My Christmas midnight mass
By topffer
@topffer (42156)
France
December 25, 2018 11:27am CST
I do not go often to the mass, but there are two masses that I try to not miss, for Christmas and Easter. So, after my Christmas dinner, I did a digestive stroll towards the Cathedral. It is not my usual church, but my church is closed since a year, waiting for repairs after a stone felt from the roof. The Cathedral is cold at this time of the year, and usually full of people coming there to show off. I sat just behind Santa Claus. I am quite 60 years old and I had never seen a man attending a mass with the head covered. I was tempted to tell him to remove his Santa hat, but, after all, it was Christmas and his business. Santa was there with his family, wife, in-laws and two six or seven years old twin daughters of the interchangeable model : same face, hair cut and clothes. A bit weird too, usually the parents are giving a different cloth to twins to be able to call them by their name. Maybe they had the same name ? He, he, no, Watson, one had light grey boots, and the other the same boots but light brown.
Being in a Cathedral I was expecting to see a bishop celebrating the mass, but, no, it was the priest of the parish. However he did a good sermon about the signification of Christmas for a Christian, that in our secularized world Christmas had been hijacked by business, and that the pagan god today was money. Telling that to a bourgeoise assembly of people digesting their foie-gras and turkey was quite courageous.
Later, a young seminarian (it is an endangered species, but we have still seminarians), after having invited us to pray for the Pope, the bishops and the priests, invited us to pray for... our politicians ! After Santa’s hat, it was also a first representation in a church for me ! This was too much. Politicians do not need our prayers, they need our money and make a good living with it. And putting the politicians before the poor and the homeless during a Christmas mass was bad taste.
I came back to home with mixed feelings.
12 people like this
14 responses
@LadyDuck (471459)
• Switzerland
25 Dec 18
I fully agree it was bad taste. I remember many years ago, I still lived in Italy, a young Priest started a weird sermon for Christmas, criticizing the mid class who did not help enough the poor... the Cardinals and Vatican of course were Saints. A young woman got up, walked in front of the priest and told him about real spirit of Christmas and what she thought of the Vatican and Cardinals. I still remember, I admired her.
5 people like this
@topffer (42156)
• France
25 Dec 18
The Church in France has to survive with what people are giving because they do not receive any money from the State since 1905 (Except in Alsace which was not French in 1905). But it is not the case of politicians, and there is actually a scandal a day about the way they spend our money. I heard this afternoon about a politician spending 3000 Euros/month of public money in restaurants on lobsters and caviar. The main problem is that it is perfectly legal actually. They do not need prayers, but if the yellow vests movement does not stop they will soon need body armors.
It was not a priest but a young seminarian lacking of experience.
Hats off to this woman having interrupted a priest who was derailing
.
.4 people like this
@LadyDuck (471459)
• Switzerland
25 Dec 18
@topffer The 8 per thousand of Italian taxes go to the Church, not to mention what they get from people who have no legal heirs and leave their money to the Church. I admired that young woman, nobody had the guts to do the same. I was too young and my parents would have "killed" me.
5 people like this
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Dec 18
Vince has given up going to Mass even at Christmas and Easter now. He is thoroughly disillusioned. I was never a particular religion but always supported him and tagged along with whatever was happening. Sometimes I miss not going to mass but I've got pretty cynical in my old age too.
3 people like this
@lovinangelsinstead21 (36850)
• Pamplona, Spain
1 Jan 19
It does take courage for someone to say that to a Priest indeed.
As for the man with the hat he should have taken it off and put it on when outside the church grounds.
Not the done thing to wear that kind of hat in a Church not for me at least.
Right now I would for Politicians I would only pray that they do the right thing and think about the people in this country instead of themselves.
I don´t often see women wearing veils here any more unless they are from priviliged families.
I keep going past a church that does not even look like a Church it looks more like a warehouse and is never ever open so I find that quite puzzling and it does not have Church bells either don´t like it at all.
1 person likes this
@lovinangelsinstead21 (36850)
• Pamplona, Spain
3 Jan 19
@topffer
Its not my Church tops I don´t know who designed that but it seems more like a jail with steel barred gates back and front and a Paio inside it.
It states that its a Church but it certainly does not look like one at all not as we know them anyway.
It might as well be the shop around the corner.
It seems there are no Masses or anything.
Yes he probably went there because of his Wife and children but not a good example to set them wearing a hat that belongs to Father Christmas.
I don´t pray for Politicians either at all its only a figure of speech.
But I did send my very best wishes to one whose girlfriend had delivered premature twin boys for their recovery and they are doing very well now although it was very touch and go at the start.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
2 Jan 19
You have a weird church, how they call people to the mass if they have no bells ?
