Reverence

When I go to church, I want to spend sometime in church, have some quiet time with God and talk, and pray. I might like to tell him Thanks for all the great things in my life. There might be a few issues I might want to ask for some guidance but I just want some alone time to meditate my thoughts.


When I went to church recently what I saw made me stop and just stare. I was sitting in church and there was a blue light coming from down the aisle. I looked down and saw this woman and blue light was coming from where she was sitting. On a closer look, I saw it was coming from the woman’s lap and then an as I peered closer I saw this woman texting in church. It was not only a distraction to me but irritating. I am usually not one to judge so I thought okay maybe an emergency and this could not be helped. On closer inspection, this woman did not stop texting the whole time we were in mass. Now, I understand we are all busy in our lives but if you cannot find one hour not to be on your cell texting and in church than there is something obviously wrong here. Who could she have been texting to....God? What I found even stranger than this was this woman did not see anything wrong with what she was doing. I found this bizarre.


Speaking of bizarre, I went to church for one of the children’s masses and there was a woman who walked in carrying a tall coffee. I realize our church is modern and our church has a lot of open space but it certainly does not look like a Starbucks. I was waiting for the priest to say, “Would you like a Veinte with the Homily”


Don’t you love when people coming back from receiving the Eucharist and they sit down and begin talking instead of saying a prayer as we were taught or when it is the sign of the peace and everybody thinks it is social hour.


It is scary that going inside church has become a social circle. I remember as a child genuflecting when you came in to mass and kneeling saying a prayer, sitting until mass began. You were in a sacred vessel. You did not speak at all unless you were answering the priest.


I went to a communion at another parish recently. The church is set up where you face people across from you. Kind of like a rotunda. After communion, I saw a Eucharistic minister drinking down wine and snacking on the Eucharist. I felt I was at a wine tasting party and Pringles were the entrée. It was ridiculous! I had never seen anything like that.


I love the people who leave after communion. What is the big hurry to leave and not get the blessing from the Priest? Is it they have to be the first ones out of the crowded parking lot?


When did church become a place for the paparazzi? Why do People take pictures in church?


My question for today is what has happened with church today that there is such a lack of reverence?