What is wrong with applauding in Church?

[Vox_Borealis]

God forbid we should express joy at Mass.

Bogus reasoning. We should certainly express joy, but such expressions can take many forms and we should limit ourselves to the appropriate forms for the appropriate venue. When my ball team wins I jump up and down and high five my buddies, in joy. Clearly this is not acceptable behavior in mass. The joy I feel for the conjugal love I am blessed to share with my wife is expressed in particular, intimate ways. Is this behavior acceptable in mass? Of course not. I could go on.

We are called to express both the joy and solemnity of the mass. So sing hymns in the Lord’s praise with gusto and pray with vigour. Let your face beam with radiance and sincerely wish your neighbor the Lord’s peace (if that is the local custom) at the appropriate time. But busting out in applause is, in my opinion, an unacceptable expression of joy most of the time at mass. And it is certainly unacceptable when it is not spantaneous, but instead invoked in praise of human activivty ("…and let’s thank the Rosary ladies for the wonderful coffee and donuts after mass, the sixth graders for the decorations, and the choir for really putting on a good show today").

 

[JimR-OCDS]

It seems to me that applause takes the focus off of God and onto everyone else. When there is applause, it’s almost as if instead of worshipping God, we end up worshipping ourselves. Which reminds at my former parish, the choir every Sunday right after Mass would sing “Happy Birthday” to one of their fellow choir members. And then there was of course, applause. They even did it on Easter Sunday. I seriously doubt they were even thinking about God.

Uhmm, applause is an expression of appreciation, not worship.
Also, we’re to love God, but we’re also to love our neighbor as our self, and as Jesus said, these two commandments are equal. Applause, especially at Mass, is often an expression of love for our neighbors.

Jim

 

[Ace86]

The Pope has this to say about it:

From The Spirit of the Liturgy pg. 198-199
*
Wherever applause breaks out in the liturgy because of some human achievement, it is a sure sign that the essence of liturgy has totally disappeared and been replaced by a kind of religious entertainment. Such attractiveness fades quickly- it cannot compete in the market of leisure pursuits, incorporating as it increasingly does various forms of religious titillation. I myself have experienced the replacing of the penitential rite by a dance performance, which, needless to say, received a round of applause. Could there be anything farther removed from the penitence? Liturgy can only attract people when it looks, not at itself, but at God, when it allows him to enter and act.*

 

[SORROWS]

Applause during Mass makes me cringe. It should be reserved for the rare occasions that the Priest deems appropriate such as farewells, Weddings, Baptisms or Jubilees.

The posters have explained very well the reasonings why applause is a distraction and takes the focus away from Christ where focus should be on prayer. I’ve known this since I was a child and I’ve never seen this abused.

Mass is not a performance. Applause should be a very rare thing. How does the saying go? Clap with one hand

Blessings to all

 

[AquinaSavio]

No, orthodox Pope’s don’t bother me at all. However, Pope Benedict XVI, hasn’t proven to me that he’s orthodoxed or not. He hasn’t been Pope long enough.

BTW, was John Paul II ortodoxed?

Well, I believe he abided by the teachings of the Church and did not change the Mass from the GIRM. Yes, I’d say he was orthodox.

Who says I’m not being civil? Just trying to provide a different point of view. If this upset’s you, well, too bad

Your famous line! I’m sorry you don’t enough have respect for other’s opinions that you can’t refrain from using sarcasm. Nobody said we were going to burn in hell because we applauded in Church. This is a thread meant for discussing and debating a liturgical abuse…not a place to take cheap shots at others’ beliefs.

Well he didn’t say anything about it. In fact, he wasn’t Pope at the time of JPII’s funeral.

And, after he was elected pope, do you think he abandoned this belief? I doubt it…otherwise, he would have recalled every copy of The Spirit of the Liturgy and corrected it.

