Talking after mass

[JimG]

At the parish where I gew up, I can recall that people would talk outside and in the vestibule, but the minute we walked into the Church, everyone kept silence. Even non-Catholics who came to Mass commented on the silence and reverence within the church.

I suppose that what Mother Teresa meant, if she is the one who said this, is something like this: We wallk into a church and Jesus is standing at the front waiting to hear from us. Instead of approaching him we begin to chatter to our neighbor, as though he were not there. If we treat him as though he is not there, it at least seems like a denial of his presence.

 

[thistle]

I think it’s a good thing for Catholics to talk to one another; to ask how another is doing; greet the other parishioners and say hello, in fact I think it’s a great thing - the Communion of the Saints communicating.

But never inside a Church, they have all day; all week to do this - why inside the house of God when people are trying to pray to God right there in the Tabernacle? For some Sunday Mass is the only time they’ll darken the door of the Church, so why of all the 24hrs of the day (bar that one) of the 7 days of the week can’t they not just please wait until they exit His house before they start chattering???

Talking in the Church

I think we should make a card or leaflet about the need for silence inside Churches and hand them to the noisy people who might not realise that they are being disrespectful and distractive. Something like:

Why There Should Be Silence In Church

*1. The Church says so. Paragraph 45 of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) states:

“Even before the celebration itself, it is commendable that silence be observed in the church, in the sacristy, in the vesting room, and in adjacent areas, so that all may dispose themselves to carry out the sacred action in a devout and fitting manner.”

1. Talking in Church is disrespectful of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. We are in the House of God, in the Presence of God Himself in the Tabernacle, not in a coffee shop. All our thoughts should be directed to Him.
2. It teaches disrespect. When children see adults talking, giggling, and laughing in Church, especially before, during, and after the Holy Mass, instead of in prayer or silent meditation it teaches them that its O.K., thus further eroding respect for the Blessed Sacrament in the next generation. And its hypocritical for parents to “shush” their children while they themselves continue to talk.
3. It is the Lord’s House, which Jesus taught was “a house of prayer” (Mt 21:13) and thus should be used according to its purpose. It is unholy to turn the Holy House of God into a man-made place of socializing or gossiping. The House of God, where dwells the Real Presence of God, must be treated with ongoing reverence. Talking in Church is a violation of justice against God, for whom we should have reverence.
4. Talking in Church is selfish and a violation of justice against actual neighbors who are trying to pray.
5. Talking in Church is a violation of charity, since as Christians we should be going “out of ourselves” to look after others first. Unnecessary talk in the Church is a total disrespect for one’s brothers and sisters in Christ who are trying to pray, and against the faithful who seek to grow in their spiritual lives. Talking in the Church falls short of manifesting love, charity, kindness, and self-control, which are fruits of the Holy Spirit. [Gal. 5:22] If a person crassly and knowingly disregards others trying to pray, or worst of all does so with malice or contempt, it could even be a mortal sin against charity. *

Hopefully they might get the message or else a shout of ‘shut up’ might even work

God love you

Nobody is arguing with you about not talking in Church. We are simply saying that has nothing to do with denying the Real Presence. It is ridiculous to suggest a person who talks in Church is denying the Real Presence. Also to suggest it might be a mortal sin is also ludicrous.
Why are you so uptight about this? Maybe you need to seek some help!

 

[JimG]

A few years back, my pastor introduced a different practice for the end of Sunday Mass: Everyone is standing for the recessional hymn. At the end of the hymn, everyone kneels in silence, until the altar servers return to the altar and put out the candles. After the altar servers put out the candles, the choir or organist plays a song while the congregation exits, with enough volume to discourage conversation until they get to the vestibule.
Doesn’t work perfectly, but at least there is no mad rush immediately after Mass.

(The lector reminds everyone just before the recessioal to please kneel quietly until the altar servers have extinguished the candles, but everyone is used to it by now.)

 

[JerrySeibert]

Great points made by all.