Monday, June 03, 2002
Warning! Religious, often Catholic-specific rant ahead. Just so you know.
Music in a contemporary Catholic Mass is an important part of the service. Along with the time of day, the music of a specific service is the deciding factor in which Mass I choose to attend regularly.
For those of you (well, all of you) who are unfamiliar with my usual churchgoing habits, I generally attend the Sunday evening Mass -- what is currently known as the LifeTeen Mass, where my sister often sings in the choir. There was a time when I enjoyed this Mass much more than the morning services, simply because I loved the music; the evening Mass usually contained more contemporary yet lovely songs that I personally found more spiritually touching.
As of late, however, I find myself drifting more and more towards a preference for the more traditional Catholic music and songs -- which is rather unusual. In my early teens I was deeply involved in the youth groups and youth choir at my church. I attended Catholic retreats and conferences, and they were always wonderful experiences -- especially the music, which is certainly geared toward our generation, and has a different sound -- but is no less moving. Yet, any more, such music simply grates on my ears. Why, you ask?
Because the evening Mass has become The Catholic Choir Variety Hour.
It disgusts me the way I watch certain people use the Mass -- and the music of worship -- as a bargain for attention. To me, it is flagrantly irreverent -- the focal point of the Mass should be on the altar, not upon the choir area. Songs should be chosen for their relevance to that week's Scripture readings -- they should not be picked based on their good beat for drums, or because they just sound "cool". Microphones in the church should be set on a level appropriate for a place of worship -- not cranked up to high volume. And, of course, the choir and youth leader should be humble and spiritually in-tune (ha, no pun intended) enough to know that he should NOT be vying for the congregation’s undivided attention by inserting himself a solo verse in EVERY song, or eating the microphone to ensure that his voice is heard, or coming this close, in my opinion, to being disrespectful of the priest when he gives his announcements.
Thus, the evening Mass for me now is no longer enjoyable at all. The almost-debauchery of the music is detracting from what should be the point of the Mass in the first place: the celebration of the Eucharist.
But the thing is, this isn’t the only church in which I’ve noticed this sort of trend. I know it isn’t just me, and I know it isn’t just St. Anne’s Catholic Parish in Texas. The “Christian pop act” trend for youth choirs seems to be popular. But I know that many of those who attend that kind of Mass are neither entertained nor moved by the music.
Of course, it’s cool to be Christian everywhere right now -- which doesn’t sound like such a bad thing, on the face of it. But there is a difference between BEING a Christian and ACTING like a Christian. And it’s cool to BE a Christian right now: to wear that “What Would Jesus Do” bracelet, or to own a CD of a Christian rock group, or to proclaim that you go to church. But it’s never cool to ACT like a Christian, it seems: to try to be selfless, to resist temptations, to listen to and follow God’s Word.
Acting like a Christian requires a humble attitude -- one which is obviously not held by those who seem to be more concerned with being a Christian for popularity or attention. (Though I won’t pretend that I’m being humble now by pointing all this out; I think some would consider this a symptom of Holier-Than-Thou Syndrome.)
I always get the feeling that the music at the evening Mass now is a part of the whole “Christianity is cool” thing. There’s nothing humble about it -- and consequently, it’s rather disheartening at the least, and actually almost angering at times.
I’m attending the morning service next weekend.
| 12:27 AM |
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