Leaving Mass Early

[JerrySeibert]

“Judge not lest ye be judged” … Let’s face it, I don’t like the ‘Communion Escapees’ any more than all of you do. But, I was on my soapbox one day with my Pastor telling him how disgusted I was with the escapee mentality. Because what set me off was one of the EMHC did it. I was in shock. You distribute the Body and Blood of Christ and you do not have enough respect to “Stay”.
His response, "Jerry, pray for them. Did not Jesus say on the cross, "Forgive them Father for they know not what they do? Thank God for your strength of faith, pray for them that leave in hope that God will change there hardened heart.
“Yes Father I’ll do that” was all I could say.
As bothersome as it seems to us. Be thankful that we have the gift of respect and faith. Sit next to them. Make them feel more comfortable. Do something, stretch out your hand. Maybe all they need to know is someone cares about them. You will meet some nice people.

 

[aussiemel]

it always upsets me when i see people leaving early like they can’t wait another 5 minutes

 

[Padraig1972]

My Priest actually called people out on this practice during a recent homily. If I recall correctly it the homily itself was about how we can no longer be passive witnesses of Christ but must be active in our call as Catholics.

It was a good thought however I will say I feel that the way he choose to express it was wrong. I felt as though I was being publicly scolded.

Anyways, he said, You all think I don’t see you from where I sit. I see you reading the bulletin instead of listening to the readings. I see you texting or checking your e-mails or in some other way fiddling with your cell phones. I see you coming in late. I see you leaving before I leave. I see you going through the motions but what I don’t see are your lips moving.

He was getting all worked up that Catholics seem to feel that showing up for Sunday mass is all that is required. He said something along the lines of “I am here to tell you showing up won’t do it. You need to PARTICIPATE”

I will say, alot less people left early that week…lol

Well, i think it`s really sad when you have to take such actions to get through to people.
It is not for me to judge them, but they should seriously ask themselves this:

1. What am i doing and what is happening to me?
2. Why am i at a mass at all?

I know this is tough ones, but they need to search their souls and be honest to themselves while asking it.

 

[dconklin]

I grew up in a parish that was near a number of retirement communities. The lure of Early Bird specials at restaurants tempted many parishioners to leave early. Our young pastoral vicar was known to run out into the parking lot to bring them back in.

 

[vsedriver]

That is illegal and the priest could be arrested for imprisonment

unwise I agree.

We had a priest who at the end of the Homily told the congregation that he had a very important announcement to make at the end of Mass and that anyone who left early would be left out completely, as he was only going to make the announcement once.

At the end of Mass, the priest got up and stood in front of the Church. Everyone was very quiet anxious to hear what he said. He looked around. No one was leaving. He waited almost 5 minutes before he finally spoke. He said, “See, no one really needed to leave Mass right after Communion since you all remained to hear what I had to say. Please be respectful of the Sacrifice of the Mass and wait to leave till after the procession from the altar.”

It sure cut down on the jack rabbits.

 

[roadsend]

I dont know what you mean by “performance.” From my experience, these musicians are not trying to show off to you. They are there because they have a talent to share that allows others to find another way to praise/and feel good. They are doing this for God. You should stick around because the singing is really just a form of a prayer. I dont think people realize that.

Anyways, are you really in that much of a hurry to leave? I do not mean this as an attack or anything, but I think all of us need to examine why we are at mass. Are we giving FULLY of ourselves at the mass?

If the choir is going on with their performance, stand there and join in as you deliver your performance to God.

Leaving shortly after Communion allows folks to escape a few of the pop-slop and/or Protestant songs which most often are the only music we hear at Mass week after week.
I would be eager to stay if our music group actually sang Catholic music at Mass.

 

[Sherry_G]

I know people who are Catholic, follow all the “rules” such as being at Mass every Sunday, attending on Holy Days and going to confession once a year. They really would not think of missing Mass however, they really don’t understand why they are there. So, in their minds, they can leave after communion and arrive right before the Gospel and they have done their duty, earned another gold star in the church. The priest who asked for prayers for them is right on. They truly do not know what they are missing.

 

[Elizabeth502]

Leaving shortly after Communion allows folks to escape a few of the pop-slop and/or Protestant songs which most often are the only music we hear at Mass week after week.
I would be eager to stay if our music group actually sang Catholic music at Mass.

Somehow I don’t think an early departure will register such an intended message with your “music group.”

Nor does that sound like an acceptable excuse.

Lots of us have to endure bad music at various Masses or parts of Masses (beginning, middle, or end).

 

[roadsend]

Somehow I don’t think an early departure will register such an intended message with your “music group.”

Nor does that sound like an acceptable excuse.

Lots of us have to endure bad music at various Masses or parts of Masses (beginning, middle, or end).

Go ahead and do what you find acceptable and so will I.
The leader of our music group has more than once expressed her distaste for traditionally Catholic sacred music, although she will from time to time do a traditional Protestant hymn. We might hear a Catholic hymn once every two or three months.I will put up with as much pop-slop as I have to to meet my Mass obligation as long as it is not sacrilegious, and make up for it by driving the seven hour round trip to a church which follows Catholic tradition whenever I can.

 

[mary_bobo]

Leaving shortly after Communion allows folks to escape a few of the pop-slop and/or Protestant songs which most often are the only music we hear at Mass week after week.
I would be eager to stay if our music group actually sang Catholic music at Mass.

