10 Unpleasant things Catholics do in Church

10 Things that Catholics do in church

1. “Chomping “ on the host:
This is one action which really rankle me. One can clearly see when the person is chewing on the host by his/her mouth movement. Don’t they realise that the host is the ‘body of Christ’? You don’t have to chew on it as it dissolves in the saliva of one’s mouth and could be swallowed easily during the time we say our prayers of thanks.

2. Exaggerated hand movements during prayers:
Though to each his own, there are some Catholics who make exaggerated hand actions e.g. lifting both their hands high up to receive blessings and then swipe along their face, something the Hindus do when they ‘receive the fire’. Maybe I am ignorant on the effect of the above actions.

3. Waiting for the priest for blessings after mass :
There are still many parishioners who will wait outside the entrance for the priest/priests to request for blessings after the mass. I remembered very clearly that this is discouraged by the priest during sermons as blessings by the Lord are already given during the mass.

4. Shoddy dressings during mass
It is easy to note the parishioners who were dressed in home clothes which are obviously worn for quite a while, round necked T-shirt which are creased and have seen better days, bermudas, sandals. etc. Don’t they know that they are meeting the Lord in Church? Of course, we don’t expect that they wear suit and tie (I believe that in Malaysia, the Catholics dressed that way i.e. in their Sunday best and took pride in doing that) but at least, be neatly dressed.

5. Tartly dressed:
On the other end, there are ladies who dressed tartly i.e. low cut, spaghetti or with short skirt. One would think that they are ‘dressed to kill’, not realising that such dressings are a total distraction.

6. Peace be with you:
Have you ever met stony faces when you say “peace be with you” to those around you during service, after the priest had done that? Some did not even acknowledge your greetings. I did meet such fellow worshippers and I often wonder why was it that my smile and words were met with such a reception. Maybe that person had a bad morning, had personal problems or did not like me. But whatever the reason, to me, saying Peace be with you is a message from Christ, not from me as a person or human being. The Lord wishes that there is peace around the world and we are his messengers. There is no need for a full hug or kisses, just simple words in reply ‘peace be with you too’.

7. Children in the congregation
The Church provides ‘Cry rooms’ for parents to be with their restless kids and yet we see some parents insisting that their little ones be with them in the main congregation. If there are no cry room, the parents could bring their child out once they start to become restless. God will understand. Where is the consideration and respect for others who want some quiet and peace to pray when the child is crying or jumping up and down the pews?

8. Leaving before the priest
How often do you see parishioners starting to leave their pews the moment final blessings were said? Yes, there are some who are genuinely rushing for time. However, can they ever wait for the priest to retreat out of the hall before they start moving out? It is simply called ‘disrespect’.

9. Walking to their seats after the mass have started (like during the gospel readings)
When you are very late, one should have the sense to stay at the back until the opportune time. In theatre concert, late comers are not allowed to take their seats when the curtains were raised. Only during the interval, are they allowed to go in even though they have paid for it. It is the same in Church. The wardens should not allow movements to seats until the time when the congregation stands for the part of the mass.

10. Touching the statues
Why do people need to do that? Such actions reinforce the idea that Catholics are idol worshippers, which we definitely are not. Already in the minds of other Christian groups they believe we are.

What I have written are not pleasant and may be just practised by a minority. However, such habits may eventually turn to practices if they are not mentioned or reminded. Imagine the effects they have on a young child. Such actions or practices will be perpetuated.
I may not be a perfect parishioner or even considered to be ‘holy’. I know I should be in my own ‘prayer mode’ in Church, be oblivious and should not be observing what other people do (i.e. not to kaypoh). However, some of those actions or practices which I observed are distractions and are so obviously displayed in front of you that you just cannot ignore. I felt that many of such things should not happen in the Church if we have respect for the Lord and for one another and if we really know to be a good Catholic in the daily life and practices. There are priests who have spoken about them in their homily but they still persisted. I remembered his Grace, Archbishop Chia spoke and insisted on proper dressings during mass when he was parish priest of Holy Cross many years ago. It was very directly mentioned and in a way, forcefully applied. As a result, many parishioners complied and it had the ripple effect. I still remember it after nearly 30 years.
I wonder if such actions mentioned are peculiar just in those churches I attended.
I wish humbly to say that I have no ‘holier than thou’ attitude but just a normal Catholic who wish that our faith remain pure and simple. The mass experience should be a pleasant one for everyone.
Note : I have noticed that there are very few concerns on hand phones nowadays.