Pet peeves at Mass

mountainyman

My pet peeve is when everyone is cheerful when we implore Christ for mercy.

I like mass to be solemn and gloomy. I like it when the priest is aware that the consecrated host is the LITERAL body of Christ.

My other pet peeve is folk masses. But I don't think they should be abolished. They do nothing for me but if they help someone else feel ana wareness of God why should I quibble.

MM

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

I like mass to be solemn and gloomy. I like it when the priest is aware that the consecrated host is the LITERAL body of Christ.

I always thought it was bread...

Sapien

The spiritual emptiness, moral bankruptcy, cultural stagnancy and social atavism. Apart from that, it's all great.

Mrs. MacGyver

When i used to go with my gran, i used to dislike the way people left after communion. i mean dont you go for the whole sermony not just the select bits you want to stay for?
Sorry, but it's the one thing about mass that annoyed me when i used to go.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

no, you go to receive the sacrament.. once you have that, why should you wait around. You've already received the jesus-bread... you're as holy and pure as you're going to get for another 7 days.

Mrs. MacGyver

Waht about the blessing at the end. is nt that important too like? But i suppose as you said the eucharist is the central thing for Cathoilcs to nourish them for the week ahead. Thanks!:)

Wishbone Ash

Having to offer a sign of peace to someone who has spent the entire service blowing their nose, picking their ears, handling their hair and cleaning their dentures.

arctic lemur

oh thats nasty

UU

My pet peeve is when mass is all solemn and gloomy. I like it when the minister takes the once every three months communion as metaphorically the body of Jesus (I loved the Jacob's Creek wine and the homemade bread we had last time!!!). Mass is great when it's all happy, gay and joyous. Why be gloomy and sad. It is the once a week occasion to reflect on spirituality and be grateful for everthing you have. But Unitarians are always happy anyway! I think it's due to the lack of a dogma......

mountainyman

UU wrote:

I like it when the minister takes the once every three months communion as metaphorically the body of Jesus

Surely that's a 'Church Service' not a mass.

UU wrote:

(I loved the Jacob's Creek wine and the homemade bread we had last time!!!).

I think we should use homemade bread sometimes; what is the deal with those bloody (geddit) wafers.

UU wrote:

Why be gloomy and sad. It is the once a week occasion to reflect on spirituality and be grateful for everthing you have...

In order to abase yourself before God; consider his majesty; and what it means to exist in a divinely created universe.
In other words to allow the sacred and sacerdotal to replace the mundane.

UU wrote:

But Unitarians are always happy anyway! I think it's due to the lack of a dogma...

What's good about that? It sounds like morality without the sacred.


MM

mountainyman

Sapien wrote:

The spiritual emptiness, moral bankruptcy, cultural stagnancy and social atavism. Apart from that, it's all great.

Stagnation not stagnancy and what's wrong with atavism? This country has lost all sense of the spiritual, how do you propose we regain it?


Paulo Coelho or that sort of stuff?

MM

lowdenclear

Mrs. MacGyver wrote:

Waht about the blessing at the end. is nt that important too like? But i suppose as you said the eucharist is the central thing for Cathoilcs to nourish them for the week ahead. Thanks!:)

Yes, the final blessing is very important too.

It bugs me too, people leaving after communion. If you went for dinner to someone else's house, would you leg it out the door as soon as you'd finished your last mouthful? I wouldn't like to think it...

lowdenclear

mountainyman wrote:

I think we should use homemade bread sometimes; what is the deal with those bloody (geddit) wafers.

Did they use homemade bread at the Passover???

Sapien

mountainyman wrote:

Stagnation not stagnancy and what's wrong with atavism? This country has lost all sense of the spiritual, how do you propose we regain it?


Paulo Coelho or that sort of horsehit?

MM

It is never a good idea to question my power over words.

I value spirituality a very great deal. In all of the island of Ireland I would say that about two dozen people find genuine spirituality in Roman Catholicism.

I used the word "atavism" in modification by the adjective "social". Perhaps that is the answer to your question.

And one man's horse**** is another man's manna. Evidently.

mountainyman

Sapien wrote:

It is never a good idea to question my power over words..

where words are unclear they are badly used.

Sapien wrote:

I value spirituality a very great deal. In all of the island of Ireland I would say that about two dozen people find genuine spirituality in Roman Catholicism.
...

Curious coincidence to find one of them on a Christianity based message board. I don't go on to the Paulo Coelho or the Irish Psychics Live message board and slag them off.*

Your interjection was grotesquely inappropriate. I should be able to discuss my faith on this message board without having it attacked by those who don't share it.

