Clapping in Church

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jordan_Rizk
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
Tigg said:
^^^^^^
With regard to the words of our Holy Father, I would say there might be one possible exception to clapping, and that is if it is done in spontaneous joy over a spiritual good - like the reception of someone coming into the Church - a welcome by the Congregation if you will.

!
Click to expand...
One thing to keep in mind is that the confection of a Sacrament, such as Baptism, Confirmation or Matrimony, is not a human achievement, but a Divine one.

It is the Holy Spirit acting through human agents.
 
At our parish applause most often occurs at Mass when there is a baptism being performed or anniversary being celebrated, and the priest asks the congregation to welcome/congratulate them. I don’t recall other instances of applause as a normal part of Mass.

However, I was recently at a Mass where a visiting Bishop presided. The choir sang a second communion hymn which lasted until the Tabernacle was closed and the Bishop and the other celebrants were seated. When the choir finished their excellent rendition of the beautiful music, the people in the pews began to applaud. I know that this is not considered acceptable, so I watched the Bishop to see what he would do. I expected him to sit in the chair, perhaps smile toward the choir but not applaud. I was wrong. He too quietly applauded, but with his hands just over his lap, not in any overtly visible way.

Another Bishop would perhaps not have applauded, and would have “stuck to the script”. This one seemed to “go with the flow” for the most part. As he stood for the final prayer and blessing, the Bishop commented on and thanked those who contributed to the liturgy, such as the readers and servers, as well as the participation of the congregation. He ended with a nod to the “wonderful choir”. He may have thought the earlier applause was not appropriate, but since he too applauded I doubt he considered it a sin.

As others have said, this question has been discussed several times on this forum; my belief is that it varies by the parish, the priest and the culture and I expect it will continue to happen some times at some parishes.
 
I’ve seen people in Spain and Italy applaud as the priest passes with the monstrance in a procession. It merely demonstrates (to me at least) that those Catholics are applauding Jesus as a real presence. The belief it demonstrates is almost visceral. I don’t mind if Bishops ‘approve’ or not really
 
I have witnessed Masses interrupted several times by spontaneous applause in the presence of Blessed Pope John Paul and Pope Benedict. I seem to recall that this happened even during the funeral Mass for the late pope.It seems to be a cultural thing,and,perhaps Anglo-Saxon nations are just not used to the concept. It is a bit quaint to look to Pope Pius X or The ancient Catholic Encyclopedia for refeence.
 
Brendan said:
One thing to keep in mind is that the confection of a Sacrament, such as Baptism, Confirmation or Matrimony, is not a human achievement, but a Divine one.

It is the Holy Spirit acting through human agents.
Click to expand...
I wasn’t advocating such a thing at all during a Mass.
 
Brendan said:
One thing to keep in mind is that the confection of a Sacrament, such as Baptism, Confirmation or Matrimony, is not a human achievement, but a Divine one.

It is the Holy Spirit acting through human agents.
Click to expand...
True…but our pastor is heavy on the horizontal and community and when we’re asked to applaud in this instance, I am obedient.
 
At Mass the Last Supper is re-enacted and Calvary is made present in an unbloody manner. However, when we receive Holy Communion we are receiving the risen, living, glorified Jesus Christ, body, blood, soul, and divinity.

I can see a problem however with applause breaking out during the Consecration of the Mass. When Calvary becomes present applause would be inappropriate and indicate a lack of understanding of the liturgy. After Holy Communion, and a time of reflection, I don’t see a problem.
In some instances applause is appropriate such as ordinations, and also as a sign of assent in response to a question from the presiding priest after Holy Communion, if some announcement is made, before the blessing and sending us out into the world. We are not sent out to be somber.
 
