I am totally sick of older men and women talking in Church before, during, and after Mass. I have come to several conclusions concerning this lack of respect and reverence for God. The icon which comes to my mind is the Burning Bush. Moses heard God and took off his sandals as he was on holy ground. Moses knew that God was the Almighty, the All Holy. He responded as an adult to the anxiety of being a human in the Face of the Living God. The response is one of awe and silence. If God is present, one should only feel gratitude. Only in our nakedness before God can we really be respectful.
Why so many adults talk in Church, (and gossip, that is talk about other people's business), is that they have not grown up into the virtuous life. Why do so many adults fight the normal process of spiritual maturation? They want to make God into their own image and likeness. They do not want to encounter the Other. St. Augustine said, "Let me know myself, God and I will know You."
This lack of self-knowledge shows a lack of repentance and reflection. Also, the basics of the faith need to be learned by the adult community.
I am not sure I can continue to go to some Novus Ordo Masses where the priests allow and even encourage talking before and after Mass. The Presence of God demands our reverence.
