Why is the mass so long

[Phemie]

the time wasters, i believe, are many. and, to me, they add nothing. let’s start with processing. i don’t know when it started, or why, and it’s ok, but… the music starts and the priest, altar servers, et al stand there until after the first verse and chorus…THEN start the procession. doesn’t add anything to me.

The Entrance Hymn is community’s first action during Mass. It should be sung in its entirety because hymns have a distinct beginning, middle and end and a message/prayer that takes all those verses. So whether Fr. starts the procession with the first word or the second verse makes no difference if the entire hymn is sung.

at the end, yesterday, they stand on the alter facing us while we sing the first verse and chorus, then they come down turn around and face the altar while we sing the second verse. THEN they come down the aisle. adds absolutely nothing. start the song, and start up the aile, do the same at the end.

Again, if the entire song is sung, who cares when the recessional starts?

period of silence? after the homily, and after communion, doesn’t do anything for me. one of my best friends is a priest, he says he likes it, being able to sit down and reflect after communion. it’s not about him, it’s about us. we have been sitting, praying reflecting after communion.

It’s not about you, it’s about God and our time with him. That period of silence is called for after Communion and it starts after the last person has received, not when you get back to your pew.

period of silence while the gifts are being presented, with no activity. again, just more window dressing.

Not sure what you mean here. There is nothing that can be done at that point until the gifts are at the altar.

one place has the lector come up out of the pews, bow, go up read, then comes down, bows, THEN the psalm. then for the second reading, THE SAME GUY comes up, bows, etc. time waster.

There should be two readers on a Sunday, if at all possible. But what you describe would add what, 45 seconds to the Mass, compared to the reader staying in the sanctuary until it’s time for him to read again?

the irish priest i liked, all his priests after the homily, would say, “please rise.” and that was fine with me. i never asked him, but he must have instructed the music ministry folks, because it was well choreographed. the music always ended when he was finished doing whatever.

The GIRM says when the music starts and ends.

someone said it’s not about the choir. i agree. i’m not there for the choir. we had 3 songs during communion yesterday, one which started, just as the priest was sitting down.

That’s appropriate too. The GIRM says that the Communion chant starts when the priest receives communion and continues until all have received. That could take 1, 2, or 3 songs depending on the length of the song and the number of people receiving.
The period of silence after Communion (i.e. after the priest sits down) can be replaced with a communal hymn of praise/thanksgiving. Sounds like that’s what you had.

the irish priest’s muscial person, would have just continued struming the guitar, playing the piano, etc, until he sat down, and then in dignified fashion, stop.

i’m 55 and hate to refer to “back in the day,” but we had more people in the church, fewer people to give out communion, and it usually ended in 40 or 45 minutes.again, it seems like we have gone to great lengths to make it longer, just to make it longer.

The only short Mass I experienced ‘back in the day’ was the weekday Mass and the low 8 a.m. Sunday Mass.

it’s as if people sat around, and brainstormed how to make it longer.

my wife is from ireland. we were there last summer. mass: 45 minutes. no fluff, no parading around, very little periods of silence. nice singing, good homily, good mass.

i like some of the suggestions for helping me deal with this, and prayer will help.

My suggestion is that you just take a deep breath and accept how that priest celebrates Mass for what it is: reverent and done appropriately. Mass is not about you and your patience, it’s about God and the thanks and praise we owe Him.

 

[Sir_Knight]

it started to bug me that these guys (the priests) were wasting my time by lengthening the mass.

…

I just don’t like my time wasted,

You think that worshiping God in the highest form of prayer (the Mass) is “wasting” your time?

What do you think heaven is all about?

Remember, God will not force us to be with Him?

May I suggest that you go here, jump to page 21 and read the next few pages,

 

[Loboto-Me]

This attitude saddens me so much. How long did Christ have to suffer on the cross for us? I guess He’s not worth a moment of silence after each reading? Should we not quiet our hearts in His presence? :tsktsk::crying:

Hey Sir Knight! It’s been a long long time since I’ve seen you last. Nice to see you

 

[lakotak]

Why is the mass so long?

i found this site when I googled “45 minute mass.” It started roughly 4 years ago when we were attending mass based on our sons’ schedules. After one such mass, my wife said, “you know, next time conor [our older son, now 25] is home, we ought to go to mass here, because at least the homily won’t alienate him.”

