“Church fauxs pas”
Gee, I hardly know where to begin. Some observations:
Whatever happened to sliding over toward the middle? People cling to that aisle seat like either they’re on an airplane or they’re claustrophobic. I slide over rather than get run over.
The “sign of peace”. I’ve endured it for four decades, it sucks. Nowadays the “most precious thing in the church besides the Eucharist” whips out the Purell & sanitizes the hand that just shook yours. What really gets me is people waving at those too far away to press the flesh.
Celebrants whose witty words or congratulations provoke either laughter or applause during the Mass. Not appropriate, IMO; I would rather hear after “the Mass is ended” the words, “Please take your seats, I have a few announcements.” Even that is an assumption that the parishioners are too dense to take a copy of the church bulletin.
Excessive reverences at the taking of Holy Communion. Matter of opinion, got it.
Catholics are the worst singers (I know, have to keep it low in case Henry VIII’s police are lurking nearby) but do we have to be the worst dressers as well? I throw on a sport coat over my dress shirt & dockers & I’m considered a fop! Meanwhile a few blocks away at the A.M.E. church the black folks are dressed to the nines, right down to the smallest children. Something about entering the House of the Lord.
(Rare) Aggressive ethnics. I was at Mass out of town; behind me was a woman pointedly saying the responses in Spanish even though there is a Missa en espanol on the schedule. Loud & proud.
What else? As for women in miniskirts or bikini coverups, I have learned to elevate my eyes & pray, “I thank Thee, Lord, for granting Thy humble servant this heavenly vision of some of the beautiful things which Thou hast made.”
;^)
It was the last straw for me. Led me right out the door (prior to the priest in that case). Can't believe the other abuses (both liturgy and rubrics) I'm reading about in this thread. Oh, BTW, I found another door where an ancient, obscure language was being spoken inside and find myself going there frequently now.