By Valentine Obienyem
The simplest way to avoid the distraction of phones during Mass is straightforward: leave them at home or, at the very least, turn them off entirely during mass. After all, as St. Alphonsus Liguori famously observed, “The Mass is the most beautiful thing in the world” - a reality that deserves our total, undivided attention.
Recently, during the Requiem Mass for three deceased priests of the Awka Diocese, the man sitting beside me stood up right in the middle of the Consecration to step outside and answer a phone call. The conversation dragged on through the entire solemnity of the Eucharistic Prayer.
When he returned, I quietly rebuked him for his lack of liturgical decorum. To drive the point home, when he tried explaining to me how important the call was, I told him that even if it were God Himself calling at that exact moment, he should not have picked up. In any case, the phone should never have been switched on in the first place. He was left utterly at a loss for words.
Moments later, a second man who went to answer call came in. I tried to rebuke him as well. Before I could even finish addressing him, he cut in and pleaded his case: “Please don’t go there, brother.” He explained that while he leaves his phone at home on Sundays, this was a Monday - and an active market day. He pointed out that he had sacrificed his morning at the market to be there, and stepping outside to take urgent customer calls was his only compromise. After all, God would understand that it was not Sunday, and surely the Almighty would not want him to lose business and let his children go hungry.
Hearing such raw, unexpected pragmatism shattered my solemn demeanour, and my stern frown gave way to a smile. He was fundamentally wrong, yet his sheer honesty was impossible to answer with anger.
Still, answering phone calls during Mass, despite its blatant impropriety, has become a pervasive habit. I once suggested, and hereby do so again, that every parish install signal jammers during services. What makes this trend even more disheartening is that the problem is not confined to the pews; walk behind the sacristy during major concelebrated Masses, and you will spot those who should know best quietly stepping away to answer or make calls. The initiated know exactly whom I mean, but reverence for their office requires speaking in tongues.
We often forget what truly happens at the altar. As the Second Vatican Council reminded us in “Lumen Gentium” (11), the Eucharist is nothing less than “the source and summit of the Christian life.” It is the highest form of prayer and sacrifice in the Church, demanding our deepest reverence and silence. When heaven meets earth in the Eucharistic mystery, nothing - not market stalls, pressing deals, or buzzing ringtones- should compete with the presence of God.
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