It is Advent, dear readers, and I urgently feel the obligation to write something really edifying instead of coming up with another story on the theme of “how bad things are today”. In my defense I must say that I went to Mass this morning with the view of being edified myself and was also disappointed to no small extend. For, alas and alack, our parish priest’s stand-in, about whom Seraphic reported, was saying Mass today. We were spared a homily, however, by the local kindergarten taking an active part in the service. Not only by singing a song during the offertory, but also by acting a play instead of the homily. It was about a selfish giant who had a beautiful garden in which children played, but who built a big wall around it with the consequence that it stayed winter inside and neither flower nor bird came there anymore. In the end he sees how selfish he was and lets the children play; and so we all learn not to selfishly build walls around us.
Liturgically, this was a disaster which needs no comment. But is it even in any way justificable “pastorally”? Last week, in conversation with a wise old man and philosopher, the topic of children’s relationship to the holy came up. He said that children generally have a very strong sense of the holy and that it is often adults that destroy it. He told how once he had seen a family going for a walk and a young boy kneeling down in front of a wayside cross. “Will you get up!”, the mother said, “You are making your trousers dirty!”. Now what will the boy have learnt but that clean trousers are more important than reverence towards our Savior.
What will the children have learnt today by having danced around the altar during Mass? My own dim childhood experiences of churches refer mostly to touristical visits with my (non-believing) parents, who nevertheless told me that this was a church, and you did not run around or talk loudly and the like. Apparently when three years old I insisted in going into the village church of the place where I was on holiday with my grandmother whenever we passed it. Later, at the age of nine years when I started to attend church services, I was fascinated by the difference of this place to the normal world and by the awe it inspired. What put me off in the very formal liturgy of Eastern German Lutheranism was a) that the pastor hardly spoke about God and b) that I did not understand three quarters of what was going on. So if somebody had told me why we sing “Lamb of God”, I would have been less confused and more moved by it. And so on. I remember that we once were allowed to climb up the pulpit one afternoon – I was impressed no-end, and when for confirmation we knelt down before the altar, I was quite overcome with awe.
As a consequence, I do not think we do children a service by letting them run around the altar and making the choir a place like any other. Yes, let them sing a song during Mass (not from before the altar, from the side like any other choir), even if the melody is hardly recognisable. And by all means explain to them all the things the priest does, and why he wears purple right now, and why we pray this or that during Mass. But do not steal from them that sense of the church being a somewhat different world, at which one is at home but which is also pleasantly awe-inspiring.
I only speak of my own experience here (“it is all about me”…), so anyone who has children and disagrees please correct me; but I do not see that the way we try to lead children to God in our mainstream Catholic churches is quite the right one. (I also disagree with the Trid approach to the problem, but that is quite another topic.)
December 7, 2008 at 7:37 pm
I seem to remember that, in the original book called The Selfish Giant, the giant is converted from his egoism by the discovery that one of the children carries wounds in his hands, and is in fact the Christ-child displaying the wounds of his future Passion. In short, the story is actually about Christ and grace.
Having said that, even if that element were central to the aforementioned mini-play (which it sounds as though it wasn’t) the whole things would still, I think, have been inappropriate within the context of the Mass.
December 7, 2008 at 11:28 pm
Children acting out the Gospel has it’s place, but for me, it’s not during Mass. Our parish has a Children’s Carol service every year which also includes a short re-enactment of a gospel passage related to Christmas, it works well.
Our head of drama approached me recently about using his drama group for Chaplaincy. Again, great for an assembly, not in my view for Mass.
December 8, 2008 at 1:11 am
“The Selfish Giant” is Oscar Wilde’s, isn’t it? Doesn’t sound as if Fr Stand-In references his sources!
December 8, 2008 at 1:39 am
Oscar Wilde was received into the Church just before he died. Something not well-publicized.
I agree wholeheartedly with Notburga. As a child, I had a great sense of the holy and I am glad that I was allowed to retain it.
Of course, many church designers, musicians, et alia, have done their best to turn places of mystery into “banquet halls” complete with speeches of thanks to every player in the Mass and applause. Nevertheless, I feel hopeful for the future. The post-1980 generations will soon blot out the impious inanities of the Baby Boom generation.
December 8, 2008 at 1:40 am
That wasn’t me. That was my beautiful intended.
