Some people feel guilty about their anxieties and regard them as a defect of faith but they are afflictions, not sins. Like all afflictions, they are, if we can so take them, our share in the passion of Christ.
- C.S. Lewis
The following is an article by Damian Thompson over at the UK Telegraph. I find it rather hilarious! Hope you enjoy the read.
-Andrew
—–
I recently came across this parish magazine article, by a former seminarian called Damian Rhodes, which shows that for some progressive Catholics even the sloppiest modern Mass is not “diverse” enough. Please read it. Oh, and make sure you pay close attention to the final paragraph.
Recently I found myself meditating about our own local faith community. Worshipping our loving and vulnerable parent God in the company of fellow journeyers, I feel pained on behalf of people who are victimised in society.
Only last Sunday, the bidding prayers asked for God’s healing for those facing challenges of health and wholeness, and for those of other faith traditions, but are we really brave enough to embrace true difference?
When did you last hear a bidding prayer for the transvestite, lesbian, transgendered, bisexual or asexual communities? What about a prayer for our divorced and civilly-partnered sisters? It is common to hear us addressed as “sisters and brothers”, excluding – albeit without meaning to – those who refuse to identify with either gender.
Throughout our celebrations, when we should raise our hearts to our Parent-Creator, the celebrant looks down on us from on high. Instead of worshipping alongside his sisters, brothers and sister-brothers he faces us like an accusing judge .
We worship in foreign languges – but has it ever occured to us that for some worshippers even these carry imperialist associations?
Our native-Nicaraguan sisters must feel excluded when the words are those of their Spanish oppressors. What about our sisters from Africa who find that the colonial languages of French or English are often used, rather than their local dialect? What thought is given to persecuted Roma who have to hear the tongue of a contemtuous majority rather than their own?
How often have I longed for a liturgy that unites rather than divides, a worship in conformity with the Spirit of Vatican II rather than the culturally compromised liturgy we have today.
I am delighted to say, though, that a nearby parish recently had a novel and radical solution to this problem. They have discovered a way of expressing our desire to gather as people of faith without siding with oppressors. In conformity to Vatican II they avoided using the language of any of our world’s oppressive regimes. Instead of us proclaiming that God became “man” in the Creed it uses a word meaning “human being”.
Not only this, but the worship-facilitators faced the same direction as us, pilgrims together with those marginalised in our communities. Instead of hearing a man’s voice throughout, I was able to enjoy silence in which I could meditate on humankind’s oneness with nature.
Alas, most presiders are far too entrenched in their traditionalist-conservative outlook to even consider this novel solution. But what is the name of this diversity-aware service, I hear you ask?
It is called, I believe, the “Extraordinary Form” of the Roman Rite.
Well, I’m officially a Catholic Company Reviewer. I even got my first book to review today! Woo!
The Red Book of Chinese Martyrs
I’ll probably not have time to start it until after finals next week. Looks like a good book though!
“A great passage from the Gospels is where Jesus said, ‘You think I’ve come to bring peace? I have not come to bring peace, but division that will separate a house of five, three against two and two against three.’ People will probably scratch their heads reading that, but it’s the truth. What does it mean? What brings division? Truth.” – Fr. John Corapi (NCR)
Fr Corapi is paraphrasing Matthew 10:34.
On the feast day of St Joseph the Worker, who happens to be my patron saint, I attended a Solemn High Mass out in Hollywood. The following Sunday I attended an Ordinary Form Mass in my home diocese.
The former was so surreal, mysterious… sacred. I was in absolute awe for the entire hour and a half. The priest was inaudible in a many spots, but it was like it didn’t matter, like it wasn’t for me. The music, the movements, the words, they all seemed to to tend toward a sort of climax.
I meet people all the time that say, “Ohhhh, it’s just old, and long, and no one likes it or does it any more; it’s not really relevant to our times.” I don’t think they could be further from the truth. The world needs this. The beauty that I witnessed that night transcends time and place. You can just tell… there is something so different about a Mass said in the Extraordinary Form.
For that entire hour and a half, I found that I didn’t want to move, that I just wanted to stay there and watch, and listen to angels sing. I find that when I attend this type of Mass, it points to something greater than myself; that it pushes me to be better than who I am.
The Ordinary Form actively seeks to capture peoples attention with sudden movements and sounds; where as at this Extraordinary Form of the Mass, it does not seek attention, it radiates with enough beauty and reverence and truth, that attention seeks it out.
The people in attendance must have seen something different about the EF Mass as well; before Mass, during Communion, and after Mass was over, the congregation was quiet. For those that don’t know, the Solemn High Mass in Hollywood was the first at this parish, so the attendees were not “regulars;” so they did not receive instruction on proper behavior while attending Mass. When I attended the OF Mass, I found that it was loud before Mass even began, with people walking throughout the Church talking, while Communion was being distributed, and after they had received, people still were talking as if nothing out of the ordinary had taken place; and finally, after Mass, people continued with the talking. Nothing pointed to anything higher than the people, in fact, it seems to point to them. There was no climax, not with the movements of the priest, nor the words, nor the music sung by the choir. It was all so… ordinary.
These are just my initial thoughts after having attended a Solemn High Mass on a Friday night, and then an Ordinary Sunday Mass two days later.
Comments are welcomed.
And the polls are open over at The Crescat.
I was nominated for best under appreciated blog, so if you feel that I’m deserving, then feel free to vote for me:
http://thecrescat.blogspot.com/2009/05/best-underappreciated.html
I got some interesting pictures in my email I thought I’d share. This first one is an upcoming cruise off the coast of somalia. Pick your own M16, AK47, or 50 Cal. 
This lovely little picture shows us that Obama wasn’t really bowing out of reverence to the Muslim King of a foreign nation, but infact was going after some fried chicken. 
W00t! Got a badge for my nomination.
Here it is, in all its glory.
Well, I can’t say that I’m any bit deserving of a nomination though apparently some one thinks I am. 
(Thanks!)
I’ve been nominated for Crescat’s “Best Under Appreciated Blog” Award, I’m in the running with these guys:
Catholic Cartoon Blog, Truthed Blogged Here, The B-Movie Catechism, Thoughts of a Regular Guy, And Sometimes Tea, Acts of Apostasy, Stella Borealis, Luminousmiseries, Rockin Traddy, My Heart Was Restless, Jennifer Fitz, Byzantine Texas, Venite Adoremus, The Road Well Traveled, Quantum Theology, Mulier Fortis, On the Other Foot, Shoved to Them, Piddingworth, Minnesota Mom, Recovering Dissident , Our Word and Welcome to It, Blog By the Sea, The Duty of Delight
The author of the blog accidentally misspelled Per Fidem though (Per Fidum, instead of Fidem)!
Oh well, I’ll let it slide…just this once.
I must say, it’d be pretty cool if I actually won!
However, I don’t think anyone, save for the person that nominated me, actually reads this blog. LOL. I initially started it simply for publishing my various papers; but I suppose the dynamic of it can quite possibly change, huh?
When voting begins I’ll be sure to post!
In the meantime, Whispers has reported on one of Williamson’s priests.
-sigh- It seems that perhaps the SSPX attracts the wrong kind of trads.
I’ve had this for about 2 years now, its a collection of various prayers. It was originally intended for seminarians and priests, but even as a laymen I find it very useful.
http://catholicfreeshipping.stores.yahoo.net/maofpr.html
Some of the contents are:
