Taking notes during homily

[Pianofish]

Hello and happy new year! I am wondering if anyone takes notes during the homily at Sunday mass? The priest at my parish gives such great talks on Sunday so I often would like to take notes in order to reflect on them later. However, I don’t want to disturb anyone by getting out a notebook and pen in the middle of mass (I suppose if I planned ahead I could do this before mass started). I think it’d be valuable to have a little notebook of great thoughts from the homily that I can use to give a little variation to my prayer life each week.

I’ve never seen anyone else do this (though I’m not usually paying attention to what others are doing at mass). Do you take notes during the homily? How do you use those notes in your daily life?

 

[peter26]

I don’t, but I can’t see what’s wrong with it as long as you get out your notebook and pen before the Mass starts and try not to disturb anyone.

 

[boldlygo]

Hello and happy new year! I am wondering if anyone takes notes during the homily at Sunday mass? The priest at my parish gives such great talks on Sunday so I often would like to take notes in order to reflect on them later. However, I don’t want to disturb anyone by getting out a notebook and pen in the middle of mass (I suppose if I planned ahead I could do this before mass started). I think it’d be valuable to have a little notebook of great thoughts from the homily that I can use to give a little variation to my prayer life each week.

I’ve never seen anyone else do this (though I’m not usually paying attention to what others are doing at mass). Do you take notes during the homily? How do you use those notes in your daily life?

Happy New Year!

First…‘Mass’ is a proper noun…

Our pastor is known for inspiring homilies…he’s had so many requests for copies that he types them out, and makes copies available…most of them go to people who are unable to attend Mass. Your priest might have at least a rough draft of his homily that he could make available to you…

 

[Deo_Gratias42]

People do it at our Mass all the time.

 

[robertmidwest]

My middle daughter is a freshman in high school. She is required to for a class. Sometimes she forgets to bring a notebook. She has a note taking function on her cell phone. I can imagine what some are thinking when she has to get the phone out in Mass!

I don’t do it, but think is great if you want to do it.

 

[LoyalViews]

Go for it! It’s far from irreverent. Often enough, people talk about the Mass as if it were some object that performed itself, before the priest - but who would say the Mass without the priest, and the homily has always been apart of the liturgy.

 

[pianistclare]

No, I don’t think it’s appropriate. The biggest compliment you can give him is your full
attention.
I just asked my pastor (whom I work for) and he was not at all keen on the notion.
I see I’m the only one who feels this way.
Better to sign up for one of his apologetics courses or Bible studies, IMHO.
Mass is just not the place for taking out a pen or a device.

 

[Edmundus1581]

No, I don’t think it’s appropriate. The biggest compliment you can give him is your full
attention.
I just asked my pastor (whom I work for) and he was not at all keen on the notion.
I see I’m the only one who feels this way.
Better to sign up for one of his apologetics courses or Bible studies, IMHO.
Mass is just not the place for taking out a pen or a device.

You’re not the only one. That was my initial reaction - just that this is not a good idea.

A homily is not a theological lecture. It’s intended to touch the heart more than the mind, and to change you, just a little bit. I think that taking notes would interfere with flow.

When my priest makes a particularly good point during his homily I try to make a mental note of it, to dwell on it later. If it’s good enough to write down, it’s also good enough to sit in the memory.

 

[adamhovey1988]

Hello and happy new year! I am wondering if anyone takes notes during the homily at Sunday mass? The priest at my parish gives such great talks on Sunday so I often would like to take notes in order to reflect on them later. However, I don’t want to disturb anyone by getting out a notebook and pen in the middle of mass (I suppose if I planned ahead I could do this before mass started). I think it’d be valuable to have a little notebook of great thoughts from the homily that I can use to give a little variation to my prayer life each week.

I’ve never seen anyone else do this (though I’m not usually paying attention to what others are doing at mass). Do you take notes during the homily? How do you use those notes in your daily life?

I do sometimes it’s hard for me to remember the homily otherwise

 

[schoolteacher68]

if you read or listen to Matthew Kelly (Dynamic Catholic.com I believe is his website) taking notes during Mass is one way to help us become better Catholics…as long as you don’t disturb those around you, I see nothing wrong with this…

 

[ChadS]

Heck, I see people at Mass who can barely be bothered to mumble along with the Creed, so I can’t imagine somebody discreetly taking notes would be too bothersome.

ChadS

 

[Bruised_Reed]

You’re not the only one. That was my initial reaction - just that this is not a good idea.

A homily is not a theological lecture. It’s intended to touch the heart more than the mind, and to change you, just a little bit. I think that taking notes would interfere with flow.

When my priest makes a particularly good point during his homily I try to make a mental note of it, to dwell on it later. If it’s good enough to write down, it’s also good enough to sit in the memory.

