Thirty Pieces of Silver

Problem: the number of people who actually make the effort to attend the holy Sacrifice of the Mass on a Holyday of Obligation is falling.

Solution: remove the sense of "obligation" by transferring the days to Sunday, when people are going to be attending Mass anyway.

Next Problem: the number of people who actually make the effort to attend the holy Sacrifice of the Mass to fulfil their Sunday obligation is falling.

Solution? remove the sense of "obligation" by making Sunday Mass optional?

Hey, brilliant idea! After all, there isn't such a big thing about attending Mass (sorry, Communion Service) in the Anglican Church, and they don't seem to have any problem with falling attendance...

...and heaven forbid that religion should be demanding... after all, Islam actually is unreasonable enough to demand that its adherents stop for prayers FIVE times, EVERY DAY... and the number of people who'll actually put up with that sort of unreasonable requirement has got to be falling, right?

In England particularly it should be remembered that the martyrs gave their lives for the Mass. We're too constrained by the demands of secular society to give 45 minutes. I do so long to be faithful to the Magisterium, but when the Bishops just roll over in the face of modern secularism instead of standing firm and preaching the truth, I get the feeling that Christ is being sold for thirty shekels all over again.

Girl Power?

I get very frustrated when people start to tell me that there aren't enough women in positions of power in the Church (by which they usually mean that there should be women priests running the parishes). For a start, this completely misses the point about priesthood, which is nothing to do with "power" and everything to do with self-sacrifice...

So I was delighted to come across the following quote from Madeleine Albright, former U.S. Secretary of State, on women in leadership:

"I'm not a person who thinks the world would be entirely different if it was run by women. If you think that, you've forgotten what high-school was like."

Thanks to Fr. Stephanos for highlighting that one.

Holidays !

I noticed that my posting on this blog has been more than a little sporadic. Luckily for me, school is now out for the Summer. This means that I shall have plenty of time to sit in front of my computer and divulge all my personal musings...

Yeah, right! In reality, past experience has taught me that two things are possible: The first is that I shall be so busy visiting friends and catching up on sleep (sometimes simultaneously) that I won't have time to sit in front of the computer. The second is that I shall have plenty of time, but nothing worth writing about...

...ask me again in six weeks!

Baby Update

A short while back I asked for prayers for my sister who is expecting her first child.

Martina is still losing quite a bit of blood, and the hospital are not entirely sure why. The latest theory is that there is some sort of haematoma in amongst the mesh of blood vessels which connect mother and baby...

It's a case of "wait and see" - the baby is active and there's a strong heartbeat, but sometimes the haematoma can make the mesh of vessels tear away, and that can cause a miscarriage.

Martina and her husband have nicknamed the baby "Barney" (Barney Rubble: trouble) - any prayers would be much appreciated, and I'll keep posting updates as things progress.

A "class"-ical education?

I was flicking through the TES (an British paper devoted to educational matters) in the staffroom at breaktime, when I spotted a cartoon which made me laugh out loud. It was at the bottom of an item on how teachers judge the social class of parents at parents' evenings. The picture wasn't that good, but the caption was priceless:

One teacher to another about a young mother: "It's difficult to place her socially: she's got a tattoo on her bum... but it's in Latin!"

DIY Liturgy Kit

While checking out the Hermeneutic of Continuity's posts on the Worldwide Blessing Generator and health warnings on cigarette packets to frighten Traditionalists, I was inspired to try my hand at marketing the DIY Liturgy Kit.

The kit will be available shortly at all outlets which currently market aromatherapy candles, crystals, and books on Enneagrams....

It will consist of three candles, an assortment of pebbles (various shapes and sizes), a length of cotton material with hand-painted decorative symbols (tie-dyed cotton is also available), a CD of whale song and a box of tissues. I might also include an optional extra of a CD of pan-pipe music (it is notoriously difficult to choreograph liturgical dance to whale song)

I anticipate brisk trading...

UPDATE
I forgot to include a tambourine. And a water feature.