However, here’s what was a distraction to active participation in the Wedding Feast of the Lamb in all of its eschatological dimensions, new texts or not:
1. Mass opening with the suggestion that we turn to our neighbor and introduce ourselves.
2. The show-tune style Kyrie accompanied by a piano and a cantor singing like a Broadway soloist with arms stretched wide and a big grin.
3. The mother in front of me giving animal crackers to her over-the-age-of-first-Communion daughter and assisting in her breaking the Communion fast.
4. The permanent deacon leaving the sanctuary and pacing back and forth in the front aisle, preaching for 13 minutes and never once mentioning the Gospel reading from the Mass.
5. More piano-accompanied Broadway-style singing during Communion complete with a wide wavy vibrato and vocal scooping.
6. The general roar of conversation in the church after Mass with no interest at all in reverent silence.
Praise God that we have elegant and elevated new texts. But they were almost forgotten among the mundane, the un-liturgical and the just plain tacky. Much work remains to be done in implementing the riches of the Council.
November 27, 2011 at 2:46 am
Riches of the Council?
November 27, 2011 at 2:55 am
It went by pretty much the same at my neighborhood parish. Especially the "touchdown" gestures and Broadway music. Only difference was that the priest gave a pretty good homily on the gift of salvation and on the meaning behind "for many" in the new translation. While the texts of the Mass and the homily were very beautiful, everything else was just sort of distracting. Sometimes going to Mass seems like doing penance for me.
November 27, 2011 at 3:03 am
Haven't gone yet but Archbishop Schwietz here in Anchorage, AK took this opportunity to change the norms back to kneeling post-Holy Communion and to limit the time spent during the Sign of Peace, etc.
Here is a post with related links.
http://thedevoutlife.blogspot.com/2011/11/advent-has-arrived-and-mass-changes-are.html
November 27, 2011 at 4:33 am
the outstretched hands, the over the top singing (did they fail the audition at the Holiday Inn?)and the meet and greet are just a few of the annoying parts of the post-V2 Mass that I find most annoying. Meet and greet each other after Mass in the vestibule or outside. that was the way pre-V2.As for the songs face it Catholics can't go gospel music, stick to the traditional songs,let the evangelical Protestants try the new songs. I'm just glad to see the pendulum swinging back
November 27, 2011 at 2:12 pm
1. Mass opening with the suggestion that we turn to our neighbor and introduce ourselves…after a person has to climb over them for a seat, it is really hard to feel welcome.
2. The show-tune style Kyrie accompanied by a piano and a cantor singing like a Broadway soloist with arms stretched wide and a big grin.The saloon is down the street.
3. The mother in front of me giving animal crackers to her over-the-age-of-first-Communion daughter and assisting in her breaking the Communion fast…instead of instilling the reverence and awe due to the King of Kings, God of the world and Holy Redeemer, an exercise in the metaphysical.
4. The permanent deacon leaving the sanctuary and pacing back and forth in the front aisle, preaching for 13 minutes and never once mentioning the Gospel reading from the Mass. Purgatory.
5. More piano-accompanied Broadway-style singing during Communion complete with a wide wavy vibrato and vocal scooping. Revelry because our golden calf…??
6. The general roar of conversation in the church after Mass with no interest at all in reverent silence. Irreverent, rude, inconsiderate. Turning one's back to the Real Presence of Christ in the tabernacle and in our bodies for the twenty or so minutes Our Lord stays with us in the Host. Parking one's butt on the back of the pew with one's back to the altar and tabernacle. If Christ turned His back to us in the same way…
Let me add: The Kiss of Peace, the priest leaving Jesus on the altar to offer the peace of Christ to the guy in the back pew might be compared to being introduced to the Queen of England, leaving her there and running out to shake hands with the taxi cab driver who brought us. Get the Real Presence.
Jesus Christ is a PERSON.
November 27, 2011 at 2:22 pm
Oh, Yes, the women with dresses bare to the back and black nail polish. Unless there are no more living breathing males, women in the sanctuary are truly missing their vocation, which would be bringing men into the sanctuary. Disrespect by any other word.
November 27, 2011 at 3:25 pm
Because of the big word "consubstantiation" in the Creed, and probably no one knowing what it meant the priest substituted the Apostles Creed instead. No explanation of the meaning of "consubstantiation" (a good homily subject??), no instructions to go home and learn what it means. Most of the parishioners used the old wording, either in defiance or being oblivious to instruction, the missals and the pew cards. Not a big difference, as the priest told us.
November 27, 2011 at 3:32 pm
Oh yeah, who composed the Broadway Gloria?, Sanctus?, Acclamation?, etc. Is he a practicing Catholic? When does the scantily dressed gals in the chorus line come in and really get us worked up?
Lord have mercy on your Church.
