So why DO people leave Mass early?

[TEPO]

When Mass is nearly over, I notice my wife’s eyes looking at me. My little ones, being the observant little go-getters they are, catch on and try to get my attention as well… I usually just look at them for about 2 seconds and then look away. They know I’m ignoring them, but to lecture in my house means war -so I just do what I can… I become like a statue.

 

[markomalley]

FWIW, there is a big difference between somebody leaving early at a daily Mass and a Sunday Mass…and for perfectly legit reasons.

For example, my parish has a 6:30 AM Daily Mass. The local commuter train leaves the station for Baltimore at 7:02 AM and for DC at 7:05 AM. People that need to catch one of those trains MUST leave when they do or they miss the train. So a lot of times, people will leave Daily Mass at 6:50 or 6:55 in order to meet that train. In some cases when Mass runs long (such as Daily Masses that run long because it’s a Holy Day of Obligation or a visiting priest decides to make his homily a bit too long), I’ve seen some leave before receiving Holy Communion.

As far as Sunday Masses, I personally have said for years that the Knights of Columbus should be asked to have a 4th Degree Color Guard posted at the exits…with their swords.

Seriously, though, while I recognize that some people may have legitimate reasons for leaving early (not feeling well, a job with a strange work schedule, getting an emergency text message during the Mass, and so on), I think most of it boils down to a lack of recognition of the Real Presence. But I don’t think it’s something that we will ever see forcefully addressed by our priests, as there is always the very real risk that the person he confronts will be one of those who do have a legitimate reason.

While I do NOT think it is something to ignore (the Spiritual Works of Mercy don’t include, the last time I checked, “Ignore wrongdoing”), we also don’t want to be guilty of calumny nor do we want to be guilty of rash judgment. The point is if you KNOW a friend or neighbor is regularly leaving Mass early to take the kid to soccer or to get to Wal Mart before the crowds hit or the like, it would be totally appropriate to charitably talk to the person. But if you don’t KNOW…then it may well be a matter of rash judgment to assume wrongdoing when person “a” leaves early.

 

[Nelka]

I was going to ask this question.

I see most leaving early during Communion, why at this point?

 

[HoneyBea]

My husband and I are among the first ones to arrive and the last ones to leave. I suspect that will change once the baby arrives.

 

[markomalley]

I was going to ask this question.

I see most leaving early during Communion, why at this point?

IMHO

I would attribute this to the faulty teaching of the primary purpose of the Mass being the “table of the Lord” versus the Mass being the re-presentation of the Sacrifice of the Lord at Calvary.

They talk about the Mass replicating the Last Supper…This is sort of backwards, as the Last Supper was the prefigurement of the Mass.

That, in combination with our “fast food” mentality (OK, you’re done eating, now push back from the table and leave)

I think there have been polls here before where people are asked what they believe is the most important part of Mass. Most people will answer: receiving Holy Communion.

 

[Christopher1111]

I said that about judas as a sarcastic joke, believe me I realize none of you are a judas. No one should get insulted, lighten up. I do however think those who leave early for social events are rude and disrespectful to our Lord. If that insults somebody then so be it. If someone leaves early for medical reasons or to give care for another then I would think God would bless them, but if they leave for selfish reasons, uh oh! The only true answer to this post is this…we don’t know why people leave early, but I know who does and He will deal with each one accordingly! God knows each and every one of our hearts and our intentions!! So if people want to leave the house of our Lord early on the day especially set aside for Him, they can’t hide their reasons. Who knows why they leave early, maybe they are trying to beat the Baptists to the buffet at Shoney’s!!! (That is meant as a joke too.)

 

[josh987654321]

.

Hi, savedbygrace71

I would ask yourself why you go to Mass? is it because you ‘want’ to go? or is it because you ‘have’ to go? Do you obey God out of ‘love’? or do you obey him out of ‘fear’? I believe God who is love wishes to be obeyed out of love.

I believe the greatest catalyst of such as you have mentioned, is when people refer to the Mass as an ‘obligation’ or by missing Mass as a ‘sin.’

You tell a kid he is obligated to study something, or that you will ‘punnish’ him if he does not study, you will find he comes to resent his studies and becomes a ‘minimalist’ doing only the minimum that is required to avoid such punnishments or satisfy such obligations and he will always be looking for a ‘way out’ of such obligations or consequences.

However, you tell/explain to a kid why he should ‘want’ to study something, if you plant that hunger/thrist for it, you will not be able to drag him away from it even if you tried.