Are you offering this as an excuse to leave the presence of Jesus Christ early? Pretty lame, IMO. Those who leave early do not get the final blessing. Would it hurt so much to stay a few extra minutes? I think not.

 

[Padraig1972]

But this is a general thing today. People need to do something all the time. Be somwehere, do something, go to some place and get something done.

Its not like im saying that you should drop everything in both hands, but give the Lord some time and yes, that means staying the mass out. If it is for 25, 35, 65 or 105 mins.

It is all about showing the Lord our respect, loving and adoration. I dont know about you guys, but im a sinner, not perfect at all and needs His mercy, guidance, love and the strength He gives through absolutin, forgiveness, mercy and His grace.

Take time and make time. My parish priest and other priests in the parishes i attend has said this numerous time.

God bless.

 

[roadsend]

Are you offering this as an excuse to leave the presence of Jesus Christ early? Pretty lame, IMO. Those who leave early do not get the final blessing. Would it hurt so much to stay a few extra minutes? I think not.

And it would not hurt to stay in the presence of Christ and pray for an hour or two after Mass.
I find pop-slop at Mass to be a detriment to my spiritual health.
If there were a valid Orthodox or SSPX Mass nearby, I would go there.
You follow your conscience, I will follow mine.

 

[Padraig1972]

And it would not hurt to stay in the presence of Christ and pray for an hour or two after Mass.

I wish that would be possible here, but Norway is a small country and our church is a small one, so pretty much right after mass they lock up for the evening.

But i often go there at daytime and plan to do it more often, like 1-2 hours before mass just to pray and spend time in the presence of Lord Jesus Christ.

 

[Frosty]

But this is a general thing today. People need to do something all the time. Be somwehere, do something, go to some place and get something done.

It’s not just the general thing** today** but has been going on for as long as I can remember. When I was growing up in the 1950’s and 60’s the exodus after Communion was just as bad, if not worse. Actually, since there were so many people that did not receive Communion, they began to leave as soon as the priest had rececived his own Communion as the general thinking was that one had fully attended Mass if one was there from after the Gospel until the priest’s Communion. Not the Communion of the faithful!
After the principal Mass on Sunday’s, which in my parish was at 10:30am, it was the norm that by the time Mass had ended at least 1/3 of the congregants had already departed. The priests used to comment on this constantly, to no avail. Several times over the years,[5 times that I remember] the pastor got so fed up that he had the ushers actually lock the doors leading to the narthex immediately after the Agnus Dei. That caused no end of protests and problems. One parishoner even tried to have the pastor arrested because he claimed that he and his family were being detained against their will! However, all the exhortations by the priests, and even drastic measures such as locking the doors didn’t cure the problem. People still left early and It’s my guess that it has always been the case. It was a lot harder back then to come up with an excuse for leaving early. Stores were not open on Sundays nor were many restaurants. Organized sports were only in their infancy and, at least in my home town, were few and far between and practices were not held on Sundays. What was the excuse? I’ve been asking myself that question for over sixty years. I must admit though, that at most of the parishes I’ve attended as an adult, I seldom see a large crowd leave early and at not just a few parishes, almost no one leave early at all.

 

[vsedriver]

And it would not hurt to stay in the presence of Christ and pray for an hour or two after Mass.
I find pop-slop at Mass to be a detriment to my spiritual health.
If there were a valid Orthodox or SSPX Mass nearby, I would go there.
You follow your conscience, I will follow mine.

Perhaps you could offer up your suffering to Christ instead of escaping it? How much would you endure for the sake of Christ?

 

[roadsend]

Perhaps you could offer up your suffering to Christ instead of escaping it? How much would you endure for the sake of Christ?

I will endure the time and expense of a seven hour round trip when I can.
My presence at a pop-slop laden Mass beyond that which is necessary to meet my Sunday obligation is injurious to my spiritual health.

 

[Elizabeth502]

My presence at a pop-slop laden Mass beyond that which is necessary to meet my Sunday obligation is injurious to my spiritual health.

That’s a subjective judgment, not shared by the Roman Catholic Church. We need to offer it up when we hear “pop-slop” (or poorly sung, played music, or anything else offensive to our sensory experiences). As I mentioned, I also find it annoying and distracting, and not “spiritual.” But this is presented to me as an opportunity, not as an excuse to escape.

One antidote I use is to keep handy in the car (you could do it with an iPod or MP3 player if you’re on public transport) music that leads me into a much more appropriate experience.

 

[braidwood]

Satan does his level best at Mass to get us irritated and distracted.
I used to get annoyed at early leavers and all the other irreverent things that people get up to at Mass.
Now I try and block them all out to concentrate on Mass and Communion.
Mike

 

[ThankUMaria]

Don’t worry, I leave Mass before the Eucharist even takes place. i come before Mass begins and steal some Eucharistic bread and put it in my jacket pocket, and then go home and eat it as i pray.

 

[Pieman333272]

Don’t worry, I leave Mass before the Eucharist even takes place. i come before Mass begins and steal some Eucharistic bread and put it in my jacket pocket, and then go home and eat it as i pray.

Then it isn’t the Eucharist. It’s just bread. Stolen, bread.