Why do we hold hands, have guitars, etc. in mass?

[Newman10]

I would guess that it is to attract the younger crowd, but as far as I know that is not what the church did traditionally.

Personally (and I know I am different than most kids my age), I prefer more traditional masses with organs rather than guitars/drumsets.

At mass this past weekend, I witnessed something I never have before. The Nicene Creed was sang. I couldn’t believe it. I had trouble following the singing, so I tried to say it in my head, but since it is a profession, I feel like I should say it aloud.

The holding hands thing during the Our Father really gets to me, more than the music. I actually asked my brother (who is a priest) about this, and he said that we shouldn’t hold hands because it is supposed to be a time between the individual and God, not the individual, God, and the individuals next to him/her.

So why do we hold hands, have rock instruments, and try and turn everything (including the Our Father) into a song?

 

[JPUSC]

In the Traditional Tridentine High Mass, the Creed, Pater Noster (Our Father), etc. is sung in chant so that, in it of itself, is not wrong.

Some people in recent times thought holding hands during the Our Father would symbolize unity and community, but there is no reason for this since the Eucharist unites us all.

Use of instruments not suited for the Mass and holding hands are recent inventions not found in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal nor in the tradition of the Church. These are the types of things the Holy Father will hopefully put an end to soon.

It seems like many young people like us prefer traditional Catholic practices, but the people I personally know who attend LifeTeen Masses usually know very little about their faith and go to Mass mainly to socialize and listen to rock music.

 

[Newman10]

Hm, interesting. I knew about the Our Father, but I didn’t know the Creed was sung in chant. Either way, I think we can agree that when sung today, these are much different than when they used to be sung. It seems today that it is more for a “rock effect”, which has no place in the Church IMO.

I have one particular non-denominational Christian friend who says that the Catholic mass is “boring, and in some ways, scary.” I assume this is because the mass is not as “upbeat” as he would like. He also says that the traditional method of worship (organs, chants, etc.) is outdated and has no place in the church anymore. How would you reply to him?

 

[JPUSC]

I would say that the style of the Mass can and has changed over the centuries, adapting to the culture of the people, but there is a difference between real culture and pop culture.

A rock Mass tries to imitate secular culture and has entertainment value while the Mass is really supposed to be the sacrifice of Calvary. The Mass exists for us to worship God and a rock venue is not conductive to a specific type of worship (the greatest type of worship) where the Body and Blood of Christ become truly present in the Eucharist.

Sure, many Protestant denominations view upbeat music as their primary form of worship, but their theology and tradition is different from the Roman Catholic and other apostolic churches. Their services (with the exception of some high Anglican churches) are merely scripture readings, testimonials and music and are not sacramental in nature.

If you look at the architecture of some Protestant churches, the emphasis is on music and the community. Often, the choir and instruments are in the sanctuary, being the main focus. In the Catholic Church, the focal point is the Tabernacle and the Crucifix. The statues and visual imagery serve as reminders of God and the communion of Saints. These differences contribute to the different styles of worship.

Pope Benedict XVI has said that Protestant denominations — called Christian Communities born out of the Reformation — are not true churches, but ecclesial communities, “ecclesial communities which, specifically because of the absence of the sacramental priesthood … cannot, according to Catholic doctrine, be called ‘churches’ in the proper sense.” Most Protestant services cannot be compared to the sacramental nature of the Catholic Mass. Catholics can also have prayer meetings (which is what Protestant services are essentially), with rock music, outside of the Mass.

Gregorian Chant is the type of ancient prayer similar to the way Jesus Himself prayed. You don’t see many Jews or Muslims or even Buddhists and Hindus modifying their rituals just to appease people who like upbeat music. After Christianity, these groups have the largest adherents in the world. Many people are drawn to the mysticism associated with Eastern pagan religions, so it isn’t upbeat music that draw people to religion.

 

[quasimodo]

In the Traditional Tridentine High Mass, the Creed, Pater Noster (Our Father), etc. is sung in chant so that, in it of itself, is not wrong.

… and the Gospel, too, at times.