*Though I would slag Paulo Coelho off on the literatire message board.

Dades

mountainyman wrote:

I should be able to discuss my faith on this message board without having it attacked by those who don't share it.

That looked to me like an observation based on experience, not an attack. But at least you've made it clear that you're not open to genuine discussion.

Sapien

mountainyman wrote:

where words are unclear they are badly used.

The word was correct and used properly. If you're annoyed at me, try to express it in a more direct, valid and less ridiculous way, won't you?

mountainyman wrote:

Curious coincidence to find one of them on a Christianity based message board. I don't go on to the Paulo Coelho or the Irish Psychics Live message board and slag them off.*

Perhaps you should. It would be fascinating to see how long you might last.

mountainyman wrote:

Your interjection was grotesquely inappropriate. I should be able to discuss my faith on this message board without having it attacked by those who don't share it.

You really haven't thought about this enough, old bean. The question posed by the OP sought for people to express what annoyed them when they attended mass. You must remember that there are a great many people who attend, or at one time did attend mass on a regular basis, but who are not Catholic. Many, in fact, have come to despise Catholicism. I was one of these, though I have become a little more serene in my attitude towards the religion. Nevertheless, when I was at mass - needless to say involuntarily - a great many things "peeved" me. That's what I have described. I can imagine few responses more appropriate.

A community forfeits the right to object to "interjections" when it routinely imposes itself upon others. Catholicism doesn't exactly mind its own business - it is, by its very nature, intrusive. Occasionally you will have to expect to deal with some vocal condemnation. Deal with it.

mountainyman

sapien I refer you to section 6 of the charter

Sapien

mountainyman wrote:

sapien I refer you to section 6 of the charter

Unreasonable antagonism to particular Christian churches (typically but not always Catholicism) will not be tolerated.

I have not said anything unreasonable. The original post asked a question, and I answered it ingenuously. It did not specify that these "peeves" should only be trivial or incidental qualms. I have a problem with Catholic mass, and now you know what it is. Perhaps you should be more careful in the questions you ask.

UU

Oh, please stop fighting! Life is too short to be argueing, isn't it? Peace, please guys!

Well, what annoyed me was when I used to be FORCED to attend Catholic mass when I was younger and didn't want it. It should be voluntary. And then another time when I was graduating from secondary school and I was forced to endure one and a half hours of irrelevent boredom. And my school was multi-denominational. Many people i know who attended community schools suffered the same problem as I. I mean when we are forced to do something, it brings out the rebel in each of us. If I lived in an Islamic country and was forced to pray to Mecca five times a day, it would probably do me a lot of good but being forced to do it, would make me hate it!

mountainyman

UU wrote:

Well, what annoyed me was when I used to be FORCED to attend Catholic mass when I was younger and didn't want it. It should be voluntary.

Not for kids. No way Jose.

MM

mountainyman

The Atheist wrote:

That looked to me like an observation based on experience, not an attack. But at least you've made it clear that you're not open to genuine discussion.

Not with atheists no. Your position is clear.

MM

robindch

> Not for kids. No way Jose.

Why should it be compulsory? Do you think it should it be compulsory for everybody? What would you do to people who don't do it?

mountainyman

Not let them make their holy communion or get a Christmas present.
If it was Christmas day and they'd just opened their presents (despite having specifically promised to wait until their Grandparents came over) I would force them.
MM

Sapien

mountainyman wrote:

Not with atheists no. Your position is clear.

MM

Oh good. I'm not an atheist. We may still have some charming exchanges to look forward to.

Or do you really mean: those who disagree with you in any way? What level of disagreement are you willing to countenance?

Mrs. MacGyver

What used to annoy me too about mass was the lack of variety in the Sermon. You need some thing worthwhile and different to mull over in each week in my view. Reason i'm saying this is the priest that's in the local parish (when i used to go) keeps turning his sermon each week to being a priest in America (my mother states he still does this!). Same story with little variation each week and no link to new/OT lessons/Gospel. I like the lessons/readings and the gospels to be linked to the sermon so as you can try to understand the meanings contained within. Sorry ,maby i'm just a very pensive person!

Dades

mountainyman wrote:

Not with atheists no. Your position is clear.

So can I conclude from this that if someone holds a belief different to yours, you will not engage in discussion with them?

I'd say you're the craic at dinner parties.

BrianCalgary

UU wrote:

Oh, please stop fighting! Life is too short to be argueing, isn't it? Peace, please guys!

