Have your arm relaxing on pew inside the church?

  • Thread starter Thread starter water
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
I have not read through this entire thread, just the OP and the one with the picture of the man sitting in a pew with arms outstretched.

I would like to thank those who are appalled by this, for helping me to understand why so many Catholics choose to sit in the back of the Church. They don’t want to be criticised by sanctimonious Catholics who will make an issue out of every little thing that they might do wrong.

Once again thanks! :rolleyes:

Jim
 
Annc said:
Cat,

Your sarcasm is duly noted. And not at all helpful. I think that these are valid concerns and that both sides need to be kind. People are genuinely offended by certain dress, behaviour and posture. You just continue the offense with responses such as this. Maybe they could lighten up if they see you as you really are, and maybe you could appreciate and value them.

The proper posture or behaviour is so obvious whether you are at Mass or not. You have to ask yourself, Am I being respectful? Am I dressed appropriately, modestly? Do I look attentive and interested? Am I attentive and interested? Am I a good example for others? If the answer is no, then change, if yes then move on.

BTW, a good padded bra would help. And I don’t care how big your breasts are but I would prefer a little less cleavage. Really, God gave them to us but I am not so sure we need to flash them in everyone’s face, at Mass or anywhere else.

Peace
Click to expand...
I didn’t know that we earned Gold Stars for *looking *the part of a faithful Christian. I thought the fact that we were each there in celebrating the beautiful sacrifice of our Lord was what mattered. Can someone produce a list of what the “standards” are to be “perceived” as being a devout and reverent participate in mass?

I honestly don’t care if you smell, if you invade my space or what ever you do at mass. I am still going to humbling and submit myself to God’s will and ponder on how the innocent lamb allowed himself to die for my Sins. I am then going to accept and receive Jesus into my body. I am thankful that you my “annoying seat neighbor” are there with me and can support me by being a fellow participate in the mass. Thank you for showing up and caring about Jesus and I hope that both of us can grow into a deeper appreciation of God.
 
Walking_Home said:
Yes we call God —Father and we should give him the as Father of the universe. When we start putting the emphasis on friend and brother—we become complacent in our actions and attitude towards Him.
Click to expand...
And yet, Christ called us “friend”. And just because he is our friend doesn’t mean we will be complacent.
 
Annc said:
The proper posture or behaviour is so obvious whether you are at Mass or not. You have to ask yourself, Am I being respectful? Am I dressed appropriately, modestly? Do I look attentive and interested? Am I attentive and interested? Am I a good example for others? If the answer is no, then change, if yes then move on.
Click to expand...
Yet the answers to these questions may be different among varied people. What your interior disposition is and it’s external expression may not be what someone else sees.

Further, I don’t know that we are going to Mass to “see and be seen”. So, in some sense, anyone who is there is sincerity and truth may well be quite pleasing to the Lord, no matter what his neighbor perceives his “witness” might be.
 
beckers;:
Can someone produce a list of what the “standards” are to be “perceived” as being a devout and reverent participate in mass?
Click to expand...
I’ll try.
  • Come to Mass at least 30 minutes early. Make absolutely no noise while entering the church and getting to your pew, remain kneeling until Mass begins. It is preferable here if you can levitate across the floor, but remember to do so without calling any attention to yourself.
  • Do not make gestures towards the celebrant when responding, “And also with you.”
  • Do not rest your arm on the back of the pew.
  • During the “Our Father” stand completely motionless with eyes blurred and fixed on nothing. Do not under any circumstances assume the orans position.
  • During the sign of peace, do not move more than 3.7 centimeters from your current location. It is preferable, but not mandatory, that you not actually touch anyone’s hand.
  • When presenting for Holy Communion don’t touch the sacred host with anything except your protruding outstretch tongue, it is preferable here if you get on your knees no matter what everyone else is doing.
  • At the end of Mass kneel immediate after the final note is sung and remain motionless and completely silent for another 30 minutes or longer. If you can avoid breathing, all the better.
  • Do not speak to anyone in church for any reason.
  • Do not allow your children to make any sounds what-so-ever. If you don’t have children and you are married you will need to rent some that way you and your spouse are not perceived as using birth control. It doesn’t matter that you’re actually not using birth control; it’s the perception you give to others.
  • Make sure you keep a running mental tab on any and all liturgical abuses. Write them down as soon as you get home so you can complain about them on CAF.
Have I missed any? http://www.coolsmilies.net/gestures/sq_closedeyes.gif
 
beckers said:
I didn’t know that we earned Gold Stars for *looking *the part of a faithful Christian.
Click to expand...
My apologies if I wasn’t clear that is both the outside and inside that are important. You are right that looking the part isn’t enough. On the other hand you could say that it is a start, just as if you don’t look the part (i.e. dress too casual ala flip flops and tank tops) it is a good start that you are at Mass. It is certainly a challenge not to judge others by how they dress. I suppose some might judge me as being holier than thou because I dress up for Mass. Shame on them. It is simply a reflection of how important an occasion it is. I try not to think about how others are dressed but it is hard not too notice all the skin and to not hear the flip flops as people walk around. No matter how you are dressed you should come.

