I'm not entirely sure about this...
Yes, it's a form of evangelisation. Yes, if people won't go to church, then this is a way of bringing Our Lord to the people, out on the streets...
But this is Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament! Yes, people are kneeling. I even get the idea that a couple of catholic shoppers, realising what has happened, have stopped to kneel for a while before moving on.
But it just doesn't strike me as reverent enough.
I would have liked the friar to have at least a humeral veil...
As for putting Our Lord in the holdall - euwwwww. Definitely not good.
There was a time, I understand, when priests carrying Our Lord in viaticum to the faithful would be accompanied by an acolyte ringing a bell. Catholics would kneel as he passed.
What's wrong with a Eucharistic Procession? That would achieve the same thing, but it would convey the reverence due to Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. A few torch-bearers, a canopy or umbrellino (I have to confess ignorance as to when one uses a canopy rather than an umbrellino), a thurifer or two, and a few bells... much more likely to attract attention!! Much more... ummm... Catholic, if you know what I mean...
A twitch of the mantilla to the marvellous Fr. Z. He's got a poll running at the moment if you want to register your feelings... at the moment the majority seem to think it's a great idea. Do go over and contribute... but it would be nice to get a comment or two here first, as I'm feeling a little neglected... (Yes, I know I should post more, but I've been busy...)
13 comments:
It's a good start, I think, though an Eucharistic Procession would have been beautiful.
Hi, Mac. I've not been posting at my blog either. No real excuse, just lazy. That and I haven't done much art except photo editing online. I also have a few health issues. Pray for me. God bless.
BTW, I'll check out Father's blog and vote. I'm with you; reverence. I admit I don't kneel so good, but still, I try.
Mac, I agree with you completely; we don't need to water down the doctrine of the Real Presence.
In Sydney the procession for Corpus Christi is called a "walk". Let's not use any "fancy Church words" here!
I, too, felt a certain discomfort about it. Putting the Blessed Sacrament into a holdall at the end was particularly cringemaking. On the other hand the proclamstion of Our Lord's presence throughout the Old and New Testaments together with the appeal to come and kneel before Him "now" was, I felt, extremely powerful. Indeed the people who responded to the invitation and knelt provided an impressive witness to the faith. I was reminded of St Clare who repulsed an attack on her monastery by bringing out the Lord in a monstrance in similar fashion. So, although I would not wish to see this kind of thing happen with any frequency, I feel it was allowable just the once.
I am enthusiastically in favour.
I don't know why the monstrance with Our Lord was brought in a holdall, but, by all their actions, the friars who led this cannot be accused of irreverence, so there must be some contextual information we don't have to explain why (ditto altar boys with candles, humeral veils, canopies and ombrellini).
How powerful a witness is the worship of God (literally) truly present (literally) by the faithful in the public square (literally)! Everybody who passed by was given a "What Catholics Believe" 101.
Was it Preston, by the way?
The slow posting bug has gotten me too.
I think there a lot of people in England who are devoted to the Gospel, but just aren't aware of or familiar with many Catholic traditions, some even more basic than the things you mention. I know devout people who don't necessarily genuflect when they go into a church. It's a fruit of the liturgical crisis. My guess is the friars in the video would be open to your suggestions. Local trads should get in touch with them.
Some people in Sydney do Eucharistic processions well. You can see them here: http://smeatonscorner.blogspot.com/2011/06/sydney-abortion-vigil-documentary.html
Yep, I like the idea of the Eucharistic Lord out in the streets, and I liked the biblical proclamations, but I would have preferred a Eucharistic procession. That way, (a) there's more solemnity; (b) there's greater protection for the Host; (c) the faithful can be sure it's the real deal and not some jerks out to make fun of Catholics by making them kneel to a mere piece of bread. (Not that I thought this was fake, but I could see the potential for something like this to be parodied in such a way as not to be immediately obviously a parody.)
Pulled both ways by this:
Yes, reach out to the world in new ways with eternal truths - and a flash mob is a great idea;
BUT I would have liked more externals: candles, canopy, humeral veil...
I won't rush to condemn, but hesitate to applaud unconditionally.
I don't like flash mobs period. Startling people in public is not cute and this seems like a stunt.
An update on Fr Z's blog, giving a link which tells how they did it:
http://acertainhope.blogspot.com/2011/06/making-of-eucharistic-flash-mob.html
I found it a little disrespectful. I like the intention but it real seemed to be kind of like another said a stunt. I mean what is the follow-up?
In Boston the Oblates opened a chapel in a downtown mall under the Prudential building. I think that is a way to get Jesus into the public but not a "flash" but a sustained effort. http://www.stfrancischapel.org/en/directions/inside-prudential-center/
http://www.stfrancischapel.org/en/history
No. I don't think so.
I am also distinctly uncomfortable with the holdall, and thought that the whole thing might have been done with greater external displays of reverence. Though I get the idea behind it, which is laudable, and am sure that there was no intentional failure to be reverent. It did seem that people responded to it.
Perhaps the idea behind not making it a procession would be that people might more be standing on the side watching the procession as such rather than focusing more exclusively on Our Lord, and getting a chance to realise Who He is and become somewhat involved in the adoration according to the various degrees of realisation. So, while a procession is a great public display of the Faith and witness to the grandeur of the Blessed Sacrament, a version of this with greater external displays of reverence (and avoiding any use or even mention of holdalls) might be a good idea.
I liked this: 'The New Age can't replace Him, and Oprah can't explain Him away.'
Post a Comment