The Problem With “Themed” Masses

Plays may have their place in the Church Year, but they are not "themed Masses", altering the Mass to fit the theme. They are called "miracle plays" or Passion plays". 

From Crisis

By Mark Haas

However well-meaning, turning Holy Mass into a church play to keep kids engaged robs from them the real lessons of the Holy Sacrifice.

In many Catholic parishes and schools today, it has become common to designate specific “themes” for Mass. A Wednesday morning school Mass might revolve around a theme such as light, joy, kindness, or unity. Students and teachers are often asked to help prepare a “Liturgy Sheet,” complete with song choices, Scripture selections, and, of course, a clear and catchy “theme.” Banners might be created, songs selected, and even suggestions (from lay people) of the direction of the homily—all to align with the “theme” of the day.

In some cases, this thematic approach becomes so dominant that it supplants the Church’s liturgical calendar altogether. It is not uncommon to see the prescribed readings of the day replaced with hand-selected Scripture that better “fits” the chosen theme. Even more concerning is the willingness in some parishes or schools to move major feasts—such as a solemnity of the Church—to a more “convenient” weekday, simply to align with an event or activity. 

This practice undermines the Church’s wisdom in ordering the liturgical calendar, which is not arbitrary but is carefully designed to unfold the mystery of Christ in time. As Pope Benedict XVI warned, “Wherever the liturgy is no longer seen as being primarily worship of God…it is not something which is spiritually uplifting and unifying, but something that is disintegrating” (The Spirit of the Liturgy).

While this practice is often rooted in a desire to help children engage with the liturgy, it runs the serious risk of transforming the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass into a theatrical production. Instead of entering the sacred mysteries, we may be training children to see the Mass as a performance, where various people “take their turn” as if it were a school play. Parents line the back pews—cameras in hand—to capture the moment when their child can play their role within the Mass. 

This production might be exciting for the second-grader; however, this enthusiasm is often outgrown. The high school student, having outgrown the Mass as production, labels it as something for little children. 

As these liturgical roles become “cast” and the priest is positioned as the day’s speaker to reinforce a pre-chosen idea, we must pause and ask: Have we forgotten what the Mass truly is?

The Liturgy is Not Ours to Create

A deacon friend of mine once offered a striking metaphor that reveals a widespread misconception about the Mass in many parishes. He described how many Catholics approach the liturgy as if we are carefully wrapping a gift for God: perfectly folding and creasing the gift wrap, tying the ribbon just right, and then presenting it to God as something we’ve crafted for Him. While well-intentioned, this image subtly places the focus on our own efforts, as though the Mass were primarily our work, something we offer upward from Earth to Heaven.

But this is not the true nature of the Mass. We are not “doing” the Mass; God is. The Mass is first and foremost His action—Christ’s eternal sacrifice made present again—and we are the humble recipients not the architects. 

We are not free to change things within the Mass which God is doing. Indeed, changes to the Mass would undermine the clear instruction from Vatican II: “No one, even a priest, should add, remove or change anything in the liturgy on his or her own” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 22).

The Mass Already Has a Theme

For an appropriate labeling of Mass themes, the Church already gives us the liturgical calendar, the cycle of readings, and even the structure of the music to be sung—particularly the Propers (Entrance, Offertory, and Communion antiphons)—which are themselves drawn from Sacred Scripture.

For example, the Introit for the Third Sunday of Advent begins with “Gaudete in Domino semper” (“Rejoice in the Lord always”). This joyful call from Philippians 4:4 sets the tone for what the Church has long called “Gaudete Sunday.” But notice: the theme here arises not from a student worksheet or a liturgist’s agenda. It comes from Scripture, through the voice of the Church herself, expressed through chant and liturgical prayer.

When we create our own liturgical “themes,” no matter how noble the intention, we often end up overshadowing the far more profound structure already given to us. Worse still, we risk trivializing the sacred by turning it into something superficial or sentimental.

The ultimate theme of every Mass is not something we need to invent. It has already been given: the Paschal Mystery—Christ’s Death and Resurrection. This is the central mystery of our Faith, the very heart of Christian worship. As the Catechism states, “In the liturgy of the Church, it is principally his own Paschal mystery that Christ signifies and makes present” (CCC 1085).

Pope Benedict XVI warned against the tendency to turn the liturgy into self-expression or community celebration. In Sacramentum Caritatis, he wrote: “The Eucharist is too great a gift to tolerate ambiguity and depreciation” (6). And again: “The liturgy is not a ‘show,’ but the worship of the living God” (64).

Indeed, the true “theme” of the Mass is not whatever we decide it to be, but rather it is the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus made present on the altar. Every Mass is Calvary renewed in an unbloody manner. As the priest ascends the altar, he stands in persona Christi, offering not just bread and wine but Christ Himself, on behalf of the people. And we, the faithful, are not mere spectators or actors on a stage. We are at the foot of the Cross, offering ourselves with Him.

Recovering the Church’s Wisdom

What does this mean practically? First, we should resist the urge to overlay the Mass with unnecessary “themes,” especially if they distract from the actual liturgical texts and seasons. We should look first to the readings, prayers, and chants the Church has assigned. These are rich with meaning and more than sufficient for prayerful reflection and homiletic preaching.

Second, for those responsible for planning Masses, it is helpful to reclaim the use of the Proper chants. These appointed texts—often forgotten in favor of hymns—offer a scripturally rooted lens into the day’s mysteries. These chants are not only beautiful; they help preserve the sacred character of the liturgy and provide thematic guidance that flows organically from Scripture and Tradition. They are also the first option to be used for singing within the Mass as stated by the liturgy documents.

In the end, the Mass is not about our creativity, our expressions, or our themes. It is about Jesus Christ, crucified and risen, made present on the altar. Every liturgical action should serve that sacred mystery and not distract from it.

Let us approach the liturgy not as producers or performers but as worshipers. Let us allow the Church, in her wisdom, to guide us into the sacred, where the true “theme” is always the Lamb who was slain—and who now reigns in glory.