Let us talk about something that honestly needs to be said, especially right now during Simbang Gabi. Have you ever walked into a church early, trying to recollect yourself, trying to pray, trying to prepare your soul for Mass, and then suddenly there is music blasting from the speakers and church volunteers dancing in the nave like it is a variety show?
Yes. That.
If you have experienced that, then you already know exactly why this is a problem. And if you have not thought about why it is a problem, let me explain it very clearly and very bluntly.
We go to church to escape the noise of the world. Full stop. The outside world is already loud, chaotic, overstimulating, and exhausting. Music everywhere. Performances everywhere. Screens everywhere. Noise everywhere. Church is supposed to be the one place where all of that stops, even if just for an hour.
The church is meant to be a refuge. A place of silence. A place where the soul can breathe again.
But what happens instead? You walk in early to pray. You kneel. You start the Rosary. Maybe you are doing your daily devotions. Maybe you are quietly examining your conscience. Maybe you are just sitting there in silence trying to be with God. And then suddenly the commentator grabs the microphone and says, “Let us watch our volunteers for their performance.”
And just like that, silence is gone.
Music starts blasting. Sometimes not even sacred music, but upbeat, secular sounding music. People start dancing in the nave. The sanctuary becomes a stage. The church turns into a performance hall. And the people who were praying are now forced to stop, watch, or at least endure the distraction.
And I am sorry, but am I the only one who thinks this is completely backwards? Am I taking crazy pills here?
Some people will say, “Oh but dancing is only prohibited during the Mass. This is before Mass, so it is fine.” No. That argument does not hold up. Not even close.
Because the problem is not just about rubrics and technicalities. The problem is the purpose of sacred space. The church is not a neutral building that only becomes holy once Mass starts. It is already consecrated. It is already set apart. Christ is already present in the tabernacle.
People come early specifically to pray. That is why they arrive early. They are not there to be entertained. They are not there to watch performances. They are there to encounter God.
And when you insert dancing or any kind of performance into that space, even before Mass, you are actively disrupting prayer. You are forcing noise into a place where people are seeking silence. You are imposing activity where recollection is needed.
And here is the key thing people forget. God speaks in silence. Not in noise. Not in performances. Not in applause. Silence.
When you fill the church with music and movement right before Mass, you are making it harder for souls to pray. You are making it harder for people to prepare properly for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. And preparation matters.
Mass does not start when the opening hymn begins. Mass begins with preparation of the heart. That preparation often starts in silence, on your knees, long before the priest enters.
This is not about being grumpy. This is not about hating joy. This is not about being anti culture. This is about understanding that the church is not the world, and it should never try to imitate the world.
The world already has dancing. The world already has performances. The world already has noise. The church offers something radically different. Sacred silence. Sacred order. Sacred focus.
And once we lose that, once we turn even the moments before Mass into a show, we should not be surprised when people stop believing that something sacred is about to happen.
Because if the atmosphere feels secular, people will treat it as secular.
So yes, this practice needs to go away. Not because volunteers mean bad, not because people are not sincere, but because the church is not the place for this. Especially not when souls are kneeling, praying, and trying to find God in silence.
Let the church be quiet. Let the church be sacred. Let the church be different from the world. Because God is not found in the noise. God speaks in silence.