Kicked out of my pew!

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NewsTheMan

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Well! I had a very sad and somewhat bizarre experience today at Mass. Let me explain.

A few of us go to Church 40minutes before Mass starts in order to say the rosary before Mass. There are about 5 of us, and we sit near each other but not exactly right next to each other. Anyway, we were halfway through to rosary, I was kneeling down in the usual place in the same pew I have been sitting in for some months. All of a sudden, I get a tap on my shoulder.

“Move up”, says a lady in her sixties that I did recognize but I hadn’t seen her at Mass in a while.

So I thought to myself oh she obviously wants to get in - and even though this Church sits about 250 people and there are currently 5 people in it now and you can choose anywhere to sit - I move my legs as one does so she can get past and sit next to me or wherever. She then says to me, “No, move”. Now, unfortunately I am an extremely confrontational person, and I stand up to everyone in the face of anything - something I am working on however! Anyway, I stood up and I tried my best, I said, “Sorry, but I am sitting here and there are many other places to sit”. This lady then gave me a stern look, and in her best Headmistress voice said, “My boy, I have been sitting here for years, now move”. I took my stuff, and sat far away. I continued the rosary, but not in peace. I was… I don’t know. I was shocked and sad more than anything. Usually that kind of thing makes me angry, and to be honest, if I wasn’t in Church I would have ignored her and just sat back down in my place. But I moved. I just thought this was unbelievable. I mean… It was actually bizarre. And she did it so rudely and gave me such an evil look. I mean seriously, she could have chosen anywhere along the rest of the pew, and anywhere in the other 80 pews in Church!

What would you have done? I felt very bad, I felt awful in fact, because instead of just moving up I stood up and said that I was sitting there, when I should have immediately just moved up and saved myself and her the trouble and the unsettling of our spirits before Mass. It kinda made me angry though too. 😦
 
OOh! I totally understand you feeling so sad and shocked over that. And I must confess I would feel the same way as you and want to confront this woman over her rudeness!

But what if this was God letting you practice being humble? And practising putting Him first in all situations? I have often found that God throws me those situations at the most inconvenient moments.

Just a different perspective! 😉
 
In honesty, I probably would have moved, too, because the idea of confrontation in church is so awful.

And I probably wouldn’t have thought of it until later, but I would say to continue praying the Rosary and studiously ignore her.

(I don’t think people should “have” pews or places in church; we are all in God’s house).
 
NewsTheMan said:
“Move up”, says a lady in her sixties
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:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

:hug1:

As a Christian, I think someone should give respect to those elder persons, specially if you are young, you will never know what she faced throughout her life till she had reached that age.

No problem, even if she is wrong, even if she forgot, you should appreciate that she is still going to the Church at that age…:love:
 
There would be no way somebody kicks me out of my seat in church. Let her come earlier if she wants that seat so badly.
 
canadianguy1143 said:
There would be no way somebody kicks me out of my seat in church. Let her come earlier if she wants that seat so badly.
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I can’t believe what I’m reading…:nope:

(1 Peter 5:5):
“Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”"
 
Thought the same thing. But I mean… as someone mentioned. It’s God’s house not mine. That seat is for everyone. I didn’t want to be a baby about it. There were other seats so I could have moved just as much as she could have sat somewhere else. I guess :rolleyes:
 
Being older is no excuse for bad manners. I have to side with Canadianguy on this one. I’d have told Granny that if she could physically eject me from that spot, it was all hers. 😉

Miz
 
I guess even a humble and pious person would feel at least unsettled by that incident. Anger would be a normal reaction, even. If the circumstances were different, (not in a Church, in ordinary circumstances), I would have stood my ground or at least gave her a piece of my mind. I presume you would have, too. The fact that you relented is to your credit, and if we looked at it, it was Jesus way that prevailed in that incident. So if we could keep Jesus close to our hearts, we can manage these things… the devil always tempts us, even while praying, even in church.
 
NewsTheMan said:
Thought the same thing. But I mean… as someone mentioned. It’s God’s house not mine. That seat is for everyone. I didn’t want to be a baby about it. There were other seats so I could have moved just as much as she could have sat somewhere else. I guess :rolleyes:
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No doubt about that :hug1:…

But you will never know how her day was, and she is in the 60th, a little humble from you would give a great example of a Christian person.

(Philippians 2:3-7):
“Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.”
 
NewsTheMan said:
Well! I had a very sad and somewhat bizarre experience today at Mass. Let me explain.

A few of us go to Church 40minutes before Mass starts in order to say the rosary before Mass. There are about 5 of us, and we sit near each other but not exactly right next to each other. Anyway, we were halfway through to rosary, I was kneeling down in the usual place in the same pew I have been sitting in for some months. All of a sudden, I get a tap on my shoulder.

“Move up”, says a lady in her sixties that I did recognize but I hadn’t seen her at Mass in a while.

So I thought to myself oh she obviously wants to get in - and even though this Church sits about 250 people and there are currently 5 people in it now and you can choose anywhere to sit - I move my legs as one does so she can get past and sit next to me or wherever. She then says to me, “No, move”. Now, unfortunately I am an extremely confrontational person, and I stand up to everyone in the face of anything - something I am working on however! Anyway, I stood up and I tried my best, I said, “Sorry, but I am sitting here and there are many other places to sit”. This lady then gave me a stern look, and in her best Headmistress voice said, “My boy, I have been sitting here for years, now move”. I took my stuff, and sat far away. I continued the rosary, but not in peace. I was… I don’t know. I was shocked and sad more than anything. Usually that kind of thing makes me angry, and to be honest, if I wasn’t in Church I would have ignored her and just sat back down in my place. But I moved. I just thought this was unbelievable. I mean… It was actually bizarre. And she did it so rudely and gave me such an evil look. I mean seriously, she could have chosen anywhere along the rest of the pew, and anywhere in the other 80 pews in Church!

