A Shocking First Holy Communion
Yesterday was a First Holy Communion Day for me. My wife and I traveled back from Singapore and have been in the United States for the last 5 days in anticipation of this glorious event for my niece. Needless to say, we spent a great deal of time ourselves preparing for this event, praying for our niece and the other children who were to receive and attending daily Mass. Yet, and to my surprise, I would have never have thought that I would feel compelled to do Act of Reparation following what is supposed to be such a monumental and joyous occasion.
So what was wrong?
Adults are supposed to set the example for children, especially as to the standard of behavior and how to reverence to the Eucharist. The First Holy Communion of the children was a Mass, and our Lord was present in the tabernacle; however, aside from the customary genuflection, almost no one knelt to pray or to prepare themselves for Mass. In fact, it became so loud in the church that the sister who was overseeing the children and had been in charge of the catechesis had to inform the adults to be quiet and that the Lord was indeed present on at least 3 occasions, but a momentary pause and the noise continued. I found this indeed disheartening, as indeed sister was right and I was trying to pray and felt as though I was trying to pray my rosary in a NYC subway station during rush hour as opposed to a Catholic church.
As the time to the Mass drew near, it was truly apparent to me that most were there for the children, and true it is joyous day, but one can never forget that the Mass is the unbloody sacrifice of our Lord and it is an offering to Him in its totality; every thought, word and deed regardless is an offering. The Mass began with guitar strumming, and this to me is WRONG. Why is it that every time there is a liturgical celebration for children that I have been to in the United States (mind you, I live in Asia now) there is this inherent need to dumb down the liturgy and strum a guitar? The responses seemed to be some type of modification, though probably licit, I had never seen, but the whole Mass seemed reminiscent of a prayer camp as opposed to a Holy Catholic Mass.
I will not be nit picky about everything; however, one thing that truly stood out was that the kiss of peace went on forever and that when the priest began the Rite of Fraction, it continued. It honestly seemed like a good 4-5 minutes before the Agnus Dei was said - a liturgical abuse in itself. It was blatantly obvious that many recipients of Holy Communion were not of the proper disposition, and this is not referring to the children. Throughout the whole Mass they were talking, chit chatting, filling out cards, debating about how much money to put in and giving little to no attention to the Mass itself. When it came to the reception of Holy Communion, the children did what they were taught, but the adults...well, they went up received with just their left hand grabbing the Eucharist (whole family), many did not know how to place their hands or even give a gesture of reverence. The Mass' emphasis was truly not on the sacrifice, and throughout the liturgy there was applause, and even though the Mass had not ended it became of sort of a contest between families clapping loudly when their child received the First Communion Certificate from the priest. Applause was asked for so many people's efforts, but I could not help but think of Cardinal Ratzinger's remarks in The Spirit of the Liturgy regarding applause, and the fact that it continued throughout so much of the Mass that this event reflected a truly human accomplishment and detracted from the greatness of God.
I know that can be very traditional and rigid in my view of the liturgy, but when even my wife turned to me and reflected the same thoughts as I had, I felt confirmed in my thinking. Hence, after the Mass and the recitation of my normal prayers, I offered an Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart. It was the only thing I could think of considering that it is my Lord in the Eucharist who had been ignored and treated irreverently, not I. Nevertheless, this was a candid reminder to me why I prefer the Latin Mass. In writing this, perhaps I am in need of prayer too, as I obviously have my short comings, and biases so I ask for those who have a moment pray for the children who just received First Holy Communion, their families, their parish priest and if possible, spare a moment for me that I may never be too prideful in my pursuit of tradition and orthodox practices, as this too can separate me from God if I allow it to let me lose sight of Him or to be put a stumbling block between me and others.
God bless you all.
So what was wrong?
Adults are supposed to set the example for children, especially as to the standard of behavior and how to reverence to the Eucharist. The First Holy Communion of the children was a Mass, and our Lord was present in the tabernacle; however, aside from the customary genuflection, almost no one knelt to pray or to prepare themselves for Mass. In fact, it became so loud in the church that the sister who was overseeing the children and had been in charge of the catechesis had to inform the adults to be quiet and that the Lord was indeed present on at least 3 occasions, but a momentary pause and the noise continued. I found this indeed disheartening, as indeed sister was right and I was trying to pray and felt as though I was trying to pray my rosary in a NYC subway station during rush hour as opposed to a Catholic church.
As the time to the Mass drew near, it was truly apparent to me that most were there for the children, and true it is joyous day, but one can never forget that the Mass is the unbloody sacrifice of our Lord and it is an offering to Him in its totality; every thought, word and deed regardless is an offering. The Mass began with guitar strumming, and this to me is WRONG. Why is it that every time there is a liturgical celebration for children that I have been to in the United States (mind you, I live in Asia now) there is this inherent need to dumb down the liturgy and strum a guitar? The responses seemed to be some type of modification, though probably licit, I had never seen, but the whole Mass seemed reminiscent of a prayer camp as opposed to a Holy Catholic Mass.
I will not be nit picky about everything; however, one thing that truly stood out was that the kiss of peace went on forever and that when the priest began the Rite of Fraction, it continued. It honestly seemed like a good 4-5 minutes before the Agnus Dei was said - a liturgical abuse in itself. It was blatantly obvious that many recipients of Holy Communion were not of the proper disposition, and this is not referring to the children. Throughout the whole Mass they were talking, chit chatting, filling out cards, debating about how much money to put in and giving little to no attention to the Mass itself. When it came to the reception of Holy Communion, the children did what they were taught, but the adults...well, they went up received with just their left hand grabbing the Eucharist (whole family), many did not know how to place their hands or even give a gesture of reverence. The Mass' emphasis was truly not on the sacrifice, and throughout the liturgy there was applause, and even though the Mass had not ended it became of sort of a contest between families clapping loudly when their child received the First Communion Certificate from the priest. Applause was asked for so many people's efforts, but I could not help but think of Cardinal Ratzinger's remarks in The Spirit of the Liturgy regarding applause, and the fact that it continued throughout so much of the Mass that this event reflected a truly human accomplishment and detracted from the greatness of God.
I know that can be very traditional and rigid in my view of the liturgy, but when even my wife turned to me and reflected the same thoughts as I had, I felt confirmed in my thinking. Hence, after the Mass and the recitation of my normal prayers, I offered an Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart. It was the only thing I could think of considering that it is my Lord in the Eucharist who had been ignored and treated irreverently, not I. Nevertheless, this was a candid reminder to me why I prefer the Latin Mass. In writing this, perhaps I am in need of prayer too, as I obviously have my short comings, and biases so I ask for those who have a moment pray for the children who just received First Holy Communion, their families, their parish priest and if possible, spare a moment for me that I may never be too prideful in my pursuit of tradition and orthodox practices, as this too can separate me from God if I allow it to let me lose sight of Him or to be put a stumbling block between me and others.
God bless you all.
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