Thus I believe the way some Catholics are taught about Mass has done much harm. I believe people need to forget about whether they are sinning or not by missing Mass.

The question is, do you want to go to Mass? do you hunger/thirst for it?

If you hunger/thrist for the Mass, even if you do miss it, your not sinning, if you don’t hunger/thrist for the Mass, even if you do go, you will simply be paying lip service, “These people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.” (Isaiah 29:13)

Like I said, I believe the common response as to why people attend Mass is “Because it’s commanded of us” or *“Because it’s a sin to miss mass for no valid reason.” *

However Jesus does not want people to attend mass out of fear, guilt or by feeling forced to go. Jesus wants us to attend mass because we want to, because we love him and want to recieve that enourmous gift where he comes down and feeds us with his body, blood, soul and divinity. We should attend becuase we want to, we hunger/thrist for that encounter of real love with him through the Holy Eucharist.

Christ doesn’t want mass to be some routine that lacks all enthusiasm, he wants it to be another unique and loving encounter with him.

When people miss mass for no valid reason (e.g. they didn’t feel like going), the church teaches us that this is a sin. However to miss mass for no valid reason is a sin because we have failed to see or placed on such low piority recieveing that enourmous gift of the Holy Eucharist, where Christ comes down and feeds us with his body, blood, soul and divinity, where we experience that encounter of real love with Jesus Christ through his real presence in the Holy Eucharist. (If people knew of the gifts there at Mass, they would be crazy not to go). As I once read “If people knew the real value of confession, the pews would be full.”

When people say to someone “The Church commands us to go to Mass” or just *“Missing mass is a sin.” *I believe they have missed the point. They should go because they want to go.

If people don’t hunger/thrist for the Mass, if they don’t have that passion, than that is what I believe they need to focus on and most certainly not the sin of missing Mass, because it’s in that way that people attend Mass out of fear, guilt or by feeling forced to go, that’s how you turn a heart cold, it’s how the Mass becomes some routine that lacks all enthusiasm, instead of another unique and loving encounter with our Lord Jesus Christ.

If people do not experience that hunger/thirst for the Mass, if they wish to light that passion, that fire inside them, than I would like to ask them to please read these two short booklets. (They have given me a great desire for the Mass, for his Eucharistic presense).

(These booklets contain the Roman Catholic Imprimatur which assures the reader that nothing therein is contrary to Catholic Faith, Morals or Teachings).

The Holy Mass - loveandmercy.org/Eng-HM-Reg.pdf
In Adoration - loveandmercy.org/Eng-IA-Reg.pdf

Please continue to next post -

 

[josh987654321]

Continued from above post -
Extract from the book 'The Holy Mass':

The Holy Mass - loveandmercy.org/Eng-HM-Reg.pdf

When I returned to my seat and started to kneel down, the Lord said: **“Listen…” **And a moment later, I began to hear the prayers of the lady who was seated in front of me and who had just received Communion.

What she was saying without opening her mouth was more or less like this: “Lord, remember that we are at the end of the month and I do not have the money to pay the rent, the car and the children’s school. You have to do something to help me… Please, make my husband stop drinking so much. I can no longer bear his drunken episodes, and my youngest son is going to be held back again this year if you do not help him. He has exams this week. And do not forget that my neighbor must move to another place. Have her do it at once because I cannot stand her any more… etc., etc…”

Then, His Excellency said: “Let us pray,” and obviously all the assembly stood up for the final prayer.

Jesus said in a sad tone: “Did you notice? Not once did she tell Me that she loved Me. Not once did she give thanks for My gift to her of bringing My Divinity down to her poor humanity to elevate her toward Me. Not a single time did she say: ‘Thank You Lord.’ It has been a litany of requests… and almost all of those who come to receive Me are like that.

“I have died for love and I am risen. For love I await each one of you, and for love I remain with you… But you do not realize that I need your love. Remember that I am the Beggar of Love in this sublime hour for the soul.”

Extract from the book 'The Passion':

The Passion - loveandmercy.org/Eng-TP-Reg.pdf

Jesus said **For love of souls, I remain a prisoner in the Holy Eucharist, so that in their sorrow and grief they are being consoled by the most tender of Hearts, by the best of Fathers, by the most loyal friend. But that Love, which is consumed for the good of mankind, is not going to be returned.

I live amongst sinners to be their salvation and their life, their doctor and medicine; yet they, in return, in spite of their sick nature, distance themselves from Me. They offend Me and scorn Me.

