Saturday 16 August 2008

This Is What Happens...

...when you forget that Liturgy is the official worship of the Church, and is given to us by God. It is not something we "do" for God, it all comes from Him.

There are rubrics for a reason. The Mass is the supreme prayer: adoration, contrition, thanksgiving, supplication, and this is offered on our behalf by Christ. He is the mediator through whom our prayer becomes acceptable. The priest is in persona Christi.

At least, that's what should happen.

And when you forget that, when you think that Liturgy is really what makes us feel good, inducing soft, warm fuzzies in everyone, then you get this sort of cringe-making spectacle... men in pyjamas walking through the congregation with large incense-filled woks held aloft, (whom, exactly, are they incensing, and why?) and women in tight tops and flowing skirts doing "meaningful" stretching exercises for no discernible reason. There also seems to be a great deal of unexplained banner waving... at one point I thought they were waving giant feathers, and I wondered what sort of hormones they'd been feeding the chickens...



Twitch of the mantilla to Fr. Ray Blake... when I stop feeling queasy, I might be able to forgive him.

9 comments:

George said...

Oh, it's Mahoney again! At least we are safe from him in the UK, but alas we have our own heirarchical problems. What the point of all this stupid so-called 'liturgy' is - is just way beyond me. personally I think it is diabolically driven as it does everything to focus attention on 'we the people' and away from God our Creator.

And the more creative we the people are, the more we congratulate each other on a liturgy well done! Then in with the back slapping, pew jumping, hand shaking, kissing and hugging signs of peace that go on for half an hour..... oh the consecration??? what's that all about???? Yikes, when will this new age non-sense stop?.

In with the Latin Traddies and out with the Liberal, Lefty, Cafeteria Crazies.

gemoftheocean said...

Something about this makes you want to grab a cigarette lighter, hold it up and light the flame and sway back and forth.

A few years back I attended some conference in San Diego. While our bishop is not this egregiously bad, he congratulates himself on being "inclusive."

It took FOREVER for the gifts to be brought up...by each and every ethnic group....except, for people descended from *white* ethnic groups who'd integrated decades ago. But our boy Brom sat there with a stupid "ain't I just wunnerful for being so inclusive?" Shall we say there were no German-Americans, Franco-Americans, English-Americans "groups." But he probably didn't even notice. But quite a number of us commented on it privately afterwards.

Anonymous said...

Ugh! I saw this over at Curt Jester. What's even sadder is I live in this diocese! :(

Anonymous said...

EXCOMMUNICATE them!! ;-p

Anonymous said...

"There also seems to be a great deal of unexplained banner waving... at one point I thought they were waving giant feathers"

No, no - they're flabella; they're uber-traddy!

See the 1917 Catholic Encyclopedia:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06089a.htm
"a flabellum, in the shape of a fan, was used as a mark of honour for bishops and princes. Two fans of this kind are used at the Vatican whenever the pope is carried in state on the sedia gestatoria to or from the altar or audience-chamber."

As a Prince of the Church, he's entitled to them.

Mulier Fortis said...

Flabella???!!

Ok, I'll take your word for it... They still look like overgrown chicken feathers to me...

And it's interesting that, if the Pope has two fans, then Cardinal Mahoney went one better, and had three (they're only visible near the beginning, but there are definitely three...)

Anonymous said...

But the flabella doesn't look like those!

Adrienne said...

I never saw a flabella like that. Don't kid yourself - they're giant chicken feathers. LOL

Elizabeth said...

Is this Mass or are we watching Jesus Christ Superstar on stage?

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