Mailbag: In Church, ‘Silencio’

From the mail:

I thought it would be a nice present to Jesus: improved behavior in church; please forward.

I exhort you in the Lord to practice the following. Enter the church in silence and with great respect, considering yourself unworthy to appear before the Lord’s Majesty. Then take Holy Water and make the Sign of the Cross carefully and slowly. As soon as you are before God in the Blessed Sacrament, devoutly genuflect. (St. Pio, aka Padre Pio)

Why There Should Be Silence In Church

1. The church says so. Paragraph 45 of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal

“Even before the celebration itself, it is commendable that silence be observed in the church, in the sacristy, in the vesting room, and in the adjacent areas, so that all may dispose themselves to carry out the sacred action in a devout and fitting manner.”

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2. Talking in church is disrespectful of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. We are in the house of God, in the Presence of God Himself in the Tabernacle, not in a coffee shop. All our thoughts should be directed to Him.

3. It teaches disrespect. When children see adults talking, giggling, and laughing in Church, especially before, during, and after Holy Mass, instead of in prayer or silent meditation it teaches them that it is O.K., thus further eroding respect for the Blessed Sacrament in the next generation. And it’s hypocritical for parents to “shush” their children while they themselves continue to talk.

4. It is the Lord’s house, which Jesus taught was “a house of prayer” (Mt 21:13) and thus be used according to its purpose. It is not commendable to turn the Holy House of God into a man-made place of socializing and gossiping. The House of God, where dwells the Real Presence of God, must be treated with ongoing reverence.

5. Talking in Church, if disruptive, can be a violation of justice against actual neighbors who are trying to pray.

6. Talking in church is a violation of charity, since as Christians we should be going “out of ourselves” to look after others first. Unnecessary talk in the church is a total disrespect for one’s own brothers and sisters in Christ who are trying to pray, and against the faithful who seek to grow in their spiritual lives. Talking in Church falls short of manifesting love, charity, kindness and self-control, which are fruits of the holy spirit. (Gal 5:22) If a person crassly and knowingly disregards others trying to pray, or worst of all does so with malice or contempt, it could even be a mortal sin against charity.