This is important not only as a courtesy to the Celebrant but also so as to not cause scandal for others. We are supposed to set a good example for others. If you are a Christian on the inside but your actions and dress say otherwise then you have in part defeated the purpose of your mission: You are not leading others to Christ and you may actually be a stumbling block for someone on their faith journey.

Peace.

No there is no rule book for most of this, just common sense and that is where the fun begins .
 
b_justb said:
I’ll try.
  • Come to Mass at least 30 minutes early. Make absolutely no noise while entering the church and getting to your pew, remain kneeling until Mass begins. It is preferable here if you can levitate across the floor, but remember to do so without calling any attention to yourself.
  • Do not make gestures towards the celebrant when responding, “And also with you.”
  • Do not rest your arm on the back of the pew.
  • During the “Our Father” stand completely motionless with eyes blurred and fixed on nothing. Do not under any circumstances assume the orans position.
  • During the sign of peace, do not move more than 3.7 centimeters from your current location. It is preferable, but not mandatory, that you not actually touch anyone’s hand.
  • When presenting for Holy Communion don’t touch the sacred host with anything except your protruding outstretch tongue, it is preferable here if you get on your knees no matter what everyone else is doing.
  • At the end of Mass kneel immediate after the final note is sung and remain motionless and completely silent for another 30 minutes or longer. If you can avoid breathing, all the better.
  • Do not speak to anyone in church for any reason.
  • Do not allow your children to make any sounds what-so-ever.
  • Make sure you keep a running mental tab on any and all liturgical abuses. Write them down as soon as you get home so you can complain about them on CAF.
Have I missed any? http://www.coolsmilies.net/gestures/sq_closedeyes.gif
Click to expand...
You forgot to mention some do’s:

-Do make as much of a ruckus before Mass starts so that anyone who wishes to pray will not be able to because your conversation about real estate taxes or your vacation will drown out their own thoughts
-Do leap over the pews during the sign of the peace so as to not miss anyone on far side of the Church.
-Do grab my childs hand and force them to hold yours during the Our Father

Again, I think common sense and courtesy would go a long way to resolving these issues.

Nice sarcasm by the way.
 
b_justb said:
I’ll try.
  • Come to Mass at least 30 minutes early. Make absolutely no noise while entering the church and getting to your pew, remain kneeling until Mass begins. It is preferable here if you can levitate across the floor, but remember to do so without calling any attention to yourself.
COMPLETELY NEW AGE SUGGESTION! levitation is from the evil one
  • Do not make gestures towards the celebrant when responding, “And also with you.”
unless the gestures are motioning the liberal Catholics down the corridors and out the doors onto the streets where they belong.
  • Do not rest your arm on the back of the pew.
**Comfort is evil. relaxation is bad. i agree, i think they should but metal studs in the pews to hurt our rear ends while we sit.so we can remember the pain and suffering we have in the valley of tears. **
  • During the “Our Father” stand completely motionless with eyes blurred and fixed on nothing. Do not under any circumstances assume the orans position.
GOOD.
  • During the sign of peace, do not move more than 3.7 centimeters from your current location. It is preferable, but not mandatory, that you not actually touch anyone’s hand.
3.7 Centimeters if typical of a liberal. the SSPX measures such tolerances in micrometers.
  • When presenting for Holy Communion don’t touch the sacred host with anything except your protruding outstretch tongue, it is preferable here if you get on your knees no matter what everyone else is doing.
Actually, I prefer the army crawl up the main aisle. never from a lay minster, only from a monsigner or higher would i receive.
  • At the end of Mass kneel immediate after the final note is sung and remain motionless and completely silent for another 30 minutes or longer. If you can avoid breathing, all the better.
Breathing equals life. life equals energy. energy is required to commit sin. therefore without breathe there would be no sin.
  • Do not speak to anyone in church for any reason.
    unless its in Latin. and not within 24 hours of Mass. Only outside a radius of 300 meters from the Church itself.
Click to expand...
otherwise, well done list!
 
