Thursday, September 13, 2007

Applause or Silence?

Prompted by a conversation at Orthometer, I posted the following:

Comment by a Deacon:
"And let's not even get into clapping after the homily."

There is a story that I heard once.

Fulton Sheen and Orson Wells were both at a gathering. Both being great orators, they were asked by the host to read Psalm 23, the Lord is My Shepherd.

Orson Wells went first, read it beautifully, and at the end, roaring applause.

Fulton Sheen read the Psalm prayerfully, quietly, reverently. At the end, there was silence.

The host quipped: one knew the psalm, one knew the shepherd.

I would think that the latter is more important.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Father-It is good to address some of these odd "customs" which have cropped up at Mass. For the most part, I think Joe-Catholic in the pew doesn't realize that what he is doing is in keeping only with that squishy, misunderstood "community" meaning so prevalent in Catholic lexicon today.
It takes a priest who is willing to be and knows that he is a FATHER to correct his children. "Whom the father loves he chastens."
Last Sunday whilst I worshipped, our priest started his homily this way, "I am going to use this opportunity to give some fatherly correction even though it is a hard thing to do. THIS MASS BEGINS AT 12:30, NOT 12:45, NOT 12:50 but 12:30. You would not show up for your military formation 15 minutes late. This Mass begins at 12:30." He was looking directly at the late arrivals in the back.
I say, "Well done!" to this priest who was willing to correct his children. That's how clapping at Mass will stop, too.