my life! It is my clock, my alarm, my calendar, my reminder, my address book, my list keeper, my note taker, my Internet, my phone book, my address book, the way I communicate with my family, the way my kids can reach me in an emergency (or otherwise). It contains a Bible, my prayers, and my email. If something is announced after mass, I can quickly check my schedule and see if a date works for something, add things, or make a note on there to call someone. If someone asks to meet for coffee or dinner, I can immediately tell them if my schedule works and add it to my schedule.
I will not leave my phone in my car, because if it too hot or too cold, it is not good for it. Plus, it could be stolen. I generally do not leave it at home, because I often head out somewhere after mass, and I need the phone to be reached or to reach others, like those I am meeting. Plus, it is a safety and security measure! If something were to happen to me or my car, I must have a phone to call the authorities, AAA, my mechanic, etc.
Common sense for me!
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Catholic90
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Why?Heh heh, yes, but you’re talking to a guy who reads Aquinas by candelight
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KCT
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A friend told me her husband’s phone went off in church. His ring is a loud, obnoxious voice saying, “Hey, aren’t you going to answer the phone?”
She was mortified!
She was mortified!
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GwenL
Guest
I’m missing something here. What is the problem with a bottle of water? Why would you have a problem with someone drinking water at Mass?
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GwenL
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You may choose to leave your cell phone in your car. Our church is in a fairly dangerous neighborhood. I would not want to leave anything of value in the car.
Additionally, I’m the morning sacristan. I’m opening the church, by myself, in the dark. If you think I’m going to walk around this neighborhood without a cell phone handy, you are crazy.
Also, as the sacristan, I’m the person that will be calling the police when problems arise during Mass (and before and after, too!). Yes, we’ve had people charge the altar. One guy went up toward Father, yelling and screaming, during a right-to-life homily. We had one lady with knives go forward, luckily she went to cut up a picture rather than the priest. We had one lady without a stitch of clothing go forward. Never a dull moment.
Additionally, I’m the morning sacristan. I’m opening the church, by myself, in the dark. If you think I’m going to walk around this neighborhood without a cell phone handy, you are crazy.
Also, as the sacristan, I’m the person that will be calling the police when problems arise during Mass (and before and after, too!). Yes, we’ve had people charge the altar. One guy went up toward Father, yelling and screaming, during a right-to-life homily. We had one lady with knives go forward, luckily she went to cut up a picture rather than the priest. We had one lady without a stitch of clothing go forward. Never a dull moment.
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Kerry77
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I’m not getting parts of this thread.
If my cell phone goes off at Mass because I forgot to turn it off or even better, leave it in the car, it is my fault. Period.
Sure, I guess there are a million reasons why we must have our cell phones with us at all times, I dunno. We did live without them for millenia, up to quite recently. Even as recent as 15-20 years ago, most of us were driving around on the open road or walking the streets without a cell phone tethered to our bodies! Imagine!
I’m not saying that everyone should keep their cell phone out of the church. It’s something I’m going to think about myself. But I’m also going to take responsibility for my actions. If my cell phone goes off during Mass because I forgot, then shame on me.
I’m not going to chastise someone else if their cell phone goes off, but I also don’t feel a need to be charitable and think of the 100 reasons why they needed to bring their phone to Mass. That’s their issue not mine.
If my cell phone goes off at Mass because I forgot to turn it off or even better, leave it in the car, it is my fault. Period.
Sure, I guess there are a million reasons why we must have our cell phones with us at all times, I dunno. We did live without them for millenia, up to quite recently. Even as recent as 15-20 years ago, most of us were driving around on the open road or walking the streets without a cell phone tethered to our bodies! Imagine!
I’m not saying that everyone should keep their cell phone out of the church. It’s something I’m going to think about myself. But I’m also going to take responsibility for my actions. If my cell phone goes off during Mass because I forgot, then shame on me.
I’m not going to chastise someone else if their cell phone goes off, but I also don’t feel a need to be charitable and think of the 100 reasons why they needed to bring their phone to Mass. That’s their issue not mine.
