Comments on: Fr Murphy encourages silence at Mass https://www.nzcatholic.org.nz/2017/03/08/fr-murphy-encourages-silence-mass/ The New Zealand National Catholic Newspaper Tue, 04 Apr 2017 06:46:14 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.6.1 By: Bob Gill https://www.nzcatholic.org.nz/2017/03/08/fr-murphy-encourages-silence-mass/#comment-17253 Thu, 30 Mar 2017 06:25:20 +0000 https://www.nzcatholic.org.nz/?p=14650#comment-17253 In all Catholic churches I have attended in New Zealand in the last 20 years or so, I have noticed subtle changes taking place during Mass. Many of these changes, I am told, are to do with the so-called ‘Spirit of Vatican II’. These changes have nothing to do with legitimate Vatican II liturgical changes in most cases, of course, but are changes that others have made to satisfy whims on the local scene. These local whims eventually take off in other churches, making congregations think they are legitimate parts of the Mass.

The insistence on singing hymns while people are receiving Communion is one these changes. The noise is such on occasions that Communicants cannot pray or thank their God after receiving. With most of those in the Communion queue acting as if there’s nothing special about to take place together with the music commotion after receiving, it is little wonder that statistics indicate only 30% of Catholics believe in the Real Presence.

I, for one, would relish 3 minutes silence after Communion.

]]> By: John https://www.nzcatholic.org.nz/2017/03/08/fr-murphy-encourages-silence-mass/#comment-17121 Mon, 13 Mar 2017 08:07:18 +0000 https://www.nzcatholic.org.nz/?p=14650#comment-17121 Thank you for the input, Fr Murphy.
One sainted Irish Christian Brother Con Moloney late of Carseldine Brisbane might have replied “You’re blood’s worth bottling!” as he used to on other occasions.

Cardinal Pell spoke of youth and mass… if there was nothing there for them, how could they be expected to come to mass?

And one man was so upset by the noise in another church that he spoke up for his dad and complained to the ladies. He told them his dad wanted to pray before mass.
So to shut him up, they put him on the offertory procession!!
The noise of course remained.
So sad.
But is it not true to say congregations which are not docile, but noisy, have been simply so absorbed by TV that their reply is more of a community which is AUDIENCE driven?
Contemplatives, the Carmelite sisters of Ormiston at the Redlands, Qld however, have a SIGN screwed to the door to encourage silence for all participants at Mass.
In the foyer at the Basilica at Fatima was a SIGN in 2008 with “Silencio”. Inside the visitor could say he or she could “hear a pin drop”. And This was a very large congregation.
It has been a practice at Our Lady of Victories Newstead, Brisbane, that the monstrance is exposed before the 8 a.m. mass. This means all who enter kneel and adore before the service. TOTAL QUIET.
AND TOTAL REVERENCE.
Contemplation with a Divine presence.
The same occurred at St Marys South Brisbane.
Little children notice. If their mum or dad is quiet at Holy Communion, and the rest of the congregation is quiet, something rubs off.

…And well known Contemplative Thomas Merton put it this way:
I SHALL LEAD YOU THROUGH THE LONELINESS, THE SOLITUDE YOU WILL NOT UNDERSTAND, BUT IT IS MY SHORTCUT TO YOUR SOUL.
Lent is an appropriate place to have a pause for thought.
3 minutes is not a long time for the priest nor is it for the congregation.

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