Faith News: August 2017

The rubrics for the mass can be found in the General Instruction for the Roman Missal (GIRM). Ergo, if it’s not there and you insist, you have been proselytized (to a degree).

1. Know the Readings – Read and study the readings before going to Mass.

2. Fasting for one hour – Current Code of Canon Law states, “One who is to receive the Most Holy Eucharist is to abstain from any food or drink, with the exception only of water and medicine, for at least the period of one hour before Holy Communion.” Chewing gum? Best that you be gum shy.

3. Modest attire – Dressing appropriately is a reflection of sincere faith. Remember, you are going to meet the King of Kings. Sunday clothing is the norm and not sundry clothing. The attention should be at the altar and not on us. And do not add electronic gadgets to call more attention, i.e. cell phones and camera. Remember the days when all we needed to point out was “Lady, your slip is showing.” or “Gentlemen, hats off please.”

4. Arrive on time – At a normal family meal, we all start together or wait for each other so as to say grace together. We cannot do nay less at Mass which begins and ends with the introductory rites and concluding rites. Assuming all diligence made and you walked in at the Psalm, you are excused for that time. After or perennially after, you will need to go to Confession first and feel the calm.

5. Genuflecting toward the Altar – Genuflecting is the most pronounced gesture we employ at Mass, so it is reserved for the highest good - the Eucharist. On our knees is where we belong. How do you know if you genuflected? Did your knee touch the floor? Yes, good. No, fail. If the Tabernacle is not in view, bow toward the altar.

6. Rushing through the motion of the Sign of the Cross - Let the words and gestures wash over you. Think about them. Relish them. After all, it is a prayer by itself. Thank God that you get to do them and join in the worship of the Catholics who lived two millennia ago.

7. Join the Community – The Church is the One Body of Christ. Let us be one, close to God at the Altar. Let us all move forward, in all its meaning. Back seats are reserved for the ushers. Let us give them a break. It is back-breaking enough to hush us in. Once inside, pray instead of talking or people watching.

8. Parents with small children – We should thank God for parents who bring and actually care to train their children in faith. Kids are equal to the adults in having every right (from baptism) to be present at Mass. Non-parents should just pitch-in and not pinch-in. However, when the priest can no longer be heard, it's a good indicator that it's time for the parent to take the child out for a bit nut not for a bite.

9. Life in the Sacristy – Though not a sacred place in the canonical sense, it enjoys the same prerogative as the church. Hush is still the rule as close by are those who are trying to worship. It’s definitely not meant to be an exclusive hang-out area.

10. Kneelers are not clappers – Kneelers are attractions and not distractions. They serve a purpose but definitely not purposely to attract attention. Imagine a barrage of bangs as we get ready for the most sacred part of the Mass – the Consecration. It is already too much for the kneelers to serve as a gavel sentencing Jesus to die on the cross.

11. Not saying the Responses – The 2 themes of Vatican II regarding the Mass call for (1) People of God and (2) Full and Active Participation. Not actively participating in the liturgy is a sign of poor disposition or not interiorly preparing oneself for the Mass. Also, gestures included here are to be done in reverence, i.e. Sign of the Cross; Act of Contrition; praying with palms together; bowing.

12. Not singing – Sacrosanctum Concilium on the Sacred Liturgy from the Second Vatican Council says, “Religious singing by the people is to be intelligently fostered so that in devotions and sacred exercises, as also during liturgical services, the voices of the faithful may ring out…” (118) Similar to ‘When in Rome, do as the Romans do" is ‘When Baptized, be like the Baptists.’

13. Mass Posture – Let’s make a point to know the postures. We stand to pray, because that is the posture of prayer from Temple worship. We kneel before the Eucharistic prayers, while waiting to receive Communion and right after receiving Jesus. Let’s also make a point to do them together, i.e. kneeling after we finish the Sanctus or sitting down only after the Host has been returned to the Tabernacle or when the Ciborium has left the Sanctuary (if the Tabernacle is not in view). As for the Communion procession, let us take cue from the ushers.

14. Relying on the priest for cue on what to do and say - The priest is not there to guide us through a lengthy routine of gestures, words, and postures. The priest is there to celebrate the sacred mysteries. Remember the 2nd theme of Vatican II - Full and Active Participation. As the saying goes – Do be do be do.

15. Nodding your head instead of a proper bow – A ‘profound bow’ is when you bow from the waist. When do we bow? When the congregation is incensed or when we approach the Altar and, of course, when we say ‘Amen’ before receiving Holy Communion. We bow our head only “when the three Divine Persons are named together, and at the names of Jesus, of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and of the saint in whose honor Mass is being celebrated”.

16. Clapping during and even at the end of Mass – Pope Benedict Emeritus wrote this before his pontificate: Wherever applause breaks out in the liturgy because of some human achievement, it is a sure sign that the essence of liturgy has totally disappeared and been replaced by a kind of religious entertainment. Encore.

17. Standing in Orans position during the Our Father - Orans position (hands extended to the side) is a posture that indicates that the priest is praying on our behalf, in persona Christi capitas, and so the rubrics do not even allow for deacons to do the same. While Orans is the Latin word for praying, lay use of the orans injects gestural disunity in liturgy and could further blur the differences between lay liturgical roles and those of priests. Also, it emphasizes a horizontal perspective when we ought to be focused on the vertical. (Interject the ‘The Five Finger Prayer’)

18. Walking around at the Sign of Peace - The rubrics tell us that it is “appropriate that each person offer the sign of peace only to those who are nearest and in a sober manner”. Ergo, while the Mass is a Sacrificial Meal, it is not a party or a social hour as the Altar serves not as a dining table but as a sacrificial altar. Peace.

19. Not striking your breast at the Confiteor – This is not optional? “Through my fault [pound], through my fault [pound], through my most grievous fault [pound]…” This should remind you that it hurts your heart when you offend God.

20. Bowing before receiving Communion – Genuflecting, no matter what others might say, is great. The least we could do, as we approach the Savior of All Mankind is to earnestly bow from the waist to show respect and gratitude. Kneeling is still the best.

21. Not saying ‘Amen’ before receiving Communion – We say ‘Amen’ to affirm belief in the Real Presence in both the Blessed Body and Blood of Christ. Be a man.

22. Receiving on the hand – Receiving on the hand or on the tongue are both perfectly licit and dignified options. Saint Cyril of Jerusalem wrote in the 4^th century: “Make your left hand a throne for your right, because your right is going to receive the King; make hollow of your palm and receive the body of Christ, saying after it: ‘Amen’” It would be an offense then to sneer at those receiving on their hand.

23. Receiving Communion in a state of mortal sin - According to Scripture, people have died for receiving with the improper disposition and worst disposition is as being in a state of mortal sin.

24. Leaving before the Mass is over – We depart after the celebrant. Avoid doing the ‘Judas Shuffle’ when instead of meaning ‘Amen’ on receiving Holy Communion we mean ‘Goodbye’ and leave after. Hang on till the end.

25. Holy Water – They say that doing the Sign of the Cross with Holy Water cleanses us of our little sins. So do not forget to do so before leaving if in case we committed some of the above mentioned miscues. Of course we do this also upon arrival in case we parked poorly at the parking lot. I speak with authority, I used to do parking ministry.

Sources: Epic Pew - David Rummelhoff / Forgotten Mass Etiquette - Karl Erickson