Something New for Sunday Mass...

I met an old friend who was at my parish for Mass this past Sunday. During our conversation after Mass, he let me know why he came - more disappointment.

The reason for another of his many disappointments was written in a recent Sunday bulletin:

Beginning this Sunday our Lectors will be giving a brief welcome before Mass begins. We will announce the names of the Celebrant and the Deacon, recognize special groups, and invite you to greet those around you. This is a common practice in many parishes and we think that it will add a welcoming touch as we gather each Sunday as a faith community.

Being a "common practice" in some parishes does not make it something to be imitated, but then, some parishes are always ready to disrupt whatever sacred silence might be left after decades of assault on the sacred and defective catechesis on the Holy Mysteries, prayer and meditation.

The "General Instruction of the Roman Missal" states (#45):

"Sacred silence also, as part of the celebration, is to be observed at the designated times...Even before the celebration itself, it is commendable that silence be observed in the church, in the sacristy, in the vesting room and in adjacent areas, so that all may dispose themselves to carry out the sacred action in a devout and fitting manner."

Father Eugene Hemrick, director of the Washington, D.C.-based National Institute for the Renewal of the Priesthood, wrote, in an article last month, that we should be make our churches temples of reverence - someting which is difficult to do when outside "noise" is deliberately introduced in a church.

When you enter a church, are you gripped with a sense of reverential awe? Does stillness and order speak of being in God’s presence? On the other hand, does entering give the impression of a social gathering of friends?
. . .
Several years ago, a classmate and I visited a newly constructed church. As we entered, a woman was standing at the lectern hollering instructions to young people about an upcoming social event. My classmate remarked, "The lectern should be kept sacred for the Word of God. It’s not a public podium!"

At first I thought this a bit conservative...With the recent concern of Pope Benedict XVI about the surge in secularism and loss of sacredness, I have had a change of mind. I now wonder whether our churches are unconsciously contributing to this.

Some are contributing to this, and perhaps, it is due to ignorance. It's difficult to imagine how one could intentionally want to do this. Nevertheless, it amounts to substituting the profane for the sacred.

How to get more of our society into the temple and its divine mysteries is one of the biggest challenges of our times. This is especially true of attracting our youth, who are brought up in overstimulated environments.

What is there to attract them to our churches? Do we compete with their music and employ upbeat songs? Do we provide a more inviting social atmosphere for them? Do we focus on contemporary homilies that aim at their world of images? Or could it be that we are on the wrong track in this thinking?

How about thinking counterculture? Instead of increasing stimulation in our churches, make them quiet, awesome temples.

A sacred place which reminds all who enter that they have left the secular world, if only for a brief time, and entered into the house of God and that we are there to worship Him and thank Him...