Christmas Mass

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I had a similar experience - although I must give the benefit of the doubt as I don’t know who normally goes to a 9am mass on Christmas morning.

But I felt like one of the only ones knowing the service - reminded me of wedding masses… (I don’t blame everyone, as I first returned to church, it took me around 8months to learn the prayers in english - I grew up in Germany, so I knew Latin and German,b ut no English), it takes effort. The first months I was answering in German,…

No what troubled me, was that the church was atteneded by 50-100 people - I mean in my hometown only 7% go to church but on Christmas the church is packed - here it looked like it is even emptier…

But it might have been the 9am mass, and everybody was at the midnight mass, just not me…

I am not a friend of parishes, since I became aquainted with a benedictine monastery, I never found a nicer way to celebrate “high holidays” than there,

parishes make a lot of effort - nobody blames them - choirs, music arrangement, decoration etc - but people are more like passiv watchers. Sometimes it looks like theater - the priest does the show, people watch and go home. I feel sorry for the priest.

Nobody sings on a regular basis, I heard my own voice, but that’s regular - I don’t know school curriculum but music & singing should be taught to kids- so they feel good as adults singing - it is not only beautiful, but fun and also a way to relieve stress.

And like we say" who sings, prays double."…

It was a sober experience, last year I went to a chapel, which burst out of people (probably the same amount) but in a big barock style built church who can hold 300 people or more, 50 just looks like nothing.

Not a blaming of others, but more a question, how can we bring into the hearts that being at mass is not only an act of duty but can be a real way to connect to God as something really really precious.

Merry Christmas
 
This singing issue…

My primary goal in music ministry isn’t to put on a great performance worthy of applause. My goal is to pick out reverent music (but play it well, mind you) that is accessible for congregational singing (that means I stay away from Be Not Afraid – no one can count those rhythms). My group has sung an anthem exactly once in the three years I’ve been at this parish, and that was because it was Confirmation. We’ll probably have to be asked to do Confirmation again before I’ll consider an anthem again. Yesterday was all familiar Christmas carols. People sang yesterday, regardless of whether they were 10:00 am Mass regulars, parish regulars, C&E’s, or visitors.

Even my non-practicing Methodist Mother-in-law sang yesterday because she knew the music, and she commented positively on how the rest of the congregation actually sings.

When we go to plan our liturgies for the big Holy Days, instead of raising the difficulty level of the music and showing off how well the choir can sing and the organist can play, perhaps we should consider how well the congregation can’t sing, and then program accordingly. Keep your flashy anthems, by all means, and sing them at Communion. But for the rest of the Mass, make sure you program familiar carols that don’t utilize flashy arrangements with strange deviations in them.

Through all of our ministries during these seasons, make sure people feel comfortable participating.
 
The nicest thing happened at our midnight mass.

My family and I were sitting in the front, to the side near the choir, since I was the lector (or “reader,” for the nitpickers out there) for the mass. Now I need to tell you about my elder daughter. She is 14, a straight A student, and overall a good kid. Yet she seems to have a slight fascination with the “goth” look, ie. the black clothes, the makeup, and the general obsession with death and metal music. She is not extreme, though, and I have had very open discussions about it with her. She has naturally black hair (her mother is Asian) and has this exotic look that she enhances with some black eyeliner (though not too much of it). I suppose she could be called a “neo-goth,” for she knows that I will not allow her to go all the way on it.

Anyway, during Communion there was, much to my delight and surprise, this goth couple, a young man and woman, in full goth get-up. The man had the full makeup and a very odd hairstyle (something of a stiff ponytail and hair in two long strands over his eyes), plus had this black outfit consisting of knickers, tight black leather boots, and a waist-long cape. The woman had this bride-of-frankenstein look, with a long green dress and bleach-blonde hair.

My daughter watched them in fascination as they approached our good monsignor, crossed themselves, and then devoutly took communion! I nudged my daughter, and she said, “I know, I see!” You see, my daughter has been going through a minor spiritual discernment as she approaches confirmation this upcoming year. Yet seeing something that she greatly admires be devoutly Catholic and humbly receiving our Lord in the Eucharist, spoke great volumes to her.

After mass, she was very quiet for a while. Finally, she said to me, “You know, Daddy, being Catholic is indeed very cool, and a wonderful thing to be! Even goths can be good Catholics!” I agreed with her. So to that young couple, I want to thank them for their witness, and hope that they come back regularly to our parish. I also thank God for sending an answer to a prayer from me for our daughter, asking him to lead my little girl to a greater understanding of her faith as a Roman Catholic Christian.
 
You know some people might be out-of-towners too. My husband and I were yesterday, at a church in my husband’s grandparent’s town. I’m sure people thought we were just Christmas and Easter type Catholics but we of course go every week at home. Just a thought.

I missed my parish. I heard the Christmas Eve mass was beautiful. (we ended up attending the early morning Christmas Day mass out of town before we drove back home.)
 
Some may disagree with me, but at least these people are there. That’s the first step. If they didn’t care about their faith, even a bit, they wouldn’t bother going to Mass at all. I tried to pray for all of those people I didn’t recognize; maybe this Mass will prompt them to become “regulars.” As Lao Tzu said, the journey of ten thousand miles begins with a single step.
 
Hey gang, it occurs to me that we’ve been a tad harsh on the OP. He does have a point about the problems those who come only for Christmas and Easter cause for the regulars.

I’ve been preaching charity and welcome as a response to those who only join us on Christmas and Easter, but we should also remember to be more charitable towards the OP. He’s right… a tad brusque in his comments here, but he’s right.

I hope that the OP’s upset with the people around him didn’t prevent him from focusing on the Lord on Christmas. With the username decn2b, we can assume he is in formation for the Diaconate. Someone who is in formation is still learning and being “formed” in that ministry. We, the faithful, do have a responsibility to foster and support vocations. We have done what we think is our part to show the OP the error of his ways… but some of us have been just as guilty of being uncharitable as we’ve accused him of being. Let us all remember to pray for one another.

Decn2b, please accept my apologies for any lack of charity I have shown you regarding your post.

Peace be with you all and Merry Christmas.
 
I am afraid that I have little sympathy for the true holiday christian. I do not begrudge them coming to mass but once or twice a year. Nor do I feel any discomfort by the swelling of the church with standing room only masses. If this was a measure of our belief and love for God it would simply be fantastic. However great sadness comes upon me then a good deal of anger as those who during the year take no notice of God as in keeping holy the Lord’s day now dance in and go up to receive holy communion. Now this is not limited to the holiday christians, as studies and our own observations show few go to confession, do you ever have to wait to get in to see the priest, while vertually everyone goes to communion. In this day of growing acceptance of contraceptives, abortion, divorce, homosexuality and widespread relative morality, people do not believe they sin. Yet those who do not obey God’s commandments but still receive communion without benefit of confession and absolution commit grave sacrilege. How can such as these love God while showing utter contempt to Him and His teachings.
:tsktsk:
 
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