Left Unsaid..

Now that I'm writing again.. [evil laugh] I do think that I'll also mention those snippets of Mass readings that get skipped over in the Missal. Sometimes, it's really valuable stuff, though might end up being those 'hard sayings' that many pastors try to avoid.

For instance; This Sunday's first reading from Samuel, chapter 3 uses verses 3-10 and then skips out to 19. Here's what we missed:

11 Then the Lord said to Samuel, “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make both ears of anyone who hears of it tingle. 12 On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 13 For I have told him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God,[b] and he did not restrain them. 14 Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be expiated by sacrifice or offering forever.”

15 Samuel lay there until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. 16 But Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” He said, “Here I am.” 17 Eli said, “What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also, if you hide anything from me of all that he told you.” 18 So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. Then he said, “It is the Lord; let him do what seems good to him.”

So, here we read that God will severely punish those who have profaned the priesthood. This has been painfully relevant these past 17 years, and now, lately, since Cardinal Bernard Law's passing. Law, like ancient priest Eli, knew what his "sons" were doing, but did not restrain them. He shuffled abusive priests to other parishes and diocese without care for the laity. "But, but, but the psychiatrist said.." is a flimsy excuse.


But, in reality, this reading is what we did NOT hear this Sunday. Most folk probably went on to sing "Here I Am, Lord' during the offertory, later, and went about with their day..

Posturing Poll

Yes, some of the combinations seem improbable, but I wanted to give all the options. The more responses we get, the better our information will be.

Notes from the Road #70602

Who gets vanity plates with TV jokes? Some yutz from Iowa, perhaps, thought that a witty Seinfeld reference would set himself, and his Lexus SUV, apart from the crowd. Too bad he couldn't think of anything funnier than 'Moops'.

If you plan a travel route on the Internet, add 25% to the travel time if you're travelling with toddler/preschoolers. Yes, the extra time is for copious potty breaks.

I wish I could have been in Lincoln for Call To Action's Futility Fest, but I was burning road to Des Moines by the time that all transpired.

Mass in Ohio was..er, everything I hear people complaining about that's wrong with the Novus Ordo:

"Hey, where's the Tabernacle?!?"

I didn't realize that 'R/' in the hymnal was a cue for the cantress to raise her right arm.

Waterford crystal ciborium and chalices were used, showing their unity with Los Angeles.

Like a freak, I knelt (alone) after the Agnus Dei, and even continued kneeling after Communion.

I will eventually return to Lincoln, and will be glad..

Motu...Motu

I haven't written much about the ever-impending Motu Proprio, which would loosen restrictions, at the diocesan level, for free exercise of the Latin Mass. The reason I haven't written about it is that I don't think much of it. I really don't think that it will save the Church, I don't think it will reinvigourate pew-warming catholics, and I don't think it will really change the social beliefs that affect the other 118 hours of a catholic's waking week.

If the Tridentine Rite is so devotion inspiring, then why is it that the generation that was born and raised with it the same ones to bring in the guitars, dancers, and EEMs? I revere the Latin Mass, I love traditional hymns, but cdl. Roger Mahony will continue to be cdl. Roger Mahony, and Richard McBrien will remain Richard McBrien. The Tridentine Mass will not change the neglect of Magisterial teaching in the Church.

Few pew-warming catholics have bothered to read the catechism, so what percentage will be proactive about learning the Tridentine Mass? They may learn to parrot the words in latin, but will they understand what it is that they're praying? More likely, they'll still frequent the 5:00 Saturday guitars and bongo Mass, and nothing will change. For the Tridentine Mass, the self-righteous traddies and the neo-trads will show, and then will nitpick the priest on his pronunciation and critique minutiae of rubrics.

Lastly, will this laser-like focus on liturgy do aything about pro-abort catholics, contraception advocates, and other dissent and deviance from the Magisterium? Not bloody likely. We need to have catholics examine what they do with the rest of their week, and see if it's worthy of Christ. Homiletics, teaching, example, and more teaching; we should be getting the hard truth from the ambo, not just the squishy and complacent platitudes. Instead of announcing the bake sale after Mass, maybe start working through the Catechism, one section at a time.

An overhaul of the current vernacular Mass would have a greater impact (and also overhauling the seminaries and many chanceries) than just allowing the Tridentine. I won't even go into the reaction of the schismatic Lefebvrists. Trust me, the Tridentine Mass won't placate them, as the defiance inherent in their movement extends well beyond the Mass; it's a cultural thing that the Church will not be able to reform quickly enough to their satisfaction.

Time To Clean Out the Bathtub

Msgr. Timothy Stein of the Altoona-Johnstown diocese thinks that traditional worship is just bath water:

“Smells and bells” and other assorted paraphernalia are supposed to help us nurture our relationship with Jesus. When they become a stumbling block, and prevent us from seeing Jesus, knowing Jesus, walking with Jesus, or when they obscure the path to Jesus for others, they must be put aside, or at least, reassessed. There were good reasons for throwing out so much of the bathwater. It had become murky. It was no longer serving a good purpose. It was time to take the baby from the bath, and move on.

Well, if traditional worship was a stumbling block, than contemporary worship is a complete blockade. By his logic, after ridding ourselves of inhibitive traditions, we should be booming, a nation of saints. Would anyone state that there has there been any meaningful growth, either in numbers or in devotion, to the Church here in America, aside from heretical groups? To the contrary, the last thirty years have been rife with apostasy, heresies, and schisms.

Beware the bathwater! Hidden in its depths may be a dose of pretty poison - - the temptation to idolatry - - the temptation to worship fleeting forms while ignoring lasting, enduring substance. Don’t mistake devotion to exterior signs for an interior conversion to life in union with Jesus.

Yes, and don't mistake disregard of external signs for an interior conversion as well. It's just the opposite, if I recall scripture right, a good tree will produce good fruit, a very external sign. The tree that the monsignor is satisfied with has resulted in a lot of bad fruits. How about we dump the bathwater of the Spirit of Vatican II&trade theology, clean out the tub, then get back to the clean water?