I thought about it and decided to start attending that parish because they always had good homilies. Eventually I joined the parish. It was some time after that that I noticed their Sunday masses generally ran 40-45 minutes. I even started running into people I knew from other parishes, who came there because the mass wasn’t “a big production” and was over in 45 minutes.

That’s when my problem started. I realized that the parish, headed by an irish priest, had cut out a lot of stuff that makes the mass longer. (in my previous parishes, masses ran close to an hour.)

Then that priest retired, and sure enough, his replacement started lengthening the mass. I started thinking more about the length of the mass, and it started to bug me that these guys (the priests) were wasting my time by lengthening the mass.

(keep in mind two things: 1) this parish was farther away than the closest parish, and I didn’t mind spending more time driving to and from the new parish; 2) I’m fairly spiritual in that I spend 30-45 minutes in private prayer per day, and in addition say the rosary with my wife the four days of the week she doesn’t work.)

So I started looking for another parish. It’s not easy to find a meaningful 45 minute mass. I just don’t like my time wasted, and I don’t like the fact that it appears that the mass has been lengthened for no other reason than to make it longer. Like longer = better.

I’ve a sneaking suspicion that somewhere along the line, someone said, hey the protestants go to church for two hours (or whatever it is), we better make ours longer.

My wife suggested I give up for lent obsessing about this, and I did. Yesterday it really bugged me, so here I am….i live in south jersey.

I’ve checked out all the parishes nearby, and they all run close to an hour.

Thanks for letting me rant a bit. I’m just wondering if I am alone in the way I think.

What do you have to do that is so vital that you want to spend as little time as possible at MASS in the Lord’s Presence. I wonder what would have happened if Jesus had decided not to spend time before humanity hanging from the Cross? Just a thought.

 

[E.E.N.S]

Interestingly enough, those 45 minutes you spend on a Sunday, are the LEAST wasted minutes of the day. Therefore, the more time you spend with the Lord, the LESS time you waste.

Don’t like wasting time? Go to the most reverent Mass you can find, get there early to prepare your mind and heart for what’s about to take place, and then stay a while afterward in thanksgiving for the immense grace you have just received. The when you go home, spend time with your family in the thought of God, prayer and some good holy reading. (The less your day looks like this, the more time you waste. The more your day looks like this, the better and more profitable your time has been spent.)

 

[Beachcomber]

Personally, I don’t think that 45 minutes is out-of-the-ordinary long. The Masses at my parish on Sunday run around that. When I saw the topic of your thread, I thought you meant they were over an hour or so.

As a previous poster mentioned (Cat, I think), Protestant services can get really long and add in Sunday School before that and you’re there pretty much 3 1/2 hours sometimes. Also, many denoms have a Sunday evening service around 5 or 6pm that you would return to church to attend.

Here’s my suggestion: pray for an igniting of love. Maybe you’re going through a ‘dark night’ experience and have a dryness about spiritual things. The Mass is so full of wonderful grace and love, just keep asking God to get through this particular period.

 

[E.E.N.S]

Maybe you’re going through a ‘dark night’ experience…

Not meaning to derail the thread, but far too many people here misunderstand St. John’s “Dark Night”, and without digressing any further, I feel safe saying that this is not what is happening here.

 

[CalCatholic]

I wish mass was longer, could you imagine inviting your family over for dinner and then kicking them out after 45 minutes? Well the people at our parish are family, our Catholic family, we come to mass every Sunday to worship our Lord with them. I can’t understand why people are in a hurry to leave, leaving right after the Eucharist or before the final hymn???

 

[Spirithound]

It was some time after that that I noticed their Sunday masses generally ran 40-45 minutes.

… ___ …

(keep in mind two things: 1) this parish was farther away than the closest parish, and I didn’t mind spending more time driving to and from the new parish…)

I hope your drive is less than 7 minutes and 30 seconds each way, otherwise you’re wasting more of your time, not less.

 

[ProVobis]

If you prefer quick masses, find a 6 am one during the week. One near my house is often around 15 minutes.

I often go to a weekday noon OF Mass which has a good brief sermon and lasts generally no longer than a half hour. This is good enough for most. Many just drop in for communion and they don’t even stay for the entire Mass.

The EF I attend on Sundays can be as long as they want it to be.

 

[judechild]

I think that there are a few things at work here. One of my Catechism students asked me “why do we go to Mass?” I responded it was to grow closer to God, especially by receiving the Eucharist. The student responded with “then why don’t we just go in, take Communion, and be done?”

