Holy
Mass Etiquette
How we act at Mass should help us pray, listen and worship
as well as help our neighbors do the same.
We should remember:
- that Mass is holy.
- to dress appropriately. (please see "What
to Wear")
- to be on time. It is distracting when people arrive
late to Mass. If you are delayed or late, be thoughtful of others
and sit in the back so as not to disturb those already into prayer
of the Mass.
- to turn cell phones and pagers off.
- to genuflect toward the tabernacle before sitting down.
Genuflecting is bending the right knee to the floor and rising up
again. If one is physically incapable of genuflecting, they should
instead make a profound bow. The purpose of this is to show respect
to our King and to acknowledge His Presence in the tabernacle.
- to sit quietly. Once we've found a seat, we should
sit or kneel quietly to pray or meditate. This isn’t the time
to socialize with our friends. If we must talk quietly, we should
make it brief. The purpose of this is again to show respect of the
Blessed Sacrament, and to show that WE BELIEVE HE IS TRULY PRESENT—Body,
Blood, Soul and Divinity! If we do not believe this, we need to be
considerate of those who do and use the quiet time to contemplate
this Truth.
- to respect boundaries. At the Our Father, for instance,
we should be sensitive of our neighbors' needs to, perhaps, deeply
speak to "Our Father", which can be interfered with another's
need to hold hands.
- to stay until the end of Mass. Judas was the first
one to leave Mass early at the Last Supper. Let's not follow in his
footsteps. Mass ends when Father says: “The Mass is ended, go
in peace” and we say: “Thanks be to God.” It is
most polite to stay in our pews until the end of the recessional hymn.
Emergencies will arise from time to time; in such cases, we should
be as discreet as possible so as not to disrupt the Mass that has
not yet ended.
- to reverently, gently, & silently leave the church.
Again, this is to show respect of our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.
There is a custom where some stay several minutes after in thanksgiving
for the Eucharist they have just received; the church should also
be quiet out of respect for this deep union taking place. We can talk
all we want once we've reached the vestibule, and we are encouraged
to really yack it up at the coffee hours that follow many Masses!
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What
To Wear, What To Wear
We should wear to Mass what we would wear if a King invited
us to his home for a feast. That is, we should wear our best.
Our best should never draw attention to ourselves but give the utmost
respect to the King (and His family) of whom we are special guests.
What
Not To Wear*
1) Immodest or revealing clothing is never acceptable.
Like what?
For Women |
†Any
clothing that bares midriffs or cleavage
†Tight
clothing meant to accentuate (to draw attention to) various body
parts that God considers, and that we ought to consider, sacred.
†Short
skirts (above knee) or miniskirts
†Shorts
(capris are okay if they hit below the knee—but still discouraged)
†Sleeveless
tops (short sleeves are okay) |
For Men
|
†Shorts
(yes, even in the summer months)
†Tanktops |
But Why?
Immodest dress (especially with women) distracts others and could cause
them to sin in their thoughts, which is not why we are at Mass.
2) Dirty clothes are never acceptable.
3) An unkept body is never acceptable (e.g., dirty hands or
fingernails).
*There will be times that our only opportunity to attend Mass is
after a physically demanding job or after helping Gramma bail out her
flooded basement. There is nothing to worry about in such times. We
should never let circumstances that are out of our control keep us away
from the Sacraments! God knows what we've been through, and it's no
one else's job to judge us. By all means, come to Mass!
Still, modest dress is always in our control -
if we dress modestly every day, this will never be an issue.
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Who
Can Receive the Eucharist?
Catholics who have received their First Sacraments, who
are not conscious of grave sin, and who have fasted for at least one
hour are encouraged to devoutly and frequently receive Holy Communion.
This is very important:
To respond to this invitation we must prepare ourselves
for so great and so holy a moment. St. Paul urges us to examine our
conscience: "Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the
cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning
the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so
eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For any one who eats and drinks
without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself."
Anyone conscious of a grave sin must receive the sacrament of Reconciliation
before coming to communion. (CCC 1385)
Translation: taking
this Sacrament with serious, unconfessed sin on the soul brings condemnation
rather than salvation!
We are also required to fast for just one hour before receiving. Water
and medicine do not break a fast. Catholics are obliged to receive this
sacrament at least once per year, if possible during Easter (CCC 1388).
Non-Catholics are not ordinarily admitted to Holy Communion and are
asked to pray that the action of the Holy Spirit will draw us closer
together and begin to dispel the sad divisions which separate us (see
CCC 1398-1401).
Why Can't
Non-Catholics Receive Holy Communion?
Contrary to popular belief, the reason non-Catholics are asked to refrain
from receiving Holy Communion is not because the Church wants anyone
to feel excluded. The Church, in fact, has a certain responsibility
to non-Catholics.
