Is Walking Out Of Mass The Answer? How Not To Lose Your Religion.

[AugustineA]

Yeah I get that. The parish closest to my apartment is pretty iffy in some times. No kneelers, no missals, they advertise communal absolution etc.

Despite that, I really enjoy the two priests there a lot.

 

No kneelers?  No KNeelers!?

 

That's just weird.. How on earth do people kneel? I once kneeled on brick for a long time because this elderly lady did it and I figured I wasn't going to let some elderly out-Catholic me.  :pirate2:

[CrossCuT]

No kneelers?  No KNeelers!?

 

That's just weird.. How on earth do people kneel?

 They dont

[AccountDeleted]

No kneelers?  No KNeelers!?

 

That's just weird.. How on earth do people kneel? I once kneeled on brick for a long time because this elderly lady did it and I figured I wasn't going to let some elderly out-Catholic me.  :pirate2:

 

 

In some California churches we weren't expected to kneel - but to stand instead or just sit. I used to kneel anyway and of course people would look at me strangely as if I were doing something strange. In one church that I went to here in Australia the chairs are so close together that kneeling was impossible.

 

And then in France, even though there are kneelers in the pews, the people would stand for prayers before Mass and at certain point during the Mass where one would expect to kneel. I don't know if this is everywhere, but it happened in Biarritz and St Jean Pied de Port.

 

In Spain however, we were back to kneeling again. It's a bit like the Our Father and the sign of peace- different places do it differently. But yeah, the no kneeling part isn't easy to take.

[TheresaThoma]

Something everyone needs to remember is that the Mass isn't about you. Many people want to make the Mass just about them and God, they don't want to be bothered by anyone else. Thus you get the hissy fits when someone feels the homily isn't speaking to them/ they don't feel spiritual fed. However we must remember that the Mass is a PUBLIC liturgy, it is about us as a community/family not as individuals. As many of you had pointed out at Masses you felt like you weren't getting much out of someone else really needed to hear what the priest was saying. 

So maybe instead of walking out we need to start walking in, to our priests office and talk to them. If you don't want to set up an appointment, give them a call or drop them an email. Talk with them and let them know what you need. They can't help if they don't know what is wrong, and don't forget to tell them what they are doing right. Lastly pray for them!

[cmaD2006]

Hmmm.  This one is a hard one.

 

a) honestly, I'd rather NO homily than a really, really bad one.  I can focus on the Word of God during a silent time of reflection than trying to make sense of a homily gone bad

b) I don't think I've ever walked out of a Mass (unless I've had to get to work... in which case I am leaving Mass early because I have to get back to work).  But I have left parishes.  But when I leave a parish it is usually a combination of circumstances, not just a single problem (such as the homily).

c) I *do* dare speak up.  Case in point -- I had a poignant argument about kneeling to receive communion (note -- I do it only at my home parish, because I'd rather not get into an argument at a parish that I'm just visiting) with a visiting priest at my home parish.  Gosh -- it was a multi-day argument filled with Church docs and the like.  And even culminated with being told "you should have taken it as an opportunity to be humble and not argued..." by the priest (lol).  Well -- the result is that the priest and I now have a mutual respect for one another, that probably would not have happened if we had not argued it out.  Also -- with the priest at my parish, there have been more than one occasion where I have pointed out issues/problems/concerns, including a question with his terminology during a homily at Mass (I got angry due to the use of a particular term).  Once we discussed it he realized that his use of a term was not 100% clear, and he understood my viewpoint (and was going to try to remember to clarify the term the next time he used it).

 

So ... I'd speak up if there's an issue with what is happening.  And well, if appropriate after talking then walk :). 

[EmilyAnn]

While thankfully I have been lucky enough to attend some wonderful parishes and have only once found a parish I find spiritually unfulfilling even if the homily doesn't inspire me greatly, I am still even there just immensely grateful that I have a Mass to go to at all. I spent many years living in the Middle East as a child. There were no priests, no churches, no Mass. The practice of Christianity was illegal. My first Communion was at a secret, illegal Mass when a priest was brought over by an embassy. Every Mass I attend now, inspiring or otherwise, is a gift because being without it is really not great. So those memories are what get me through an uninspiring Mass because I appreciate just being able to be there. 

 

My point isn't that other people have it tougher so su.ck it up. You could have it worse, true. But if something is bad, work on fixing it. There are problems in the Church, that is true. But will walking away change that? No. 

 

And of course pray for priests. It's a tough gig!

[Norseman82]

The other thing to remember is that you can't please everybody.  The average parish congregation is a demographic mixture.  As an example, if I were a priest, I would find it difficult at best being able to deliver a much-needed homily for adults on such issues such as contraception, sexual morality, etc. when there are also children in the congregation. 

[r2Dtoo]

To have attended 100 000 Masses, assuming you went to one Mass every day since the day you were born, you would have to be nearly 274 years old. :|

 

Did you remember to subtract Good Friday from your daily Mass count?  If you do that, it would be, like, totally feasible and stuff.

[Winchester]

If you walk out of Mass, you burn forever in the magnesium and hydrogen fueled fires of Hell.

[CrossCuT]

I wont because Im gonna upload myself to a computer before I die.

[Nihil Obstat]

Did you remember to subtract Good Friday from your daily Mass count?  If you do that, it would be, like, totally feasible and stuff.

Mass of the Presanctified.