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I understand that argument re: "at least they're there". But, I'm not sure I buy into it. Just because someone actually comes to church these days means that they shouldn't be expected to show respect? I would argue that everyone, not just adults, should be held to certain standards. And, I would also argue that, even though they may b-tch and moan about it, kids appreciate it when better things are expected of them.
Now, I'm not saying that everyone should be stonefaced and wearing only either formal gowns or coats and tails to Mass. But, I don't believe that clothing and behavior best suited to the beach or a backyard picnic are appropriate at Mass. Like it or not, appearances (physical and behavioral) both reflect and influence the mindsets of others in any given situation.
Not too many people would consider meeting the President of the U.S. while chewing gum, wearing shorts and flip-flops, or listening to their mp3 players. The same goes for something as insipid as a run-of-the-mill job interview. In neither scenario are such things acceptable, and few would likely argue otherwise. But, in many parishes, these are now the norm when parishioners come to be in the presence of The Blessed Sacrament.
Don't get me wrong. It's not as if I lose sleep because Billy wore a ballcap and tennis shoes to Mass last Sunday. But, I think things like what I mentioned in my previous post just detract from the solemnity of the Mass. And, when it comes to strengthening my faith, I need all the help I can get.
Then again, when one considers that belief in The Real Presence is supposedly less than 1/3 for Catholics today, it makes sense. I'm confident that you'll disagree, but I really do think that the changes in the Mass played a large role in the decline of that belief.
Yes, much of it was due to "modernization" of societal thinking as a result of the explosion in scientific and medical knowledge during the last century. And, for those of us who grew up post Vatican II, we simply weren't taught about the concept of Transubstantiation at all (transub-who?).
But, if you sit down and compare the Traditional Mass with the Mass promulgated by Paul VI side by side, there truly is a "watering down" of the emphasis on the Sacrifice and the Real Presence. If you ever get lost and accidentally wander into a Traditional Mass, you will never see casual dress or informal behavior.
To be fair, though, I don't think that can be completely attributed to a cause and effect. In other words, there's a "natural selection" process involved. Those who seek out the Extraordinary Form of the Mass are typically quite devout. And, that's not to say that there aren't extremely devout Catholics who attend the Ordinary form. But, you're simply not going to find many lukewarm Catholics at a TLM.
By the way, just because parishioners who chose to attend the TLM are silent while in church and don't dress casually for Mass, it doesn't mean that they're not sociable and talkative people....they just save it for after Mass.
Anyway, I'm not going to beat this horse to death anymore. If the Novus Ordo works for you, more power to ya. I'm just glad to see that both forms are finally becoming increasingly available.
It's funny how "extremely devout Catholics" love Pope Paul VI's encyclical, Humanae Vitae but hate his new mass ,a little picking and choosing going on sounds like a cafeteria Catholic
I wonder how you would tell the difference if both a "extremely devout Catholic" and a "lukewarm Catholic" both had no clothes on?
"Those who seek out the Extraordinary Form of the Mass are typically quite devout. And, that's not to say that there aren't extremely devout Catholics who attend the Ordinary form. But, you're simply not going to find many lukewarm Catholics at a TLM. "
So what you are saying those that attend lthe Latin Mass are devout and those that don't are mostly lukewarm, which would be most Catholics or should we even call them Catholic?
So, where does sin come in? Simply put, the person sins by eating meat on a Friday during Lent because the individual presumes to know better than the Church. The Church has spent 2,000 years thinking about these topics. How much time have you spent?
First off it was only a sin to eat meat in certain countries.
Why was it a mortal sin, because the hierachy decided it was.
It is what they call a discipline, a form of control. control = power
I guess the real question to ask does anyone think God actually sent all those
people to hell for eating meat on Fridays because the Church ordered it.
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