Edmond Grace SJ answers to a parishioner who was upset by a ‘continuous’ preaching of the priest during the Mass.
Recently at Mass the priest gave his usual sermon and then went on to add many other words of his own to the words of the Mass – in other words a continual sermon. I did not find it helpful and I also noticed that many young people who were there left immediately after communion without waiting till the end of Mass. Why can’t priests preach at the time for preaching and then stick to the words of the missal?
There is still a great deal to be learnt about how to celebrate Mass in English. Both priests and people will have to learn. Your point about an ongoing sermon is one which many priests would do well to take on board. Mass is first and foremost a prayer, and prayer is addressed to God. A sermon or homily is addressed to the people who are present.
Direct addresses
It’s true that the priest addresses the people directly at various times during the Mass. At four points he says, ‘The Lord be with you’ – before the penitential rite, before the Gospel, before the eucharistic prayer, and just before the final blessing. The purpose of this repeated phrase is to put into words at key moments the faith which unites all those who are present. Without this shared faith people would have no reason to be present at Mass.
Repeated invitation
Similarly, at three moments in the Mass the priest says, ‘Let us pray’ – before the opening prayer (immediately before the readings), before the prayer over the gifts, and before the prayer after communion.
This is an invitation to those present not just to listen to him but to pray along with him. It is an invitatation that is repeated, as though the priest were saying – and being heard to say – again and again, ‘Are you with me?’ so that the people can say in response, ‘Yes, we’re with you.’
It is a seeking of reassurance not just for the priest himself but for everyone who hears everyone else speak. Likewise, the word ‘Amen’ repeated so often during Mass is a way of reassuring each other that they are united with the prayers being made and the sentiments being expressed.
Of course, not every one takes an active part, mostly because this kind of answer and response often reminds people of being back at school and being told to do this and do that and say this and say that. I have heard priests telling congregations that they should all join in the responses but it never seems to have any effect. In fact, they only succeed in embarrassing them.
Countering boredom
Yet, having said this, there are few things as depressing as trying to say Mass – I daren’t say ‘celebrate’ – before a congregation when very few people make any response. As one clerical wag put it: ‘If you think priests are boring at Mass, you should see some of the congregations!’ Of course the challenge facing priests – and it is no easy one – is to awaken the kind of enthusiasm which will make people feel at home and want to express themselves by using their voices at certain moments.
This won’t happen if they can’t identify with what is going on. People need to understand what is happening and the priest you speak about was probably trying to help people to understand. Even if he didn’t succeed he was trying! That alone, however, is not enough. Mass is a public occasion and to be effective it has to have an element of drama. The very fact that the priest dresses in a special costume and that the altar is in a place visible to the public underlines this element of drama. Good music is also a great help but the main performer is the priest. The depth of his faith and the way he speaks about God and to God can draw those present into one body – a people at prayer.
Helping people to pray
This cannot be done simply by reading out what is in the missal. Indeed, many of the texts in the missal are presented as no more than suggestions. The priest who drones out the prayers without any attempt to address either the congregation or God kills any sense of drama. The same can be said of the priest who is only aware of the congregation and is always addressing them, even when the words he uses are addressed to God!
Fundamentally, people come to Mass in order to pray to God and not to hear the priest talk. The purpose of his talk is to help them pray, not to act as a kind of chatty distraction. A priest is a performer in that he has to pay attention to the impact he makes on those who see and hear him, but he is not an entertainer. While he must set out to gain people’s attention and hold it, he should do this with a view to deflecting it towards the mystery of God’s presence.
However, he cannot do this on his own. He needs the support of people who believe that what he is doing is of great significance; he needs the support of their faith expressed visibly, if only by their prayerful presence at Mass.
He also needs a forum in which he can find both encouragement and critical feedback from those same people. It is good to tell the priest, if he is willing to listen, what you find helpful and what you don’t find helpful.
However, if he is not willing to listen, everyone will be the poorer for it, especially himself!
We have only been celebrating the Mass in English for less than forty years. In the history of the Church that is a very short time. There is still a lot to learn, and it is going to take time. Patience is needed on the part of the people and a humble willingness to learn on the part of priests.
This article first appeared in the Messenger, a publication of the Irish Jesuits.
