What are your feelings toward the Life Teen Masses offered in many parishes?

[AdDeum]

After Mass people actually stood and applauded. .

This is the problem I see here. The Sacrifice of the Mass is exactly that… a Sacrifice… Whether it’s the Ordinary Form or the Extraordinary Form. Standing up and applauding is not exactly something to be done at a SACRIFICE. It is something you do at an entertainment facility.

Don’t get me wrong here… I have no problem with contemporary music or even motivational speeches OUTSIDE of the context of the Mass. And, in fact, if that would draw more people to the Church, great. But, don’t change the Mass into entertainment.

In the Mass, our entire focus should be on Christ and God. Ours prayers and yes even our music should be focused on Him, and the sacrifice that is taking place up there on the altar. It should not be seeking approval or applause from the congregation.

The Mass is a Sacrifice, through and through… the music should reflect that. the music should be appropriate to a sacrifice.

 

[Bl_Pope_Pius_IX]

As a teenager(seventeen) I’m more drawn to the EF rather than Lifeteen. I’m sure more teens would enjoy the EF because they dont want to be treated like kids or teens they want to be treated like adults with mature spirituality and Liturgy. If we raise the bar, teens will rise to meet it.

 

[RogerDeCourcy]

When the bizarre becomes common, it becomes normal. When the bizarre becomes normal, the threshold for ‘bizarre’ is raised.

Just compare the Latin Rite pre-1930 and after 1980. Then imagine the average suburban Sunday mass transported back in time to 1930. What would the congregants great-grandparents make of it?

 

[thequeen]

I do not like them. I prefer a more reverent Mass.

 

[fastenatingguy]

What are you saying exactly?

If I truly am inspired by the Priest’s homily, I make a point of greeting him after Mass on the steps and letting him know how much I appreciated his efforts and message. I think it is important that he gets feedback, both good and bad.

We have a magnificent organ and choir along with a music director and several cantors. After Mass I sometimes will tell them how much I enjoyed their selection or their interpretation. I just find these to be more appropriate than applauding, clapping, cheering during Mass.

 

[ChibiViolet]

If I truly am inspired by the Priest’s homily, I make a point of greeting him after Mass on the steps and letting him know how much I appreciated his efforts and message. I think it is important that he gets feedback, both good and bad.

We have a magnificent organ and choir along with a music director and several cantors. After Mass I sometimes will tell them how much I enjoyed their selection or their interpretation. I just find these to be more appropriate than applauding, clapping, cheering during Mass.

Okay, well the people are clapping because they liked the music in this case and I’m in the choir…and like I said, at least they wait until after the Mass is over.

 

[Diana_Catherine]

After Mass people actually stood and applauded.

I love each and every version of the Mass as the celebration that it truly is. But I just can’t stand it when people applaud-- as if it were a performance,

I don’t mean to offend, that’s just how I feel about it.

I totally agree. I recently attended a Mass at a different parish and when it was over and after the priest had walked out everyone applauded. I thought something was happening or someone was walking in but it was just this parishes way of ending their mass, with an applause. When I asked someone I knew who attended there about it they said they applaud after every mass and whenever someone sings really well or a sings a good song. IMHO that may be fine in a theatre but I just don’t like it when people applaud at mass. It takes the focus off of Christ.

 

[Diana_Catherine]

Life Teen Masses are youth oriented and are led by a band

I think it it that they may have a band. We have a lifeteen mass in our area and at times they have a band. The music is more contemporary and they do draw a lot of youth in to mass. I have only been to a couple and have found mostly the music was the only thing different except one time a priest asked everyone to hold hands during the Our Father. That bothered me but other than that I think just like other masses they can be good to extreme depending on the parish.

 

[Brendan]

We do have a Lifeteen group in our parish, but no Lifeteen Mass.

The Lifeteen group meets on Mondays, and the meeting starts off with a Benediction led by our parish Deaon done in the church itself. The Benediction is generally in chanted Latin, with the exception of the Divine Praises, which are chanted in English.

The teens then go into the parish hall for the rest of their meeting.

It finished up with a Rosary.