But Gavin, what if there are people for whom external participation comes at the expense of internal contemplation? I've felt this before, this sense of not wanting to make a noise or move my mouth because I'm struck so profoundly by spiritual emotion. This happens to me especially in a tremendously beautiful liturgy. It happened to me in Portland this year. I recall that it happened once at St. Agnes in NY at a Mass at which the Machaut Missa Notre Dame was sung. I was awe struck and completely silenced by it, to the point that I couldn't even think of vocalizing responses. I just wanted to pray. I really don't see what is wrong with that.
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