I know. I tend to think the exact same way. I read this priest was going to do this a few weeks ago and was apalled. But now I read people are being drawn to the Eucharist. He's packing the place. I can't help but rejoice in it.
It's terrible how working people are excluded from daily Mass. I'm gone 12 hours a day - and I have the family and a house to take care of. A short Canon, no drivel, no dizzy women stampeding the Sanctuary, no crazy music. I don't know. I've changed my mind a bit about it.
If it was a 15 minute Mass on Sunday, then it's a different story. Hopefully, the Grace their getting during the week, he feeds upon on Sunday. It's something.
There used to be a priest who did a 20 minute Mass in the AM here locally. Lots of people stuck around to adore, pray, rosary - etc. - and people rushing off to work could make their trains. I miss daily Mass, especially during Lent.
Next it'll be a Communion Service, I have sympathy for the working persons but where there is a will there is a way. St Anthony's has weekday Masses from 6am to 5:15pm. Its Quality not Quantity. I haven't heard of crowds making their way to the Wednesday Night Confessions now going on throughout the Archdiocese for Lent but perhaps they are. As for those in your situation your sacrifice of doing your lifely vocation is worth more to God & the Souls you care for. We're loosing sight of what the Mass is. The Mass should be an offering to God, not what we can get out of it.
I'm not so sure 'if there's a will there's a way' is fair assessment for a lot of working stiffs who go into Boston. The commuter rail runs about every 40 minutes in the morning. For instance, I'm getting up at 5:15 now to catch a 6:20 train. Even if somebody did a 20 minute Mass here early enough for me to board my train - you'd have to add driving back and forth to it. Arch Street is an option but they did away with a 7:30-ish Mass. If I chose to do that though, I couldn't catch the 5 train because I'd have to put in 8 hours. It's late enough to get home at 6 to START some kind of dinner on the table for hungry teenagers to eat around 6:30. That's without chores. If you're in your 30's, that's one thing to keep a schedule like this but the body can only do so much. At some point, I look forward to returning to daily Mass. If there was a Church a few minutes away from my home or work that I could hit a 20 minute Mass on my way to work or home, I think I'd be adding it into my routine. But as it is, I can't add another 40 minutes away from my family/friends -- I'm already neglecting so much.
I've been to priests who rush through Mass to run back to their television sets and it is not a healthy spiritual environment for me. One who won't lift the Chalice for a period of Adoration - etc. So, I know what you are saying...maybe I'm just missing that daily Mass too much to be impartial!
4 comments:
Ya & had they been late for work the Crucifixion would have only been 15 minutes. Disgraceful ..
I know. I tend to think the exact same way. I read this priest was going to do this a few weeks ago and was apalled. But now I read people are being drawn to the Eucharist. He's packing the place. I can't help but rejoice in it.
It's terrible how working people are excluded from daily Mass. I'm gone 12 hours a day - and I have the family and a house to take care of. A short Canon, no drivel, no dizzy women stampeding the Sanctuary, no crazy music. I don't know. I've changed my mind a bit about it.
If it was a 15 minute Mass on Sunday, then it's a different story. Hopefully, the Grace their getting during the week, he feeds upon on Sunday. It's something.
There used to be a priest who did a 20 minute Mass in the AM here locally. Lots of people stuck around to adore, pray, rosary - etc. - and people rushing off to work could make their trains. I miss daily Mass, especially during Lent.
Next it'll be a Communion Service, I have sympathy for the working persons but where there is a will there is a way. St Anthony's has weekday Masses from 6am to 5:15pm. Its Quality not Quantity. I haven't heard of crowds making their way to the Wednesday Night Confessions now going on throughout the Archdiocese for Lent but perhaps they are. As for those in your situation your sacrifice of doing your lifely vocation is worth more to God & the Souls you care for. We're loosing sight of what the Mass is.
The Mass should be an offering to God, not what we can get out of it.
I'm not so sure 'if there's a will there's a way' is fair assessment for a lot of working stiffs who go into Boston. The commuter rail runs about every 40 minutes in the morning. For instance, I'm getting up at 5:15 now to catch a 6:20 train. Even if somebody did a 20 minute Mass here early enough for me to board my train - you'd have to add driving back and forth to it. Arch Street is an option but they did away with a 7:30-ish Mass. If I chose to do that though, I couldn't catch the 5 train because I'd have to put in 8 hours. It's late enough to get home at 6 to START some kind of dinner on the table for hungry teenagers to eat around 6:30. That's without chores. If you're in your 30's, that's one thing to keep a schedule like this but the body can only do so much. At some point, I look forward to returning to daily Mass. If there was a Church a few minutes away from my home or work that I could hit a 20 minute Mass on my way to work or home, I think I'd be adding it into my routine. But as it is, I can't add another 40 minutes away from my family/friends -- I'm already neglecting so much.
I've been to priests who rush through Mass to run back to their television sets and it is not a healthy spiritual environment for me. One who won't lift the Chalice for a period of Adoration - etc. So, I know what you are saying...maybe I'm just missing that daily Mass too much to be impartial!
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