November 27, 2011 at 4:25 pm
Anonymous 10:25: the word is "consubstantial" not "consubstiation." Consusbstantial means "of one substance" with the Father… a good theological idead. Consubstantiation was a doctrine of Martin Luther about the Eucharist.
November 27, 2011 at 4:45 pm
Just got home from mass. No riots, protesters, or even confusion. I attend a pretty average parish.
November 27, 2011 at 5:36 pm
I love the new translation. The only stumbling at my parish was that a few forgot the "and with your spirit" a few times. I am a bit of a language and grammar geek, but I have to say that I loved the new wording in the Eucharistic Prayer. It is both beautiful and pleasing to the ears.
NOW, let's get down to doing something about the dreadful state of music! Anyone know if such an overhaul is coming down the pike?
~Elodie
November 27, 2011 at 5:38 pm
I'm stuck at my in-laws' parish for the Thanksgiving Weekend. I'm not sure if I can bring my family back.
The priest started out by welcoming us to the first Sunday of Advent as we "lurch back to the 16th century" to applause from the congregation. Most of the people around me snickered and complained every time something new was said. The priest also mentioned that "we" don't agree with the theology of the new translation and that we'd say the Apostles Creed because we "all" agree with it.
Sadly, I spent the Mass angry and was in no shape to receive our Lord.
What do I do in a case like this? I don't want to go back, but if we don't, my in-laws will scream at us.
November 27, 2011 at 5:45 pm
Ours has been practicing for over a month now so most people have gotten it, even without the help cards. Some people seem to refuse to use it (or just plain forget). I actually struggled with trying to figure out the Missle as I've never had to actually "use" one beyond the readings (there were no more cheat cards left by the time I got there and the cheat cards were VERY straight forward)
November 27, 2011 at 6:18 pm
I'm from a parish much like this one, and encounter the same distractions whenever we visit my parents and attend Mass together.
Now we live in a very small more traditional parish and distractions (although somewhat present) are kept to a minimum. Many of the congregation had trouble following the help cards, and Father stumbled a little as well. But we did pretty good for our first time!
November 27, 2011 at 6:23 pm
Since I vaguely remember the NEW responses which are actually the correct ones, I did not have any trouble with that. I watched the Mass on EWTN and it actually to my great surprise brought tears to my eyes to hear these new words the priests use, I had not shed any tears during any Novus Ordo Mass but I did during the last Latin Mass that was broadcast on the network 2 years ago. The deacon used inclusive language though.
November 27, 2011 at 6:31 pm
No grumbling, snark, or heads exploding at our parish. I wonder if the same grumblers at change in the Holy Mass were shouting "Change! Yes we can!" a couple of years ago. I smiled at the wisdom of the new translation as I saw the connection between a key phrase in the opening prayer and a phrase in the first reading.
Each "And with your spirit" was delivered by our congregation with great gusto.
November 27, 2011 at 6:36 pm
Joe W., I posted "Consubstantiation" not "ConsubstIATION" (as long as we are in nitpicking mode). I completely throw myself on the mercy of the readers for my writing the wrong form of the word that is in the Creed, in case anyone else was wondering. Mea Culpa. I do know what "consubstantial" means. The point was the priest used it for an excuse to use the Apostles Creed instead, probably because it is shorter and a petty way of wiggling out of using the new translation.
November 27, 2011 at 8:28 pm
Our parish is what I would consider a conservative, by-the-book, midwestern parish. Always proper vesture, no guitar Masses, no meet-n-greets at the beginning of Mass. Our pastor has just returned from a 3 month sabbatical to Rome and clearly, was a bit under-prepared at the Saturday evening vigil Mass. He chose to concelebrate with our VERY rubrically-correct young assistant. Monsignor and the young assistant were on point with all the Propers (but a little deliberate). The Eucharistic Prayer (III) was slow, but completely correct. Chanting was at a minimum. The people messed up a few "And with your sprirts" but there were no riots and no major slips. The "through my faults," "I believes," "consubstantial," "under my roofs" all went well. The only major flub was in the final blessing when Monsignor reverted to the older form, stopped himself and started over. That was all. I agree with most, our music needs work. Introits and Communion Antiphons would be refreshing. Baby steps. I just wonder if the aging hippie, leftist-voting, youth-guitar-group-founders in the congregation were rolling their eyes at the new translation as much as we all have rolled ours at the "old new" translation and it's associated abuses, for the past 42 years … ?
November 27, 2011 at 8:30 pm
What did you expect. The Church is in a mess. An accurate translation of the Mass is not going to change anything overnight.
November 27, 2011 at 8:34 pm
"Consubstantiation was a doctrine of Martin Luther about the Eucharist."
Minor quibble: While Luther taught that the bread and wine remain with the body and blood of Christ, he rejected Aristotelian categories of explanation, and so asserting that Luther taught "consubstantiation" would not be technically incorrect.