What's up with people interrupting the preface?

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Onthisrock84

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I noticed this yesterday as Father was doing the preface to the Eucharistic Prayer. This is the text.

**

It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation,
always and everywhere to give you thanks,
Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God.

For, although you have no need of our praise,
yet our thanksgiving is itself your gift,
since our praises add nothing to your greatness
but profit us for salvation,
through Christ our Lord.

And so, in company with the choirs of Angels,
we praise you, and with joy we proclaim:

**

My question is, why did literally half of the Church say Amen after Father said through Christ our Lord? It is not in the rubrics to say amen anywhere in the middle of the preface. Is this just impulse where people think they are supposed to respond Amen everytime the priest says Through Christ our Lord?
 
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Onthisrock84 said:
Is this just impulse where people think they are supposed to respond Amen everytime the priest says Through Christ our Lord?
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Yup. People also answer “amen” when the second reading (usually) is from an epistle and includes words similar to how we end our prayers.

No big deal. No one’s trying to change the rubrics. It’s just a natural reaction that is deeply ingrained in us Catholics. 🙂
 
Happens at my church all the time. The priest pauses and it seems logically to say amen, we’re just a little to fast!
 
I’ve noticed a lot of misplaced “amens” over the years. It’s like applause between movements during a symphony. Both are unnecessary and reflect a poorly informed audience, but at least they are wanting express praise or admiration in some form.
 
Onthisrock84 said:
Is this just impulse where people think they are supposed to respond Amen everytime the priest says Through Christ our Lord?
Click to expand...
Yes, it is an impulse. No great wrong is done, there is no great conspiracy to up-end the rubrics. It is a simple mistake. Happens all the time, as a PP mentioned, when the same words are used in the Second Reading.

Be a peace.
 
Eh, can’t see the huge wrong in this. It would seem like an organic variation in how people do things. I wouldn’t get worked up about it.
 
I’ve seen ‘the Mass’ video of Bishop Barron of wordonfire.org. he explains that every single prayer in the mass is very well thought of. The Mass is an encounter and fellowship with our God and so there is a series of… God speaking & the people of God responding.
 
I mean I’m not worked up. I just feel like people should be more aware of the Liturgy.
 
I find even if people are paying attention if the priest says prayers and pauses people without thinking say amen. It just kind of happens from time to time.
 
I find your characterization of this as ‘interrupting’ to be strange. I hear people doing this occasionally. I don’t think of it as interrupting. I think of it as them wanting to say amen here because it fits. Some people probably think they should say amen. When they hear others do so it reinforces that belief.
 
Yes but in catechesis this should be addressed. I didn’t post this to be mean or rigid or start an argument.
With that said, it is somewhat interrupting the Liturgy. Every single thing said and done in the Mass has a sacred purpose. The preface to the Eucharistic Prayers which there are four( though EP 4 cannot be changed from the original hence why it is rarely used)in the Novus Ordo, is based on the season or day depending on if it is a solemnity. Just because the priest says through Christ our Lord shouldn’t mean people just say Amen when there is absolutely no reason too and is an interruption as then I’m standing there no longer taking in what the preface says but wondering why on earth people just said Amen. It is an interruption. It’s not the peoples fault of course. Emphasis on the Liturgy and what it means should be taught more in catechesis.
 
Well, there are a lot of things that should be addressed. In my experience this ranks low on the list. So if you are down to this as being the most pressing problem you are lucky. But still I wouldn’t call it an interruption. If they shouted it at the top of their lungs I would. I would just call it an extraneous amen.
 
Oh I agree totally brother. I just have somewhat of liturgical OCD . I love reading the Mass of the Day and the LOTH etc and love seeing what is cited. It’s amazing how Protestants say we don’t hear the Bible at Mass yet nearly everything in Mass is cited from scripture.
 
As Catholics, we have the actions and responses of Mass ingrained into us by sometimes a lifetime of repetition.

We enter the Church and genuflect before taking a seat in the pews

Father says “the Lord.be with you”, we say “and also with you/with your spirit”

Father says “through Christ our Lord” and pauses, it usually signals the end of his prayer and so we say “Amen.”

And we do.these things hundreds and thousands od times over, it becomes hardwired into us.

Lifelong Catholics will often joke about going into, say, the cinema, and in a moment of distraction genuflecting in the aisle before taking their seat. Or hearing “may the Force be with you” and absentmindedly responding “and also with you.”

It’s part of being human - we all have monents of slipping slightly into autopilot like that. Our brains are.not builr to be 100% focused 100% of the time on the routine things. And saying “Amen” after “through Christ our Lord” is a routine thing.
 
Onthisrock84 said:
Is this just impulse where people think they are supposed to respond Amen everytime the priest says Through Christ our Lord?
Click to expand...
Many prayers are ended with these words. If someone isn’t paying attention and then they here these words, it’s only natural to respond with “Amen.” I have to admit that I am guilty of this myself.
 
Can somebody explain to me how “by accident” changed to 'on accident" for virtually everybody under age 40? Yes, it is 'on purpose" (he did it on purpose!) but it is BY accident, not ‘on accident’. Argggh; one of my pet peeves.

And BTW, Grammarly supports me.
 
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