Buddy Jesus? No way.
With moving far away comes the tedious task of finding new things. Things like grocery stores, banks, gyms and... churches. Lincoln and I are back to church shopping and it's not been going so well. We were pleasantly surprised that there are many many Catholic churches in and around Danbury, but after testing Sunday mass in 4 of them, we are getting a little discouraged. The problem is, that too many pastors feel the need to "improve" services or at least make them much more appealing and apropriate for the average church-goer - according to their opinion of course.
Catholic mass has a set liturgy, so there are few variations on the theme. The service consists of prayers, hymns and readings, all in an already given order and there is not much room for change, except for the decision on what hymns will be sung and who will read what. I like that. Wherever you go in the world, you will find the same service you attend at home, so even if you don't understand the language, you will be able to follow because you know what's happening. To me, this is a beautiful sign of unity and universality and apart from that it gives room for meditation - because you're never confused about what's to come and you can deepen your prayers through the repetition.
Now, the homily is the only time that is basically free to improvise. Well, not really, but it's easy to break the rules on this one, because there are no instructions on what is to be said. So, when we visit the new church, I do just fine the first 20 minutes, but then I start cringing, getting a little nervous... and there it is, the homily. What will it be? A thoughtful lecture on the scripture passage or an opportunity to finally turn this dreadfully unfun service into a fun, happy performance with jokes, songs and ah, SO FUNNY anecdotes!
Yikes. See, I don't like fun in church. Yeah, you heard me. I DON'T LIKE FUN IN CHURCH. I can have fun any time of the day, any day of the week. I can turn on the TV: FUN! I can get together with my friends: FUN! I can chase Digby around the table: FUN FUN FUN! But in church, no fun for me. I want the peace, the reverence, the simple meditation on the reading. Why do priests think we need to be entertained? There are a million distractions I can use every day to forget about my problems, my relationships, my failures. In church, I want to find some direction, some guidance, some encouragement and comfort. That's not boring to me, I find it very interesting, very very much so. I need it. I really need it. Don't make me sing "Happy Birthday" to a 12-year-old with a funny hat on during your homily. Please, just say something that will help me get through next week. Say something, that will help me have more faith, feel more loved, see more meaning. I don't want a joke, I just want some truth.
There are priests who are openly rebellious and will implement their "improvements" beyond the homily. They will switch stuff around, change the wording, add something, skip something, they are smarter than aaall the people of the last 2000 years of church history combined. And then there are those who are not so daring, they will just use their homily slot as free ad-lib time. They have a nervous laugh - and they use it a lot. They want you to like them, so they make it fun, because, well, you couldn't possibly be mature enough, or interested enough or religious enough that you would seriously want to sit through a whole homily without one funny joke or a silly party hat. Let's hear it for Jesus everybody! Yaaaaay!
After I get mad, I get sad. And a little hopeless. I didn't think I was asking too much. What does it say about me when I feel more at home at a Portuguese mass where I don't understand one single word, than at an English-speaking one where I just don't understand the "entertainment"?
Posted at 01:46 PM on August 20, 2004
Come to Pennsylvania! I have yet to experience the type of homily you speak of... and I have a feeling I'd cringe just as much if I ever did.
Here, the priests seem to have their little trade-mark jokes & sayings, but use them when trying to illustrate a scripture and/or faith related point. The jokes also usually have some sort of religious theme.
About not liking fun in church... I think it's all in how you define fun. I prefer to think of church as the most fun part of my week. I think it's great fun to get together, in a community of people who believe the same things, and worship & praise God together. I do think that secular entertainment needs to be left at the door though. It's definitely unnecessary to sing Happy Birthday in the middle of Mass. Did you actually witness that???
Dinka, you are sooo right! By the way - "church shopping" in Vienna and Lower Austria can be very frustrating as well.
Hey Dinka, how'd it go this week?
After about 25 years of serving as a ministrant I used to "gauge" priests during the - I don't know the correct liturgical terms - calyx cleaning process after communion. When you observe the priest's particularity or speediness and reverence in/while cleaning you may look directly at the bottom of his heart!
This is a never misleading gauge!
Dinka,
If I may suggest,look for a Parish run by Franciscans. IMNSHO, they seem to be just a little more straightforward about things.
I enjoy the traditional mass, and was discombobulated over the need for a hip feeling in the mass too. I went to Mass at every Catholic church in Charlotte (all Eight of them!) and always came back to the OFM Caps.