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St. Andrew the Apostle Friday Flash | October 8th, 2021

Friday Flash

October 8, 2021

FOR GOD'S SAKE, DO NOT TEXT OR RECEIVE MESSAGES DURING MASS!

Some years back, I wrote an article for the weekly bulletin entitled “For God’s Sake, do not do the Judas suffle! This week while discussing respect in front of the Blessed Sacrament after the phone of one parishioner kept ringing, one parishioner requested for the said article. So, I have decided to reproduce it with a slightly different title in case it can still serve as a reminder to us as we continue to deepen our understanding and respect for the Eucharist. In the final part of that article, I had given you ten Liturgical Commandments in order to help us give the Eucharistic celebration the importance it deserves. I will remind you of these in future articles, however, in this article, I will touch on the first two commandments, namely:

1. Thou shalt not receive calls or send text messages in Church. These should never take God's time.

2. Thou shalt ensure that your cell phones and all other electronic devices are switched off before entering Church.

Today, more than ever, I think this reminder is necessary as I continue to witness these commandments repeatedly broken. With the advancement and revolution in communication technology I can understand texting at the movie theater, a concert, a sporting event, or a play and people frequently do that… but at church? During the Holy Mass? Nope! If it’s rude to text when someone is talking to you, why do it when God is talking to you? If it’s rude to text when you’re at the dinner table, why do it before the table of the Lord? That is why at the very beginning before the Mass begins, to help you, we remind you to turn off all the electronic devices so as to avoid the temptation of texting or receiving text messages or receiving calls with very disruptive ring tones.

It’s not an issue of pleasing God by your posture or attention span. It’s not even an issue of the content of your text, in fact you're most likely texting about how great my sermon is, I'm sure of it….! But it's an issue of reverence. In front of the blessed sacrament, we should show respect and reverence….always!

What are you communicating when you send a text message during Mass? Essentially when you do so, you’re saying that there’s something you need to tell someone, and that need is more important than what's right in front of you… the Lord Jesus himself!

Think about it this way… if Pope Francis or your favorite celebrity were standing in front of you, talking directly to you, giving you something of great importance… would you look away from that person to your phone in order to send or receive a text? Hopefully not. Then why do it with God?

See, the time you spend in worship is NOT neutral nor is it a favor to God as sometimes we tend to give the impression it is. The time spent during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is intended to prepare you for the Lord's Supper. The whole service, the parts that you find interesting, the parts you don't, and even the parts you wonder why we continue to participate in, all of it is preparing you for the reception of God's own body and blood given for you in the Mass. Moreover, the Mass lasts only an hour! Can’t you keep away from your phone even for an hour for this very important encounter with Jesus?

Remember, the Holy Mass is where he is present for you, it's where He gives you the forgiveness of your sins, your salvation, your eternal life. Everything we do from the moment we enter the Church building is pointing us, guiding us, getting us ready... for God. Therefore, when you enter the Church, do not text or make or receive calls! Period!

-Fr. Robert

Memorial Mass and Fall Festival

Sunday, October 31st 1:30pm-7:00pm

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Grow Haiti's Children

Celebration and Fundraising Dinner

October 23rd, at 6:30pm

Hennessy Hall

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