Quote:
Originally posted by leagleaze
I would have been quite unhappy, though certainly not rude enough to show I felt that way.
On the rare occasion I have attended a Mass it has been because a dear friend truly needed me there for some reason. This means I tend to attend Mass around funerals, and on rare occasion Weddings. I do my best to hide in the back, and I know about it ahead of time, either because it is obvious one will happen or I am told ahead of time. Anyone who is dear enough to me that my presence makes a real difference would know better than to ambush me.
I have no wish to sit through such a ceremony without a very good reason. I don't see it as a simple matter. And a good reason is not someone not bothering to mention it on the invitation. It doesn't take much effort to do so.
It has nothing to do with being in God's presence or not being in His presence. It is respect for those who have different views and feelings on the matter. Sometimes quite strong feelings, as mine are.
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The brunch really does go overboard. After all, this isn't the wedding proper, where one consents to a certain degree of religious participation by attending. I was recently at a very Orthodox Jewish ceremony recently where it seemed the process never ended -- we were filing from one place to another and witnessing various things, and the end of evening blessing took about an hour by itself. Still, I just sat back and said, OK, I'm a religious tourist for this period of time, and so I'll hang out and see what they're up to.
Of course, in that case most of the important stuff happened in a language I can't understand anyways.
