Posted on 05/03/2006 8:20:13 PM PDT by Salvation
How about at your church? Do you have the Communion skippers? Or those that leave during or right after Communion?
Teach us the importance of staying for the entire Mass!
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My parish priest used this analogy once. He said that if you were invited to dinner, would you get up to leave as soon as the host started serving, or would stay for dinner? Communion skippers were scarce for a while.
Right now, due to my chemical-induced asthma and the bad ventilation in our old church (but only a few weeks from being in a brand new, much larger building, yay!), I have been sitting in what really is the foyer, but open to the sanctuary, so it's more like a sanctuary annex.
From this vantage point, I get to see the comings and goings very well.
We don't have communion skippers, and only a very few leave after partaking, which really says something, I think, about the emphasis our pastor puts on the real presence. Maybe having twice a week adoration, and a church that's open all day m-f, and a tabernacle where you can find it has enhanced our appreciation of just who is there at the altar.
(Maybe the crazy lady who still comes even though she has to sit in the back and wear two surgical masks just so she can be near her Lord on Sunday has a little effect, too?)
Right now it's a major threat for me to breathe that perfumed air from the small sanctuary, and it took me a couple of months of coughing and having to leave before communion because of being unable to breathe before I discovered that trick. I could have used the asthma as an excuse to stay home and watch it on ETWN or something, legitamately, because of the great health risk of continually exposing myself to the chemical pollution, but I want to be near the Lord. And he openned that way for me to do it.
And bit by bit, my body is calming down the hypersensitivity (which I think was triggered by getting respiratory viruses earlier this year), and as it does, I hope I can go back to daily mass.
But to be near the Lord is worth struggling for.
Interesting article. For me, sitting here banging away at my keyboard, I know God's Real Presence is right here with me, and anywhere else I go, so my proximity to the altar at any church I go to is a non-issue for me.
That said, I can only surmise that anyone who "skips" communion simply doesn't understand or appreciate its significance. Maybe they think God's Real Presence is impatiently waiting for them at their reserved seats at the baseball stadium.
I have always been perplexed by those who cannot dedicate one of the 168 hours of the week to worship as a community in their parish church.
I applaud young parents who do their very best to ensure their children are shown a good example and attend Mass without fail.
The noise of cars leaving the parking lot while parishioners are still receiving the Body and Blood of Christ bothers me much more than the sound of one of God's youngest creations crying during Mass.
God bless,
EODGUY
One of our priests reminded that Judas left early too.
I went to an Tridentine mass (Indult) recently - first time in abour 40 years. One of the things I noticed is the long line to the confessional. It was so beautiful.
And nobody left mass early.
We have a few that leave right after they receive Communion, or right after Communion before the dismissal. Our priests have several times pointed that out, indicating that it is not kosher to do so. The vast majority of people at my parish do not leave until after the dismissal.
My parish priest once said that "Judas left early as well".
Beat me by about 5 hours. I didn't see your post. :)
I've never experienced the phenomenon the author describes (people leaving before Communion ??? very odd) but there are a few that leave right after, at the Mass I regularly attend. There doesn't seem to be any consistency though, that is, it's not the same people every week. And it's not very many (5 at most).
t a great analogy! Thanks!
LOL! I hit the wrong button and sent a private reply.
Oh well!
**Maybe having twice a week adoration, and a church that's open all day m-f, and a tabernacle where you can find it has enhanced our appreciation of just who is there at the altar.**
Definitely all can lead to a greater awareness of the Divine Presence of the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.
We will be starting Perpetual Adoration 24/7 on Mau 8th at the 6:00 AM hour. I am very excited about this (as is our priest!)
Our pastor's goal is perpetual adoration...He's planning on adding a third day of adoration this fall, I believe, but he's been concentrating on getting the new church built. And is it going to have a beautiful tabernacle!
I pray that healing may come to you -- I've dealt with asthma also, it's no fun! God bless!
For those who leave early, I recommend "The Mass Explained" by Father Larry Richards. An AWESOME CD available at http://www.catholicity.com/maryfoundation/
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