Greeting neighbor during Mass/Liturgical abuse?

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Tis_Bearself said:
You’re a man, so if you have an objection to how the priest does his Mass, you had the option at some point in your life to become a priest yourself and do it the way you think it ought to be done.
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The priest made a decision to become a priest. Part of being a priest involves celebrating Mass according to the rubrics. It’s his issue, not mine.
 
I don’t like it. It seems out of place. But I’d probably get used to it after a while, and just endure it.
 
MikeInVA said:
My responsibility as a lay Catholic is to attend Mass, the priest’s responsibility as a priest is to follow the rubric.
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With the awesome responsibility to attend Mass, comes the responsibility to be in the proper disposition to receive the free grace from God…When we make it so difficult that we have to sit in the pews with a scorecard to keep track of our perceived liturgical abuses, we become not a participant, but a mere observer.

Have it your way, I’ll say no more, except that my philosophy is that which St. Paul tells us in Phil 4:4:

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again, rejoice!”
 
This wasn’t at my local parish, the time I encountered it, nor was it the reason I drive 30 mins to attend a TLM. I sometimes will go to an OF Mass at my local parish, one closer to me compared to the TLM or one further away, at different times. I just avoided that particular Mass time at that parish and instead went to a later Mass. It was peculiar to just that particular Mass. And out of about a dozen different parishes and different Mass Times, I’ve only encounter it just this once.
 
I’ve always thought the logical flaw in such things as greeting one’s pew neighbor - separate from the rubrics issue - is that 95% of people tend to sit in the same spot every week, so such “introductions “ are hollow indeed.
 
As some others have said, this is most likely part of the Homily (just before he starts talking). He can do it, but I would argue that it most likely isn’t wise because it is a source of division. Some will love it and others (esp more traditional people) will hate it.

The only way I see is to talk to your priest, explaining that you totally understand and agree with what he’s trying to do. But that before the mass officially begins would be best and that LOTS of Parishes do that then.

However, if this is coming from the bishop, there is little the priest can do.

God Bless
 
Pitcairn17 said:
I’ve always thought the logical flaw in such things as greeting one’s pew neighbor - separate from the rubrics issue - is that 95% of people tend to sit in the same spot every week, so such “introductions “ are hollow indeed.
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I agree. However, changing it from “introductions” to “how may I pray for you” actually makes a ton of sense.

And if done before mass starts, then people can add the prayers of their pew neighbors to their personal mass intentions for the entire mass.

This really could be a good way of making the pre-mass introductions far more meaningful and useful.

But not at the start of the homily
 
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I knew it, I knew it. Why are you assuming that people 'sit in the pews with scorecards"? Way to blame the victims, so to speak.
 
Hello, Letitbe. My name in YourNameHere. How can I pray for your this coming week?
Just funning with you.
Seems to me like this sort of thing should be done before Mass or just after Mass is over. But not during Mass.
This is just one person’s opinion.
God bless one and all! 🙏🙏🙏
 
MikeInVA said:
the priest’s responsibility as a priest is to follow the rubric.
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The priest has other responsibilities, as well. One of them is to obey his bishop’s orders, which seems to be the case in the OP’s parish.
 
po18guy said:
The sign of peace becomes disruptive enough.
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This takes me back to attending a Mass in Singapore… I guess the hand shaking at the sign of peace is a western thing. It appears people in the East (at least at this parish in Singapore) just do the traditional bow.
 
Not exactly. The OP said that he was not SURE if it came from the bishop or simply from the priest himself, and that the OP would find out more later.

Since we don’t know whether it came from the bishop or not, we can comment on it and its suitability. If it does turn out to be a directive from the bishop (I’d be surprised but stranger things have happened) then of course the priest must follow, BUT if it turns out to be something that the parish priest wants to try based on his perceptions of collegiality or whatever, then it’s something that can be checked out further (with all due respect to everyone involved of course).
 
stpurl said:
Not exactly. The OP said that he was not SURE if it came from the bishop or simply from the priest himself, and that the OP would find out more later.
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That’s why I said “seems to be”.
 
MikeInVA said:
The bishop lacks the authority to change the rubrics.
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The priest is caught in a double bind, then. He has to choose between obeying his bishop and changing the rubrics, or not changing the rubrics and disobeying his bishop.

Note: I am assuming, for the sake of argument, that the innovation is, in fact, something that the diocese is ordering, which has not yet been confirmed, and also that the proposed innovation does, in fact, constitute an unauthorized change to the rubrics, which I am not sure that it does.
 
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Well, asking people how we can pray for them is a fantastic idea! Maybe it could happen before Mass begins or at the Sign of Peace?
 
I can understand why you don’t like the idea and are uncomfortable with it as I would feel pretty much the same way if it were me.

However, taking the approach of printing out Church documents from the internet to “prove” to the priest that this is something he shouldn’t do is an approach that almost never works.

I don’t think you’ll find anything that directly prohibits this. And the homily (and the moments just before and just after) are one of those times during the Mass where things can be a little ambiguous. So I think you’ll be hard-pressed to find the “silver bullet” liturgical rubric that you can show your priest to dissuade him from this course of action.

The better tactic would be to simply express your concerns in a charitable manner. Those concerns should be centered more on being disruptive and making people uncomfortable (especially those with social anxieties) rather than on “liturgical abuse.” If you use the word “abuse”, I think it’s more likely that your priest will simply tune out the rest of what you have to say.
 
The priest at my parish does this every week, but he does it before he starts the Mass.

He’s from South America and grew up in a community where everyone knows each other and the parish is the center of their lives

Not so here in the US where we often come to Mass as a group of strangers rather than a community of friends.

Not sure he’ll get the parish to change, as people are still shy with each other

Jim
 
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