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Sailor_Kenshin
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Though I’m often guilty of this myself, I’m a little tired of all the finger-wagging here.
Anyone else?
You do not know the reason someone’s cell goes off during Mass, and you are under no obligation (for various reasons that many have pointed out here) to ‘leave your phone in the car.’
People forget. People are imperfect. What a concept.
Anyone else?
You do not know the reason someone’s cell goes off during Mass, and you are under no obligation (for various reasons that many have pointed out here) to ‘leave your phone in the car.’
People forget. People are imperfect. What a concept.
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Kerry77
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Am I allowed to think its annoying?
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promethius
Guest
Nobody’s asking you to think of 100 reasons why they need to bring their phone to mass… that’s not the point. The point is that if anyone is judging someone as irreverent or uncaring about the liturgy as a result, then they are in direct violation of the teachings of the catechism, specifically 2477 and 2478.
So, if you’re sitting there and a phone rings and you go “hmn, that’s unfortunate”, all good. If you’re sitting there and making negative judgements against a person who ends up in that unfortunate situation, however, then you should be reminding yourself of the requirement for charity and avoidance of rash judgement that is demanded by Catholic teaching.
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Kerry77
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promethius
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The catechism is clear that we if we are to make any judgement that it is to “to interpret insofar as possible his neighbor’s thoughts, words, and deeds in a favorable way”
It then goes on to explain the procedure if we cannot do so, which is to ask the person what their reason was. If the person WAS actually in the wrong, it then explains to offer correction with love, and then if they persist to " try all suitable ways to bring the other to a correct interpretation …"
So if we’re judging others without assuming the favorable option, even if they’re sitting there texting, and we are failing to approach the person to ASK them and then to offer correction in love, then we are failing our duty as catholics to avoid rash judgement and to offer charitable correction if our judgement is correct. In other words, even if someone is sitting there texting, if we fail this duty, then we are likewise in the wrong.
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Kerry77
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You win.
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dochawk
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I found out, the hard way, that an android can crash while shutting down. I told mine to power down, saw it starting, and tossed it in my satchel. It loses its interface and controls, but will still ring when it goes off. Can’t answer, can’t silence, can’t power off, can’t control volume. I had to theatrically remove the3 battery as the judge glared . . . A few years ago, I had one go off in my college classroom. Usually my beginning of the year speech about being handed a watch by the bride during the wedding, with instructions to destroy under the heel of my boot if it went off, and my regrets about it not going off, were enough. (This was the only ring in six years . . .) Anyway, I was holding several large foam dice at the time, so I started throwing them, one at a time. The next class, my boss came in for the annual evaluation, and happened to sit next to her. He told me to never do that again
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odile53
Guest
We had a rather ridiculous experience one day at a weekday Mass. This Mass is celebrated at a church that is in close proximity to three major hospitals in our city, as well as near a police station, the police headquarters including the detective division, and several other civil servant/emergency response employment sites. Any given weekday Mass contains at least a few medical professionals who are on call, a detective or two who is stopping for Mass on his or her lunch break, and so forth. Invariably there is someone who forgot to silence their phone, and it irks one of the priests no end! Can’t say that I blame him. On one occasion he was preaching about the call of Christ when someone’s cell phone went off, and without skipping a beat says, “And that’s probably Him calling right now!” as the embarrassed congregant fumbled for the contraption.
However, just as snarfiness in the world has its own consequences, so does it in Holy Mother Church. A couple of weeks later during the homily a very loud cell phone rang out through the church. A lot of people were surreptitiously checking their phones, when Father stopped glowering as he realized it was his own /B cell phone that was ringing! He had forgotten to put it on vibrate, he was a chaplain at one of the hospitals, and was indeed on-call when he offered this particular Mass.
However, just as snarfiness in the world has its own consequences, so does it in Holy Mother Church. A couple of weeks later during the homily a very loud cell phone rang out through the church. A lot of people were surreptitiously checking their phones, when Father stopped glowering as he realized it was his own /B cell phone that was ringing! He had forgotten to put it on vibrate, he was a chaplain at one of the hospitals, and was indeed on-call when he offered this particular Mass.
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