Mass is boring?

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prophetdaniel

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Who is to blame, primarly, for this way of thinking? If Mass is boring, is Mass suppose to be entertainment then? I’m asking this question because I need to decide how to approach a few co-volunteers who find Mass boring and help them get more out of Mass when they are not helping out in ministry and assist them in their faith formation.
 
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prophetdaniel:
Who is to blame, primarly, for this way of thinking? If Mass is boring, is Mass suppose to be entertainment then?
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The people are responsible for not understanding what the mass is and thinking it is boring. Being in communion with God after receiving the Eucharist is not boring. Watching Jesus come into your presence at the consecration is not boring. The same can be said about leaving the Catholic faith. I don’t think anyone walks away from the Catholic faith if they totally understood what is was. People sometimes leave the Church sometimes because they don’t realize what they are leaving.

matthew
 
The poll options seem to indicate that being boring and important are mutually exclusive qualities. They are not.

Breathing, for example, is quite boring and very important.
 
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prophetdaniel:
Who is to blame, primarly, for this way of thinking? If Mass is boring, is Mass suppose to be entertainment then?
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I did not vote…nothing seemed fit to how I would answer. In today’s day and age of big Protestant mega church’s many people feel this need to be entertained at church. However the Church is not a place to be entertained but a house of worship. The Protestant churches have to put on a show to keep people coming. In some respect the Church could do a better job in educating the Catholic community in regards to the importance of the Mass etc…the people who truly understand the Mass, the Church, Gods laws…love to come to Mass. There is never a question whether or not Mass is boring…sure some Priests are better orator’s than others but that should not be your only reason for going. Many of my Protestant friends seem to juggle between churches as well as religions for that matter. I suppose they do not feel that they have found the one true Church…they often talk about one preacher or another and how they like this one or that one…the entertainment aspect seems more important than being part of what we have…One Lord, one faith, one babtism, and the unity of the Body of Christ.
 
People always need to be stimulated all the time. They can’t have a quiet moment in there lives, so that is why I think people think Mass is boring.
 
I think in my country the only one to blame is the church itself. It is really sad but its true. we are the cradle of Christianity in South East asia and even in Asia but sad to say maybe only 5 out of 10 is really interested in attending the mass or who think that the mass is really something and not boring. If catechism is poor definitely the faith 9according to what the church teach) will also be poor.
 
I would of voted all of the above, if it were an option.

In short I would say it was a failure of the previous generation of Catholics to hand down the faith to the next. I also should say that confusion following the Second Vatican Council played a big part as well, with sisters and DRE’s either unsure of what to teach or having to depend on badly translated or doctrinally ambiguous religious ed materials.

Though many more factors could be listed.
 
People relying on others rather than themselves.
My children attended Catholic schools and are faithful Catholics…not because of what they learned/didn’t learn in school but because I followed through at home…
 
I think Mass attendance and perceptions that Mass is boring are two different issues and have different reasons for being problems.

About Mass being boring–I think it is because we live in a society that goes to events to watch not to participate. We watch others play games, we watch others sing and play instruments, we watch movies and TV. Maybe we should be teaching our kids that Mass is like a Gameboy. In order to get anything out of it one must participate in it. One must sing the hymns, for instance. I see teens and men especially who don’t even pick up a hymnal but just stand glassy-eyed through the hymns. They pay little or no attention to anything going on but just sit there like stones. I think there ought to be a few homilies directed at the teens and menfolk about not judging the Mass unless and until they’ve truly participated in it. Just MHO.
 
We live in an “entertain me NOW!” society.
Children say “I’m bored”.
Children are no longer taught that they have chores to do and are a responsible part of the family unit.
Parents “entertain” them constantly with t.v., videos, play stations, gameboys, etc. Families, in general, no longer read stories together, play board games, ride bikes, quiz each other on daily events; in general think.
All this lack produces the “I’m bored” person who sits and waits to be entertained.
Mass is no exception.

In the early 90’s, the group Nirvana sang a song, “Here we are now, entertain us!” which pretty much sums it all up.
 
I didn’t like any of the answers. While they all contribute, instruction should start in the HOME! That is why I talk about our faith and the Church all the time with my girls. When at Mass, I make sure they know what is happening - Especially at the consecration!!! That is Jesus!

I talk about confession and making my soul all clean and shiny for Jesus. And then I talk about having Jesus within me after communion.

It starts in the HOME!
 
I can understand how some people find mass boring. I have been to many churches where the music was absolutely horrible, the lector didn’t speak clearly, the priest barely had a pulse and was a bad public speaker with a long, rambling, boring homily…then there were people shuffling around, kids climbing in the pews, etc. etc.

What is wrong with looking for an engaging mass? It’s not about entertainment, it’s about the priest getting his act together and connecting with the people. I go to mass for communion, but I am also there for the liturgy of the word, the homily, the music, the community, all of it.

I love it all, and if I’m not getting it at one church, I have no problem driving an extra ten minutes to another church that gets it right. Some people don’t have different church options, and therefore stop attending. It’s too bad, but I can see why it happens.

Pete
 
An Australian surevey of 8,000 people reveals that this is indeed the reason they don’t go to church.


The single biggest reason they give is that they find it boring.

What to do about that?
 
You can’t do anything. If people find it boring, they find it boring.
 
Well, it was probably pretty boring standing around the foot of the cross, as well. Especially for the Roman soldiers, who had seen it all many times before. At least one of them found it to be a new experience though.

In the end, we’re not required to be entertained. We’re only required to be there, which is pretty minimal.

It’s like saying to a kid, “I want you to visit your Mom at least once a week, just for an hour.”
“But, that’s so boring!”
“So what? Just remember the commandment–honor thy father and thy mother!”
 
The priest has the opportunity at every Mass, during the homily, to explain the various teachings of the Catholic Church. This includes explaining what the Mass is.

The Incredible Catholic Mass by Father Martin von Cochem, published by Tan Books & Publishers, Inc. gives an excellent explanation of the Mass.

If we want people to learn more about the Mass and the Catholic religion, we have to spend time studying ourselves. Then we will have enough knowlege to teach others.
 
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