Numbing the Spiritual Senses

Sometimes it can be very hard for people to appreciate reverence. It is kind of like appreciating a good wine or classical music. Depending on how much bad wine, or cheap music one has imbibed, it can be very hard to like the good stuff. Irreverence is kind of like cheap soda or pop music.

Someone once said to me, "but I really like sonic burgers better than a steak". That does not make it okay, any more than if someone said he likes laziness better than working. It is merely an admission of guilt; not an excuse. Now imagine someone whose taste buds have been continually exposed to cheap food; after a while it will be difficult for that person to appreciate good quality food. The taste buds eventually become numb to bad taste and they begin to tolerate it more and more, until the person cannot even discern what properly "tasted good".

With the Mass the principle is not much different. If someone is brought up in a playful and disrespectful liturgical context, then his "taste buds" for liturgy are not properly formed in order to experience a traditional liturgical celebration. Of course, down deep, many people suppress those feelings of conviction and seek to ignore it, hoping it will go away. Yet we all know that God calls for reverence, and is not pleased with any action that shows disrespect for Him.

I recall a visitor who once attended Mass at St. George. He was clearly expecting "fun and games" and pop music. I glanced in his direction a few times during the homily (I am turned toward the tabernacle most of the rest of the time), and it appeared like he was going to lay an egg at any second. Speaking to him after Mass, he let me know that he had never seen anything like our form of the Mass (there was not actual disdain in his voice, but he made it clear that he thought it all "stuffy" and "unnecessary". I tried to encourage him to faithfulness and explained to him how and why things are the way they are at St. George. He did not appear to understand.

It is hard to gauge, but everyone who comes into a Mass is somewhere on the scale of reverence. The more a person shows respect for reverence and holiness, the more they are likely to hear and see the beauty of God's grace, and also appreciate all forms of proper reverence. The less a person shows respect for reverence and holiness, the more they are likely to agonize whenever they experience reverence. When someone has gone through the abuse of numbing their spiritual senses, that is always one more step away from God.