Because what makes us Catholic is our belief of Jesus’ True Presence
in the Eucharist, it would be a disservice to allow non-Catholics to
partake in this extraordinary union when they do not know or understand
that which they are joining in. Why? Because they would not have been
able to properly prepare themselves.
St. Justin Martyr wrote this in his apology to the emperor
at Rome circa 150 AD:
We call this food Eucharist; and no one else is permitted to
partake of it, except one who believes our teaching to be true….For
not as common bread nor common drink do we receive these; but since
Jesus Christ our Savior was made incarnate by the word of God and
has both flesh and blood for our salvation, so too, as we have been
taught, the food which has been made into the Eucharist by the Eucharistic
prayer set down by Him, and by the change of which our blood and flesh
is nourished, is both the Flesh and the Blood of that incarnated Jesus.
Circa 110, St. Ignatius of Antioch, who was a disciple of the
Apostle John, wrote this concerning heretics:
They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer, because they
do not confess that the Eucharist is the Flesh of our Savior Jesus
Christ, Flesh which suffered for our sins and which the Father, in
His goodness, raised up again.
And from St. Cyril of Jerusalem, in a catechetical lecture
he gave in the middle of the fourth century, we get this:
Do not, therefore, regard the bread and wine as simply that;
for they are, according to the Master’s declaration, the Body
and Blood of Christ. Even though the sense suggest to you the other,
let faith make you firm. Do not judge in this matter by taste, but
be fully assured by the faith, not doubting that you have been deemed
worthy of the Body and Blood of Christ.
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Spiritual
Communion
By Brother John
Raymond
What is a Spiritual Communion? It is desiring to receive Holy Communion
when we are not able to actually do so. Of course we should not make
a Spiritual Communion to replace an actual Holy Communion. The advantage
of a Spiritual Communion is that we can
make it as often as we like.
One may wonder about the value of this practice. St. Catherine of
Siena (1347-1380) was afraid that a Spiritual Communion was nothing
compared to a Sacramental Communion. In a vision of Our Lord she saw
Him hold up two ciboria (the vessel which contains the Sacred Hosts)
and say, "In this golden ciborium I put your Sacramental Communions.
In this silver ciborium I put your Spiritual Communions. Both ciboria
are quite pleasing to Me."
I would like to recommend a beautiful prayer written by St. Alphonsus
Liguori (1696-1787) for making your Spiritual Communion. St. Alphonsus
taught that a Spiritual Communion produces effects in our souls similar
to a Sacramental Communion according to the dispositions with which
it is made. The greater the desire for Jesus and the greater love with
which Jesus is welcomed the greater the graces received.
How appropriate to begin this practice as we start the Advent Season.
The Jewish people yearned for the coming of the Messiah. We yearn for
people we love when they are absent. Let us spend this season yearning
for Jesus so that on Christmas Day He may not only
be born in a stable but also into our hearts. We can express this yearning
by making many Spiritual Communions.
Spiritual Communion Prayer
My Jesus, I believe that Thou are truly present in the
Blessed
Sacrament. I love Thee above all things and I desire Thee in my
soul. Since I cannot now receive Thee sacramentally, come at least
spiritually into my heart. (Pause) I embrace Thee as being already
there and unite myself wholly to Thee. Never permit me to be
separated from Thee. Amen.
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Holy
Days of Obligation
In
the United States, there are 58 (57 in the west) Holy
Days of Obligation each year:
Every Sunday - Every Sunday is a Holy Day of Obligation. Missing Mass
for no sound reason (necessary work, emergencies, caring for an infant)
is a grave sin against the Third Commandment and requires our being
forgiven through the Sacrament
of Confession before we may return to Holy
Communion. Learn more about how and why we
are to Keep
Holy the Sabbath here.
Immaculate Conception—December 8
Christmas Day—December 25
Holy Mary Mother of God—January 1
Ascension Thursday (although in the western region
of the U.S. it is celebrated on the following Sunday)—Forty days
after Easter
The Assumption—August 15
All Saints' Day—November 1
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Sunday
Mass is a Serious Obligation
Pope John Paul II
Angelus, August 9, 1998
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
1. In the recent Apostolic Letter Dies Domini on keeping Sunday holy,
I wrote that the Eucharistic assembly is the heart of the Day of the
Lord. Therefore to observe Sunday properly, our first task is to take
part in Holy Mass. This is a serious obligation, as the Catechism of
the Catholic Church has recalled (n.2181), but, yet more important,
it is a deep need which cannot but be felt by Christian souls.
The sacrifice made once and for all on Golgotha is renewed in every
Eucharist, and the Church, uniting her sacrifice to that of the Lord,
announces his death and proclaims his Resurrection as she awaits his
coming. If this is true for Holy Mass celebrated on any day, it is especially
true with regard to Sunday, since Sunday is particularly associated
with the commemoration of Christ's Resurrection.
