pnewton, while still Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Benedict the XVI said on page 198 of his book The Spirit of the Liturgy “Whenever applause breaks out in the liturgy because of some human achievement, it is a sure sign that the essence of the liturgy has totally disappeared and been replaced by a kind of religious entertainment.” Cardinal Francis Arinze while serving as prefect for the Congregation of Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments in Rome said in Adoremus Bulletin Vol IX no 7 Oct 2003 “…when we come to Mass we don’t come to clap. We don’t come to watch people, to admire people. We want to adore God, to thank Him, to ask Him pardon for our sins, and to ask Him for what we need.” I suppose there is a still higher level of “authoritativeness” than those, but they seem pretty solid to me, and they come from sources that seem pretty authoritative also.
Granted, here they are speaking specifically about applause. But it seems to me that they are also speaking more generally about the edification of man during mass versus the adoration and praise of God. Nonetheless, like you, I am also looking for anything else authoritative that can help me address my concerns in my parish.