What would you have done? I felt very bad, I felt awful in fact, because instead of just moving up I stood up and said that I was sitting there, when I should have immediately just moved up and saved myself and her the trouble and the unsettling of our spirits before Mass. It kinda made me angry though too. 😦
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I would have moved easily. I would have scooted down to the complete opposite end of the pew, Surely one person doesn’t take up the whole pew.

My father is basically the same way. He has a pew that is second from the back on the far left of the church where he sits and has sat for a long time. He goes to the Saturday night Mass. He gets there more than 30 minutes early, in order to look over the readings, pray, and perhaps, to make sure that no one else gets his pew.

Whenever anyone does, my father does not make a big deal to them. He just sits as close to “his pew” as possible. But he sure does tell us about it when we see him next. He tries to figure out who these people are, where they came from, and why they were sitting there.

Janice
 
Willy_Jose said:
and if we looked at it, it was Jesus way that prevailed in that incident. So if we could keep Jesus close to our hearts, we can manage these things… the devil always tempts us, even while praying, even in church.
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NewsTheMan said:
Well! I had a very sad and somewhat bizarre experience today at Mass. Let me explain.

A few of us go to Church 40minutes before Mass starts in order to say the rosary before Mass. There are about 5 of us, and we sit near each other but not exactly right next to each other. Anyway, we were halfway through to rosary, I was kneeling down in the usual place in the same pew I have been sitting in for some months. All of a sudden, I get a tap on my shoulder.

“Move up”, says a lady in her sixties that I did recognize but I hadn’t seen her at Mass in a while.

So I thought to myself oh she obviously wants to get in - and even though this Church sits about 250 people and there are currently 5 people in it now and you can choose anywhere to sit - I move my legs as one does so she can get past and sit next to me or wherever. She then says to me, “No, move”. Now, unfortunately I am an extremely confrontational person, and I stand up to everyone in the face of anything - something I am working on however! Anyway, I stood up and I tried my best, I said, “Sorry, but I am sitting here and there are many other places to sit”. This lady then gave me a stern look, and in her best Headmistress voice said, “My boy, I have been sitting here for years, now move”. I took my stuff, and sat far away. I continued the rosary, but not in peace. I was… I don’t know. I was shocked and sad more than anything. Usually that kind of thing makes me angry, and to be honest, if I wasn’t in Church I would have ignored her and just sat back down in my place. But I moved. I just thought this was unbelievable. I mean… It was actually bizarre. And she did it so rudely and gave me such an evil look. I mean seriously, she could have chosen anywhere along the rest of the pew, and anywhere in the other 80 pews in Church!

What would you have done? I felt very bad, I felt awful in fact, because instead of just moving up I stood up and said that I was sitting there, when I should have immediately just moved up and saved myself and her the trouble and the unsettling of our spirits before Mass. It kinda made me angry though too. 😦
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You did what you did, it’s over. Looking back you would have handled things differently.
Try saying this prayer, " Jesus meek and humble of heart,make our hearts like unto thine."
I am afraid I would have failed that test of humbleness.
 
Yes - something like this would indeed spoil the peace of almost anyone on this forum. The nerve! All you can do is pray for that lady. - And avoid sitting in her seat in the future!

Now the hard part is not letting it spoil your peace in the future. Every time you walk in the church you will remember the incident for quite a while, I would think. When you do, say a Hail Mary for the errant lady and sit somewhere else. Just a thought, but I think it’s necessary for your peace.

John Marie Philomena
 
Miserys_Fence said:
Being older is no excuse for bad manners. I have to side with Canadianguy on this one. I’d have told Granny that if she could physically eject me from that spot, it was all hers. 😉

Miz
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Being younger is no excuse for bad manners, either, IMHO.
 
Sam_777 said:
I can’t believe what I’m reading…:nope:

(1 Peter 5:5):
“Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”"
Click to expand...
We all need to be humble, even that rude lady who seems to think a pew is “hers”
 
NewsTheMan said:
What would you have done? I felt very bad, I felt awful in fact, because instead of just moving up I stood up and said that I was sitting there, when I should have immediately just moved up and saved myself and her the trouble and the unsettling of our spirits before Mass. It kinda made me angry though too.
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well I don’t own the church or any pew in it, so if I were asked by word or look to move, I would move. Who were you angry with, her or yourself? if you can answer that, you know what you have to work on. Personally I wish the ushers could be issued cattle prods to make people at the ends of the pews move in when they can clearly see people are waiting. I especially hate that feigned attitude of profound devotion that prevents people from either moving or making room when someone is standing right next to them.
 
CWBetts said:
We all need to be humble, even that rude lady who seems to think a pew is “hers”
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But she is in her 60th, we should give excuse to her seniority, then if it’s “eye for an eye” concept, then what is the difference between a Christian and the others…
 
Sam_777 said:
But she is in her 60th, we should give excuse to her seniority, then if it’s “eye for an eye” concept, then what is the difference between a Christian and the others…
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Absolutely not. Age is no excuse for being a self-centered jerk.
 
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