Fr. John Whiteford also thinks applause at Pope John Paul’s funeral is weird. Fr. John writes:

It seems to me that applause during a worship service is the final step in the process of making the services a show. This is not unconnected with the innovation of the pew, which invites people to sit and watch, rather than to stand and pray. In the Scriptures, it is clear that public worship was always done either while standing, or bowing, but never while sitting.

OK, now there’s two of us. It’s the beginning of a revolution.