Be Holier Than Thou . . . Just Wait Your Turn!
My Rant for the Day!
I never imagined the day would come but I believe there is a desperate call today for a book on etiquette . . . for attending Mass! It seems it would go without saying that a certain decorum is exceedingly desirable when assisting at Mass, starting when you drive into the parking lot. Sadly, too many people prepare for the Eucharist with behavior inconsistent to a Christian outlook before they even enter the doors of the church. And these manners or their lack thereof, can be seen to one degree or another in many churches.
One Sunday, we were trying to enter the parking area in order to attend Mass. Because of timing, there were many cars seeking the exit by people who had just been to Mass. All we wanted to do was pull in and park but almost each and every person made sure they were bumper to bumper lest any other car get ahead of them. More than a few cars inched past before someone was kind enough to give us a turn.
Settling into a pew was a minimum problem. A few people took up residence on the outside seat but didn’t grimace too much when we clambered over them to get a seat.
Although I was brought up to spend my first few minutes in church greeting God, the exchange of pleasantries among some of the people in the congregation made it difficult to concentrate. At one point, a teenage boy turned all the way around, presenting his back to the altar, in order to carry on a lively conversation with a friend seated behind him. The parents? They were sitting right there, engaged in their own social exchange.
While the majority of the Mass was relatively quiet, communion time must have touched upon a competitive spirit as everyone wanted to reach the communion rail now, even if they had to race from the last pew in the back of the church. One friend said she was trying to reach the aisle from the third pew from the front. Only to be almost forcibly pushed back by an obviously fervent communicant who couldn’t wait for her turn.
Once upon a time, the worst you could do was forget to bring a head covering. Now it is often the manners that are left behind. Once the joke was that someone left their religion at the holy water font upon exiting the church. Too often, now a days, our charitableness, manners and Christianity don’t even make it inside the building. It seems that if we make the effort to be at Mass, we might take it that further step and try to see the Christ in the neighbors that surround us.
One pastor, in trying to encourage respect before the Blessed Sacrament, put up a tasteful sign along the beams near the front of the altar. Though they say it all - HOUSE OF GOD - HOUSE OF PRAYER, there have been moments when I thought “Sit down and shut up” would be more to the point.
I'm making some baby quilts and got four of them pinned and ready for quilting. I like making the small quilts as I can get creative but only have a small space to work and finish. I'm trying to use up 'loose' ends of fabric and get some room in my fabric cupboard. My husband's rule is that anything I buy has to fit in the cupboard. So far, he kind of believes that the stack of fabric on top of the cupboard is a project in the works! Technically, it will eventually turn into a project, right? Unfortunately, my daughter remarked on it but he kind of already knew. He couldn't have been too worried about the space problem as he treated me to a trip to the fabric warehouse over the weekend.
