Pastor's page: “Liturgy - the prayer of the whole church”
– adapted from Liturgy Magazine

Here are some other obstacles that lead to absences among the people who are present for
Sunday Mass. These obstacles block full, conscious, and active participation by everyone.

2 - Architecture- The sanctuary becomes a kind of stage; the priest and other ministers are actors on it; and the rest of the assembly, instead of realizing themselves as principal actors in the rite, become an audience that is passive and not responsible for what is taking place.
The larger and more cavernous the physical setting, the more difficult it is to overcome the message of the building. People in the pews get the sense that they are there passively to listen and receive, but not to act and give. “Private person syndrome” – a serious obstacle to healthy worship. Spectator worship rather than common prayer – reinforcing cultural individualism.


3 - The environment for worship - the worship space needs to be friendly to mystery and awe.
The atmosphere in a church encourages our sense of the sacred. Real flowers and plants, vestments that are natural and noble in the material that is used, incense and sprinkled holy water, candles, sacred vessels and furnishings, -all work together in beauty and art to capture something of the very mystery of the incarnation.

4 - Distractions- it is difficult, but possible, to turn off our inner humming.
The children around us can be restless - but less restless if the adults are participating intently.

5 – The Ministers- when ordained and other baptized ministers have been trained to think of themselves as actors, rather than as the facilitators of the prayer-action of all the people, they become a problem.
If they are talented, the temptation may be to be on stage too much. The preacher can be too clever, and the musician too much of a virtuoso - rather than a leader of common song and prayer. If the ministers are not quite so talented, their temptation may be to discourage people from joining the common action, by visibly and audibly just going through the motions, or appearing unprepared. "Am I, as a reader, personally convinced of the power of God's Word as I proclaim it. And if I am, am I projecting my belief in my words?”
Sometimes lack of technique can get in the way. We need to be concerned about our distance from the microphone, careful articulation, speed of the spoken word, our vocal inflection, and reading in a manner that is interpretive rather than drawing attention to itself. Finally, ministers need to be fully participating when they are not ‘doing’ ministry. Ministers are ‘on view’ and in the public eye.

6 - Lack of Hospitality -greeters and ushers help prepare people for the celebration. A warm smile and welcoming words go a long way to establish the proper climate for prayer. In some parishes, the priests, deacons, the Pastoral Staff, and the Pastoral Council join with the greeters and ushers to establish a climate of welcome as the assembly gathers, and of prayer as the parishioners leave.

Hospitality Area and Committee - Some parishes work hard to create a Hospitality Area after mass, and establish a Hospitality Committee to provide refreshments for parishioners. The Notre Dame study on parish life in the 1980s indicated that high or low levels of satisfaction with parish liturgy are never the consequence of a single step taken, but are more an indication of the whole complex of factors.

These factors include: 1- a fairly stable tradition of strong but inclusive leadership, 2 - a shared sense of direction in the parish, 3 - a sense of belonging and of community, 4 - adequate musical resources, and more.

7 - Lack of imagination- the people who gather for worship; priests, deacons, ministers and the folks assembled for mass, can fail to imagine each and every voice and body as integral and necessary for the common prayer. Our lack of imagination may cause us to just be in the room and think that that is enough. This expectation of minimal presence is a major obstacle to the purpose of Catholic worship on a Sunday.

It is deadening of soul for the people of God to gather for worship at the summit and source of our faith life, and fail to engage in the work of liturgy.

(continued in next week’s Bulletin)


Peace,
Father Bruce