What I like about the Eucharistic Sacrifice at my Parish

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bpbasilphx

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People are constantly complaining about the liturgical uses of their parishes–sometimes justly.

I thought I’d share some things I LIKE about the Melkite parish I attend.

Surely people who attend either EF or OF have their beloved highlights to share.

hese things are mentioned in no particular order.

I love hearing the faithful singing their hearts out at our services.

I love the palpable excitement as people gather in the Narthex at a
Baptism before Sunday Liturgy. It’s almost like they are about to
burst into cheers.

I love the clarity of diction of our cantors and readers. And even
though I don’t understand Arabic, the Arabic cantor’s diction is so
clear I can almost take dictation from it.

It melts my heart to see people thronging to Communion, and even
little babes in their parents’ arms receiving the Holy Mysteries.

I love seeing the forest of beeswax tapers before the Iconostas as
people pray for the intentions they offer.

It’s moving to see people approach when the Gospel is read and
venerate it–reminding me of the people flocking to hear the words of
Christ Himself.

I love hearing the Pastor exhoring people to “shake the throne” (his
phrase) with their prayers as the sick come to be anointed.

I especially enjoy seeing how people are NOT in a hurry to leave at
the end of Sunday Liturgy, but linger for almost as long in the
Parish Hall, socializing over refreshments.
 
cool thread 🙂

I’ll say what I like about the TLM I occasionally attend.

I love the reverence for the Eucharist, how everyone is attentive, how people arrive half an hour early just to pray and prepare for the Mass. I like how it is quiet and prayerful and people don’t chat before or during the Mass.

I love how there are Confessions before Mass, and the priest isn’t ever in a hurry, but listens to anything you want to say and gives advice.

I love the music and how it brings your mind and heart closer to God.

I love how there are altar rails and we can receive Our Lord kneeling.

I love the English translation in the Missal and how it’s so beautiful and poetic.

I love how the Mass inspires reverence…

and just the CARE and attention with which everything is done. The altar, the priest’s and altar boy’s vestments, the statues and decoration of the church, the music, the chanting, it’s all done tastefully and with detail.

I love how the women wear mantillas

and the organ.

🙂
 
What I like about the EF I attend:

I like that 80 of the 100 people in attendance are under the age of 15
I like that the priest has a beautiful baritone singing voice
I like the priest’s gorgeous fiddleback vestments
I like the fact that the current EF church (moved from the cathedral, which is being renovated), is very modern (built in the 50s) but still has a high altar, baptistry, and side altar.
 
I like one OF parish nearby that has confession for at least half an hour before five of the six daily Masses it holds - and for 8 solid hours on Wednesdays and Fridays, and TEN hours on Sundays! And that three other local parishes ALSO have daily or near-daily confessions scheduled. It’s an important part of the Eucharistic sacrifice that emphasis ALSO be placed on making worthy preparation by frequent confession.

I like the fact that this particular parish was so packed on Ash Wednesday that they had to put on TWO extra Masses! 👍

And the two local parishes that have long hours every day of Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament so that people can come to adore. These are enormous blessings. Again, emphasising belief in the Real Presence is an important part of enhancing the celebration of the Eucharist.

I love seeing priests reverently kiss the altar before and after the celebration of Mass.

I love that the priests around here do NOT act as entertainers or as if they’re there to do anything other than offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as laid out by the Church. For the most part they don’t ad lib at all, don’t crack jokes left right and centre, don’t try to imitate televangelists in their preaching matter or style.

I LOVE our gorgeous Cathedral here in Sydney - being over 150 years old it has a lovely stone pulpit so that when the homily is preached the whole crowd can see the priest. I love our outspoken and very orthodox Cardinal George Pell, our Archbishop.

And people wonder why I’m not so convinced that the OF is in fact the end of the world or of the faith or anything like.
 
LilyM, as Fr. Z and others have observed, say the black and do the red–and watch the abuses disappear!
 
