Thursday, January 27, 2005
Mindfulness in the Communion Procession
Bennet requested a clarification of my comment, "Adults treat the Communion procession with a degree of disinterest."
"What are these adults doing or neglecting to do?"
I find lack of mindfulness to be troubling. By that I mean the inner quality of attention one gives God in prayer. One obvious example is the general leaving as soon as Communion is received, without praying or reflecting with other worshippers. Another might be insistent stubbornness with certain practices, even though they set a poor example for the young. The CDWS suggestion that the gesture of reverence precede the act of consuming the Body and Blood of Christ. I realize that people are "trained" into crossing themselves or genuflecting after instead of before, and it's not entirely their fault that some clergy choose to deemphasize new procedures. Neglecting to sing is another.
" ... many people rightly or wrongly refuse to indulge the music director's or priest's or liturgist's personal whims, and refuse to sing the hymns ..."
I have yet to come across something downright heretical in text. Music can be quite poorly executed and difficult to sing along to. So I have conflicted feelings about this one. "I don't like 'I Am The Bread of Life' because of voice of God." That argument rings like a personal whim on the part of the dissenter, not a good example for others. "I don't like 'I Am The Bread of Life' because they play it too darn slow." You hope there's a solution in a situation like that.
If dissenting parents make a point of singing hymns with their kids at other times, I could excuse ideological persnicketiness.
Did I give you something close to an answer?
