...in church is the special gift our parish is trying to achieve for Lent. And it is rather beautiful. This Sunday, we all found small cards in the pews, with suggested prayers for personal use before and after Mass. A mood can catch on quite quickly, and everything benefits from the increased sense of peace...
It's a busy suburban parish - lots of families, lots of friendships. But, as is being pointed out in the newsletter, there are lots of (warmly encouraged) opportunities for chat, in the social centre, in the parish bookshop, or simply out in the sunshine where the priests greet people and groups linger after Sunday Masses.
Recently this topic has come up in discussions with priests in two other - very different - parishes. One noted that, when the children come in a group from their school, they are very well-behaved and reverent "hands together, heads bowed when they pray, rather touching to see" but that the same children seem to assume that a Sunday Mass is different. The parents seem lacking in confidence in getting the children to have any sense of awe or reverence - into solemn moments comes shouting or running about, with little or no apparent parental concern or disapproval. Another priest described how, as a Confirmation group gathered to attend a retreat, it was announced that all ipods and similar equipment would be collected and kept for the weekend in labelled folders:"It was amazing how some of them were quite distraught. One said that he wouldn't be able to get to sleep without the thing plugged into his ears...but in the end, of course, they all had a wonderful experience at the retreat and when they got their ipods back as they went home, they realised they weren't as essential as they had thought..."
2 comments:
+JMJ+
When I was a high school teacher, I was in charge of the mobile phones and iPods during my students' retreats. It is always a bit frustrating to see how many of them believe they cannot last a mere forty-eight hours without music of texting, to the point that they conceal the devices in their shoes! (Then again, it's also always amusing to see how creative one's students can be in sneaking in "forbidden" things!)
As for your parish's efforts to promote silence, I think they're wonderful. I'm reading the diary of St. Faustina now and she makes a big deal about how grace needs silence to properly work in a soul.
Oh how we lack silence in todays society. I was at a parent meeting about revision in Year 11. We were told to fill in a questionaire and consider what techniques we used as students to revise.
Then to my shock and horror they switched on classical music. What idiot has said music helps you revise. I need silence when i read or revise and was very annoyed at the noise in the background. Then i hate going into shops where music is playing. I just can't wait to get out.
Please let us appreciate the sound of silence.
Post a Comment