Catholic friends, I have a dilemma and a question.. Today at mass, a gentleman, sitting alone, was using his phone as his missal. This was quite distracting, so I went and got him a missal booker, opened it to 7 April, quietly tapped him on the shoulder and said, “You can use this to help you follow along.” He said, “I have my phone, thanks.” To which I replied “It’s just quite distracting.” “To who?” “To me.” “Well then move,” he finished in a matter of fact kind of way. That was it. We both made a point of saying “Peace be with you” when the time came and by all accounts, he was a regular, I’ve just never sat behind him I guess. Anyway, my question is this: was I offside for asking him to use a missal booklet instead of his phone?
This calls to mind an occasion when Hilaire Belloc was at a church in America. He was kneeling and saying his Rosary when an usher came up and told him that this was a time to stand. Before resuming his Rosary, Belloc responded, “Go to Hell.” The usher responded: “Oh, I am sorry. I didn’t realize you were Catholic!”
I don’t care if someone uses the Missal displayed on a cell phone to follow along at Mass. I prefer a hardcopy of the Missal. I also prefer a hardcopy of the Bible for my daily Scripture reading. A cell phone or a tablet is perhaps more convenient, but we all have preferences. Not a big deal to me.
I don’t even understand how cell phone usage was “quite distracting” unless the guy was waving it around his head or something. If one guy is looking down at his phone while everyone else is looking down at their missals, that should work. And except for the priest and the altar boys, there’s no assigned seating at church. So, the guy is right about moving, too.
The altar boys use a missal on their phones when serving on the altar. I think it is a bit much, but the pew books are pretty bulky.
[…] Presley at Law & LibertyEsotericism – J. Budziszewski, Ph.D., at The Underground ThomistSeen on Twitter – Donald R. McClarey, Esq., at The American CatholicMisused Churches, The Finals Rounds […]
Distractions are opportunities, imo.
This case is so minimal. A prayer within the person who is distraught was an opportunity as gift for souls. Children are another example.
If the parents are overwhelmed and the child can’t sit still, a focus on offering the distraction up works wonders. Sometimes the response from the offering is realized in seconds as the child becomes manageable… not always mind you, but on occasion. Always however, the offering is made in faith. Faith tells me that it’s not a waisted offering even though the distraction persists.
The man with the cell phone…..move then was a good suggestion.
I have the Magnificat on my phone/iPad, but I try and read it in my car before I go into Church so that it’s not a distraction to others. That being said, I wouldn’t interfere with someone who has their phone out at Church. I don’t know what’s going on in that person’s life.
… As long as the ringer is turned off … People always seem to get calls during the consecration. That’s distracting.
Mildly presumptuous to impose on someone else for your own peace of mind, and the attitude at being told ‘no’ is way out of bounds, but the asking itself is fine.
There are a great many good reasons to be using your phone instead of the printed missal, and none of them are things that anyone else is entitled to be told, much less someone who needs to recognize their near pathological response to seeing a phone.
(Short list of reasons- hurts to hold the missal, can’t zoom in well enough to see easily, phone is controlling the hearing aids so you can actually hear without being deafened, being on call for a must-respond and a phone vibrating is distracting to others, not reading English well enough to be confident of following along.)
It’s not sinful to realize you’ve got an over-reaction, or even to ask people to help you deal with it. It is sinful to confuse your emotional reaction with a moral obligation in others.
It is far too easy to get distracted on our phones. I may have the Magnificat or the Divine Office up on it, or I may even be following along with a Rosary to help me mediate on it. But invariably, my phone at lease, provides me with a million other notifications coming up begging for my attention. I assiduously avoid using my phone during Mass, both to keep from being distracted and from distracting others. But….our culture and the technology are pushing us way beyond what’s ideal. Personally, if someone else’s phone got to the point of really distracting me…maybe I can hear it, maybe there’s something else coming up on the screen that is grabbing my attention….I’d move.
One of the better reasons to have the phone can be to see complete readings instead of the redacted versions that appear so often.
Generally, my opinion is that if it is silent and not illuminating an otherwise dark/dim church, go for it.
Also, find me a church that does not have plenty of space for both of these guys. I pray one exists, but I’ve got my doubts in 2024.
Although this man was following the Mass on the Phone, I can see the other fellows point of view- I just don’t think he communicated it in an effective way.
This speaks to reverence and pushing the boundaries of what could end up being a relaxed irreverence in the Church over time with the use of the phone. Things always start innocently then we become desensitised and relaxed.
And yet we bang on about upholding tradition (and glorifying the Latin Mass) but now it’s ok to use your phone as long as it’s to read along to Mass? Use a Missal- we have used Missals for goodness knows how long. All of a sudden the Missal writing is too small and whatever other excuse and the phone is the godsend- it’s viewed like a necessary organ to the body!
We do come into Church and celebrate as a community and we do have to be mindful of each other a watchful of our own behaviour. If someone told me what I was doing was distracting them in Church (kindly and nicely) then I would have no problem not doing it. We are all there to worship God as a community of Faith.
The person reading along on his phone was minding his own business. Let him be. If it’s distracting try to remember why you are there. To worship God. Turn your attention back to him. Or, if you can’t, just get up and move.
Both the missal & the phone are simply mediums or means to read the word of God. What about in 200 AD when everyone was reading from scrolls, & some distracting person came out with a missal – what a distraction – he should be ostracised.
I have my Daily Office on my cell phone – much more convenient than lugging around the book version; still the same prayer – still reverently said – no distraction to others with rustling of pages.
The times they are a’changin’. 😆
The times they are a’changin
This could be said for many things. Where do you draw the line?
I hardly doubt there will ever come a time when the Church will ban phones in Church. However it’s a matter of prudence going forward of what we think is best.
You could argue that A Missal just has the readings and is dedicated to the Mass etc…it has no possibility to distract. On the other hand the phone has everything on it. Everything! Constant notifications, social media, work emails, games etc…we are now relying on a device to worship…hmm…which has many opportunities for distractions. The issue is keeping distractions outside for the hour when we are worshiping God. Whats better?
Mind you when you are in the season if your life where you are a parent trying to encourage teenagers and young people to reduce their use of the phone it would be hypocritical to be ok using a phone in Mass – even to worship. The more opportunities to not rely on it, the better- mentally, emotionally, spiritually… Myself first and foremost 🙋♀️
I would personally love for our Parish Priest to say- No Phones allowed! How liberating.
For what’s it’s worth;
here is what St. Thérèse of Lisieux wrote about being distracted during prayer.
I also have many [distractions] but as soon as I am aware of them, I pray for those people the thought of whom is diverting my attention, and in this way they reap benefit from my distractions.