Liturgical Abuses at Mass

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Definition of unduly
in an undue manner. EXCESSIVELY

Merriam Webster
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Prolonged masses are not a problem.

Unduly prolonged masses are an abuse, by definition.

The use of “unduly” says that it can be wrong to prolong a mass, depending on the circumstances and culture. Not that every prolongation is an abuse, but that some, described as unduly, would be an abuse.

Basically, it comes down to a choice. Use EMHC or prolong the mass. The wrong choice is a liturgical abuse.
 
ok, agreed unduly = excessive, ie excessively prolonged Mass. And yes, it may occur if there was for whatever reason, a huge number of communicants approaching for Communion.

Then it would be appropriate for EMHC to be utilised. But as I’ve said before, I would not consider Mass extending past the hour (Sundays) by 15 or so minutes to be considered unduly prolonging the Mass unnecessarily and therefore an abuse.

Nowadays some places have deacons or an assistant parish priest, but yes, I do realize that not all places have these. But in the average suburban parish with an average of say a few hundred people in attendance, I honestly cannot see the need for several EMHCs (more than 3) to be standard practice every single Sunday - as RS #158 says “only when the Priest and Deacon are lacking, … some other genuine reason … etc”

Mass going over by 10-15 minutes is not imo considered to be unduly prolonging Mass.
 
OraLabora said:
The reality of today’s Church is that the priest might have another Mass to celebrate at a parish that is 30 minutes away,
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That’s exactly the case with our priest, he hightails it out of our parish to the other parish right after mass is over. One of two others he is responsible for. It’s 30 minutes with good roads.
 
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For those of you whomst are upset about Eucharistic Ministers, if the rules were reworded so as to be less restrictive, would you be happy? The question is, are you upset because you see a violation of the rules, or are you upset because the EMs exist in the first place?
 
CRV said:
Mass going over by 10-15 minutes is not imo considered to be unduly prolonging Mass.
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A Mass that goes longer than an hour is not an abuse but it is unquestionably unduly prolonged, in my opinion. 😉
 
🤔 … agree - Mass going longer than an hour is not an abuse. To my shame, my mind has a mind of it’s own when the Homily is very long, or seems long to me. 🙂
 
Your shame, my shame. The best homilies I’ve ever heard were less than 5 minutes long. I’ve heard Cardinal Dolan give homilies (via XM Radio) that are about 20 seconds long and they’re brilliant.

Anyone who speaks for more than several minutes literally doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Because if he did, if he were prepared, if he were organized, he’d get it right with a minimal of words.

“Be brief. Be to the point. Be seated.”
 
The problem with a prolonged Mass is parking. As it is, our parishioners fill the parking lot and many park up and down the side streets in the neighborhood that borders the parish. That’s OK if you’re young and have little ones who need to burn off some energy by walking a few blocks, but for older or disabled people, it might be the cause of their turning around and going home. Also, no one enjoys walking a few blocks in heavy snow or bitter cold (or sticky heat in the summer!).

The Masses HAVE to finish in time to allow the parking lot to clear out for the next crowd of attendees. The EMHCs are very helpful to make this happen. 😃
 
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I don’t think a homily need necessarily be as short as all that. In a parish where I once lived and attended mass regularly for three or four years, Fr. H’s homily was never less than 15 minutes and sometimes 20 or more. He was a first-rate preacher and the homily was never a minute too long. In contrast, I’ve sometimes sat through seven- or eight-minute homilies that were much too long.
 
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