Do you think you are a Mass snob?

[surfinpure]

Exactly. I did not mean that one should not have a preference for a more reverent liturgy or a liturgy where the homily and music are done more conscientiously or more skillfully, let alone that one should not prefer a liturgy free of abuses. Of course not. One may as well say that because a polite guest will never mention flaws in the food served that we should not care whether there are worms in the greens or that we eat the meat even though it has obviously gone bad. I mean that where it is possible, you pass over flaws, and where not possible, you make your objections as humbly as possible. If you have a neighbor whose food is wretched or unhealthy, it is not uncharitable to avoid her dinner parties at all costs, but you would of course do so as kindly as humanly possible, right?

I also mean that there is an obligation to be as open to what can be gleaned from the homily as possible, even if it is an ill-prepared collection of platitudes salted with personal opinions not to be found in the catechism. If the homilist says something true about the Scriptures just proclaimed, latch onto that. We have a positive obligation to bring our best to our participation at every Mass we attend. We are not to roll our eyes when we don’t like how the truth is told when the homilist rambles or does not have the self-discipline to confine himself to one point. Of course that doesn’t mean that bad homilies are “OK”. Heaven forbid!

I mean that there is an obligation to be charitable rather than judgemental when one encounters a lack of exterior reverence or musical aptitude or good taste in others. You can choose to love the guy next to you who is singing off-key, because bless his heart he is singing, or you can choose to wallow in disappointment about how much better it is at home. You can say to yourself, “Oh, no, not the St. Louis Jesuits again” or “Ick, I hate Gregorian chant” or you can say, “Hey, it’s a psalm, praise God, I can sing that.” We have an obligation to “lift up our hearts” whereever we find ourselves, to try to be able to say that there is not a fellow Catholic willing to worship at a valid Mass who will not find having us in the pew next to them a positive help.

If Thanksgiving must be at Aunt Mabel’s this year, and not at Grandma’s, and it can’t be helped, you go, anyway. Maybe you pick at the food in case Aunt Mabel has inadvertently tried to give you a food-borne illness again, but you go. If a badly done but valid Mass is the only one you have, you go, you bring your best, and you give thanks to God. You try to be a pleasure and a edification to have there. A least you have a Mass to go to, for so many Catholics on this planet do not.

Of course, even those persecuted souls would choose the best liturgy going, given the choice. They would be sickened to think that those blessed with Mass wouldn’t give it all the reverence they can muster every time they go. Those who treasure the Mass want to see the Mass treasured, everywhere and every time. On that, I think we all agree.

Absolutely!

My husband and I have had to catch and reprimand ourselves from time to time when visiting another parish and confronted with a homily that was quite a bit “fluffier” than we’re used to. Sometimes I believe we need this test in humility, because, as St. Josemaria Escriva said, we ought to have respect for every priest – they are all “Little Christs.” Just as Americans ought to respect the office of President, no matter who occupies it, we ought to respect and humble ourselves before the priests in our lives, no matter how they happen to be as men. Just as David was respectful of the mad King Solomon, so we must be of even the goofiest priests.

We also must remember we have an obligation to pray for the servants of God, most especially if they are in error. They need our charity much more than our criticism. And in that spirit of charity, when abuses are present, we must do our duty to the faith and have communication with the Bishop, so that our wayward parishes may be brought back into full fellowship with the Magisterium.

It takes a compassionate heart to do these things, and it can be hard to be compassionate when we are absorbed by criticism. I speak to myself here.

 

[EasterJoy]

Absolutely!

My husband and I have had to catch and reprimand ourselves from time to time when visiting another parish and confronted with a homily that was quite a bit “fluffier” than we’re used to. Sometimes I believe we need this test in humility, because, as St. Josemaria Escriva said, we ought to have respect for every priest – they are all “Little Christs.”…

It takes a compassionate heart to do these things, and it can be hard to be compassionate when we are absorbed by criticism. I speak to myself here.

Yes, that’s what I mean. Man may not always be faithful, but God is always faithful. The Gospel is the Gospel, and if you listen for it, it will speak to you. The Sacrifice of the Mass is the Sacrifice of the Mass. There is a sense in which the Presence of Christ in the Mass cannot be diminished for those intent to be in it, except where He is not present at all. Where Christ is truly present, we have the obligation to listen and be obedient to what we can see and hear, so that we will receive no less than our circumstance allows.

As surf(name removed by moderator)ure might put it, the gold standard is this: whatever obstructs grace is bad, and not to be preferred, whether the obstruction is in our attitude or that of another. Generally speaking, though, we are in charge of the disposition of few others, and within limited boundaries, except our own. Where there is grace to be had, then, let us always prefer to dispose ourselves to be fully open to that which is offered, even where the total circumstance is not the most preferable. By love, a multitude of sins are covered…our own, in particular!

 

[shelia]

I love to go too different Catholic churches when I am away from home. It makes me feel like I am visiting family. Christ is present in the Mass and Tabernacle. He is all we need. Our church is universal. I love that we are like a crayola box of different cultures, colors, and backgrounds. We must open our hearts and stop judging our church against another.
We go too Mass to meet Jesus at the banquet table of the altar. I can’t wait to start Mass. To hear the words of God and Christ Jesus in the readings, prayers, and hymns. In Christ alone is peace, joy, and life both in our regular Parish, and when visiting another parish. I thank God for all the different Priests.
Shelia