'Eat' and run?

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Nun_ofthe_Above

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Today I felt compelled to attend a Catholic Mass, and I was amazed / perplexed at the amount of people who left immediately after receiving the Eucharist. Is this a common occurance? Does leaving before benediction count towards your obligation?
Despite the mass exodus (pardon the pun); it was a lovely service and I look forward to my next visit.

Peace and love to you all
 
I think it is Professor Scott Hahn who termed it the “Judas shuffle”. Unfortunately, some people make a regular practice of this.

Attendance at Mass includes being there when Mass begins and staying until the final blessing. To arrive late or leave early, unless for a grave reason, is disrespectful to God.

How to Get the Most Out of Mass is a set of CDs by Scott Hahn that I would recommend you get hold of. You can order it here saintjoe.com/p/prod_desc.pl?id=137

I am studying the Mass and it’s biblical origins as part of my Lenten Journey this year.

Having been a Catholic all my life (except for a few years in my teens & early 20s) I am amazed at what I am finding out. Why haven’t we been taught all this?
 
Eileen T:
I am studying the Mass and it’s biblical origins as part of my Lenten Journey this year.

Having been a Catholic all my life (except for a few years in my teens & early 20s) I am amazed at what I am finding out. Why haven’t we been taught all this?
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This is wonderful - now the why we haven’t been taught this could very well be a number of reasons from total ignorance on the part of the Catechists themselves to, there is a lot to know!

To answer your question nun…, in my Parish at least there are a few, very few, who leave right after Communion and most of those barely have enough time to be there due to committments with an ill family member 🙂

Brenda
 
Eileen and Brenda,

Thank you both for your thoughtful replies.

I had hoped it was due to other commitments, but the amount of people who milled out of there just seemed too extraodinary to all be due to commitments.

Thank you Eileen for your recommendation. I am a rather confused new Lutheran / Catholic-sorta-wannabe; and this may help me in my rather long journey to date.
I too have noticed how many Catholics know very little about their faith. I feel the Catechists need to be ‘screened’ better, so the Church and its people benefit from their teachers, rather than the abject confusion which is created when someone is taught one thing, then told that they are wrong, and need to do ‘it’ another way.

Thank you both again.

God bless you both abundantly.
 
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Nun_ofthe_Above:
Eileen and Brenda,

Thank you both for your thoughtful replies.

I had hoped it was due to other commitments, but the amount of people who milled out of there just seemed too extraodinary to all be due to commitments.

Thank you Eileen for your recommendation. I am a rather confused new Lutheran / Catholic-sorta-wannabe; and this may help me in my rather long journey to date.
I too have noticed how many Catholics know very little about their faith. I feel the Catechists need to be ‘screened’ better, so the Church and its people benefit from their teachers, rather than the abject confusion which is created when someone is taught one thing, then told that they are wrong, and need to do ‘it’ another way.

Thank you both again.

God bless you both abundantly.
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You are correct. It is sad to say that catechisis has been poor in the last 40 plus years. However, things are getting much better in this area.

On your main point I feel strongy that the orthodoxy of the priest is directly proportional to the exodus of persons leaving before the final blessing. At my parish the priest early in his appointment to that parish would actually address people as they were leaving asking them to wait untill he had given his final blessing and he would make frequent mention of it in homelies. Now, the parish has a very small amount of people that leave early. He focused the same kind of effort on confession and now the are so many people going to confession that you have to get there half an hour early or else you won’t make it to confession the line is so long.
 
A very religious friend of my mine had to do this every other Sunday to go to work.

No, he couldn’t be late to work. In the state of Texas, a pharmacist has to be in the store during pharmacy hours. It’s the law. In order to get to the drug store for opening at 9am he had to leave 8am Mass early. He couldn’t attend the 5:30pm Mass on Sunday or Saturday for the same reason. Work.
 
I think it is Professor Scott Hahn who termed it the “Judas shuffle”.
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Didn’t Judas leave before communion? I think it is a little unfair to brand all people who leave leave early as ‘betrayors,’ as the term Judas implies.
 
