Sorry, another quick question.

[philothea]

I have to admit I read along, but that's only because the priest flubs a lot of words, often changing the whole meaning.

And he does [i]all[/i] the readings himself too.

[Q the Ninja]

I agree they can be a distraction...but Pope Benedict talks about how happy he was to have his first missal in his autobiography.

[SarahB]

[quote name='Q the Ninja' date='May 13 2005, 01:13 AM'] I agree they can be a distraction...but Pope Benedict talks about how happy he was to have his first missal in his autobiography. [/quote]
I have a Missal, too. Minus any readings.

Like I said....I'm not saying we should chuck the readings. I just think in today's world, it's too much of a distraction. For nearly 2000 years of Church history, the laity didn't have a Missal or have the readings right in front of them. And the Church did just fine, continued to grow, had very devout followers, etc. I just don't think it would be a bad thing to get rid of them. There's always the option of reading the readings yourself before or after Mass and just trying to listen to the priest. Yeah, sometimes they're going to mess up a lot....consider it God trying to help grow some patience in you.

[Q the Ninja]

Ahh, see, I follow along. I see nothing distracting about them. In fact, sometimes I'll use them before or after Mass to reread something.

I also go to Masses without them, and when I'm feeling ill especially, my mind can sometimes wonder. I use the missal to counter this.

[sxtncndles]

I think reading along helps me to NOT be distracted. Just as my visits to protestant churches (with 2 hour long sermons) can make me zone out, so can just listening. I love to read anyway, so it helps me concentrate and know every word pronounced. If my ears were open but my eyes wander, its harder to pay attention than seeing AND hearing the words.

[MissScripture]

[quote]SarahB @ May 11 2005, 10:39 AM)
Personally I think along with saying "Be attentive" a whole lot, they should go around smacking people with the incenser who they know aren't paying attention. What are the altar boys for, anwyay? 
[/quote]

I totally agree. It would help me pay attention, at least if they could tell I was zoning. At one Mass someone complimented me on looking so "prayerful" when I had barely been awake. Oops. I pay attention better, now though.

[God Conquers]

The Gospel (and other readings for that matter) are to be heard. The missals are meant to be aids for those not accustomed to the Mass (outsiders, children and the elderly or other people who can't hear or can't focus), not crutches for people to distract themselves with.

I would conjecture that the Vatican publishes special booklets because there is undoubtedly many many different languages spoken by the people attending masses there, not to mention avtually used during mass. So I'd say the books are necessary for basic comprehension.