"Christmas Catholics"

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demetrios423

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I was only confirmed into the church this past Easter and have been to mass every week including a lot of weekday masses. I truly enjoy mass and get a lot from it. I attempted to go to mass tonight but could not stay there once I was seated for a few minutes.

There were people talking loudly, chewing gum, kids running around without supervision people texting on phones, young girls dressed in short sexy skirts and general rude behavior. This while 90% haven been in the building since Easter. I recognize almost everyone regular mass attendee as I am active in my parish.

This is what bothers me. They never attend mass except for those two days a year and when they do get there they act like they have never been taught any manners. Is this common with so called “Christmas Catholics”? My wife and I looked at each other and agreed to leave and try again in the morning.

When we were in the parking lot leaving we notice a few more people leaving as well. I can’t help but wonder if they felt how I felt. Mass to me is a very sacred thing and I felt like it turned into a huge circus. I am trying not to judge those people, but I am weak in that area.

Any advice or general comments would be appreciated. I am literally angry about this and I should not be.
 
demetrios423 said:
Any advice or general comments would be appreciated. I am literally angry about this and I should not be.
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Focus on the reason why YOU are there - not on the others who are there.

They are THERE. They could have chosen to not even attend.
 
And when you go back tomorrow and a whole new crowd of “Christmas Catholics” are at Mass, will you leave again?

Think of it this way: What can keep me from God and from fulfilling my obligation?

Gum chewers? Nope, not for me.
Inappropriate attire? Nope not for me.

In short, nothing that others may do will keep me from Mass. 🙂
 
It can be difficult when others do not respect the Presence, and disrupt your prayers. But at least they have some connection to the Church and God.

Perhaps there is a quieter place to go and pray? Especially a Blessed Sacrament chapel, if you church has one.

You can offer them to God and pray for them. I find that this can help with the irritation. Sometimes.
 
Phaedra777 said:
And when you go back tomorrow and a whole new crowd of “Christmas Catholics” are at Mass, will you leave again?

Think of it this way: What can keep me from God and from fulfilling my obligation?

Gum chewers? Nope, not for me.
Inappropriate attire? Nope not for me.

In short, nothing that others may do will keep me from Mass. 🙂
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This is the first time I left before mass started. The scene was literally out of control. I don’t think I have properly expressed how bad it was.
 
bmonk said:
It can be difficult when others do not respect the Presence, and disrupt your prayers. But at least they have some connection to the Church and God.

Perhaps there is a quieter place to go and pray? Especially a Blessed Sacrament chapel, if you church has one.

You can offer them to God and pray for them. I find that this can help with the irritation. Sometimes.
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We tried the chapel and the childrens “cry room”, but both were packed with no sitting or standing room.

I think the overall problem was the amount of people that were there. It became a pack mentality. Like I said, there were others leaving.
 
I can fully understand your irritation. I find myself irritated by the same thing quite often. When I am, I usually just take a moment to think positively about it, and I pray that this Christmas will be the Christmas that brings them back. You see, they may not be practicing, but there is obviously something that is bringing them back, even if it is only on those two days a year. I pray for the priest that his homily may be what they need to hear, and I pray for them that they may hear it, and then I am better able to tune out their chatter and the chatter of my own annoyance.
 
I’m now trying to figure out which will have less of a crowd, tonight’s 8pm mass or tomorrow mornings 730am mass. Any guesses?
 
Try going early Christmas day morning if possible. In the years since I’ve come back to the Church, I have noticed the early morning Christmas day masses are nearly empty at my parish. “Chriseasters” seem to like Christmas Eve masses or the close to noon masses.😛
 
7:30 am, for sure. More people will want to go Christmas Eve so they don’t have to on Christmas and they can just stay home. Also, 7:30 is really early.
 
That is my normal Sunday mass time. I love that time. There is plenty of people there, but they are all respectful of everyone else. I think I will go in the morning.

Thank you to everyone who answered. Merry Christmas and God bless.
 
Phaedra777 said:
Think of it this way: What can keep me from God and from fulfilling my obligation?

Gum chewers? Nope, not for me.
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I have earplugs. I carry them with me everywhere. 😃

But a couple of posts in this thread make it seem like the gum-chewers only come out at Christmas and Easter. This is not so! They are lurking everywhere, everyday, and at every Mass. Sometimes they sit in front of me. What is worse, sometimes they sit behind me, which is barely tolerable, as I can’t SEE which one is annoying me, and whether they are really chewing gum or if they are only rustling in their purse or a book. Sometimes they even sit beside me. They teach their children this despicable habit, and all twelve of them pile into MY pew.
I am going to petition the magisterium to forbid gum in church. This won’t stop the gum-chewers, of course, but it will make me feel better when I can tell someone that they are actually SINNING instead of merely being annoying. 😃

(Yes, I am kidding. Slightly.)
 
All of this is why I like operating the video camera’s at Mass. I have my own seat in the choir loft, and plenty of elbow room…😛
 
anodos said:
I have earplugs. I carry them with me everywhere. 😃

But a couple of posts in this thread make it seem like the gum-chewers only come out at Christmas and Easter. This is not so! They are lurking everywhere, everyday, and at every Mass. Sometimes they sit in front of me. What is worse, sometimes they sit behind me, which is barely tolerable, as I can’t SEE which one is annoying me, and whether they are really chewing gum or if they are only rustling in their purse or a book. Sometimes they even sit beside me. They teach their children this despicable habit, and all twelve of them pile into MY pew.
I am going to petition the magisterium to forbid gum in church. This won’t stop the gum-chewers, of course, but it will make me feel better when I can tell someone that they are actually SINNING instead of merely being annoying. 😃
(Yes, I am kidding. Slightly.)
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Then CAF would be full of threads about the morality of mastication! (which come to think of it, might be a nice change)🙂
 
Actually, we just thank God when they don’t show up already snookered!

Yes, I’m serious. It’s why we no longer have a Christmas Midnight mass. Our late mass is at 9:00pm.
 
Hokomai said:
Then CAF would be full of threads about the morality of mastication! (which come to think of it, might be a nice change)🙂
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“We had steak at Uncle Ralph’s and I didn’t want to choke so I might have chewed one or two more times than allowed I don’t know…what if I can’t remember how many times I did it?”
😃
 
SouthCatholic said:
Actually, we just thank God when they don’t show up already snookered!

Yes, I’m serious. It’s why we no longer have a Christmas Midnight mass. Our late mass is at 9:00pm.
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I’m with ya on that…no drunk facebooking tonight.
 
I found it a bit hard to focus in prayer before the Mass began tonight… que sera sera.
 
anodos said:
“We had steak at Uncle Ralph’s and I didn’t want to choke so I might have chewed one or two more times than allowed I don’t know…what if I can’t remember how many times I did it?”
😃
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:rotfl:
 
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