Raise the Roof

Praying and praising God with voices and volume

04/24/2017

Acts of the Apostles 4:23-31 

After their release Peter and John went back to their own people and reported what the chief priests and elders had told them. And when they heard it, they raised their voices to God with one accord and said, "Sovereign Lord, maker of heaven and earth and the sea and all that is in them, you said by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of our father David, your servant: Why did the Gentiles rage and the peoples entertain folly? The kings of the earth took their stand and the princes gathered together against the Lord and against his anointed." As they prayed, the place where they were gathered shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

          There is a modern phenomenon today called, “raise the roof.” You see it symbolized when people raise their two hands, with palms up, as if they were trying to push up the ceiling. To “raise the roof” means to make a lot of noise, to stomp and shout, to be loud and proud, to virtually blow the roof off the place where people are gathered.

          Now, in no place do people try to “raise the roof” more than in college football games, where incidentally, the stadium has no roof. I recently looked up the top ten loudest college football stadiums. All you Hog fans will be happy to hear that Reynolds Razorback Stadium was ranked number 6 with its loudest decibel recorded at the October 15, 2016 game against South Carolina. We went hog wild and hit 117 decibels which sounded like standing next to a jet engine. Number one on the list was Husky Stadium, where Washington plays, with a decibel level of 133.6 recorded back in 1992. I don’t think the fans have gotten any quieter since then, especially as the Huskies continue to win. Football fans cheer unabashedly and apologetically for their teams, unafraid to make complete fools of themselves, just to “raise the roof.” I know they do that because I’ve been one of those fools.

          In the first reading today, we see that this phenomenon of raising the roof is not so novel or so modern. Indeed, it is quite ancient and eternal. The only difference between then and now is that people back then were not attending football games, they were attending Mass. The Acts of the Apostles records how the disciples reacted to the preaching of the Apostles. It says, “And when they heard, it, they raised their voices with one accord.” And it goes on to add, “As they prayed, the place where they were gathered shook.” I remember Scott Hahn once saying that the early Christians at Mass would shout the “Amen!” so loudly that it made the pagan temples tremble. Those early Christians were not raising the roof for a touchdown, but because their prayers were raising the dead. In other words, their faith in Jesus rising from the dead emboldened them to pray earnestly for eternal life for their own beloved dead. The early Christians “raised the roof” because their prayers literally “raised the dead.”

          My friends, what a stark contrast there is between the fanaticism of football fans, and the apathy in the attitudes of Catholics at Mass: it is a perfect study in opposites. Some of the oldest jokes are about people falling asleep in church. I like to say, “I don’t mind if you sleep in Mass, just don’t snore so loud that you wake up the fellow next to you.” The only thing raising the roof in church is the sound of our snoring. And to be sure, we do need to maintain a holy hush and reverent reserve and quiet in church. But that does not mean we should mumble our responses to the priest, or fail to sing. I’ve been to Masses where people sing and respond and pray with heart-felt faith and fervor. It wasn’t exactly like standing next to a jet engine, but it was very edifying. Maybe we would “raise the roof” more in church if we really believed our prayers could also “raise the dead.”

          Next time you’re at a football game and cheering your head off like an idiot, stop for a second and ask yourself: “Why do I cheer like this here, but hardly open my mouth at Mass?” Then you can go back to cheering loud and proud for the Razorbacks. I’ll probably be standing next to you, and cheering even louder.

          Praised be Jesus Christ!