Why the clapping?

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Mathieu said:
The clapping wouldn’t last long anyway, as long as it’s after mass people who do want to pray can continue praying after.
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You would have to wait quite a while after Mass at my parish to get quiet time. It is a small town parish and most people know each other. The clapping might be over but the talking and laughing can go on a long time. It is pretty difficult to pray after Mass.
 
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I don’t mind seeing a community building, isn’t that kind of the purpose of getting together in person to have Mass?
 
We have had priests who have encouraged clapping after Mass and they most usually always say, “lets applaud the choir” or “let’s applaud the musicians” and sometimes “lets applaud the altar servers”. Not too long ago, “applaud yourself for saying the rosary”. The other night at Christmas Eve we had a beautiful Mass and then at the end, “let’s applaud the choir for giving us beautiful music”.

As others have said if the musicians, or choir are there to get applause from the parishioners rather than singing to God, they are up there singing for the wrong reasons.

It seems like we have gotten so far away from understanding that Mass is the sacrifice, we have come to see it as needing to be entertaining, so when we like the music, we feel we need to applaud. Except for probably the videos of those applauding the elevation because of cultural reason, we are not giving praise to God by applauding after Mass.

Sorry, but IMHO, clapping after Mass is definitely applauding the musicians and should not be done.
 
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We had a little clapping after Mass this Christmas, the musicians had finished doing the last hymn, and were just playing other songs, no singing just music and when they finished a few people clapped. This was as people were leaving though not during part of the Mass.
 
We worship in community; we worship God as community, as the Mystical Body of Christ.

We can get to know each other before and after Mass, outside the church. We don’t need to visit with each other to do this: we need to simply pray the Mass, take part in the prayers, the motions of the Body praising God as One.

This will probably get me some more accusations of judgmental but here goes: the clapping for each other and the talking to each other as community building is a sign in the Mass that we, the Church, are focused inwardly on ourselves, rather than on God and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
 
I heard the end of Christmas Day Mass in the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, on the radio yesterday. The celebrant thanked the choir and those who helped prepare for the Mass. Clapping started, although it sounded a bit hesitant at first.

He then thanked the congregation and said ‘Clap for yourselves!’
 
The purpose of the Mass as community is about the “unity” part. We are in union with God and each other to participate in the sacrifice of the Mass. There is one purpose of the Mass, the Eucharist.

Building community is done outside of Mass.
 
Here’s where I disagree. Being a community in Christ doesn’t mean that we ignore each other. By ignoring everyone else at Mass it’s a sign that we’re too focused inwardly on ourselves rather than on the Church (meaning the group of people coming together to worship, rather than the physical building).

The whole reason God wanted a Church was so that christians can get together as a community and believe together.
 
What you said was Mass is intended to build community. I disagreed, stating building community is done outside the Mass.
 
One does not clap for a servant in his masters house. It is irreverent and disrespectful to our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament to clap like this at mass.
 
Mathieu said:
The whole reason God wanted a Church was so that christians can get together as a community and believe together.
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Perhaps God wanted a Church community that does correct liturgical worship, and saves the community building activities for “not during correct liturgical worship.”
 
semper_catholicus said:
One does not clap for a servant in his masters house. It is irreverent and disrespectful to our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament to clap like this at mass.
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Please enjoy the almost four minutes of this applause in the Vatican Basilica as a response to the words of the Cardinal Secretary of State to His Holiness.

It was a beautiful moment leading up to the end of Benedict’s papacy.

 
semper_catholicus said:
One does not clap for a servant in his masters house. It is irreverent and disrespectful to our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament to clap like this at mass.
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The rites of ordination, among other rites, stipulate that applause by the liturgical assembly is an appropriate response

 
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Don_Ruggero said:
Please enjoy the almost four minutes of this applause in the Vatican Basilica as a response to the words of the Cardinal Secretary of State to His Holiness.
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I can’t imagine him scolding the congregation for clapping, as was inferred in an earlier post on this topic. My own pastor was just installed a week ago and we had an exuberant chorus of tears and clapping as our Bishop presided over his oath as our new shepherd and initiated this appropriate response.
 
Sirach2 said:
I can’t imagine him scolding the congregation for clapping, as was inferred in an earlier post on this topic. My own pastor was just installed a week ago and we had an exuberant chorus of tears and clapping as our Bishop presided over his oath as our new shepherd and initiated this appropriate response.
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Of course he would not. Far from it. For those who were there, it was one of the clearest manifestations of the old maxim “vox populi, vox Dei” – it was a moment inspired by the Holy Spirit which touched everyone.

I would always tell our ordinandi to enjoy the standing ovation they would receive at the moment of election during the Mass of Ordination – it is likely the only time they will experience such enthusiastic unanimity from the People of God in the whole of their years of public ministry. Although, as you say, it can also be manifested in the Rite for the Installation of a Pastor or on the occasion of a jubilee of ordination. From experience, I can say that it is a very moving moment.
 
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I agree it’s not a big deal, but I do think it lends itself to the wrong impression: that the choir is performing for the congregation. They are not, they are part of the congregation, just leaving the sung prayers.
 
His Holiness disapproved of applause breaking out in the Liturgy.
 
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