 

[turtle18]

Chanting the Our Father or Nicene Creed is not the same as singing it–with full blown musical accompianments and hideous melodies no one can follow. I think the OP is talking about singing, not chanting.

 

[Newbie2]

Use of instruments not suited for the Mass and holding hands are recent inventions not found in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal nor in the tradition of the Church. These are the types of things the Holy Father will hopefully put an end to soon.

It seems like many young people like us prefer traditional Catholic practices, but the people I personally know who attend LifeTeen Masses usually know very little about their faith and go to Mass mainly to socialize and listen to rock music.

I doubt if Benedict issues anything on such matters that things will change much.

That is the age-old problem…how to get kids/teens/twenties interested in mass. I went to lunch recently with a couple of protestant ministers…and they struggle with the same problem…mass/services are “boring” to teens. At one end there is the risk of alienating them with sameness and boredom, at the other, losing the focus of mass. The answer, methinks, lies somethere in the middle.

 

[Fox]

Hand holding is a practise that came from the Protestant churches and I do hope our Pope will end this soon. No practise should detract from the purpose of the Mass itself.

 

[puzzleannie]

can’t think of a charitable answer, but will try,
because somebody felt Mass as it has been celebrated for 2000 years is not longer “relevant” to the culture formed by pop music and touchy feely psychology. usually that somebody is so out of touch with actual living, breathing Catholics, including and especially teens and young adults, that they are clueless, and are operating strictly on their own emotional vibes, and are bone ignorant of what constitutes real liturgy and public worship. Pray for them. That’s what I have to do to keep myself from wailing and gnashing teeth. Gnnnyyh.

 

[Newbie2]

can’t think of a charitable answer, but will try,
because somebody felt Mass as it has been celebrated for 2000 years is not longer “relevant” to the culture formed by pop music and touchy feely psychology. usually that somebody is so out of touch with actual living, breathing Catholics, including and especially teens and young adults, that they are clueless, and are operating strictly on their own emotional vibes, and are bone ignorant of what constitutes real liturgy and public worship. Pray for them. That’s what I have to do to keep myself from wailing and gnashing teeth. Gnnnyyh.

So what is the answer to reaching those “clueless” teens and young adults? What we’re doing now doesn’t seem to be working. I’m not suggesting watering down or changing the liturgy.

 

[puzzleannie]

So what is the answer to reaching those “clueless” teens and young adults? What we’re doing now doesn’t seem to be working. I’m not suggesting watering down or changing the liturgy.

in the parishes where liturgy is done properly and reverently and focus is on the person of Jesus present in the sacrifice, attendance is high. In parishes where liturgy is sloppy, resembles MTV and is about personalities of those conducting the liturgy rather than on the Lord, attendance wanes. This is an observance of my 45 years since the changes implemented following V2 in 7 dioceses and at least 20 parishes with widely varying “cultures”, and my observance since being involved in liturgy and catechesis at a parish level for over 30 years.

 

[Tantum_ergo]

Another thing: You can have the most reverent liturgies, the most caring parents, best teachers, and prayers unceasing. . .yet there will still be some–and many times, a rather unsettling majority of ‘many’ who will (for some period of time, at least) be completely ‘unreachable.’ It isn’t that those involved didn’t try. It is, quite frankly, that those who are unreachable choose to be unreachable–and for many,many different reasons. That is the real difficulty. If the reason was a unified reason, or just one or two reasons, the problem could be fixed. But if you have 5 people who just don’t want to bother with Mass–but consider themselves ‘good peeps’, another 5 or 10 who have trouble with singing ANYTHING, another 10 who are actively having temptations and don’t want the ‘church atmosphere’ because it makes them uncomfortable, another 5 or 10 whose parents are having difficulties and don’t want church because they feel God doesn’t CARE because he hasn’t made Mom and Dad get back together, another 5 or 10 being prosletyzed by nonCatholics, a further 5 or 10 by ‘Wiccans’ or neo pagans, another 5 or 10 by Buddhists, another 5 or 10 by militant atheists, another 5 or 10 who are disgusted by what they feel is a focus on ‘ritual’ and not enough focus on the ‘iimportant things’, another 5 or 10 feeling the same but differing on what they think is important. . . You get the point. An entire congregation of teens can be ‘turned off’ to religion/liturgy.