My children, poor sinners! Do not distance yourselves from Me. I wait for you night and day at the Tabernacle. I will not reproach you for your crimes; I will not throw your sins in your face. What I will do is to wash you with the Blood of My wounds. Do not be afraid; come to Me. You do not know how much I love you.

…Come to He who can restore strength and health of the soul. Give alms of love to this Divine Beggar, who calls you, wants you, and waits for you.**

Books on the Eucharist
The Holy Mass - loveandmercy.org/Eng-HM-Reg.pdf
In Adoration - loveandmercy.org/Eng-IA-Reg.pdf

Books on Spiritual Testimonies & Devotions
Divine Providence - loveandmercy.org/Eng-DP-Reg.pdf
My Broken Christ Walks Over the Waters - loveandmercy.org/Eng-MBC-Reg.pdf
Praying the Rosary - loveandmercy.org/Eng-PR-Reg.pdf
The Visible Face of the Invisible God - loveandmercy.org/Eng-VF-Reg.pdf

Books on the Passion
The Passion - loveandmercy.org/Eng-TP-Reg.pdf
The Stations of The Cross - loveandmercy.org/Eng-SOC-Reg.pdf
From Sinai to Calvary - loveandmercy.org/Eng-FSC-Reg.pdf
I Have Given My Life for You - loveandmercy.org/Eng-IHG-Reg.pdf

Skeptical? Please read this - youshallbelieve.com/A-plea-to-humanity.pdf

All of these booklets have the Roman Catholic IMPRIMATUR.

All of These booklets range from roughly around 20 - 40 pages each, they have deepened me in the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church in enormous ways.

I apologise for the length, I just really wanted to share this with you all, God Bless.

Thank you for reading
Josh

 

[Cat]

As I said in my original post, and in my first reply, I’m simply asking out loud, why. As to “why anyone would count?” Please see my original post. My son was struggling with asthma, we were in the narthex the whole mass, and I had a unique perspective to see the large numbers who left.

I’m not particularly judging, I just see it as a parish wide cultural phenomenon. I don’t really care that anyone leaves at any time they want to- but the large proportion of people, 200 or more out of 500, it can’t possibly be all people who on an emergent basis need to leave those ten minutes early or something catastrophic will happen. Father has mentioned it before, but it hasn’t had much effect which is too bad.

I think what bothers me is that I am in the midst of conversion, and I’m learning to recognize that the genuflection on entering the church is done to show reverence for the body of Christ in the tabernacle. So, how interesting that so many of those same people are comfortable in leaving the church while He is still out and present. Meanwhile the rest of the church is still kneeling and praying. A bit of a contrast.

You know, with SO many people leaving at the same time (40% ), I would be really curious enough to ask. This doesn’t sound like people just leaving to get to the restaurants early, and it certainly doesn’t sound like people leaving because they need to take their heart meds on time–to me, it sounds like some event is happening that everyone is going to!

Perhaps there is something going on in the Catholic community or even in the parish that everyone is heading for, and you have missed out on hearing about it.

When I was Protestant, many different events went on at other churches, and sometimes, people would all leave one church to head to another church to hear the really good speaker or to sit in on the excellent Sunday school class, or to take their children to a fantastic children’s ministry program. I don’t think any of this is happening in Catholic culture in the United States, but perhaps I’m wrong and it’s happening in your hometown. Maybe that’s why 40% of your parishioners are rushing out the door.

Or perhaps there is a class that many people in your parish are attending, and they are leaving to make sure they get there on time. I think it’s unlikely that a parish would schedule this class at a time that forces people to leave Mass early, but it’s possible, perhaps due to the class facilitators or instructors. Perhaps it’s something for converts or Catholics returning home.

When my daughter first starting the process of converting, she was directed by the diocese to a parish that had a large population of actors, musicians, artists, etc., and for their sake, the RCIA class was held on Sunday mornings right after Mass (most performers don’t work on Sunday mornings). I don’t think they all left early, but maybe at your parish, they have to because of the teacher’s schedule.

Another possibility is that there is school event that all the children or teenagers in the area are required to attend, and the parents or grandparents feel the necessity to rush to get there. Obviously this wouldn’t be the Catholic schools, but the public schools.

Another possibility is that you have a large population of a certain group of families in your parish; e.g., child/teen musicians, and they ALL have to be somewhere for a required practice every week at the same time.

Or perhaps that population is a professional sports team, and they ALL have to be at the arena in time for their games.

Or perhaps you have a lot of employees from the same company attending your parish, and they all have to report for work at the same time.