I imagine that that would make us very legalistic, and without any humanity in our Eucharistic celebration. Tgwell, the moments of silence, hymns, and progressions are all meant to contribute to a sense of reverance and awe. Even though the Mass is a very incarnational event, it is also a mystical one. Just like the mystical experience cannot be rushed (God was not found in the thunderstorm, or other huge events, but rather in the whisper of the wind through the cave) so can our mystical worship not be rushed. The Mass is incarnational and mystical - just like God is transcendent and immenent. If a person desires to have everything go like clockwork, with no downtime or else it’s wasted time, I’m afraid that the person may fall into a very legalist mindset. That is my experience with the Irish Church that you mentioned, especially; until recently, it has been very legalist.

I’m sorry you view parts of the Mass as a waste of your time.

 

[CalCatholic]

I often go to a weekday noon OF Mass which has a good brief sermon and lasts generally no longer than a half hour. This is good enough for most. Many just drop in for communion and they don’t even stay for the entire Mass.

The EF I attend on Sundays can be as long as they want it to be.

They don’t even have 30 mins to spend with our Lord at daily mass???

 

[Groundskeeper]

I go to the 7:30 am mass. If we’re done at 8:30 it feels like a short mass. We’re often out around 8:45-9:00. The homilys can run a bit long sometimes, depending on the priest giving the mass, which doesn’t bother me, but it does create a bit of a traffic jam cause there’s another mass at 9:00.

As a kid I didn’t like going to church cause I was forced to, I kinda had that same attitude into my teenage years and eventually stopped going (there were other personal issues that also played a part in not going to church anymore). Now that I’ve come back to the Church, I absolutely love going. It’s the highlight of my week. I love going to the first mass on Sunday cause I can get there 30 minutes early and it’s still quiet.

 

[Bbigam]

I often go to a weekday noon OF Mass which has a good brief sermon and lasts generally no longer than a half hour. This is good enough for most. Many just drop in for communion and they don’t even stay for the entire Mass.

Yeah, it’s fine for a weekday Mass to be really short, as long as it’s not overly rushed or required parts left out. People shouldn’t be coming late or leaving early, though, unless they have no choice in the matter like an emergency.

The EF I attend on Sundays can be as long as they want it to be.

Now that I like!

 

[Cat]

I think the OP sounds like a Type A personality. It’s hard for these people to sit still and just “be.” They always feel as though they should be accomplishing something tangible. Type As sometimes feel that sleeping is a waste of time, so they try to get by on as little sleep as possible. And the idea of sitting on a beach doing nothing is intolerable to them–their idea of a great vacation is one with an action-packed itinerary!

I would suggest that the brothers and sisters on this thread ease up a little. I think this is a case in which the personality type is making it difficult for the person to experience Mass the way many of the Type Bs experience it–as a restful, fulfilling, restorative time. For the Type A, Mass just seems like a total waste of time, except for the “good part”–receiving the Lord. If a Type A could speak with the Lord Jesus, they would probably ask Him to eliminate all the “fluff” in Mass and just skip to the Main Event!

So I have a few suggestion for the OP.

First, go to the doctor and make sure that your blood pressure and lipids are healthy. Type As are often dangerously close to having a stroke or a heart attack.

Second, buy a good book about Mass and read about all the different parts of Mass and what they mean. Knowing exactly what the purpose of each part of the Mass is will help you to not feel as though you are wasting your time. I would suggest Scott Hahn’s The Lamb’s Supper. It’s short, so it shouldn’t take you long. But it’s pithy, so very worthwhile. Read it while you are in the bathroom, or waiting in line at the grocery store.

Third, try to find ways to double your time at Mass. E.g., during the hymns, pray over each phrase in the hymn. Think of someone (yourself?) that the phrase applies to and then pray for that person. During the Scripture reading, use your OWN Bible and highlight the verses that you like, and then jot the verses that you REALLY like down in your PDA or Daytimer so you can read them when you have a spare moment (in a line at the store, etc.). During the homily, take notes–buy a little notebook exclusively for this purpose and keep a record of the homilies. Again, anything that you especially like should be put into your PDA or Daytimer for encouragement at a later time. During the Sign of Peace, make it a goal to really NOTICE who you are offering the peace to, and after Mass, meet them in the lobby or parking lot, ask their name, and write it down in your PDA or Daytimer; soon you’ll feel a lot more like part of the family as you know lots of names.

etc. You get the idea.

