My first liturgical Dance Experience

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Sarabande said:
I understand how you feel. My school used to do them with the 7th and 8th grade girls dressed in white robes dancing in their bare feet to taped music. I fortunately never had to do it. It looked silly then, but it didn’t really bother me one way or the other at that time.

I’m usually respectful and quiet when I have had to visit other parishes due to traveling, etc. Only two times did I actually had sort of mini panic attacks due to the music. My husband and I were dating at the time and had decided to attend mass at my home parish. This particular mass had a rock band. The music was so loud, overbearing, with the congregation applauding after communion. I tried so hard to concentrate on prayer, but my heart kept racing, my head spinning and my body felt like it was being plunged down into some negative abyss. I couldn’t get up to receive communion. It was like I was frozen stiff. During the applause, I told my husband that I had to leave. He was more than willing to leave as well. We ended up attending mass at his parish 15 minutes away.

The other time was last year when I went to visit family in Virginia. We attended mass at my aunt’s parish. We had unfortunately started late and got there right when the procession was happening. The music at least wasn’t a rock band, but something about it made me panic. I got physically sick and couldn’t go in and had to stay outside in the vestibule. The other thing was that they had ushers that would usher latecomers in like it was at a classical music concert - you know when you are asked to wait until the music ends and then you can enter so to not disturb the musicians? They were doing that there as well, so that might have added to my physical ailment. Anyway, I felt horriable that I got this visceral reaction to it, but my body and my soul literally could not enter that place and I had no control over it. I had to attend mass somewhere else. It was so strange. I guess it’s because music is so important to me in a spiritual sense for my prayer life. Usually, I can sit through bad music, though, but those two times my body and my sould just couldn’t got through it. I didn’t want to share it with my aunt because I knew she loves to go to mass there, but my husband and parents knew about it and they thankfully understood.
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It almost appears like the dance and CD music is only a prelude to reciting poertry. I’ve heard of COSTUMES being worn in some parishes…like a mouse character and other characters sooted for a Disney Parade. How does all this show worship to God? 🙂
 
scylla said:
Dancing before the Ark of the Covenant like David.
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That is a powerful image.
Sarabande said:
Anyway, just because we don’t think Liturgical Dance should be permitted into the liturgy (there really isn’t anything wrong with that dance outside of the liturgy, if you like that sort of thing), or don’t hold hands with our brothers and sisters, doesn’t mean we worship God any less or love each other any less.
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Wow. This post just went straight to my heart. It made me think of St. Teresa of Avila – dancing in praise, with castanets, no less! However, she **never **did that during Mass.
 
Dancing during the Mass is akin to turning a solemn ritual into “American Idol.” I honestly do not know where some hearts are on this matter.

__Praised be Jesus Christ, forever and ever:)
 
scylla said:
The reason that the Catholic Mass is different is because we are in the new covenant, so our worship is different than the Jews\some non-catholics and focuses on God’s Grace and the work He did for us.

The central part of Catholic worship is focusing on the Sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross which is the only real work that is worthy of God. All our own actions are only good if they are united in His Grace, our Faith and His saving Sacrifice on the Cross.

Now since the Mass is focused on the one Sacrifice at Calvary, which is shown by the Crucifix, the steps which help symbolize the hill, Calvary and the Altar of Sacrifice on which the Priest offers the Body and Blood of Christ to God.

This is such an important moment in history to individualize it to focus on a person turning the Sacrifice of Jesus into a show. It also takes away from the united worship into an individual person doing their own thing at Mass, which is wrong as Jesus is the center. The priest stands in the person of Christ and should be part of the central focus.

Now after Mass it is ok to dance, sing a solo, play a solo on the keyboard, make a speech, do individual type things but we go to Mass for the Sacrifice of Jesus. That is why Catholic Mass is so different and without explanation or with a deviation from the One Sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross.

We can do processions with dancing before Mass and in my parish have done that legitimately during the procession of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Dancing before the Ark of the Covenant like David.

In Christ
Scylla

Unfortunately many Catholics are not taught the meaning the the Holy Mass and it turns into a show instead of worship, something you seek entertainment from, rather than uniting your heart and mind in offering up Christ to the Father.
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Amen, to all of the above!🙂
 
Ani_Ibi said:
I said that folks at the church where I saw the litdance, bellowed their displeasure over the litany and over the Hail Mary. They seemed disproportionately enraged at these two prayers. Twilight zone stuff.
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It sounds like paganism at the very least or even worse. Anyone who finds the Mother of God unworthy of praise is someone to avoid.