2. Sunday is the day when the whole community is called together; this
is why it is also called dies Ecclesiae, the day of the Church.
On this day, the Christian assembly listens to the Word of God, proclaimed
in abundance and with solemnity; thus in the first part of Mass there
is a true dialogue of the Lord with his people.
Then, through participation in one banquet, communion is deepened among
those who are united in the Spirit of Christ. The Sunday Eucharist is
thus the privileged place in which the Church manifests herself as a
sacrament of unity, "sign and instrument of communion with God
and of unity among all men" (Lumen gentium, n. 1).
There is an urgent need for the Lord's disciples to offer this witness
of fraternal unity in a world that is frequently fragmented, torn and
scarred by outbreaks of division, violence and war.
3. May Mary most holy who was with the Apostles in prayer on the day
of Pentecost, obtain for our Eucharistic assemblies the gift of effectively
showing the presence of the risen Christ and of his Spirit. May her
constant intercession ensure that the faithful live as "one heart
and soul" (cf. Acts 4:32), eve ready to respond to anyone who asks
them to account for the hope that is in them (cf. 1 Pt 3:15).
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Keeping
Holy the Sabbath
The following is from Through the Catechism with Father
Champlin—A Question-and-Answer Guide. You can purchase
this book at Queen
of Peace Catholic Bookstore in Vancouver.
Q: What is the meaning of the word sabbath in the third commandment?
A: “Remember to keep holy the sabbath day”
means, literally, to keep holy Saturday, the seventh day of the week.
Faithful Jewish people today observe the Sabbath from sundown Friday
to sundown Saturday.
The Sabbath has rich connections with events in the Old Testament or
Hebrew Scriptures. It recalls the creation of the world. It recalls
the deliverance of the Chosen People from pagan slavery in Egypt and
the obligation of the liberated covenant that God made with us as we
observe a day of praise and gratitude for the Lord’s saving actions.
It recalls the fact that God rested on the seventh day as a model for
us to imitate.
Q: Why, then, do most Christians keep the sabbath on Sunday?
A: At the very beginning of the Christian era, the
Church shifted this observance from Saturday to Sunday, basically for
two reasons: Jesus rose on Easter Sunday, and the Holy Spirit came upon
the apostles fifty days later, also a Sunday. It also sees in the celebration
an understanding that Christ ushered in the new creation and fulfills
the sabbath.
Q: Is Mass central to keeping Sunday holy?
A: Yes. There is a double dimension to the Sunday
obligation—praising our God and resting from work. The Church,
also from ancient times, has stated that the “Sunday celebration
of the Lord’s Day and His Eucharist is at the heart of the Church’s
life (CCC-2177). Sunday is the feast day, the foremost holy day of obligation,
and was for years the only celebration of the Church year. Every Sunday,
therefore, is a little Easter.
Q: Do Catholics have an obligation to be present for Mass every
Sunday?
A: Yes, or at an anticipated Mass on Saturday evening.
Over the past thirty years, there has been some unclear teaching about
the serious responsibility of Catholics to attend Sunday Mass each week
and a generally lax approach among many Catholics in that regard. The
Catechism gives clear teaching on this topic.
The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian
practice. For this reason the faithful are obliged to participate in
the Eucharist on days of obligation, unless excused for a serious reason
(for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own
pastor. Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave
sin (CCC-2181).
Q: How do we observe Sunday as a day of rest?
A: By avoiding unnecessary work and engaging in activities
that will “recreate” us and all those with whom we are connected.
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from
Our Sunday Visitor's
Catholic Dictionary
Holy Days: Also called days of precept, holy days
are feasts of such importance in the liturgical calendar that attendance
at Mass is required. The Code of Canon Law (cc. 1246-1248) discusses
these, rightly beginning with Sunday, describing it as "the day
on which the paschal mystery is celebrated in light of the apostolic
tradition and is to be observed as the foremost day of obligation in
the universal Church" (Can. 1246). It then lists the following
to be observed: Christmas, Epiphany, Ascension, Corpus Christi, Mary
Mother of God, Immaculate Conception, Assumption, St. Joseph, Sts. Peter
and Paul, and All Saints. This list is the same as that given in the
1917 code, with the feast of the Circumcision eliminated in favor of
the restored title for Jan. 1, Mary, Mother of God. The present code
then states that "the conference of bishops can abolish certain
holy days of obligation or transfer them to a Sunday with the prior
approval of the Holy See" (Can. 1246). The United States bishops
decided not to make the feasts of St. Joseph and SS. Peter and Paul
days of precept and transferred the Solemnities of the Epiphany and
Corpus Christi to a Sunday.
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