What drives the seemingly perfunctory and sterile celebration of Sunday Mass?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Solomonson
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Solomonson said:
I am seeking those qualities that should elevate the celebration of the Mass so it doesn’t seem like a secular, routine meeting of people.
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They are those virtues that the Blessed Virgin Mary has which we should all pray for regularly:
  • Most Pure (Mt. 1:18, 20, 23; Lk 1:27,34)
  • Most Prudent (Lk 2:19, 51)
  • Most Humble (Lk 1:48)
  • Most Faithful (Lk 1:45; Jn 2:5)
  • Most Devout (Lk 1:46-7; Acts 1:14)
  • Most Obedient (Lk 1:38; 2:21-2, 27)
  • Most Poor (Lk 2:7)
  • Most Patient (Jn 19:25)
  • Most Merciful (Lk 1:39, 56)
  • Most Sorrowful (Lk 2:35)
Then when each person has these virtues the entire community will be Christlike.
 
Vico said:
They are those virtues that the Blessed Virgin Mary has which we should all pray for regularly:

Then when each person has these virtues the entire community will be Christlike.
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Those are personal virtues, not the characteristics of a liturgy. What we’re hoping for is that Solomonson will tell us about the particulars of what he’s hoping liturgies will have (and which he isn’t experiencing).
 
Magdalena59 said:
What are those specific qualities?
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I think this is a key question. Something specific like “I prefer the organ to the piano” or “I would links to use incense at Mass” gives your pastor something to work with. "The Mass is too sterile"leaves him guessing what you prefer. Once he knows what you want there is no guarantee you will get it but at least he can consider it.
 
Solomonson said:
“I’ve found that I tend to get out of any Mass what I put in, simple as that.”

To imply that how the Mass is celebrated (presuming all are valid) makes no difference in how well or how poorly the faithful are nourished is simply untrue.
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I never implied that it makes no difference - how the Mass is celebrated can make it more or less difficult to find the nourishment, certainly.

But it is equally untrue to imply that “perfunctory” and “sterile” are objective terms whose definitions are universally agreed upon, and moreover things which priests can a) easily recognise (or recognise at all) and b) eliminate for any and all parishioners.

What I was attempting to illustrate was a point similar to that made in the parable of the sower - the one seed is spread by the sower on every type of soil, but bears more or less fruit depending on the quality of the ground in which it is planted.
 
Gorgias said:
Those are personal virtues, not the characteristics of a liturgy. What we’re hoping for is that Solomonson will tell us about the particulars of what he’s hoping liturgies will have (and which he isn’t experiencing).
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The Mass already has the necessary characteristics in the rubrics so only the celebrant and the faithful can provide the implementation of them, especially through those personal virtues.
 
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