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NewsTheMan
Guest
I didn’t want to derail another thread, and I thought this topic deserved its own thread, so here it is.
I’ve seen a lot of - well, perhaps not accusations -finger pointing and gesticulating that people who are concerned about the sacred liturgy are Pharisaical Liturgy Police. If someone complains about a priest ad-libbing, or about the congregation holding hands or what have you there are some who will brush it off and say something like “don’t be a Pharisee! Don’t be the Liturgy Police that pays attention to the wrong-doings of others instead of what is going on at the Mass.” There is something in that statement, something true. However, a lot is wrong with it.
Perhaps a few things to keep in mind. It seems obvious to me that anybody who goes to Mass in order to see abuse/complain certainly does not have their heart in the right place and can correctly be called the Liturgy Police. That much is obvious. However, it is also equally obvious - and I believe I speak for most if not all complaint posts on CAF - that people go to Mass with the right intention but are smacked in the face with abuses and novelties and things that just don’t make sense at a Mass. Things that are forbidden. Things that are wrong. Let’s not tip-toe around the issue, there is no need for that. I think it’s important to keep that in mind. Similarly, there is room for righteous indignation. I’m not citing the cleansing of the temple by Jesus as an example lest I misuse the Gospel for my own ends as so frequently happens. However, we can get upset at irreverence. We can get righteously angry if we see something that is offensive to our Christian Catholic sensibilities. This is also not something we should fear - as if being offended means we are weak. Be proud that you are offended by a mockery of the Mass! Of course, this doesn’t entail walking out (save for perhaps a clown mass, etc) or storming off to the priest and shouting at him GIRM in hand.
So. Does noticing abuse/irreverence mean you are not paying attention to the Mass and focusing on the wrong things? No. That would hardly be possible - how could one notice an abuse if one were paying attention to anything but every single word of the Mass? Every single sentence has meaning! Many understand this well. Also, many of us are well versed in the Mass in as much as we have studied it or heard it being said correctly - if we’re doing it right by age 20 you have been to over 1000 Masses. So it’s in no way indicative of someone not paying attention to the Mass if they notice an abuse. Rather the opposite. It means you understand and acknowledge the depth of the Mass when it is celebrated properly. It means you respect how and what the Church says!
Does noticing and complaining about an abuse/irreverence/wrong-doing mean you disrespect priests? Does it mean you consider yourself above the priest? Certainly not. Once again, it seems quite the opposite. If I were to think of my priest as a mere idiot I would brush it off as a fools mistake; in the same way I don’t fault someone who I dislike for their actions - I merely say “should I expect any different from such a person?”. It is precisely because I respect him as a person, and precisely because I respect his office, that I complain. Yes, priests have a hard job. Nobody says otherwise. Do you not let the policeman know that a criminal just ran past him because he also has a hard job? To whom much is given much is expected. The priest has a duty to celebrate the Mass correctly. A duty to us, to the Church, to the Bishop, to God. I do not see myself higher than a priest by complaining. I see myself as a sheep in need of a shepherd. I cannot do this on my own - I cannot offer Mass. More can be said on this - but ponder this. If we correct the simple arithmetic mistake of an accountant do we then imply we are masters of accountancy? If we know a wanted criminal who has yet to be found lives next door and we report it to the police do we consider ourselves detectives? Furthermore, you are respecting the Magisterium who says how Mass is to be celebrated.
Lastly, it seems clear to me that nothing could be further from the truth when some say that we should just be humble by bearing it and giving in. That is false humility and helpful to nobody. It destroys the Church. Since we are a liturgical faith, this is the centre of our lives. We have a right to a Mass that is celebrated properly - the Mass is a gift to us, yes, and a treasure. However, imagine this. Imagine you are promised a gift, a life saving gift, but you cannot get it in person from the giver, so the giver appoints someone to give it to you. When you receive it, the giver gives it to you and it works, but it has been opened and toyed with. It has marks all over and a new wrapping paper because in his opinion his wrapping paper was better. How would you react? This is the same kind of thing.
Sure, this doesn’t mean you need to go around writing things down in a notepad. Or writing 100 letters to every Congregation in Rome. Or bad mouthing your priest. Or coming to CAF every 4 seconds with a complaint. But do not feel bad that something makes you feel off. The liturgy is to be celebrated in a certain way. If you have reasonable tried all paths and none are left open to you, then grin and bear it and offer it up. In the meantime, offer it up and be thankful you even have a Mass. Be thankful you are educated enough in the faith. Pray for your priest and for the congregation. Pray for yourself to have courage but humility and understanding.
