Showiness during Mass

  • Thread starter Thread starter TrueRomanCatholic
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
T

TrueRomanCatholic

Guest
One of my fellow congregants, a daily attendee of Mother Church, goes above and beyond with his movements during the Mass.

During Good Friday, during our veneration of the cross procession, rather than genuflecting as was required by the congregation, he mimicked the priests and fully prostrated himself thrice on his way up the aisle.

He also holds his hands up at ear level and bows completely in half during the Our Father.

When he reads, he makes different voices for the characters and inflects his voice all over the place.

During the sign of peace, he doesn’t shake hands, he extends his hand so his palm is parallel to the floor and fingers perpendicular to the floor.

We’re forced to shake his hand as if we’re about to kiss his ring finger!!

I wanted to snub him and his strange movements but now I don’t know whether I should complain to the priest!
 
Sounds like he is just very theatrical. It is possible that he is even holding back and he is naturally more animated than that. Hold on to that possibility when you find yourself distracted by him, he might even be stifling it some.😆
 
He has a different personality and is expressive in gestures (holding one’s hand out palm down is considered the polite way in some circles.)

“Snub” is not part of Christian charity.
 
TrueRomanCatholic said:
When he reads, he makes different voices for the characters and inflects his voice all over the place.
Click to expand...
As a lector, do you mean? That might be something that you mention to your pastor. A simple, “is proclaiming the Scriptures supposed to sound like reading a bedtime story to a child?” when he’s around for one of these ‘performances’ might suffice.
TrueRomanCatholic said:
During the sign of peace, he doesn’t shake hands, he extends his hand so his palm is parallel to the floor and fingers perpendicular to the floor.

We’re forced to shake his hand as if we’re about to kiss his ring finger!!
Click to expand...
So, give him a fist bump instead. 😉

Or, hold out your hand like that to him, and see what happens!
 
Assume that the prayerful hands, bowing, and prostration are his habits of reverence, between him and his Lord. Good for him!

The storytelling voices? I do that sometimes myself. Must be careful though; I got some funny looks at Bible Study when I made Mary sound like a Jewish mother: “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.” (Luke 2:48)
 
Regarding handshaking, there are personal and cultural variations:

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

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

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)
 
This is something I would not worry about. The focus is on worshiping GOD and said person may be trying to be more reverent towards our lord and savior. What’s wrong with that?

Instead of worrying about these things since they are harmless we should be focused on our lord at mass and not what other people are doing as well as showing kindness to our neighbors.

God Bless
 
Sounds distracting, I would try to sit very far away from him. I’ve been around people that say the creeds very loud, it doesn’t really bother me but it’s distracting and throws me off a bit when I’m trying to recite it.
 
OP, it sounds like you need to do what the teachers at school used to say: " Keep your eyes on your own paper."

Whenever I catch myself being distracted by people at mass, I focus my eyes straight ahead to the crucifix near the altar. In our church, there is a very large painting of Jesus on the cross and that is what I look at.
 
I could easily be wrong, but this parishioner you describe may have some disorder of mental and/or developmental health, especially with the self-prostration and dramatic gestures. I also suspect that your priest may know him and his back-story better.

Under these circumstances, your priest is witnessing what you are. So I’d leave it at your priest’s discretion. If he takes issue with the parishioner’s behavior and knows that the parishioner can change it, he’ll confront him. You can just work on surrendering to the Mass . . . or at very least attending a less distracting one on the schedule. 🙂
 
Last edited:
I almost tripped over someone who insisted on making three genuflections before she went to communion. I guess someone said something because now she makes only one. I’m not fond of theatricality, but as my dear father once said, “There’s people like that”
 
blackforest said:
this parishioner you describe may have some disorder of mental and/or developmental health, especially with the self-prostration and dramatic gestures. I also suspect that your priest may know him and his back-story better.
Click to expand...
I am guessing either a disorder, or that he came from a very different culture where prostration and such are more normal. I would simply ignore him and sit at a distance if he bothers you.
 
I would not prostrate in public. People might be inconvenienced and step on me. Other than that, your friend’s fine.
 
I hear you. If it weren’t for all the other people in the world who just can’t seem to get things right the way I do, I could just relax in my perfection. So annoying to have to put up with people like that. . . 😇
 
I’m going to go with the notion that he’s a bit of an odd bird.
Just let him do him, and you do you, and relax.
 
That was my thought. I prostrate in our adoration chapel because I am alone and not inconveniencing anyone. We all want to be as reverent as possible but you have to ask the question “what if everyone did this?” It would be chaos.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top