Catholics to change Communion ritual [Cleveland Diocese Mandates More Destructive Changes to Mass]
To: confused RC
You'd be better off attending a Tridentine Mass rather than the "Novus Ordo" (New Order) Mass. The flim-flamming around by the Vatican and the Bishops regarding the Mass is outright disgraceful. Reverence has been taken away and replaced with a "make it up as you go along" style of (dare I say) "Mass". I no longer can bring myself to attend a New Order Mass. The lack of respect on part of the congregants; watching queer/effiminate priests "serve" Mass; the huge numbers of Eucharistic Ministers literally (as one other person on the Free Republic religious forum so eloquently put it) "storming the Altar" in order to prepare to distribute Communion; the guitar and drum-kit led funk sound of the hymns that makes attending Mass feel more like attending a rock/folk music festival; watching congregants stroll into Church before Mass just chatting away like it was some type of cocktail party; watching the same congregants literally race out of Church even before Mass has concluded on their way to their cars ("gotta get to Wal-Mart before it gets too crowded" or "gotta get home to catch the football/baseball/basketball/bowling/golf/horseshoe game on television"); and so on and so on and so on. The new "act" of bowing before receiving Communion makes me feel like one of those old dunking bird toys from back in the late 1960's to the mid 1970's. You know (or maybe don't if you are too young to remember), the ones that were filled with the red colored water in their bellies and you placed them next to a glass of water and they magically bowed over to get a drink and then reared back upright and then repeated the same action over and over again. That's same feeling I get when going up to receive Communion. Insane! Well, pardon my ranting here, but the best thing that you can do is what you feel is right in your heart with regard to the new procedures for the Mass. They will probably be changed again and again in the not too distant future depending on the whims of the powers that be in the Vatican and those in the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops. The constant changing of the Mass leaves much room open for confusion to reign among the faithful (and for that matter, for Satan to enter into the Church via a "divide and conquer" form of disruptance) and little, if any, reasoning to be put forth as to why the Mass needs to be changed in the first place by the Bishops. My advice is to NOT hold hands during the Our Father (do a simple "orans" gesture or keep your hands folded in prayer); DO NOT hug/shake hands/throw the peace sign to each other or others on the vast outreaches of the auditoriums that we now call churches; genuflect/kneel and make the Sign of the Cross before receiving Communion (from the priest ... NOT a Eucharistic Minister); kneel and remain in silent prayer after receiving Communion; remain on your knees in prayer until ALL congregants have received Communion (not when the priests decides to sit his tired rear end back down in the Celebrants Chair); remain kneeling until ALL Hosts have been returned to the Tabernacle; and last but not least (I could go on here for quite awhile), stay around for several minutes AFTER Mass in your pew/seat just kneeling and thanking the Lord for allowing you to participate in the Mass and most of all, for allowing Himself to be received by you in the Holy Eucharist. Take a brief look around as you do this and you most likely will see that the Church has pretty much emptied itself with everybody rushing to leave or chat in the lobby, but you may notice that there are others who are doing the same as you are. These are the people who, in my opinion, exemplify the reverence needed in Mass. I hope all goes well for you "Confused RC" and that of your family. If possible, you may want to check out other local parishes that offer a Latin Mass or traditional Tridentine Mass (though they are far and few between). You are in my prayers. WHEN IN DOUBT, PRAY THE ROSARY! Take care and PEACE. Sincerely, Front 242
92 posted on 08/26/2003 1:42 PM PDT by Front 242