Not for everyone. I went to a talk by a well know speaker and he said something that really resonated. I tried to remember but couldn’t. Even worse when I tried to jog his memory he didn’t know what he might’ve said either. Some of us have minds that are like a sieve and need at least a work or two to jog the memory. We are all wired differently. If a homily isn’t meant to be remembered I don’t know why priests should bother.

 

[Bruised_Reed]

No, I don’t think it’s appropriate. The biggest compliment you can give him is your full
attention.
I just asked my pastor (whom I work for) and he was not at all keen on the notion.
I see I’m the only one who feels this way.
Better to sign up for one of his apologetics courses or Bible studies, IMHO.
Mass is just not the place for taking out a pen or a device.

I can’t imagine many priests want to debate what they’ve said in a homily; that would be a good reason to discourage it. But if they are okay with me forgetting what they said, I’m okay with it, too.

 

[ProVobis]

Hello and happy new year! I am wondering if anyone takes notes during the homily at Sunday mass? The priest at my parish gives such great talks on Sunday so I often would like to take notes in order to reflect on them later.

I would advise one that, if he plans to do this, he should do it as discreetly as possible. I’ve never seen it done.

 

[ChadS]

I would advise one that, if he plans to do this, he should do it as discreetly as possible. I’ve never seen it done.

I agree it is a little strange for a Catholic to do it, however it is done all the time in non-Catholic Ecclesial Communities.

ChadS

 

[Edmundus1581]

Not for everyone. I went to a talk by a well know speaker and he said something that really resonated. I tried to remember but couldn’t. Even worse when I tried to jog his memory he didn’t know what he might’ve said either. Some of us have minds that are like a sieve and need at least a work or two to jog the memory. We are all wired differently. If a homily isn’t meant to be remembered I don’t know why priests should bother.

Thanks for the response.

“We’re all wired differently”. Yes, and worth remembering!

 

[utah_rose]

No, I don’t think it’s appropriate. The biggest compliment you can give him is your full
attention.
I just asked my pastor (whom I work for) and he was not at all keen on the notion.
I see I’m the only one who feels this way.
Better to sign up for one of his apologetics courses or Bible studies, IMHO.
Mass is just not the place for taking out a pen or a device.

I agree too, but sometimes our pastor gives us homework, to look up a Bible verse, and I never can remember it. I think that it would really be a good idea if the priest or Deacon had copies of his homilies available, particularly if they don’t speak English well and you don’t understand all of it. I teach a CCD class and some homilies fit in very well with what I’m teaching, but feel it would be rude to take notes. However, I can see in the near future young people taking notes on their IPhone for future reference. If a priest is tech minded, he could suggest this. I don’t see how this would offend him.

 

[peter26]

Taking notes on a phone is probably a bad idea. Others could think you are playing games or texting and not paying attention to the Mass.

 

[Maddie26]

You’re not the only one. That was my initial reaction - just that this is not a good idea.

A homily is not a theological lecture. It’s intended to touch the heart more than the mind, and to change you, just a little bit. I think that taking notes would interfere with flow.

When my priest makes a particularly good point during his homily I try to make a mental note of it, to dwell on it later. If it’s good enough to write down, it’s also good enough to sit in the memory.

Why shouldn’t a homily be a theological lecture? What’s wrong with theology? I suppose for many of the faithful the only theology they know is what they hear from the pulpit. People learn in different ways. I am like the OP- I learn by writing. If I hear something it is difficult for me to remember it. If I read it I am more likely to remember and if I write it down then I am sure to remember because the act of writing is a kind of augmented listening- listening using your body as well as your mind. If you can remember eight or ten points during a really good homily, good on you. We’re not all so lucky.

I don’t see how taking notes can interfere with the “flow” any more than turning pages in a missal, screaming babies, children running up and down the aisles rattling their parents’ car keys, people coming in late and people chatting amongst themselves. Taking notes shows that you’re paying attention, not that you’re ignoring the homily. In Protestant churches many people take notes, it’s just that (and I hate to say it) a good preacher is rare in the Catholic Church. They exist, but aren’t common. When I was a nun we had many different priests say Mass for us. One was a great preacher and many nuns would take notes during his homilies and discuss them afterwards as well as use them during Adoration.

And as for the notion that Mass isn’t the place for taking out a pen or a device, do you think the same of a missal? What if the missal is on a Kindle? Is it more important that you’re praying or is it more important that others can make a self-righteous judgement? I often wish I could pray the Divine Office before Mass (taking a bus means I arrive 50 mins before Mass starts and leave an hour after Mass ends), but my Office is on my mobile phone so I don’t dare.

If your priest is a great preacher then I would say do your best to get all you can while he’s there. If that means taking notes then fine.

 

[SecretGarden]

In the parishes I’ve attended, I’ve had mixed responses. Some priests are thrilled and love the idea, while I’ve gotten into trouble with other priests. (Don’t ask why, its too complicated to explain here.) In general, the answer is yes, but don’t sit too far in front because your writing could be seen as a distraction. Plus only use a decent sized notebook so that you aren’t flipping pages every two seconds.