Private Devotions in a Public Place

[smithm29]

During lunch, I try to go to a local Church to pray. Usually I either read the bible or pray the rosary, but today I decided to make the Stations of the Cross for the first time in a while. I made them on my knees because it felt right. About halfway through, I thought I heard someone come in (I turned out to be wrong) and I debated jumping up and finishing on my feet because I didn’t want to seem- I don’t know. I didn’t want anyone to “catch” me praying that way, if that makes sense.

Does anyone else have similar experiences? It’s not that I’m embarrassed about my faith- especially not from anyone who might wander into a Catholic Church midday on a Monday- but I just felt that what I was doing was very private. It would have been weird for anyone to see me. Should I keep those things for the house, or maybe just learn to get over it?

 

[bnbkaine]

Neither. Both. Whichever.

When I am first in front of the Blessed Sacrament during Adoration, I lay flat on my belly, head down, arms outstretched. I say my prayer of thanksgiving that He is present and I get to be there and then I get up. The first time I did this, it was weird. Now, I don’t care.

 

[twopekinguys]

We all worry about embarassing ourselves, but inside a Church should be the last place to worry about it.

Have you thought that maybe if anyone saw you, they would be inspired to do the same thing?

Two sides of the same coin right?

 

[Claire_from_DE]

It’s perfectly fine to do what you did as long as no services are being held. I’ve knelt at the entrance to the sanctuary instead of in a pew. And I thought I was the only one to sometimes lie down on the floor when no one else was in church. Then one of the other members of my RCIA team mentioned in class that she does it. I was glad to know I wasn’t really weird, maybe just kinda weird I’ve seen people in church touch a statue or reach up to touch a station. You might be embarrassed if someone catches you at it but I say do whatever the Holy Spirit allows you to do. A bit of embarrassment might be good for us at times; offer it up.

Do you cross yourself in public when you pass a church? Say grace and make the sign of the cross in a restaurant? We need to be more daring about doing things like this, don’t we? Me too.

 

[Apollos]

During lunch, I try to go to a local Church to pray. Usually I either read the bible or pray the rosary, but today I decided to make the Stations of the Cross for the first time in a while. I made them on my knees because it felt right. About halfway through, I thought I heard someone come in (I turned out to be wrong) and I debated jumping up and finishing on my feet because I didn’t want to seem- I don’t know. I didn’t want anyone to “catch” me praying that way, if that makes sense.

Does anyone else have similar experiences? It’s not that I’m embarrassed about my faith- especially not from anyone who might wander into a Catholic Church midday on a Monday- but I just felt that what I was doing was very private. It would have been weird for anyone to see me. Should I keep those things for the house, or maybe just learn to get over it?

“Public” and “private” in the context of devotions and other religious activities are *canonical *distinctions that are only vaguely related to whether someone else can see you while you are doing it. Broadly speaking, Mass, the Liturgy of the Hours, and in general any religious activity understood to be done *by the Church as Church *is considered “public”, even if done by a lone priest in the Manor’s wine cellar with the doors locked; prayers such as the Rosary or Stations done by an individual or group of individuals on their own initiative or by common agreement are considered “private”, even when led by the Pope in the Colosseum in Rome and televised.

Anyway, get over it. If someone comes into the church, keep doing the kneeling thing, but if people have to step over your calves as they walk up the aisle you should get out of their way by just standing up instead.

 

[Herve]

Hi smithm29

I do understand you
Matthew 6:5-6:

And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

sorry, I do not mean people who posted before me go into the other category, but some people might be more discreet than the others.

 

[puzzleannie]

During lunch, I try to go to a local Church to pray. Usually I either read the bible or pray the rosary, but today I decided to make the Stations of the Cross for the first time in a while. I made them on my knees because it felt right. About halfway through, I thought I heard someone come in (I turned out to be wrong) and I debated jumping up and finishing on my feet because I didn’t want to seem- I don’t know. I didn’t want anyone to “catch” me praying that way, if that makes sense.

it?

in this part of the country nobody would think you were weird if you prayed on your knees in the church or chapel, if you walked on your knees the whole way to do the Stations, or to approach our Lady, or the tabernacle, even climbing the stairs on your knees. Nor if you prayed prone on the floor in the adoration chapel, cried loudly while praying, prayed the rosary aloud in of a number of foreign languages, kissed the statues and the tabernacle and held your child up to do the same, talked to the saint statues as if speaking to a friend, or any of another “private” devotions in a public place. The population is majority Hispanic, and in that group mostly Mexican heritage, but it is becoming more diverse in representing other historically Catholic groups, all of whom bring their own devotional styles and cultures in a quite unembarrassed way, which is really quite inspirational.

 

[smithm29]

Thanks for the responses.

I do cross myself (hopefully unobtrusively) when I say grace or when an ambulance drives by the office and I don’t really think about that. My coworkers also know when I fast and when I abstain from meat and sweets just for logistical reasons- they don’t want to plan potlucks/ordering out/etc on days that I can’t join in. It’s not really a matter of being embarrassed over my faith. For some reason, what I was doing felt intensely private, like nobody else was meant to see it. Maybe I just have a fear of being ostentatious? I suppose praying about it would be a good next step.

 

[jdc209]

Thanks for the responses.

I do cross myself (hopefully unobtrusively) when I say grace or when an ambulance drives by the office and I don’t really think about that. My coworkers also know when I fast and when I abstain from meat and sweets just for logistical reasons- they don’t want to plan potlucks/ordering out/etc on days that I can’t join in. It’s not really a matter of being embarrassed over my faith. For some reason, what I was doing felt intensely private, like nobody else was meant to see it. Maybe I just have a fear of being ostentatious? I suppose praying about it would be a good next step.

For one more devotion, try praying the Angelus at it’s appropriate times: 6am, 12pm, and 6pm. I find the structure it adds to my prayer life very beneficial since it’s the Christian call to prayer.