Finally, do NOT pray for God to help you change unless you are prepared for Him to answer that prayer! Many a busy Type A person has been forced to slow down or stop altogether when a stroke, heart attack, arthritis, nervous breakdown, or some other physical manifestation of their dangerous lifestyle forces them to grind their activity-driven life to a halt.

 

[twopekinguys]

(keep in mind two things: 1) this parish was farther away than the closest parish, and I didn’t mind spending more time driving to and from the new parish; 2) I’m fairly spiritual in that I spend 30-45 minutes in private prayer per day, and in addition say the rosary with my wife the four days of the week she doesn’t work.)

So you’ll spend extra time in your car driving to another parish for a shorter Mass? Are you not seeing how illogical this is?

Add your extra drive time to the 45 minute Mass that you’re so fond of, then compare it with the time spent driving to your local parish with a Mass that lasts about an hour (give or take).

Next you’ll be asking to just walk in, receive communion and leave.

 

[Catholicben]

Personally, I love long masses. Ordinations, Chrism Mass, etc… can all go for 2 hours easily.

Our normal sunday mass w/ Bishop Morlino at the Cathedral Parish can go at least 1:15-1:30. Today with the may crowning, it was at least 1:35, maybe more.

Just my opinion.

All the parts of the Mass must be said according to the rubrics. Say the black, do the red. simple.
…

Someone has been reading Fr. Z…

 

[ProVobis]

They don’t even have 30 mins to spend with our Lord at daily mass???

When work only allows you 20-60 minutes for lunch, it’s hard to spend more. But don’t forget, the Church is usually open if you want to visit the Blessed Sacrament.

 

[boatbearer]

Maybe you can’t find many parishes that have mass in under an hour because there aren’t many. The priest that has taken things from the mass has done so against the GIRM - the instructions for the mass.

The Ordinary Form (OF) of the mass is actually shorter than the Extraordinary Form (EF), but things shouldn’t be much shorter than the OF.

I really can’t see why you are begrudging God 15 extra minutes of your time on Sunday morning. Those minutes really are not a waste.

That’s not true.

The OF using all the allowed Bells & Smells takes at least as long as a Pontifical High EF Mass.

The OF using absolutely none of the approved options still takes longer than the Low EF Mass.

 

[ccolley]

Why is the mass so long?

i found this site when I googled “45 minute mass.” It started roughly 4 years ago when we were attending mass based on our sons’ schedules. After one such mass, my wife said, “you know, next time conor [our older son, now 25] is home, we ought to go to mass here, because at least the homily won’t alienate him.”

I thought about it and decided to start attending that parish because they always had good homilies. Eventually I joined the parish. It was some time after that that I noticed their Sunday masses generally ran 40-45 minutes. I even started running into people I knew from other parishes, who came there because the mass wasn’t “a big production” and was over in 45 minutes.

That’s when my problem started. I realized that the parish, headed by an irish priest, had cut out a lot of stuff that makes the mass longer. (in my previous parishes, masses ran close to an hour.)

Then that priest retired, and sure enough, his replacement started lengthening the mass. I started thinking more about the length of the mass, and it started to bug me that these guys (the priests) were wasting my time by lengthening the mass.

(keep in mind two things: 1) this parish was farther away than the closest parish, and I didn’t mind spending more time driving to and from the new parish; 2) I’m fairly spiritual in that I spend 30-45 minutes in private prayer per day, and in addition say the rosary with my wife the four days of the week she doesn’t work.)

So I started looking for another parish. It’s not easy to find a meaningful 45 minute mass. I just don’t like my time wasted, and I don’t like the fact that it appears that the mass has been lengthened for no other reason than to make it longer. Like longer = better.

I’ve a sneaking suspicion that somewhere along the line, someone said, hey the protestants go to church for two hours (or whatever it is), we better make ours longer.

My wife suggested I give up for lent obsessing about this, and I did. Yesterday it really bugged me, so here I am….i live in south jersey.

I’ve checked out all the parishes nearby, and they all run close to an hour.

Thanks for letting me rant a bit. I’m just wondering if I am alone in the way I think.

The modern Mass is relatively short compared to Masses in the Early Church…these Masses had HOMILIES that were 2-3 hours long. I sit back and relax at Mass. I consider it a “massage for my soul”! By Sunday, I usually really need one~ lol~
CC