[mikemach5]

I will have to respectively disagree with His Holiness on this one. We have a "youth orented" mass on Sunday afternoons that uses guitars, drums, piano/keyboards, and singing. It is vibrant, uplifting, and inspirational (not to mention packed). Contrast with the traditional mass I went to this past week-end (which was still rather full) which played 3 of the 4 songs from my Father's funeral from this past March and my Mother's funeral from 3 and a half years ago. I was bawling my eyes out by the presentation of the gifts and had to leave at the recessional. Call me weak, but I would rather not relive the funerals of my parents every Sunday.

Not only that, but my girlfriend and I really look forward to the youth Mass, partially because of the music, partially because the priest is really good.

[the invisib1e hand]

you know, you can listen to electric guitars anywhere. That's not what Mass is about. And there really is no such thing as "Youth Mass." There is only Mass.

[TheCrusader]

"-- We have a "youth orented" mass on Sunday afternoons that uses guitars, drums, piano/keyboards, and singing. It is vibrant, uplifting, and inspirational"

How very tragic. I feel sorry for you and the poor souls who attend this rock concert and have absolutely no clue that they are supposed to be "proclaiming the DEATH OF THE LORD, UNTIL HE COMES AGAIN", (I Cor. 11:26).

BTW, the Latin Mass doesn't play 'funeral songs', that's pure nonsense. But in any case, when I'm at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass I'd prefer to be reminded of my parents' funeral than be reminded of the Beach Boys.

[Antoninus]

I was bawling my eyes out by the presentation of the gifts and had to leave at the recessional. Call me weak, but I would rather not relive the funerals of my parents every Sunday.

I hear you, bro. And might have thought the same way at age 18 myself. But I'm 35 now, and tend to regard the way I looked at the world at age 18 to be pretty infantile. I reckon you'll do the same at some point.

[Desdemona]

Contrast with the traditional mass I went to this past week-end (which was still rather full) which played 3 of the 4 songs from my Father's funeral from this past March and my Mother's funeral from 3 and a half years ago. I was bawling my eyes out by the presentation of the gifts and had to leave at the recessional. Call me weak, but I would rather not relive the funerals of my parents every Sunday.

I don't blame you for not wanting to relive such times, but that was the luck of the draw. We all have those Masses and moments.

That doesn't change that Mass is for everyone all the time. My preference is late Renaissance a cappella chorale, but we only get that during Holy Week. Se la vie.

[bornacatholic]

A Mass with free kegs would REALLY pack them in.

The Mass is about the Pluperfect Sacrifice of the New Covenant. It is, in its essence, a re-presentation of the events of the Last Supper and the Crucifixion on Calvary.

We Christians gather with the priest at the altar to offer the perfect New Covenant Sacrifice to God as an act of propitiation. And, we Christians participate in eating the New Covenant meal, the Heavenly Banquet.

Music appropriate to that Divine Liturgy is not rock and roll, electric guitars etc etc.

The Divine Liturgy is, among other things, an event which LIFTS US UP and OUT of the mundane.

The VERY WORST aspect of the unauthorised Liturgical Changes is to make the New Covenant Sacrifice/New Covenant Heavenly Banquet banal and wordly.

[el_chupacabra]

Congratulations on returning to the Church. I, too, am a "revert". It sounds like we have followed some similar paths. When I first returned, I really "enjoyed" the "youth Mass" with its contemporary music and energetic homilies.

As I dug deeper into the Scriptures and Tradition, I began to realize that Mass is not entertainment. The highlight of the Mass is not the Homily, it is the liturgy of the Eucharist.

I realized that the Mass I attended had its priorities and emphases very confused, and it resulted in a community of very confused believers. The Pastor and the Music Director became minor celebrities and the Holy Eucharist became marginalized.

My family and I left that parish for one that might not be as entertaining, but is very solid liturgically.

I'll bet you a dollar that five years from now you'll love a more traditional Mass and cringe whenever you hear drums during Mass.

P.S. Look around. Despite the crowded church I'll bet that your Life Teen parish has not yielded many vocations. I was very surprised to learn how many more vocations come from the more traditional parishes.

[AlaninSA]

Welcome to FreeRepublic.

Are you the first of a new wave of trolls from the liberal wing of the Mother Church?

Just kidding.

We have 2000 years of tradition in the Catholic Church - and much of that is our music. Frankly, I encourage those who enjoy the rock-Mass to move onto the nearest fundie megachurch. This "new" music is not Catholic.

[rogator]

"... really look forward to the youth Mass ....because the priest is really good."

The focus of the Mass should be on Christ, not the personality of the priest.

[oyez]

Our priest instituted the Folk Mass on Sunday evening in order to encourage youth participation. It works. Now, if people have preference to a formal mass or a less musical mass they have those choices as well. I just wish we had a choice of a Latin Mass.