December 8, 2008 at 9:41 am
I must add that the play was not Fr Stand-in’s idea. I have the impression he always has to try very hard to show some enthusiasm for the liturgical elements having to do with children (though probably from other reasons that I would have). The giant was converted because one day he hears a bird sing after all – and discovers that the children have come in through a tiny hole in the wall. Nothing about Christ, then.
December 8, 2008 at 6:13 pm
I agree with everything you say. I might also add that must never forget children want to be adults and the worst thing w can do is talk down to them which they find patronising. Children should grow into the liturgy rather than the liturgy being deformed to suit them. Moreover, whatever level you pitch a children’s liturgy it will alienate other children – a 3 year old is very different from a 6 year old or a 9 year old or a 12 year old. And certainly doing “childish” things is the best way to alienate “cool” teenagers!
December 8, 2008 at 7:55 pm
And a “youth Mass” will alienate older people (O.K. and often youth as well, because things are done middle-aged people think young people like). And so on. A very true observation of yours, as older people may perhaps think: How cute! when three-year-olds act. Ten-year-olds won’t.
The only really “integrating” (would that be the terrible word?) option is to have Mass strictly after the missal: accomodating no-one in particular, but making everyone see “it’s about God, not about me”. Which is not only the only reverent solution, but the only fair one, leaving no “minority group” disadvantaged against the rest.
December 10, 2008 at 8:49 pm
I am an adult revert to the Faith. I had never known the old mass, but during the first few years of my reversion, Holy Thursday was the one liturgy of the year when I experienced the strongest sense of awe and mystery. Presumably this was contributed to by the Pange Lingua, the incense, the reverence and formality of the procession, and the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in a golden monstrance and the reverent adoration of the people.
I have kids and once on Holy Thursday our parish, instead of exposing the Blessed Sacrament in a monstrance, filled a plain glass bowl with Hosts and placed it on top of an aluminum cylinder with a light bulb inside — to illuminate the hosts, you see. Then they placed chairs in a circle all around the cylinder.
After Holy Thursday mass of course we processed over to the chapel of exposition, which was actually the auditorium of my kids’ school. During the procession instead of Pange Lingua we sang, “Jesus, remember me, when you come into your kingdom,” ad infinitum. Upon arrival the priest placed the bowl o’ hosts on top of the cylinder and said the usual prayers, and left us to our adoration.
Afterwards in the car my 7-year-old son said, “I felt like we were all just pretending in there, like there was nothing there but bread and were all pretending it was God.” I think this is the result of robbing the liturgy of its traditional elements and forms and instead seeking constantly to “update” it: you lose the sense of mystery and timelessness which helps to inspire the appropriate awe and reverence. Rather than memories of a night of reverence and mystery, my son is left with a memory of banality and pretending.
In short, Notburga, I agree with you!
December 10, 2008 at 11:39 pm
“The only really “integrating” (would that be the terrible word?) option is to have Mass strictly after the missal: accomodating no-one in particular, but making everyone see “it’s about God, not about me”. ”
Isn’t it weird how the most obvious thing, viz simply celebrate the mass as per the missal, is so often what does not happen! We seem to be afflicted by a generation of priests who wish to be “original and creative” when they say mass presumably because they think hey can improve on the wisdom of the Church when it promulgated the missal.
December 11, 2008 at 7:37 pm
Agellius, how dreadful!
I hope I will be forgiven for pointing out that one doesn’t use a monstrance on Holy Thursday… the Blessed Sacrament is supposed to be transferred in a ciborium (NEVER a glass bowl!) at the end of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper. I’m pretty sure that the older form of the liturgy eschews the monstrance on Holy Thursday as well.
December 11, 2008 at 10:29 pm
Zadok, I appreciate the correction, I had no idea we were not supposed to use monstrances. My family and I usually go church-visiting on Holy Thursday, and I have certainly seen monstrances used, though probably not in the majority of cases. I actually used to complain when a ciborium was used instead of a monstrance, because I thought the monstrance was, well, just nicer. Can you tell me why a monstrance is not used that day?
December 12, 2008 at 3:59 am
It’s because it is partly penitential. Holy Thursday is solemn rather than glorious.
December 14, 2008 at 1:55 pm
And a “youth Mass” will alienate older people (O.K. and often youth as well, because things are done middle-aged people think young people like).
Youth Masses almost drove me out of the Church! Even here and now, when I steadfastly refuse to include myself under the “Youth” umbrella, some people will try to do so anyway.
December 16, 2008 at 7:37 pm
BA: Now I understand. Thanks.