And don’t let the “Liturgy Police” accusation get you down. There are worse things to be accused of.
I’ve seen a lot of - well, perhaps not accusations -finger pointing and gesticulating that people who are concerned about the sacred liturgy are Pharisaical Liturgy Police. If someone complains about a priest ad-libbing, or about the congregation holding hands or what have you there are some who will brush it off and say something like “don’t be a Pharisee! Don’t be the Liturgy Police that pays attention to the wrong-doings of others instead of what is going on at the Mass.” There is something in that statement, something true. However, a lot is wrong with it.
Perhaps a few things to keep in mind. It seems obvious to me that anybody who goes to Mass in order to see abuse/complain certainly does not have their heart in the right place and can correctly be called the Liturgy Police. That much is obvious. However, it is also equally obvious - and I believe I speak for most if not all complaint posts on CAF - that people go to Mass with the right intention but are smacked in the face with abuses and novelties and things that just don’t make sense at a Mass. Things that are forbidden. Things that are wrong. Let’s not tip-toe around the issue, there is no need for that. I think it’s important to keep that in mind. Similarly, there is room for righteous indignation. I’m not citing the cleansing of the temple by Jesus as an example lest I misuse the Gospel for my own ends as so frequently happens. However, we can get upset at irreverence. We can get righteously angry if we see something that is offensive to our Christian Catholic sensibilities. This is also not something we should fear - as if being offended means we are weak. Be proud that you are offended by a mockery of the Mass! Of course, this doesn’t entail walking out (save for perhaps a clown mass, etc) or storming off to the priest and shouting at him GIRM in hand.
So. Does noticing abuse/irreverence mean you are not paying attention to the Mass and focusing on the wrong things? No. That would hardly be possible - how could one notice an abuse if one were paying attention to anything but every single word of the Mass? Every single sentence has meaning! Many understand this well. Also, many of us are well versed in the Mass in as much as we have studied it or heard it being said correctly - if we’re doing it right by age 20 you have been to over 1000 Masses. So it’s in no way indicative of someone not paying attention to the Mass if they notice an abuse. Rather the opposite. It means you understand and acknowledge the depth of the Mass when it is celebrated properly. It means you respect how and what the Church says!
Does noticing and complaining about an abuse/irreverence/wrong-doing mean you disrespect priests? Does it mean you consider yourself above the priest? Certainly not. Once again, it seems quite the opposite. If I were to think of my priest as a mere idiot I would brush it off as a fools mistake; in the same way I don’t fault someone who I dislike for their actions - I merely say “should I expect any different from such a person?”. It is precisely because I respect him as a person, and precisely because I respect his office, that I complain. Yes, priests have a hard job. Nobody says otherwise. Do you not let the policeman know that a criminal just ran past him because he also has a hard job? To whom much is given much is expected. The priest has a duty to celebrate the Mass correctly. A duty to us, to the Church, to the Bishop, to God. I do not see myself higher than a priest by complaining. I see myself as a sheep in need of a shepherd. I cannot do this on my own - I cannot offer Mass. More can be said on this - but ponder this. If we correct the simple arithmetic mistake of an accountant do we then imply we are masters of accountancy? If we know a wanted criminal who has yet to be found lives next door and we report it to the police do we consider ourselves detectives? Furthermore, you are respecting the Magisterium who says how Mass is to be celebrated.
Lastly, it seems clear to me that nothing could be further from the truth when some say that we should just be humble by bearing it and giving in. That is false humility and helpful to nobody. It destroys the Church. Since we are a liturgical faith, this is the centre of our lives. We have a right to a Mass that is celebrated properly - the Mass is a gift to us, yes, and a treasure. However, imagine this. Imagine you are promised a gift, a life saving gift, but you cannot get it in person from the giver, so the giver appoints someone to give it to you. When you receive it, the giver gives it to you and it works, but it has been opened and toyed with. It has marks all over and a new wrapping paper because in his opinion his wrapping paper was better. How would you react? This is the same kind of thing.
Sure, this doesn’t mean you need to go around writing things down in a notepad. Or writing 100 letters to every Congregation in Rome. Or bad mouthing your priest. Or coming to CAF every 4 seconds with a complaint. But do not feel bad that something makes you feel off. The liturgy is to be celebrated in a certain way. If you have reasonable tried all paths and none are left open to you, then grin and bear it and offer it up. In the meantime, offer it up and be thankful you even have a Mass. Be thankful you are educated enough in the faith. Pray for your priest and for the congregation. Pray for yourself to have courage but humility and understanding.
And don’t let the “Liturgy Police” accusation get you down. There are worse things to be accused of.