 

[DWPC]

Quite a few posters are using ordination, baptism, weddings etc. as examples. The congregation at these events are witnesses, not participants. Certainly, applause for the recipients of these special sacraments is proper for these.

But I think the issue is the increasingly common spontaneous applause at the end of Mass or perhaps for a homily. Such applause is, IMO, impropoer and symptomatic of the overly casual, do-it-yourself liturgical collapse widely accepted (if not promoted) in the American Church. If it continues, it won’t be long before Mass in one parish will bear little resemblance to that in others. We’re almost at that point now.

 

[MusicMan]

My sister just got married this weekend. After the Concluding Rites, Father said, “The Mass is ended, let us go in Peace.” The congregation replied, “Thanks be to God.”

Then Father said, “And now, I think the new couple deserves a round of applause.”

Here’s the critical part… when Father said, “The Mass is ended,” the Mass was ended. The applause occured outside of the Liturgy.

Then I pushed the volume pedals on the organ to maximum, and brought the applause to a conclusion with my bombastic rendition of Mouret’s Rondeau.

 

[Vox_Borealis]

Uhmm, applause is an expression of appreciation, not worship.
Also, we’re to love God, but we’re also to love our neighbor as our self, and as Jesus said, these two commandments are equal. Applause, especially at Mass, is often an expression of love for our neighbors.

Jim

First of all, I have never considered applause a typical sign of love for my neighbor, in mass or out. It is often a sign of ‘nice tackle, Jones,’ or ‘funny joke, Smith,’ or ‘congratulations for graduating, Timmy.’

Second of all, yes we should love God and our neighbors. But we must also worship God, but not our neighbors. Mass is a solemn (and joyful) liturgical rite for the glory and worship of God. We should adopt the appropriate postures, gestures, and attitude. Applause is not among these.

If you want to applaud your neighbor as a sign of love, do it in the backyard.

 

[Superstar905]

Thanks for all the responses. There are obviously many schools of thought here. For one, some people feel it is absolutely ok to applaud in church at any time…mass, wedding, whatever. On the other hand, some feel it is NEVER ok to applaud in church for anything, as it takes away the focus on God.

Now this last point, almost sounds like the protestant answer for why pray to Gods greatest masterpieces, the saints, when you can pray to Jesus directly. Do you see the connection? Would the “expression” of applause not please God also, since we are recognizing what he has done through others? All glory goes to God, but there is nothing wrong with recognizing those through whom he has used.

That said, I think there is also something to be said about appropriateness. Like, during a mass, I just don’t feel right about clapping. During a wedding, after the Priest declares the couple husband and wife, and they kiss, I see no problem with applause. It is simply an outpouring of joy for the wonderful miracle God has worked through people we care about. Nothing more, nothing less. I can’t see how this could be wrong, because it’s done within the confines of the Church.

 

[LeahInancsi]

So you guys say that clapping at Mass is wrong.

What are we to do when the priest is constantly giving us opportunities to clap? It’s a reflex action to applaud and seems rude not to. For example: so and so is celebrating their 60th anniversay, I’d like to welcome a class of Methodist Sunday school students who have joined us for Mass, really great guest speakers.

This same priest called us “clap happy” last Sunday.

 

[rasmussen]

The only time applause is acceptable is during an ordination or a wedding Mass, when the people are congratulating those involved who have achieved a significant milestone in their life. As an organist for many years, I have had the misfortune of serving under certain well-meaning priests who wanted the people to thank me at the end of Mass for my music. The congregation would turn around to face the choir loft and applaud. Not only was this personally embarrassing, but it completely misses the point of what liturgical music is for. I am not there to put on a concert or to entertain. I simply assist the people in prayer, and having the organ out of sight upstairs is something I strongly recommend. Unfortunately, with most modern church buildings placing the musicians physically close the altar, the tendency toward showmanship (always a temptation for our big musician’s egos) is greatly magnified. This seems particularly true of “folk” groups, who often indulge in extraordinary commentary or guitar riffs at inopportune times, not to mention the distraction of having to watch people shuffling papers and sipping from water bottles. Even some organists like to have their down-front consoles turned so that the congregation can watch their hands and feet, or be mesmerized by the light show given by the brightly-backlit stops many organs have. Applause is not inherently sinful, but should be used very sparingly at Mass, and NEVER to congratulate liturgical ministers for something they do every week. It’s time for a re-evaluation of the use of choir lofts and altars placed AD ORIENTEM!

