What's Hurting the Church: Utilitarian Masses

[TimothyH]

And what happens in those hours is HUGELY influenced by what one experiences at Sunday Mass, even more so today because that often peoples’ only real connection to the faith anymore.

Just how important is God made to feel to us if the Mass is slammed through on Sunday mornings? Why doesn’t the Pope celebrate 41 minute Masses at St. Pete’s? There is a difference between solemness and utilitarianism.

I’m not saying the Mass should be slammed through nor that we should strip the Mass of all solmness and reverence. The Mass should be the center of our lives. We should build our life around the Mass.

What I disagree with is that the Mass is biggest problem in the Church. The Church is Christ’s body and the Mass is not the problem. What we do during the other 167 hours of the week hurts the Body of Christ infinitely more than a quick Mass said by a priest who is in a hurry to get to the House of Pancakes. However unimportant God is made to feel if the Mass is hurried, he is made to feel infinitely worse when we treat each other like garbage.

By this it may be seen who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not do right is not of God, nor he who does not love his brother. (1 John 3:10)

And the King will answer them, `Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.’ (Matthew 25:40)

Jesus told the people that they should leave their gift at the altar if they realized that someone had something against them. Sacrificing at the altar in the temple in Jerusalem was the most importan thing a Jew would ever do in his life. In telling us to “Leave our gift at the altar and be reconciled to our brother first” Jesus elevates how we treat each other to a higher status than how we worship and tells us that we are not to worship if we have treated each other like garbage.

My point is that what we do on a daily basis has more influence on the body of Christ than a priest who rushes Mass.

-Tim-

 

[Mrs_Sally]

I am concerned the Mass was celebrated in a utilitarian manner. One of the products was a short Mass. The other was a rushed, bare-bones Mass.

Please give some examples of the things you’d like to see added. My parish has 6 Sunday Masses, the earliest morning Mass is always the shortest. That is simply the result of it have less music than other Masses. This is by design.

In a previous post you spoke about other parishioners with other needs. I expect your early Sunday Mass is simply, with less music and other ‘adornments’ for the same reason ours is. To accomodate people who must work on Sundays, older people who are uncorfortable in hard pews for long periods, young families with small children who don’t sit still well, etc.

Mass schedules aer not set in a vacuum. There are pastoral reasons for the times and lengths of Masses.

You also speak of the two Masses that this particular priest is scheduled for, but are there other Masses at your parish or a mission? One of the other Masses may be a better fit for your preferences. Usually the Mass with choir, etc is later in the morning.

 

[Jegudiel]

Depending on the celebrant, and if we have a seminarian with him, our Sunday Mass ranges between 75 and 90 minutes. During Lent and Advent we have about 1000 people at most Masses, regular time about 600 Easter Vigil was closer to 1600 and was 3.5 hours this year as it was last year. We’re very grateful to have one of them that sings beautifully to celebrate Easter Vigil with. And our Week day masses have about 75 people if that and vary between 40 minutes to 60, again, depending on the celebrant. Fr. M does marvelous homilies, with lots of food for thought, but he tends to be longer winded. I love when he is the celebrant! I’m game for the extra 10 to 20 minutes with him, as I always go home with lots of inspiration.

Sounds really nice. Every once in a while we will have a visiting priest who is an outstandinf preacher. Mass can easily run 90 minutes. It feeds me and helps me get through the other 167 hours of the week.

Most Masses at my parish feel like I am going there to have my Sunday obligation ticket validated. As fast, minimal and utilitarian as possible. It’s difficult. I see many, many people around town who I remember from Mass when I was a kid. Most don’t attend anymore. I have asked a few I know and they just don’t want to talk about it.

I can only guess but I suspect in many cases that they were confused by the ever more utilitarian Masses. After awhile there is a “so what’s the big deal about the Mass if they are treating it in this matter?”, particularly to those lacking cathechesis so they just sort of fade away.

“The grace is locked in” excuse only works for so long until someone stops availing themselves to the grace because it’s offered in such a utilitarian (and confusing) manner.