Mass at the beach.

[pnewton]

Personally, I think that the poster in question was HOPING it was the lack of Catechisis, rather than than just plain disrespect for the Eucharist & the Church.

I guess I too hope that it is not plain disrespect for the Eucharist or wanting a day on the beach. I would rather think of it as motivated for love of the lost, charity, evangelistic outreach.

 

[Jacafamala]

Personally, I think that the poster in question was HOPING it was the lack of Catechisis, rather than than just plain disrespect for the Eucharist & the Church.

I think most Catholics are well intentioned. They’re just under catechized.

 

[Jacafamala]

I guess I too hope that it is not plain disrespect for the Eucharist or wanting a day on the beach. I would rather think of it as motivated for love of the lost, charity, evangelistic outreach.

You can not truly love people while showing them the wrong way to do things.

 

[Jacafamala]

Based on the evidence that I do not agree with you? Oh yes. I do find that sort of irony very funny, especially in light of the stereotype these sort of posts support of the Cathotlic T R A D I T I O N A L I S T.

Fortunately, that stereotype is often not true.

pnewton, if you really, really and truly in your heart of hearts believe that Mass at the beach the best that we have to offer Our Lord and this misguided flock, then that’s a very good thing because it means your ignorance is no fault of you own.

As for me, I can’t deceive myself in such a way. Even if the bishop says go for it.

 

[pnewton]

You can not truly love people while showing them the wrong way to do things.

Sure, if something involved sin, especially serious sin.

I though we were talking about Mass at the beach, not encouraging people to sin.

 

[Jacafamala]

Sure, if something involved sin, especially serious sin.

I though we were talking about Mass at the beach, not encouraging people to sin.

And to that again I say that you can’t truly love people while showing them the wrong way to do things. It’s the wrong way to have Holy Mass, pnewty. Plain ol’ wrong.

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

 

[NolePaul2009]

The closed mindedness of some of you is what is plain wrong. Personally, I think both the traditional and the non-traditional Masses are fine. Heck, what is wrong with an attempt to reach out to young people in an event that is not held very often. Personally, I am one who for whatever reason gets in my mind thoughts of what would be beautiful sceneries to hold outdoor Masses.

I agree that Mass should be held in the church when possible, but the beauty of our Catholic Church is its flexibility and ability to reach out to different cultures. I mean in Africa, they have their Mass tradtions, as in Latin America Im sure as well. If you feel that you need to go to the traditional Mass, that is you.

Honest question…for those who feel that there should be no outdoor Masses, how about the Masses they hold at World Youth Day? I went to the WYD in Toronto and let me tell you there are way to many people to hold in a Cathedral, or even a stadium. The Mass on Sunday had to have had over one million people there! No way you can fit that many people in a Cathedral. Also, for those against outdoor Mass/church only people, what was your opinion on the Papal Masses held in Yankee and National Stadiums last year? Again to many people. Again, I feel that some of the views in this thread are just too close minded.

 

[psr13]

I guess I too hope that it is not plain disrespect for the Eucharist or wanting a day on the beach. I would rather think of it as motivated for love of the lost, charity, evangelistic outreach.

I doubt it really was evangelistic outreach. Judging by how many baptized Catholics are in this area, those people are all Catholics. They probably don’t go to Mass every week, though. However, having one Mass a year at the beach isn’t going to encourage them to go every week.

 

[thunderballs75]

The closed mindedness of some of you is what is plain wrong. Personally, I think both the traditional and the non-traditional Masses are fine. Heck, what is wrong with an attempt to reach out to young people in an event that is not held very often. Personally, I am one who for whatever reason gets in my mind thoughts of what would be beautiful sceneries to hold outdoor Masses.

I agree that Mass should be held in the church when possible, but the beauty of our Catholic Church is its flexibility and ability to reach out to different cultures. I mean in Africa, they have their Mass tradtions, as in Latin America Im sure as well. If you feel that you need to go to the traditional Mass, that is you.

Honest question…for those who feel that there should be no outdoor Masses, how about the Masses they hold at World Youth Day? I went to the WYD in Toronto and let me tell you there are way to many people to hold in a Cathedral, or even a stadium. The Mass on Sunday had to have had over one million people there! No way you can fit that many people in a Cathedral. Also, for those against outdoor Mass/church only people, what was your opinion on the Papal Masses held in Yankee and National Stadiums last year? Again to many people. Again, I feel that some of the views in this thread are just too close minded.

Let me re-iterate my obedience and humility before the Church authorities.

But as to your idea of there being more than one kind of Mass. What kind of Mass was there before the current “Spirit of Vatican II”? Do you honestly think that missionaries did Mass according to “traditions” in Africa or Latin America back before the 60s? No. Every Mass was exactly the same, in exactly the same language. I’m Mexican, and my grandparents and their forefathers all went to the Latin Mass as children. Many people in Mexico fought and died, and were raped and killed, so that the Catholic liturgy and the teachings of the Church would not die, and so that the souls of their grandchildren could be saved. Not so that they could have their “Latin American Mass traditions”. And unfortunately, judging by the lack of orthodoxy, reverence, and Mass attendance amongst Mexicans nowadays we have failed them.

If the intention was to make Mass different for different groups of people, they should have made a new Rite. Not made the Roman Rite “flexible” as you say. Even Cardinal Arinze said that the Mass should not be different at all anywhere, and you shouldn’t want to go to “this priest’s Mass” or “this priest’s Mass”.

As for your examples. That is true, millions of people cannot fit in a cathedral. So for things like WYD they have to do it outdoors where there is room. However, were there millions of youth flocking to the Mass on the beach that day? Absolutely not. At most I estimate there might have been a thousand. Likely much less. My diocesan cathedral could certainly hold the amount of people that went there. And that is where people should be wanting to go instead anyways (unless they decide to do more liturgical dance: youtube.com/watch?v=8uUpgBpsUM4 ) .