LilyM said:
And people wonder why I’m not so convinced that the OF is in fact the end of the world or of the faith or anything like.
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Had to stick that little argument-causing barb in there, didn’t you? :rolleyes:
 
Sancto_Spiritu said:
Had to stick that little argument-causing barb in there, didn’t you? :rolleyes:
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It isn’t a barb - nor an argument for that matter - unless you happen to actually believe the contrary - that the OF IS the end of the church and of the faith. Do you?
 
LilyM said:
It isn’t a barb - nor an argument for that matter - unless you happen to actually believe the contrary - that the OF IS the end of the church and of the faith. Do you?
Click to expand...
See? There it is. The thread-hijacker’s way of starting an argument.

Of course I don’t. To believe that is heretical, to not accept Vatican II. That said, I wouldn’t be sad in the least if the OF were laid to a very permanent rest, as it (due to the construction and wording of its prayers) is not conducive to my spiritual growth.

Ok, you got your answer. Thread hijacking over.
 
Sancto_Spiritu said:
See? There it is. The thread-hijacker’s way of starting an argument.

Of course I don’t. To believe that is heretical, to not accept Vatican II. That said, I wouldn’t be sad in the least if the OF were laid to a very permanent rest, as it (due to the construction and wording of its prayers) is not conducive to my spiritual growth.

Ok, you got your answer. Thread hijacking over.
Click to expand...
Back to the regularly scheduled discussion then … 🤷
 
Once a month our parish of St Cecilia’s at Wyong has a Tridentine Mass. I went to my first since the mid 1960s and it was just like it used to be. There was group rosary before the Mass.

Nearly all genuflected when coming or going or crossing the aisles. Most of the women who attended this Mass wore veils or hats, there were altar boys that knew what to do, bells and candles, everyone received communion on the tongue and knelt where the altar rails used to be. Everything in Latin except for the Scripture readings and homily.

I followed the Mass using my 1958 Missal - wasn’t too hard but I did get lost during the extensive silent parts.

The children were all well behaved and attentive and only one baby cried. It was just wonderful.

Rove
 
One thing I like at my OF parish is that we all receive the Host from the priest (no communion stations all over the church). When we receive from the cup there are only two ministers of the cup and the deacon (one is usually present) is one of them. Some people receive on the tongue and some in the hand. Most bow, some genuflect. Some receive the Precious Blood and some don’t. But everything is orderly and respectful.

My pastor gave a teaching on how to reverently receive the Eucharist during a homily at a regular Sunday mass. He stressed we receive the Eucharist, not take it. It was heartwarming to see the little children who happened to be there with their parents really watching him and taking it all in. When he bowed most of them copied him spontaneously. I think everyone took it to heart.
 
… Everything in Latin except for the Scripture readings and homily.

I followed the Mass using my 1958 Missal - wasn’t too hard but I did get lost during the extensive silent parts.

The children were all well behaved and attentive and only one baby cried. It was just wonderful.

…don’t worry about becoming lost during the extensive ‘silent parts’…but instead learn the sacred texts of the Mass, as at one time all Catholic children were expected to do, and recite to yourself…particularly at the Missa Privata, if you’re lucky enough to get to one,
because, as the name suggests, private reflection is at its most opportune…whether you’re at the same point in the text as the priest is doesn’t matter, the prayers themselves are so beautiful you will have gained simply from learning them…I’ve come across one or tow priests celebrating the NO in my parish imploring the faithful to relish moments of silence for reflection, perhaps suggesting that they may have awakended to the notion that maybe a mass directed at fully involving the laity may have crossed the imaginary line and has gotten too, well, enabling of our current cultural short attention span…
…and isn’t it amazing how even the babies are so much more reverent at the TLM…withholding their burps and burblings until they get to the narthex after Mass…in our NO’s, the parishionate is deafening in the pews immediately after the priest leaves and goes out to glad hand everybody…“good,” they seem to be saying, “that’s over with and we can get to what we really came here to do and yak incessantly with everybody.”…
 
What I love about the Eucharistic Sacrifice at my parish. Masses are always full. Even at 9am daily Mass there are always 50-80 people, more at the 6:15 Mass, and usually 100 at noon. Sunday Masses sometimes are SRO, especially for certain feast days or when we have a guest priest.