R_C said:
Nope.The liturgy cannot bow down to cultural issues: what is good in one culture may be wrong in another.
Click to expand...
Then explain why the Liturgy has heavy cultural elements? Even within the Latin Rite, there are cultural adaptations to wherever the Church is. Have you been to Mass in the Philippines or South America? Have you been to an Eastern Liturgy?
 
austenbosten said:
Well you clap when some alley-cat belts out a tune on stage…why not clap for the most Holy of Holies. :p:D

Jesus Christ is in the House!

:clapping:
Click to expand...
Had to chuckle when I saw your comment. Often when the Jesus in the form of consecrated hosts are returned to the side chapel, I have the thought, “Jesus has left the building”. then I chide myself for such an irrelevant thought,

Truly though, even with it is right at the side of the congregation, it makes the church seem empty. I had the thought last week though, that he is still there in all the people - and that was comforting

I am a bit off topic however. With regard to clapping, I think it is sometimes really appropriate. During some of the announcements that affect the whole community is one, after a particularly good homily where we sort of collectively thank the priest or deacon, or signify agreement with them. It can be a sort of communication and feedback that is not at all disrespectful.
 
Dancing is not a form of expression for the Christian liturgy. In about the third century, there was an attempt in certain Gnostic-Docetic circles to introduce it into the liturgy. For these people, the Crucifixion was only an appearance. . . . Dancing could take the place of the liturgy of the Cross, because, after all, the Cross was only an appearance. The cultic dances of the different religions have different purposes - incantation, imitative magic, mystical ecstasy - none of which is compatible with the essential purpose of the liturgy as the “reasonable sacrifice”. It is totally absurd to try to make the liturgy “attractive” by introducing dancing pantomimes (wherever possible performed by professional dance troupes), which frequently (and rightly, from the professionals’ point of view) end with applause. Wherever applause breaks out in the liturgy because of some human achievement, it is a sure sign that the essence of liturgy has totally disappeared and been replaced by a kind of religious entertainment. Such attraction fades quickly - it cannot compete in the market of leisure pursuits, incorporating as it increasingly does various forms of religious titillation. (then Cardinal Ratzinger)
Click to expand...
I believe the Holy Father’s quote should be taken in context. He is condemning the “religious entertainment”, not that the congregation claps in response to something said during the announcements, before the dismissal.
 
On Sunday, January 25, 1998, in Havana, Cuba, the Holy Father, John Paul II during his homily after a long burst of applause, the Holy Father said:

“I am not against applause because when you applaud, the Pope can take a little rest!”

I bet the crowd even laughed at his little joke. 👍
 
ConstantineTG said:
Then explain why the Liturgy has heavy cultural elements? Even within the Latin Rite, there are cultural adaptations to wherever the Church is. Have you been to Mass in the Philippines or South America? Have you been to an Eastern Liturgy?
Click to expand...
My words were a little vague there. I meant to say that the sole fact that action A is good in culture X does not mean that it is good, because action A may be bad in culture Y. The liturgy reflects ancient roots (especially Holy Mass) that have never changed, though we do see (as you correctly mention) the wonderful presence of many cultural elements.

However, when such cultural elements are not incorporated into the liturgy but, rather, imposed by the faithful, then I worry. Surely the Church incorporates new elements into the liturgy, this is an on-going effort that makes perfect sense…

Now, down to the practical aspects of the question: I personally see no reason why in the US at a Mass in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite, one should clap at any time during the Mass. Once the priest says: the Mass is ended, go in peace, then the Mass is ended and in theory people can forget they are living tabernacles in the house of God and do as they please, but I can see no cultural reasons to clap in addressing the OP’s question from a local standpoint.

If we have to discuss whether clapping or something else is appropriate in some culture, we ought to ask: is A proper in culture X? Then we can say yes, no, or maybe so. But as long as the question is so generic, one can only assume it was meant to address a local issue.
 
R_C said:
My words were a little vague there. I meant to say that the sole fact that action A is good in culture X does not mean that it is good, because action A may be bad in culture Y. The liturgy reflects ancient roots (especially Holy Mass) that have never changed, though we do see (as you correctly mention) the wonderful presence of many cultural elements.