God bless you.

 

[Jacafamala]

I understand why an outdoor Mass at a stadium is necessary when the Holy Father visits. I even went to one of these a couple yeasr back when Benedict XVI came to visit the United States. I guess that’s the key: is an outdoor Mass really necessary?

I think these outdoor Masses need to be few and far between because they encourage people to be too casual. Roman Catholics by en large are too casual these days.

I went to a nuptial Mass recently where I’d say 70% of the people came to Mass in casual clothing such as polo shirts and sun dresses and then went home after Mass to get *really *dressed up in a suits and ties or formal dresses for the reception. So I’m left wondering where people get the idea this is the right thing to do? Where do people get the idea that their best is saved for a wedding reception and all Jesus gets is casual clothing?

We’re waaaay too casual these days.

I know many people at Mass on the beach have their hearts in the right place, but they’re being sorely misguided.

 

[Timothysis]

Do you honestly think that missionaries did Mass according to “traditions” in Africa or Latin America back before the 60s? No. Every Mass was exactly the same, in exactly the same language.

Do you honestly think that, throughout the centuries, all Masses and Church traditions were exactly the same everywhere, with no variety due to local culture? Perhaps you need to consider that Pope Pius V suppressed those liturgies that had been established less that 200 years prior. Where did these come from? Do you think they were just “made up,” or that they evolved into their shapes due to local custom? People assume that the history of the liturgy was encapsulated by the Tridentine missal, but even Pope Pius V in Quo Primum refers to his missal as a “new rite.” The past 400 years of the Church is not the whole history of the Latin Rite. This concept that at one time all over the world every Mass was “the same” is, to me, faulty.

 

[CradleCath]

The closed mindedness of some of you is what is plain wrong.

Whoaaa! Let’s back up a minute here. “Close-minded”??? I was around 25 yrs. old when the changes in the Mass were implemented. I had really looked forward to seeing what the “new Mass” would be like. I had no reason to be fearful…for the Catholic Church had always given me the best!! The best Liturgy, the best music, the best education, the best devotions, etc., etc.

When I finally attended my first Novus Ordo Mass…well, I told myself that it was brand new & would get better. For the next 5 yrs., as the Churches were gutted, Confession never mentioned from the pulpit, & the rosary driven underground…I just knew things would get better. They didn’t. The abuses appeared, the liturgical dancing, the Sanctuary was crowded with laity, the reconciliation room became our only choice, the Tabernacle just disappeared & on & on.

Within 5 yrs. the nuns, who had given so much of themselves in order to help parents raise good, well educated Catholics who could have a leadership role in their community were gone & our schools were filled with laity that was being Catechised according to the "spirit of Vatican II’. Next came the once a week, CCD. for all of the Catholic kids who could no longer attend parochial schools because we now had to hire teachers to do what the nuns had done out of their love of God. During ONE 2 hr. lesson each week, the children were expected to learn the Bible & the 2,000 yrs. of Catholicism. What a joke!!

“Close-minded”? For over 40 yrs. I kept attending a Mass that caused me to leave many-a-time close to tears. Many didn’t attend, many of my parents generation left the Church, not in rebellion, but in bewilderment. I am now 67 yrs. old & can attend the TLM every Sunday. I give thanks to God & Pope Benedict for giving me the opportunity to pray the TLM. with it’s focus on the penitential , it’s prayers that have the flavor of humility, the Mass that is actually filled with the “awesomeness” of the Sacrifice of Christ. Don’t tell people that they are close-minded, without knowing their history.

 

[Layman]

Sure the Mass can change. It’s just that traditionalists think that the historically-recent changes are bad.

 

[RedSoxWife]

Just reading the OP I have to say the first thing that popped into my mind is that I have been to Mass on a beach and it was a special occasion, so I’d really have to know the reason before reacting to it (I’ll go to the link just as soon as I finish typing this and check it out). The tone of the first post made me want to respond first because, under special circumstances, I don’t think there’s something inherently wrong.

Our Mass was about a hundred yards from the shores of the sea of Galilee next to the Primacy of St. Peter. Another group had the chapel for the hour so we held Mass outside in the area reserved for outdoor Masses. There wasn’t a bathing suit in sight and it was very memorable and reverent.

 

[RedSoxWife]

I don’t have time to read all 8 pages of posts before the baby wakes up, so I hope this question hasn’t been asked and answered.

What was the occasion for Mass at the Beach?

While I’m sure from looking the pictures that I wouldn’t have felt comfortable there, it looked like it might have been some sort of youth outreach to get young people involved. With the dwindling number of young people in Church’s I can see a Mass at the beach being seen as a way to get young people who wouldn’t come otherwise, to go to Mass.

 

[thunderballs75]

Do you honestly think that, throughout the centuries, all Masses and Church traditions were exactly the same everywhere, with no variety due to local culture? Perhaps you need to consider that Pope Pius V suppressed those liturgies that had been established less that 200 years prior. Where did these come from? Do you think they were just “made up,” or that they evolved into their shapes due to local custom? People assume that the history of the liturgy was encapsulated by the Tridentine missal, but even Pope Pius V in Quo Primum refers to his missal as a “new rite.” The past 400 years of the Church is not the whole history of the Latin Rite. This concept that at one time all over the world every Mass was “the same” is, to me, faulty.

I agree with you my friend! There were many localities and different rites. Even the Roman Rite was largely different in many areas.

Where you are wrong, is in the idea that when missionaries first went to convert the peoples of Africa (or any other non-European country), that this was still the case. No, we had a universal Mass, which *was *pretty much exactly the same everywhere. St. Pius V fixed the problem. Why do you think we should undo that?

Blessings.