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Ship of Fools: Church of the Transfiguration ('Little Church Around the Corner'), New York City


imageShip of Fools: Church of the Transfiguration ('Little Church Around the Corner'), New York City

Deacon guffaws, rector gyrates, choir screeches at this historic church

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Comments

  • EnochEnoch Shipmate
    I can't help thinking that the notion that the parable of the Prodigal Son gives a confusing picture of what is proper and what is not is fairly weird in itself. One wonders if what sounds like a confusing delivery might have confused what the preacher was trying to say so much that it garbled content as well as just the words.
  • GunnarGunnar Shipmate Posts: 1
    You were horrified that the congregation applauded after the sermon, then went on to say that the sermon was about the Prodigal Son......and pointed out that we "must not judge". :)

    I once attended Mass at St. Peter's in Rome, and at the conclusion of the sermon on that particular day, everyone applauded. The same happens there when individuals are acknowledged as saints. There is nothing about a high Mass that precludes "clapping" or good natured laughing in response to a sermon.
  • It makes the Baby Jesus and his Blessed Mother cry.
  • Gunnar wrote: »
    You were horrified that the congregation applauded after the sermon, then went on to say that the sermon was about the Prodigal Son......and pointed out that we "must not judge". :)

    I once attended Mass at St. Peter's in Rome, and at the conclusion of the sermon on that particular day, everyone applauded. The same happens there when individuals are acknowledged as saints. There is nothing about a high Mass that precludes "clapping" or good natured laughing in response to a sermon.
    Yes, I’ve seen that happen at papal masses. I’m afraid I don’t think it’s a practice to emulate. To my mind, it treats the sermon as a performance. It has nothing to do with whether it’s a high Mass or not. (I’m neither a Catholic nor an Episcopalian.) It has to do with likening the sermon to entertainment, or the preacher to a celebrity. (This is especially so when the applause happens every time, as it has at all papal masses I’ve seen, indicating that the applause may be more about the person preaching than about the Gospel preached.)

    Yes, there are definitely times we need to respond to a sermon we find moving or powerful. “Amen!” works quite well for that purpose, in my opinion.

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