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Formed in Christ

Friday, August 22, 2025Faith

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... compared to college athletics, the "rules" for Mass are rather sparse.

How does everyone know what to do at Mass?
You probably have some sense that there must be some place where all who are involved in the celebration of Mass will find out who does what, where, why, when, and how. And for your parish's Sunday Mass, there are several sources with which all involved in the liturgy ought to be familiar: The Roman Missal (2011), The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (2011) -- the versions approved for the United States, The Lectionary for Mass, and, for some details, the Ceremonial of Bishops.
As we make our pilgrimage through the Mass, these will be referenced frequently.
Before any angst arises about "rules" and rule books, or worse, they are dismissed as sort of mere guidelines or suggestions, I want to place another parallel situation where there are different kinds of participants, all necessary, where some have one role or responsibility while others have theirs.
While there might be others, my parallel is this -- college sports. There are designated places, assigned roles, behind-the-scenes staff, coaches and their staff, and players, each with their own position. There are designated places for each role, and the playing area is designed accordingly. Additionally, there are rules for everyone there, including the fans. There are also codes of conduct during the game, on the sidelines and in the stands.

There are rules for uniforms -- home and away, special events, historical throwbacks -- all are tightly regulated. Likewise, there are rules for equipment. Recall the dilemma created by the inflation issue of a football, and that a hockey player who also plays lacrosse cannot use either his hockey stick or a puck at a lacrosse match.
And don't forget the officials. You know how they always call against your team, overlooking the other one's errors? You may see how they "missed" a call (and you might be right), but your making the call in the stands doesn't affect the play, much to your frustration.
I mention this because, compared to college athletics, the "rules" for Mass are rather sparse. If you want proof, you can readily find it at the website of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the famous, or for some, infamous overseers of college athletics.
Check the rule books for several sports. You'll see that each contains rules, diagrams, layouts, and measurements of the playing area, and regulations for uniforms, equipment, and personnel placement during the game.
Checking the following rule books, I was surprised by not only the detail but the number of pages: Baseball (pp. 159); Basketball (pp. 145); Football (pp. 258); Hockey (pp. 208); Lacrosse (pp. 114).
This gave me a different perspective on the officials and referees. They really must keep a lot of detail in their heads before, during, and even after a game. They must be aware of the action on the diamond, court, field, or rink. No less did I appreciate the "informed fan" who often seems to know the rule book better than the teams or officials! And some are experts in several sports.
And this is for college; there are similar rules books for those sports at the professional and high school level.
Apart from that, we are surrounded by a great number of rules in daily life. Some etiquette books are encyclopedic compared to those needed for Mass.
Remember your driving lessons and the driver's manual from the motor vehicle department? When driving, I bet you have been aware of infractions by other drivers and your unspoken wish for a law enforcement officer to see what you see, then and there.
How about those unwritten rules? Think of your family's holiday observances. The location might rotate among members, certain members all must be invited sometimes, as families expand, one or another branch of the tree will be at one or another holiday, but maybe not at all, but there will be an "explanation." Think of some of these traditions: "Seven Fishes" on Christmas Eve, Turkey on Thanksgiving, Gifts at Christmas, and Desserts aplenty at Easter to finish off the Lenten sacrifices. Only at the fear of the loss of life or limb would you even dare suggest a small deviation. Or if you dared, it would have to be scrutinized by all and probably need the unanimous approval of all.
This is a long way of saying that something as important as the Mass would require rules and regulations, encompass long-standing traditions, or see some things fade into the background or completely disappear.
One of our seminary professors urged us to read the General Instruction of the Roman Missal on or near the anniversary of our ordination to the priesthood. He told us that we would be surprised by how much of ourselves slipped stealthily into our celebration of Mass. He was right.
As we continue our pilgrimage, it's good to recall that we need rules and regulations even at Mass.