LifeTeen is offensive.
I have twice attended LifeTeen Mass with my family. We usually go to the morning Mass, but when we are unable to make it, we go to evening Mass. Having just moved to a new city, we decided to do this, unaware that at our new church, the evening Mass was LifeTeen.
Here are some of the fundamental problems that I have with LifeTeen:
-MUSIC
From beginning to end, the music was borderline sacreligious. It featured a synthesizer, several guitars, drums, and STROBE lights. There were also long intro/outro segments that appeared to serve no purpose other than to allow the musicians to show off. Ultimately, my problem with the music was the same as my problem with LifeTeen in general: it places too much emphasis on the individuals who are up there performing it and too little on the religious content.
The concert style presentation was tasteless and excluded anyone in the congregation who wasn’t already familiar with the songs, which were basically Christian rock songs. There was not one traditional hymn. The songs were all about the actual music and musicians rather than the content. At one point, they actually introduced everyone who was playing the instruments so that they could get a round of applause.
-ORDER OF THE MASS
The Order of the Mass was significantly altered, to the point where it was impossible to follow what was going on. This, to me, defeats the purpose of the Catholic church. I’ve been to Mass that was conducted in a foreign language and had a better idea of what was going on than I did in this mockery of a Church service. The final straw for me was when they changed the words to the Our Father and to the Creed so that they could fit into the cutesy lyrics and rhythm of the song. It was inexcusable.
-DANCING/HAND MOTIONS
I couldn’t contain myself from laughing out loud when people in the congregation started dancing and doing cheerleader style hand motions along with the music. I wasn’t aware that we are supposed to celebrate Mass in the form of a pep rally. I prefer to celebrate the Mass in a dignified manner, not screaming and dancing like a Protestant at a Christian rock concert.
-GATHERING OF PEOPLE IN FRONT OF THE ALTAR
Like many elements of LifeTeen Mass, the portion where the teens all gather in front of the altar for Eucharist is exclusionary and adds an element of chaos and excessive casualness to the sacrament of Holy Communion. A Mass that consists of people of all ages is not the appropriate time or place for activities that are only open to specific people. Rituals that exclude other Catholics during Mass are uncalled for and actually go against the very nature of Catholicism, which by definition means “universal,” or inclusion of everyone. It was extremely disruptive and, in true LifeTeen tradition, too heavily focused on drawing attention to certain individuals rather than putting the focus on God.
If these kids really need something like LifeTeen to appreciate the Church or take an interest in their faith, they’re missing the point.
Another big problem I have with LifeTeen is that it’s not an accurate representation of the Catholic faith as adults typically practice it. I think a lot of these kids who get accustomed to these Protestant inspired “praise band” centered worship services are going to end up leaving the Church for a Protestant faith instead of growing in their appreciation for Catholicism.
However, if they really feel the need to do this type of “worship,” (and I use the term loosely), I would prefer that they do it on their own time, as a youth group or extra-curricular activity, rather than actually devoting a Mass to it in the presence of other people, who are excluded from their activities regardless of their presence at the Mass.
