why dont people in the catholic church say bless you when you sneeze during mass?

Answer 1

It comes from the black plague. It was an expression meant to protect one from death during that terrible time, and it carried forward to the present day. Although it would have likely been said as 'God Bless you.' or some other longer version.

Perhaps they are no longer worried about the plague :D ha ha!

Answer 2

1. What's with the upsurge in Catholic Bashing ?

2. It goes back at least to pre-Christian Rome.

It used to be "May Jupiter Preserve You."

I like the "Catholics probably ...." answers - impressive.

You forgot, though, to put this in front:

"I am just talking out of my *** here, but Catholics probably..."

When you say "in the church", I don't know if you mean Catholics who are figuratively 'in the church', or if you were in a church during a mass and you sneezed and nobody said anything.
One thing that I know from getting plenty of Catholic churchin' - you are supposed to be quiet. I mean like not a peep. That's just the way it is - it's not good or bad - it just is.


Catholics have nothing in particular for or against saying "bless you" after somebody sneezes - even ones like me who know what an idiotic thing it is to say, based on its origins.

I learned its origins in when I was in high school - I say it to people, even though I am always aware of what an absurd ritual it is.

And we Catholics are supposed to be the ones with the absurd rituals.

I would say that the other answers are disappointing - but they are not - they just confirm for the 6.02 X 10(23) time that the average person is just that - average.

And, when I see you average clowns, I think this:

"There, but for the Grace of God Go I."

Answer 3

I was raised and schooled Catholic,because of that I'm no longer a Catholic.Saying bless you has no real religious meaning its a carry over from ancient Rome ,before Christianity ,when the were Pagans.Back then when a person sneezed they thought a part of their sole left the body so they blessed it as it left the body.
It carried over when they adopted Christianity. The Catholics are good at adapting new practices if the sound holy. They think th King James Version of the Bible sounds more Holy than modern English. It was how people spoke in that time.It is the most inaccurate translation of the Bible .Words and phrases had different meanings.The word "Let" meant "no" back then.

Answer 4

the giving of "bless you" to anyone who sneezes is NOT even an official Catholic practice. it started way back in the mid14th century, during the BLACK PLAGUE (black death) also known as the bubonic plague.

for more information on the black plague pls click on the link below as it is too long to paste: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Death

there is such a thing as pneumonic plague, which some believe may have started as "the bubonic form of the disease."

in another book i read a long time ago, (i cant recall the title, im sorry,) it said that the first sign that a person has fallen ill was a sneeze. and since most of those who fell ill at that time eventually died, people automatically said "bless you!" because they were almost sure to die.

this form of "God bless you!" right after sneezing was a carry over, a practice that was continued long after the Black Plague has ended. it is so different from the usual "God bless you" that we hear these days, (given without anyone sneezing), and simply means as it says: a prayer that God may bless you, (not because of the plague), but as a general blessing of good health, good fortune, safety, etc.

some Catholics dont say it when people sneeze because there's no real teaching in the Catholic faith about it. those who are not familiar with the bubonic plague story dont even know why they have to say it-- and in truth, there's no real need for it because the plague has ended.

i'm a Catholic but i don't say it to anyone who sneezes, in or out of the church. i say the usual "God bless you" anytime i feel like it's needed, or anytime i feel like asking God to bless someone.

it's not even classified as "superstitious," there's no "good luck" or "bad luck" attached to the saying of "bless you!"-- but the plague was so widespread, from Europe to Asia, with most people saying "bless you!" after a sneeze that the practice must have been retained by those who never knew why they were saying it in the first place.

Answer 5

I've been Catholic all my life and always say Bless You when someone sneezes in church. Interesting. Maybe you're just going to church with a bunch of rude people.

Answer 6

Why bother? Yeah it's a good idea, but it's not neccasarily evil not too, or even something that is suggested to be done. Bless you, bless him, bless everyone, but why do it at certain events such as sneezing? Why not bless someone when they stumble/trip or when the get out from the bathroom or something?

Yeah, blessing people is good, but it's not something that's required, and so it's not something that needs to be done all the time.

Not everyone prays before meals either, you know.

Or, to put it a different way, some people bother to open doors for others, some don't. It's not that one of them didn't do something, it's that one of them did. One holds the door open and does something nice, the other isn't evil or unkind for not doing it.

Anyhow, God bless you all. =)

Answer 7

Brian......

People in the Catholic church are of two types. Devout, nothing should ever be said in church unless it is in response to the mass.

Or Holiday Catholics (Catholic Light), who forget the basic laws of Catholcism 90% of the time. And therefor forget to say bless you or geshundheit or anything like that.

Answer 8

Probably because there used to be a myth(that I think the Catholics started, I could be wrong) in the medieval times that when you sneezed your soul would be capable of escaping and being seized by the devil, so people would say 'God bless you' to prevent that from happening.

Answer 9

Most do but during Mass we focus on the Mass not each other nor ourselves. It is a time of deep reverence and one is not supposed to be speaking among themselves.

Answer 10

Nobody is allowed to sneeze during mass. You have to hold your nose and mouth shut and just hope when the sneeze explodes your brains out your ears that you don't kill anybody else.