In a lay state with a strong fence between politics and religion, I do not pray for politicians, especially during a midnight Christmas mass.
And yes, it is plain wrong for a man to wear a hat in a church, but Santa is usually too busy to go to the Christmas mass
. Oh, well, this man does not enter often in a church, maybe he went there for his wife and children.
. Oh, well, this man does not enter often in a church, maybe he went there for his wife and children.1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
3 Jan 19
@lovinangelsinstead21 It is something else that I also would do, I make a distinction between the man and the politician. I worked with several politicians, and some were nice people. At least out of politics.
.1 person likes this
@xFiacre (13035)
• Ireland
25 Dec 18
@topffer I think praying for politicians should be understood as asking God to give politicians wisdom so that they will govern well. The poor will benefit if the politicians do their job properly. I’m glad that my church does not receive money from the state.
3 people like this
@topffer (42156)
• France
25 Dec 18
Difficult task. There was not a saint for politicians until John Paul II decided in 2000 that it would be Thomas More. Maybe English politicians can be touched by the divine grace, but French, no, I cannot find a French saint who had been a politician.
2 people like this
@just4him (317089)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
26 Dec 18
I agree guys shouldn't wear hats in church. I'm a woman. I kept my Santa hat on. Nobody objected. Not even the pastor.
Praying for politicians before the poor, I agree with you. The poor should have come first.
I do agree with the priest's sermon about business hijacking Christmas.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
26 Dec 18
For a woman I would not have objected, all women were covered in Catholic churches when I was a child, but for a man it is a lack of respect.
I would have liked to see the bishop celebrating the mass, but, yes, the sermon was good, there is too much business around Christmas.
2 people like this
@Fleura (30404)
• United Kingdom
26 Dec 18
@topffer I know it is traditional for women to cover their heads and men to remove their head coverings, but I do not agree with the reason for it. I believe it comes from St Paul's edict that women should cover their heads as a sign that they are under the authority of men, while men should uncover their heads as a sign that they are under the authority of no-one but God.
Naturally I do not agree with this!
2 people like this
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@BarBaraPrz (47352)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
26 Dec 18
I think the request for prayers for the politicians was supposed to help them make good decisions.
1 person likes this
@much2say (55665)
• Los Angeles, California
29 Dec 18
Pray for politicians 
? I think I sort of understand what was meant - but to say it that way doesn't come out right as a Christmas message - yes, it was in bad taste. Not that I know a lot about church etiquette, but my first reaction to seeing your photo here was about that Santa hat - I thought hats were a no-no. My mother in law has often said recently that things have been changing with the church - one thing it's not as "proper" as it used to be.
? I think I sort of understand what was meant - but to say it that way doesn't come out right as a Christmas message - yes, it was in bad taste. Not that I know a lot about church etiquette, but my first reaction to seeing your photo here was about that Santa hat - I thought hats were a no-no. My mother in law has often said recently that things have been changing with the church - one thing it's not as "proper" as it used to be.1 person likes this
@much2say (55665)
• Los Angeles, California
30 Dec 18
@topffer I was talking with Hubby about this - he thinks more of Baptist church ladies wearing the hats. He does not recall seeing ladies in hats as a child in their church, but no hats at all period.
I wish there was a stronger fence between religion and politics here.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
30 Dec 18
@much2say It is a rule that comes from Paul in Corinthians 11 4-7and is still applied in Orthodox churches where women need to go with the head covered. The Catholic Church abandoned it in the 1960's.
Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you. But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the wom
@topffer (42156)
• France
30 Dec 18
Things have changed, yes. In the past women had to have the head covered in a church, today it is optional and rare to see a woman with a scarf or a hat. But for a man it has always been forbidden in a Catholic church. I had never seen that before, I suppose that he does not enter often in a church.
And we are in a lay state with a strong fence between religion and politics, asking to pray for politicians was wrong.
1 person likes this
@louievill (28851)
• Philippines
25 Dec 18
Bad taste indeed, perhaps he meant pray fot their souls so they won't go to hell or pray for politcians who are already in purgatory to prevent them from sliding down
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
25 Dec 18
Actually with the social movement we have here, they should better pray to keep their wages long. The yellow vests have even asked to have the senators not elected but chosen by drawing. It would be the end of professional politicians. But it will never happen, they will never vote for something like this.
. The yellow vests have even asked to have the senators not elected but chosen by drawing. It would be the end of professional politicians. But it will never happen, they will never vote for something like this.1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
25 Dec 18
Merry Christmas to you. Cities are doing their best here to encourage people to not have any car. My street is half pedestrian, and there is a project to forbid completely cars downtown. In a few decades cars inside cities will be something of the past in Europe. Well, we breathe better than 20 years ago.
.1 person likes this