However, when such cultural elements are not incorporated into the liturgy but, rather, imposed by the faithful, then I worry. Surely the Church incorporates new elements into the liturgy, this is an on-going effort that makes perfect sense…

Now, down to the practical aspects of the question: I personally see no reason why in the US at a Mass in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite, one should clap at any time during the Mass. Once the priest says: the Mass is ended, go in peace, then the Mass is ended and in theory people can forget they are living tabernacles in the house of God and do as they please, but I can see no cultural reasons to clap in addressing the OP’s question from a local standpoint.

If we have to discuss whether clapping or something else is appropriate in some culture, we ought to ask: is A proper in culture X? Then we can say yes, no, or maybe so. But as long as the question is so generic, one can only assume it was meant to address a local issue.
Click to expand...
I won’t claim to be a Liturgical History expert by any stretch, but from what I have learned from the books I read on Liturgical development, our Liturgies today will barely be recognizable to anyone from the Early Church. There are the common elements that has been there always, but a lot of what we do today and the prayers we say were inserted over time as part of organic development. So we can’t really claim that the Liturgy have ancient roots that has never changed. Even the Anaphora (Eucharistic Prayers) changed. Back in the day there were no rubrics, no GIRM, no codified text of the Liturgy. Every bishop that celebrates the Eucharist (presbyters do not celebrate the Eucharist in the early Church, only bishops do) “wings it”. There is probably a formula passed on by tradition (such as the Institution Narrative and some general prayers) but they weren’t codified in a sense that everyone word for word would say the same thing. They possibly could be reading different texts of the Institution Narrative depending on which Gospel was available to them (this was before the Bible was codified, thus each Church may not have all the 4 Gospels with them and may reference whatever one they have).

Also, if you look at the different Liturgies across different Rites in the Church today, each one carries their own ethinc and cultural flavor depending on where the Liturgy developed. This is most glaring in the Byzantine Rite where you have more Middle Eastern elements with the Melkites, more Greek with the Greeks, and more Slavic with the Ukrainians and Ruthenians, etc. And most Roman Catholics do not realize that the same Mass has a different flavor and feel to it depending on where you are in the world.
 
Cathryn said:
On Sunday, January 25, 1998, in Havana, Cuba, the Holy Father, John Paul II during his homily after a long burst of applause, the Holy Father said:

“I am not against applause because when you applaud, the Pope can take a little rest!”
Click to expand...
John Paul’s charisma and acting talent were definitely among his strengths. His more liberal take on this issue is somewhat typical of the differences between him and Benedict, whose approach on such matters tends to be a bit more stodgy.
 
ChrisCA said:
What about clapping after a baptism?
Click to expand...
we do as it is part of welcoming the child into the Lords’ Family…

there is nothing wrong with clapping or people waving their arms in the air in praise of some hymns though we give them a bit of stick but there is nothing wrong in joyful celebration when we are indeed celebrating the Lords’ Supper. People forget the meanings of some words and okay, traditonally it wasn’t done but traditionally no one sat down for three hours in church because there weren’t any pews. Traditionally people sang chants when music first entered the church. Tradition and tradition when people state tradition they forget what tradition really what went of long ago in the past and changes were made and those people waved the tradition card as they do today and waved the well Canon xyz states…

there isn’t anything wrong in clapping in church just like there is nothing wrong in smiling in church:D
 
ChrisCA said:
What about clapping after a baptism?
Click to expand...
There was a baptism at Mass this morning. We did not applaud directly after the baptism, which is when I expected it. At the end of Mass our pastor, a very saintly priest, asked if we were not pleased with the new Christian and pro-life family (this baby is the third). The congregatin laughed and bit and then we all clapped. Our pastor obviously expected us to clap as a sign of approval after the baptism. I do not believe clapping in such a circumstance is at all sinful.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top