And just how do you ‘fix’ things when there are so many different reasons for teens to be ‘unreachable’ to liturgy or even religion in general (or particular) at a given time?

 

[Digitonomy]

Chanting the Our Father or Nicene Creed is not the same as singing it–with full blown musical accompianments and hideous melodies no one can follow. I think the OP is talking about singing, not chanting.

Check out the Credo from the Mass in C by Beethoven.

 

[RedSoxFan45]

I am defiantly not a fan of the our father hand holding. As for the guitars and such, I think it is most certainly appropriate when tastefully done. By that I mean the instruments don’t take over the lyrics being sung. An organ is great for this. Guitar and rock instruments can be as well. Like another poster said, the mass has adapted over time to culture. The traditional hymns we are use to probably reflect the secular style of music of that age. That is specialization my part but its probably true. If the guitar and drums is overbearing the I can agree that it’s not good.

 

[VociMike]

So what is the answer to reaching those “clueless” teens and young adults? What we’re doing now doesn’t seem to be working. I’m not suggesting watering down or changing the liturgy.

It boils down to two choices. Offer people a faith and a liturgy that is bigger than themselves, or offer people a faith and a liturgy that is smaller than themselves. We’ve tried the latter for 40 years and the results are not encouraging.

 

[Lisa44]

…

So why do we hold hands, have rock instruments, and try and turn everything (including the Our Father) into a song?

Because of the influence of popular culture for one. Then, some [edited] people got it into their heads to bring popular culture into the Catholic Mass!

 

[bpbasilphx]

Chanting the Our Father or Nicene Creed is not the same as singing it–with full blown musical accompianments and hideous melodies no one can follow.

Have you ever heard a Baroque or Classic or Romantic setting of the Mass where the Creed is sung in a setting by the composer?

 

[Lisa44]

Chanting the Our Father or Nicene Creed is not the same as singing it–with full blown musical accompianments and hideous melodies no one can follow. I think the OP is talking about singing, not chanting.

Exactly!

 

[Lisa44]

I doubt if Benedict issues anything on such matters that things will change much.

That is the age-old problem…how to get kids/teens/twenties interested in mass. I went to lunch recently with a couple of protestant ministers…and they struggle with the same problem…mass/services are “boring” to teens. At one end there is the risk of alienating them with sameness and boredom, at the other, losing the focus of mass. The answer, methinks, lies somethere in the middle.

Hi Newbie, Who cares if teens are “bored”? To me that is liberalism that says you have to make everything fun and exciting for kids all the time.

They might be bored in Mass, but they will always have it with them. And when they are older they will thank you for it. For you are planting the most precious seed in them, and in time it will grow.

Also, kids are capable of prayer too. And if I can’t pray while I’m holding hands and singing out of tune to some singy version of “our father” then I’m sure they sure can’t pray either.

 

[Chuy]

I would guess that it is to attract the younger crowd, but as far as I know that is not what the church did traditionally.

Personally (and I know I am different than most kids my age), I prefer more traditional masses with organs rather than guitars/drumsets.

At mass this past weekend, I witnessed something I never have before. The Nicene Creed was sang. I couldn’t believe it. I had trouble following the singing, so I tried to say it in my head, but since it is a profession, I feel like I should say it aloud.

The holding hands thing during the Our Father really gets to me, more than the music. I actually asked my brother (who is a priest) about this, and he said that we shouldn’t hold hands because it is supposed to be a time between the individual and God, not the individual, God, and the individuals next to him/her.

So why do we hold hands, have rock instruments, and try and turn everything (including the Our Father) into a song?

• I never seen a drumset at Mass. Not ever. Sounds like urban legend more than anything else.
• The entire Mass may be licitly sung/chanted for great solemnity. “They who sing pray twice” – St. Augustine.

*Holding hands during the Lord’s Prayer is in no way prohibited.