It would be interesting to see if this mass departure happens after every Mass in your parish, or just the Mass that you attend. If it’s just the Mass that you attend, it’s very likely that some event or activity or job thing is going on that all these people have to attend.

Call the parish office and ask what’s going on. 40% is a lot of the congregation. Then please, if you can, tell us what’s going on.

 

[Hopey]

We leave after the priest announces, “The Mass is ended”.
It has recently been brought to my attention that the Mass isn’t formally over till after the procession.
BUT, the reason we do this is to avoid the noise and talking in the Church. People do not get the hint when you just stand there silent or kneel in prayer. It is something that has to be addressed from the priest and worked on personally. In the mean time, I look at it as avoiding sin - uncharitable thoughts toward others who treat the Church like a gym and talking which is mostly uncharitable also.

 

[Christopher1111]

I agree with you markomalley. The Last Supper was not some kind of feel good kumbaya, it was the fulfillment of the Old Testament Passover, and the old Passover was a very serious and somber event. So too was the new Passover a serious and somber event, because Christ knew what was about to take place. There is nothing pretty about a real sacrifice, there is blood and there is death. Our Lord’s suffering did not begin after He was arrested, it began in the upper room as evident by His sweating of blood in the Garden of Gethsemane. Our Lord was both High Priest and Victim as He offered His real Body and Blood at the Last Supper, the same Body and Blood that was about to suffer and die for us. He was setting our worship and giving us what was necessary for our sins to be forgiven. What an awesome gift, as He said in John 6, He gives us life with His Body and Blood!!! How could I ever leave early when someone gives me the greatest gift ever given!!! Amen and alleluia, I can’t wait until the next Mass!!!

 

[maryjk]

I was going to ask this question.

I see most leaving early during Communion, why at this point?

Well, I know that when I was a caregiver for my mom (and dad), I needed the nourishment of Christ.

I didn’t feel like I was doing something so awful if I came a couple of minutes late and left after Communion, so I could get back to them.

It pains me to think that people were comparing me to Judas.

 

[pnewton]

John 6:27-29

Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

 

[ProVobis]

IMHO

I would attribute this to the faulty teaching of the primary purpose of the Mass being the “table of the Lord” versus the Mass being the re-presentation of the Sacrifice of the Lord at Calvary.

They talk about the Mass replicating the Last Supper…This is sort of backwards, as the Last Supper was the prefigurement of the Mass.

That, in combination with our “fast food” mentality (OK, you’re done eating, now push back from the table and leave)

I think there have been polls here before where people are asked what they believe is the most important part of Mass. Most people will answer: receiving Holy Communion.

Interesting. I wonder if someone bothered to poll the hispanics, half of whom don’t receive communion, and very few if any leave early at the Spanish Masses I go to (besides the EF).

I agree with your other points.

 

[ProVobis]

I was going to ask this question.

I see most leaving early during Communion, why at this point?

Too much of a bother to work yourself back into the pew maybe? There seems to be a lot of congestion there and everywhere else for that matter.

 

[Nelka]

IMHO

I would attribute this to the faulty teaching of the primary purpose of the Mass being the “table of the Lord” versus the Mass being the re-presentation of the Sacrifice of the Lord at Calvary.

They talk about the Mass replicating the Last Supper…This is sort of backwards, as the Last Supper was the prefigurement of the Mass.

That, in combination with our “fast food” mentality (OK, you’re done eating, now push back from the table and leave)

I think there have been polls here before where people are asked what they believe is the most important part of Mass. Most people will answer: receiving Holy Communion.

Well, I know that when I was a caregiver for my mom (and dad), I needed the nourishment of Christ.

I didn’t feel like I was doing something so awful if I came a couple of minutes late and left after Communion, so I could get back to them.

It pains me to think that people were comparing me to Judas.

Too much of a bother to work yourself back into the pew maybe? There seems to be a lot of congestion there and everywhere else for that matter.

But some people leave without receiving Communion. As soon as the priest steps down to start giving Communion people start rushing out. I don’t know if it is just this church or if I have only noticed at this church because we are in the back bit (Abraham’s Bosom? ) with the children.

 

[cheezey]

**So why? Why do people like to leave early? **

What’s the hurry!?

Yes, this bugged me too at my former parish.
The signal to leave always arrived with the beginning of the last hymn. Beginning!!
It was almost comical how people would would squeeze through the doors as if their lives depended on it. This was consistent! And many of those arrived late. This too was consistent. And there were those who partook and left.
Can’t tell you how many times I was pushed.