Well, what annoyed me was when I used to be FORCED to attend Catholic mass when I was younger and didn't want it. It should be voluntary. And then another time when I was graduating from secondary school and I was forced to endure one and a half hours of irrelevent boredom. !

Welcome to life UU. Parents have the right and obligation to instill their mores and ideals on their children. When they hit majority it's up to them. Don't feel sorry for you at all about your 'borinng' ceremony either, we all have to attend thing slike this on a regular basis. I get 3 or 4 a year. And we do it because somone we love is involved and it is important to them.

UU

BrianCalgary wrote:

Welcome to life UU. Parents have the right and obligation to instill their mores and ideals on their children. When they hit majority it's up to them. Don't feel sorry for you at all about your 'borinng' ceremony either, we all have to attend thing slike this on a regular basis. I get 3 or 4 a year. And we do it because somone we love is involved and it is important to them.

Well my sister was baptised as Catholic but my parents have actually sat her down and told her if she wants to make her communion she can but if she doesn't want to they'll respect her decision. Sure, my friend's sister wasn't baptised until she was seven as her mam gave her a choice to make communion and she wanted to so she had to get baptised.

And about the "boring ceremony", it wasn't for someone I loved or anything, it was my supposably "multi-denominational school". If it were a Catholic school, it wouldn't bother me but I felt it was disrespectful to my religion and others. We wanted a multi-denominational service but our school had the say. If I had to attend another relgious ceremony, it would be out of respect for a particular person. For example, a wedding.

nesf

BrianCalgary wrote:

Parents have the right and obligation to instill their mores and ideals on their children.

Does this apply to all parents or just parents with socially acceptable mores and ideals? As in would I still have the above right if I was instilling ideals of hatred, racism or dishonesty? Or more importantly, should I? Though I would think that it is implicit in your statement that such mores and ideals must be acceptable within our society which changes the statement into it is the requirement of parents to maintain the status quo and refrain from teaching ideals that may not coincide with it.

nesf

nesf wrote:

Does this apply to all parents or just parents with socially acceptable mores and ideals? As in would I still have the above right if I was instilling ideals of hatred, racism or dishonesty? Or more importantly, should I?

The mother of the singing nazi twins certainly seems to find it acceptable

Doctor DooM

I have to say people this thread does nothing for those who previously had indifferent feelings towards the Catholic church... you wont talk to atheists? People who answer the question the thread asks are villified?

I used to go to mass. I used to read the scriptures. The thing I disliked about it, as I got a little older is that the whole thing felt completely soul dead. I am a spiritual person, and have had several reasons to return to mass, both Catholic and Church of Ireland. i have found both to have a hollow ring to it.

This doesn't mean I hate Catholicism. I like many Catholics. But mass is seriously flawed as I see it.

Asiaprod

SDooM wrote:

as I got a little older is that the whole thing felt completely soul dead. and But mass is seriously flawed as I see it.

Perfect, that explains my feelings on the issue of mass. Paulo Coelho, whom I happen to like a lot, had a great comment to make on the subject of mass and churches. "A church should be a place where anyone can come to offer praise or thanks to their figurehead and the priests and powers that be have no right using this action as a means to lay downs rules, guidelines or moral judgments. A God is a personal relationship."

aidan24326

Not with atheists no. Your position is clear

.

Mountainyman, you are effectively saying/admitting that you will not engage in any discussion with anyone who holds the opposing viewpoint to yourself e.g an atheist. So why do you bother going on a discussion forum at all then? Are you afraid of reasoned debate? Would you just prefer endless rounds of backslapping and comfortable agreement with people who totally agree with you? How interesting is that? Your attitude is somewhat typical, just blindly adhere to the same tired old dogma and how dare anyone question you since you have god on your side and are so obviously right? Is that it? If all Christians made such little attempt to defend their faith I daresay that god of yours would hardly be impressed. Saying 'I will not discuss/argue with those people' is just a cosy hiding place.

Michael G

Some (not all) of the moderators here are odd choices if the thread is about Christianity. I would like to take part in the Angling thread too, but if the moderators were animal liberationists or thought that all anglers were **** I might think again.

If we're talking about peeves about the Mass, then mine is about the way so many masses are about the priest and the people, and not about God. Why are we there, after all? (Those of us who go, that is.) I don't want to hear the priest's anecdotes or his spontaneous intrusions into the liturgy and I don't want to have to shake hands with other people when we are minutes away from bring present at the sacrifice and I should be focusing on that.