I love the reverance of the priests, the love of Christ is so obvious during the consecration. And their care of the elements–no spills or crumbs!

I love the attention paid to the training of the altar boys. They are taught care and reverence also. There are always 1-2 boys at daily Masses and at least 4 at Sunday Masses. They take great care with the book and the bells, ringing them precisily so you can hear the triple-peal. They also are very careful to follow each priests preferences with how to present the elements, how much wine to pour, how to do the hand washing. My son tells me bits and pieces of the specific instructions they receive in the sacristy, and I have been present at all the main training sessions to take notes.

The lectors and cantors are all well trained but not showy. I particularly like it when our deacon is there to proclaim the Gospel. He has a beautiful voice and a clear, but again not showy, reading style. The cantor always chants the sequences for special days (like Epiphany).

Although we don’t have an altar rail, the communion processional is very reverant with people making a profound bow or genuflecting before receiving. Our CCD program only teaches how to receive on the tongue and the vast majority of the parish receives that way.

I love watching the many larger families proceed to communion. The children are all well behaved, the ones too young for communion do not grab at the hosts or the priests vestaments, and no one expects a blessing in the communion procession.

Since our parish is so large and well-attended, I am glad that we do not receive under both species. I would be very afraid that an accident would occur with the Precious Blood. I am extremely grateful that our pastor feels the same and will not allow it.

As someone else mentioned, I am extremely grateful that we have an Adoration Chapel with daily adoration (it does close overnight). That means that we have 2 people committed to spend an hour with Our Lord every days for 15 hours each day! Since the chapel is closed on Sundays, that means at least 180 people have committed an hour to Our Lord and I know that many hours have more than 2 committed adorers, plus the many people who come in at any time as their schedule permits.
 
Since our parish is so large and well-attended, I am glad that we do not receive under both species. I would be very afraid that an accident would occur with the Precious Blood. I am extremely grateful that our pastor feels the same and will not allow it.
**In all my decades of seeing communion distributed under both kinds, I’ve never seen an accident with the Chalice yet.

One once have I seen a host dropped.**
 
bpbasilphx said:
Since our parish is so large and well-attended, I am glad that we do not receive under both species. I would be very afraid that an accident would occur with the Precious Blood. I am extremely grateful that our pastor feels the same and will not allow it.
**In all my decades of seeing communion distributed under both kinds, I’ve never seen an accident with the Chalice yet.

One once have I seen a host dropped.**
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I have seen a chalice slip to the side and spill. I have *almost *left Mass with the Precious Blood on my blouse because the EMHC tried to ‘help’ me hold the chalice.

We attend one church in WV each year where the priest offers communion by intinction only. It is the best way in my opinion for the faithful to receive under both species.
 
Sr_Sally said:
I have seen a chalice slip to the side and spill. I have *almost *left Mass with the Precious Blood on my blouse because the EMHC tried to ‘help’ me hold the chalice.

We attend one church in WV each year where the priest offers communion by intinction only. It is the best way in my opinion for the faithful to receive under both species.
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Being Eastern, of course, I strongly support Communion in both kinds as a norm as much as possible.

However, I will admit it would be impractical at an outdoor mega-mass or such.
 
Sancto_Spiritu said:
See? There it is. The thread-hijacker’s way of starting an argument.
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This is most unfortunate.

I don’t see any hi-jacking at all.

Your jumping on Lily is uncalled for, please try to be more accomodating. This is a nice thread.

Michael 🙂
 
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