I don’t get it. I don’t get why the priests consistently said nothing.

Ultimately there are probably as many reasons as there are early departing parishoners.
But it’s still disconcerting and disappointing. It gives the illusion that “I am here but would rather not be.”

It’s not a ringing endorsement to visitors, be they members elsewhere, or discerning.

It’s a shame.

 

[SMHW]

They talk about the Mass replicating the Last Supper…This is sort of backwards, as the Last Supper was the prefigurement of the Mass.

“Pre” if you mean it in the sense of our worldly timeline. I really don’t think you can separate the Last Supper from the sacrifice at Calvary. They are too closely united.

That, in combination with our “fast food” mentality (OK, you’re done eating, now push back from the table and leave)

Maybe for some. But people have been leaving Mass early for decades. Fast-food is a more recent phenomenon.

I think there have been polls here before where people are asked what they believe is the most important part of Mass. Most people will answer: receiving Holy Communion.

I would agree this is true today. Actually what is probably true today is that people wait until they receive communion to leave early. I suspect in previous times people got up and left at the same time that others were getting up to receive.

 

[acadiANNA]

I read varying thoughts and the subject branching out into sub-titles. One priest would
ask everyone to move up and fill in the empty seats in the front then make some announcements 10 minutes before Mass which were also in the bulletin. At this time, ask everyone to silence cell phones.
If you were in a crowd listening to Jesus speak, would you leave early? Our pastor asks for people to stay until he has exited the church to leave the pew. So, since he has the authority to make this request, I honor it, and happy to receive the final blessing. I would only leave early in an emergency situation. If I had to be at work for a certain time, I would get permission to come in after Mass. I had a sitter stay with my mom for me to attend Mass --thought I should leave early to relieve her—but I didn’t, I could give this time to our Lord. My son’s baseball coach knew that the boys who attended Mass would be late for practice before the game and excused them.
Just my 5 cents.

 

[robwar]

FWIW, there is a big difference between somebody leaving early at a daily Mass and a Sunday Mass…and for perfectly legit reasons.

For example, my parish has a 6:30 AM Daily Mass. The local commuter train leaves the station for Baltimore at 7:02 AM and for DC at 7:05 AM. People that need to catch one of those trains MUST leave when they do or they miss the train. So a lot of times, people will leave Daily Mass at 6:50 or 6:55 in order to meet that train. In some cases when Mass runs long (such as Daily Masses that run long because it’s a Holy Day of Obligation or a visiting priest decides to make his homily a bit too long), I’ve seen some leave before receiving Holy Communion.

As far as Sunday Masses, I personally have said for years that the Knights of Columbus should be asked to have a 4th Degree Color Guard posted at the exits…with their swords.

Seriously, though, while I recognize that some people may have legitimate reasons for leaving early (not feeling well, a job with a strange work schedule, getting an emergency text message during the Mass, and so on), I think most of it boils down to a lack of recognition of the Real Presence. But I don’t think it’s something that we will ever see forcefully addressed by our priests, as there is always the very real risk that the person he confronts will be one of those who do have a legitimate reason.

While I do NOT think it is something to ignore (the Spiritual Works of Mercy don’t include, the last time I checked, “Ignore wrongdoing”), we also don’t want to be guilty of calumny nor do we want to be guilty of rash judgment. The point is if you KNOW a friend or neighbor is regularly leaving Mass early to take the kid to soccer or to get to Wal Mart before the crowds hit or the like, it would be totally appropriate to charitably talk to the person. But if you don’t KNOW…then it may well be a matter of rash judgment to assume wrongdoing when person “a” leaves early.

For the most part, i don’t think people exactly know what others may or may not be doing and the reasons why. i think if someone knew someone that may have had to leave early it probably would be for more legit reasons. Once upon a time and early in our marriage, my husband just had surgery, even though not feeling well, we went to Mass, about half way through the second reading, he got real sick and we had to leave then, he threw-up going to the car. What was real nice is that someone noticed that we left suddenly and she said, I noticed you left so i started praying for you. In other words, she was aware that wasn’t normal for us but instead of assuming the worst, she prayed for us. It likewise since then has been an extremely rare event to leave right after communion. Whether someone is thinking of walmart sale (not so legit) or has to go to work ( legit in my book)
I try to assume the best of others and I hope that would be returned to me. Maybe if others spent more time praying a blessing for those that are leaving early for what ever reason, we might have less of the behavior than more.