__
🙂
 
scylla said:
The reason that the Catholic Mass is different is because we are in the new covenant, so our worship is different than the Jews\some non-catholics and focuses on God’s Grace and the work He did for us.

The central part of Catholic worship is focusing on the Sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross which is the only real work that is worthy of God. All our own actions are only good if they are united in His Grace, our Faith and His saving Sacrifice on the Cross.

Now since the Mass is focused on the one Sacrifice at Calvary, which is shown by the Crucifix, the steps which help symbolize the hill, Calvary and the Altar of Sacrifice on which the Priest offers the Body and Blood of Christ to God.

This is such an important moment in history to individualize it to focus on a person turning the Sacrifice of Jesus into a show. It also takes away from the united worship into an individual person doing their own thing at Mass, which is wrong as Jesus is the center. The priest stands in the person of Christ and should be part of the central focus.

Now after Mass it is ok to dance, sing a solo, play a solo on the keyboard, make a speech, do individual type things but we go to Mass for the Sacrifice of Jesus. That is why Catholic Mass is so different and without explanation or with a deviation from the One Sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross.

We can do processions with dancing before Mass and in my parish have done that legitimately during the procession of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Dancing before the Ark of the Covenant like David.

In Christ
Scylla

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Unfortunately many Catholics are not taught the meaning the the Holy Mass and it turns into a show instead of worship, something you seek entertainment from, rather than uniting your heart and mind in offering up Christ to the Father.
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[/SIGN]

Then why on earth are the priests that are celebrating allowing this to happen? THEY are the ones that DO understand the meaning of Holy Mass, even if no one else does!
 
I think dancing might be a good way to attract the young, especially those below the age of 25, and a good way to draw them away from the extremely sexualised ‘pop’ forms of music many young people find so alluring. But it should be set aside in church apart from mass, which is in my view rightly solemn not because there is no joy but because we are facing the logos who has made and sustains the entire universe in all its beautiful and majestic array. So much the more we should be humble before the majesty of the Godhead, present in the eucharist.
 
Teelynn said:
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Then why on earth are the priests that are celebrating allowing this to happen? THEY are the ones that DO understand the meaning of Holy Mass, even if no one else does!
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You have opened a can of worms.🙂
 
japhy said:
Sorry for my USA-centric quote, then. I can’t find documents of the same type on the South Africa Conference of Catholic Bishops’ web site, but even the first two quotes I gave should suffice.
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Thanks for looking … it’s not a problem - I’ll quote all three with an explanation.
 
johnstown_johnn said:
It sounds like paganism at the very least or even worse. Anyone who finds the Mother of God unworthy of praise is someone to avoid.

__
🙂
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Praise to the mother of God? No, Praise belongs to GOD alone. Honor and respect belongs to Mary, Joseph, and all the other saints. To praise Mary is Pagan and Blasphemy. God alone deserves praise.
 
Be at Peace, I’m getting nervous when Catholics start Mary worship. 🙂 😃
 
sosayi1960 said:
Praise to the mother of God? No, Praise belongs to GOD alone. Honor and respect belongs to Mary, Joseph, and all the other saints. To praise Mary is Pagan and Blasphemy. God alone deserves praise.
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This is Fundamentalism at its numbest. The Angel Gabriel praised Mary when he said, “Hail Mary, full of grace the lord is with you, blessed are YOU among women:) …fear not Mary for you have found favor with God…”

Blasphemy… is in the mind of the beholder. Mary is the mother of all of us and she had the most special designation of any woman that has ever lived…she bore and gave birth to God’s Son.

Please, if you want to denigrate Mary go visit a Protestant forum; it won’t fly here. Maybe you can twist Angel Gabriel’s words of praise. Actually, I have great pity for those that do not appreciate the Blessed Mother.

Besides, you are OFF-TOPIC !

__ 🙂

Peace
 
In the European Catholic tradition there is one officially permited liturgical dance. It takes place once a year in the Mozarabic Rite in Spain. In one of the churches the dace takes place; I am not sure if is duribg Mass though. I only saw a few seconds of it on TV, but it was done by altar boys in a very dignified fashion.

By the way, I have seen women dancers duribg Mass. When I havw spoken with them they said that they did it to express themselves. I did not say it to them but I think that is a poor reason to have! :mad:
 
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