May 6, 2011

Letters to the Editor

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We must treat our churches as the sacred spaces that they are

Whatever happened to reverence? When did it become acceptable to speak in full voice in the church sanctuary, catching up on each other’s lives since our last meeting?

Or to chew gum not only during Mass, but also on our way to and from Communion?

And when did revealing clothing become acceptable attire for Mass?

Somewhere along the line, we have lost the sense of “sacred space.” Some people dress and behave in church no differently than they would in the school gymnasium or at the local park.

The Rule of Saint Benedict 52:1 states: “Let the oratory be what it is called, a place of prayer; and let nothing else be done there or kept there.”

Our churches are our oratories, and they should be treated as the sacred spaces that they are.

This is not an isolated problem. I have witnessed it in churches far and near, big and small.

We cannot control the behavior of others, but we can control our own behavior and influence the behavior of our children and those around us.

Let us strive to behave reverently in our churches, making them true places of prayer.

- Leslie Miskowiec, Brownsburg

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