Amen!! My thoughts exactly. We have gotten carried away with the musicians and the front of churches. I hope parish priests in my diocese read this. And it seems every week we are blessing someone (mind you, the priest asks US to raise OUR hands) and then applauding at their achievements. GMAB!

 

[ALLFORHIM]

Hi,
During our offering, someone always either sings or plays an instrument(solo). Afterwards the church applauses. Is that considered disrespectful to God? We do not do it after the praise band or any other time just then

 

[JimR-OCDS]

So you guys say that clapping at Mass is wrong.

What are we to do when the priest is constantly giving us opportunities to clap? It’s a reflex action to applaud and seems rude not to. For example: so and so is celebrating their 60th anniversay, I’d like to welcome a class of Methodist Sunday school students who have joined us for Mass, really great guest speakers.

This same priest called us “clap happy” last Sunday.

Your priest allow’s clapping which is bad enough, but also allow’s heritic’s to attend Mass? God forbid!

 

[JimR-OCDS]

Hi,
During our offering, someone always either sings or plays an instrument(solo). Afterwards the church applauses. Is that considered disrespectful to God? We do not do it after the praise band or any other time just then

Yes, applauding should not be done during communion. The greatness of the moment isn’t the music, but that we’ve just received our Lord and King, Jesus Christ. It’s a time for quiet reflection on this fact, not exressing our appreciation for the quality of the music.

I think this is actually what Pope Benedict is refering to, in his words against applauding at Mass.

 

[Superstar905]

Now this last point, almost sounds like the protestant answer for why pray to Gods greatest masterpieces, the saints, when you can pray to Jesus directly. Do you see the connection? Would the “expression” of applause not please God also, since we are recognizing what he has done through others? All glory goes to God, but there is nothing wrong with recognizing those through whom he has used.

I just want to highlight what I said here, because I think it’s a valid point. Understanding limitations with applause and appropriate times. Thoughts on this?

 

[rasmussen]

I think it is more about a right time, right place thing. I agree that all of our talents are thanks to God, but out of those that are at Church to worship and pray, it is a distraction. Maybe the question should be this-why are these people being recognized in church? Is there a better time and place for these applause?

 

[Superstar905]

I think it is more about a right time, right place thing. I agree that all of our talents are thanks to God, but out of those that are at Church to worship and pray, it is a distraction. Maybe the question should be this-why are these people being recognized in church? Is there a better time and place for these applause?

Agreed, now my observation is that applause always occurs at the end of mass. I would think this to be appropriate.

 

[LeahInancsi]

Your priest allow’s clapping which is bad enough, but also allow’s heritic’s to attend Mass? God forbid!

Maybe we can snatch those youngins away from them while they’re impressionable. :bigyikes:

 

[LeahInancsi]

I think it is more about a right time, right place thing. I agree that all of our talents are thanks to God, but out of those that are at Church to worship and pray, it is a distraction. Maybe the question should be this-why are these people being recognized in church? Is there a better time and place for these applause?

What do you suggest? A Wednesday night prayer meeting?

 

[ALLFORHIM]

Yes, applauding should not be done during communion. The greatness of the moment isn’t the music, but that we’ve just received our Lord and King, Jesus Christ. It’s a time for quiet reflection on this fact, not exressing our appreciation for the quality of the music.

I think this is actually what Pope Benedict is refering to, in his words against applauding at Mass.

Hi,

I think you misunderstood me. By offering I meant when we give our money.