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scriabin:
Didn’t Judas leave before communion? I think it is a little unfair to brand all people who leave leave early as ‘betrayors,’ as the term Judas implies.
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When I was a teenager & my mother found out I had left Mass early she said, “Just remember who was the first one to leave the Last Supper.”
Maybe that’s what Prof. Hahn is referring to?
Btw, I missed Mass many ims ovr the years but I never left early again!
 
mosher,
I agree that the Priest can play a large part in the people staying the distance, and I am thrilled your Parish seems to have improved in this area; as well as improved attendance at Confession.

LeahInancsi,
I appreciate and sympathise with your friends predicament. I know not everyone who leaves is being self-serving; and do in fact have other commitments. May I ask how (if at all), your friend resolved the situation, regarding fulfilling their obligations? I hope the Church was understanding.

scriabin and didymus,
I can’t really comment on the ‘Judas Shuffle’, as I had never heard of it before; but whilst I don’t think people are ‘betraying’ Jesus as such, they could be seen to be treating Him a little shabbily, if they could stay the remaining minutes until after benediction, but choose to leave instead.

Thanks everyone.

Peace and love to you all.
 
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scriabin:
Didn’t Judas leave before communion?
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Not according to Luke 22:19-23. The other three evangelists don’t say definitely one way or the other.

Actually I think this is one problem which has become a lot LESS common in the last few decades. Nunof the above, you must have attended an unusual parish. (I have been to Mass in many different Aussie parishes.)
 
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scriabin:
Didn’t Judas leave before communion? I think it is a little unfair to brand all people who leave leave early as ‘betrayors,’ as the term Judas implies.
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He left after communion and before the final blessing.

I would think Hahn is referring to those who deliberately and frequently leave early for no good reason. I remember hearing the story of a priest who, seeing a parishioner leaving straight after communion, sent the servers after him with candles to remain with the person for 15 minutes. That’s how long it was supposed to be before the Host had been absorbed.

Maybe it was just a story our priests and nuns used to impress us with the importance of reverence, I don’t know.
 
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LeahInancsi:
A very religious friend of my mine had to do this every other Sunday to go to work.

No, he couldn’t be late to work. In the state of Texas, a pharmacist has to be in the store during pharmacy hours. It’s the law. In order to get to the drug store for opening at 9am he had to leave 8am Mass early. He couldn’t attend the 5:30pm Mass on Sunday or Saturday for the same reason. Work.
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Such reasons are legitimate reasons but there are few others.
 
Eileen T:
He left after communion and before the final blessing.

I would think Hahn is referring to those who deliberately and frequently leave early for no good reason. I remember hearing the story of a priest who, seeing a parishioner leaving straight after communion, sent the servers after him with candles to remain with the person for 15 minutes. That’s how long it was supposed to be before the Host had been absorbed.

Maybe it was just a story our priests and nuns used to impress us with the importance of reverence, I don’t know.
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Living in a tourist destination, our parish gets many “Snowbirds” who IMO see the Mass as an interruption of their vacation, as they arrive wearing Hawaiian shirts, shorts and flip-flops and scoot right after receiving. Then they go straight to the beach or the local diner. It’s unfortunately a common sight here. 😦
 
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Nun_ofthe_Above:
Does leaving before benediction count towards your obligation?
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Generally, no. However, as I understand it (never having done this myself), you are free to show up just to receive the Eucharist. But don’t forget to fulfill your obligation to attend mass that week, in addition.
 
In the year that I’ve been a Catholic I think I have left after communion twice (both times because the homilies ran long and I was running late). Trust me, when I did it I felt so bad. I’ve noticed at my parish that there are certain people who leave early consistently. I couldn’t imagine doing it all the time, the guilt factor would be far too great. 😦
 
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Lorrie:
In the year that I’ve been a Catholic I think I have left after communion twice (both times because the homilies ran long and I was running late). Trust me, when I did it I felt so bad. I’ve noticed at my parish that there are certain people who leave early consistently. I couldn’t imagine doing it all the time, the guilt factor would be far too great. 😦
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I can appreciate how you feel. I believe I would suffer a tortured conscience if I consistently left early; even with a valid reason.
Perhaps we should all say a prayer for all those who could stay, but choose not to.

God Bless
 
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