40.png
Annc:
Nice sarcasm by the way.
Click to expand...
Another happy customer! http://www.coolsmilies.net/wink/sq_tongue.gif
 
JimR-OCDS said:
I have not read through this entire thread, just the OP and the one with the picture of the man sitting in a pew with arms outstretched.

I would like to thank those who are appalled by this, for helping me to understand why so many Catholics choose to sit in the back of the Church. They don’t want to be criticised by sanctimonious Catholics who will make an issue out of every little thing that they might do wrong.

Once again thanks! :rolleyes:

Jim
Click to expand...
Have you understood those big guys sitting in front pews with both arms stretched out during 20 minutes of homily? 😉
 
this very helpful link from a concurrent thread on this forum should answer everyone’s posture and deportment questions
Sec. VII.—On Assembling in the Church.
An Exact Description of a Church and the Clergy, and What Things in Particular Every One is to Do in the Solemn Assemblies of the Clergy and Laity For Religious Worship.
ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf07.ix.iii.vii.html

so there.
 
puzzleannie said:
this very helpful link from a concurrent thread on this forum should answer everyone’s posture and deportment questions
Sec. VII.—On Assembling in the Church.
An Exact Description of a Church and the Clergy, and What Things in Particular Every One is to Do in the Solemn Assemblies of the Clergy and Laity For Religious Worship.
ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf07.ix.iii.vii.html

so there.
Click to expand...
This opening paragraph, alone, runs against everything most people here want:
LVII. But be thou, O bishop, holy, unblameable, no striker, not soon angry, not cruel; but a builder up, a converter, apt to teach, forbearing of evil, of a gentle mind, meek, long-suffering, ready to exhort, ready to comfort, as a man of God.
Click to expand...
Sounds like what most would call a “liberal bishop” to me!
 
There’s also a great line in there about making sure not to be a partaker in the “observation of birds”. I’d like to know what that it all about, as it is included with things like soothsaying and other practices which we might recognize as being bad. So, I suppose, it is fine for me to be excited at the site of a blue jay. Still, it wouldn’t surprize me to read someone insisting that we, “Guard your eyes against the robin, lest you too be damned!”
 
chicago said:
This opening paragraph, alone, runs against everything most people here want:

Quote:
LVII. But be thou, O bishop, holy, unblameable, no striker, not soon angry, not cruel; but a builder up, a converter, apt to teach, forbearing of evil, of a gentle mind, meek, long-suffering, ready to exhort, ready to comfort, as a man of God.

Sounds like what most would call a “liberal bishop” to me!
Click to expand...
Not when taken in context – of what a bishop is to be.
It is not a sign of anger or cruelty—but of charity to correct what is going wrong. It is a sign that a bishop a bishop cares for his flock.
 
puzzleannie said:
this very helpful link from a concurrent thread on this forum should answer everyone’s posture and deportment questions
Sec. VII.—On Assembling in the Church.
An Exact Description of a Church and the Clergy, and What Things in Particular Every One is to Do in the Solemn Assemblies of the Clergy and Laity For Religious Worship.
ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf07.ix.iii.vii.html

so there.
Click to expand...
I love ccel.org they are so awesome! Just want all to note that this link is to what was being said in the 4th and 5th centuries. If you notice there are remarks directed to the liturgy of the time period, this is not done in the Roman Rite today. Not that the advice in the writing should be dismissed due to its age, but that a literal view only of it might not be the road to take.
 
Walking_Home said:
Not when taken in context – of what a bishop is to be.
It is not a sign of anger or cruelty—but of charity to correct what is going wrong. It is a sign that a bishop a bishop cares for his flock.
Click to expand...
Yes, when taken in context of the rest of that statement “exhort” doesn’t mean to “crack down” with heavy hand. Rather, what the average bishop does these days would be found quite acceptable in way of exhortation along with “building up, converting, teaching, forbearing of evil, unstriking, uncruel, of gentle mind, meek, long suffering, not soon angry, nor cruel.”

But you do a mighty good job of interpolating all kinds prefered meanings into statements to meet an agenda, by isolating a phrase, I must say.
 
b_justb said:
I love ccel.org they are so awesome! Just want all to note that this link is to what was being said in the 4th and 5th centuries. If you notice there are remarks directed to the liturgy of the time period, this is not done in the Roman Rite today. Not that the advice in the writing should be dismissed due to its age, but that a literal view only of it might not be the road to take.
Click to expand...
What ever happened to tradition?
 
It seems that is the problem—we are to “modern” to follow proper advice.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top