This article is spot on. Having personally experienced both good liturgy, which does help us delve deeper in to the mystery of Christ, and the other living room Church Mass, which has to many distractions, lacks beauty, and is spiritually void. My sister came into the Church on Holy Saturday, and I went down to Tampa to be with her on this joyous day. Lets just say I witnessed everything that this article expresses as bad liturgy. Instead of having a strong sense of peace, awe, and thanks for what our Lord has done for us, I walked out numb, not moved in any way spiritually or emotionally, I could not get out of there fast enough. I witnessed an empty Mass void of the sacred and little reverence expressed. I felt like we all should hold hands and sing kumbiah. I wanted to tell my sister to run, run away as fast as she could, but I could not hurt her feeling on such a beautiful day. What I experience every Sunday at St. Joseph’s is sacred, beautiful, spiritual, reverent. I am at the most peaceful at Mass at St. Joseph. Thank you Father McDonald. I hope I nor any other parishioner ever takes for granted what you have put fourth as good, beautiful, and Christ centered liturgical worship. While I don’t believe the Novus Ordo will ever be able to match the Latin Mass for reverence, sacredness, beauty, and Christ centered worship, you have done the best with the Novus Ordo, that is possible.
Wonderful! So, there is someone else like you out there, Fr. I hope there are thousands, but I worry. I could also do without a closing hymn, but if we do have one I wish people would stop leaving early. Maybe there is some way you can educate/upbraid/shame people in a homily or two.... There is a small faction of people who go straight from receiving right out the back door to their cars. Perhaps someone of sturdy build could be posted to kick...well, you know. Sorry.
Based on previous experiences elsewhere, I have always been generally impressed by the number of people who do NOT leave after Communion or while the recessional is being sung at St. Joseph. Not a perfect score, but high marks to be sure. I try to be charitable and assume the best, like maybe these are hospital workers coming for Mass and having limited time and maybe mass is running a little long.
Rest easy Pin, there are not only other like Father McDonald out there, they are actually ahead of us in many parishes. Brick by brick we rebuild. I am familiar with the Priest who wrote the article, having followed both he and his associate Father Longenecker on the internet for several years. The important lesson from the article in my opinion is that all that can legally be done, should be done, and pressed ahead with. If we accept that the Liturgy is the "source and summit" of our faith, and that the salvation of souls is "the" mission of the Church, then no delay should be accepted in the restoration of anything which returns reverence and the sense of the Sacred to the Liturgy. Even if it means ruffling a few feather along the way.
One man with conviction and the truth can not fail.
Thanks, Templar. Maybe you could introduce yourself to me at Mass...unless you want to remain anonymous, which I understand, too. Anyway, enjoy your posts.
Well, I suspect Pin that I would have as hard a time picking you out as you would me, anonymity workings both ways as it were.
Perhaps Father can organize us Bloggers into some sort of extra-Ecclesial commando unit and we can tackle the folks leaving early from Mass; Taze anyone who fails to at least bow before the Holy Sacrament in the Communion Line; storm the choir loft if Amazing Grace gets sung; etc etc.
This must be he power of the new media I keep hearing about :-D
6 comments:
This article is spot on. Having personally experienced both good liturgy, which does help us delve deeper in to the mystery of Christ, and the other living room Church Mass, which has to many distractions, lacks beauty, and is spiritually void. My sister came into the Church on Holy Saturday, and I went down to Tampa to be with her on this joyous day. Lets just say I witnessed everything that this article expresses as bad liturgy. Instead of having a strong sense of peace, awe, and thanks for what our Lord has done for us, I walked out numb, not moved in any way spiritually or emotionally, I could not get out of there fast enough. I witnessed an empty Mass void of the sacred and little reverence expressed. I felt like we all should hold hands and sing kumbiah. I wanted to tell my sister to run, run away as fast as she could, but I could not hurt her feeling on such a beautiful day. What I experience every Sunday at St. Joseph’s is sacred, beautiful, spiritual, reverent. I am at the most peaceful at Mass at St. Joseph. Thank you Father McDonald. I hope I nor any other parishioner ever takes for granted what you have put fourth as good, beautiful, and Christ centered liturgical worship. While I don’t believe the Novus Ordo will ever be able to match the Latin Mass for reverence, sacredness, beauty, and Christ centered worship, you have done the best with the Novus Ordo, that is possible.
Wonderful! So, there is someone else like you out there, Fr. I hope there are thousands, but I worry. I could also do without a closing hymn, but if we do have one I wish people would stop leaving early. Maybe there is some way you can educate/upbraid/shame people in a homily or two.... There is a small faction of people who go straight from receiving right out the back door to their cars. Perhaps someone of sturdy build could be posted to kick...well, you know. Sorry.
Scripture scholars have discovered a new beatitude!
"Blessed are those who remain in the pews until the last verse of the recessional hymn."
Based on previous experiences elsewhere, I have always been generally impressed by the number of people who do NOT leave after Communion or while the recessional is being sung at St. Joseph. Not a perfect score, but high marks to be sure. I try to be charitable and assume the best, like maybe these are hospital workers coming for Mass and having limited time and maybe mass is running a little long.
Rest easy Pin, there are not only other like Father McDonald out there, they are actually ahead of us in many parishes. Brick by brick we rebuild. I am familiar with the Priest who wrote the article, having followed both he and his associate Father Longenecker on the internet for several years. The important lesson from the article in my opinion is that all that can legally be done, should be done, and pressed ahead with. If we accept that the Liturgy is the "source and summit" of our faith, and that the salvation of souls is "the" mission of the Church, then no delay should be accepted in the restoration of anything which returns reverence and the sense of the Sacred to the Liturgy. Even if it means ruffling a few feather along the way.
One man with conviction and the truth can not fail.
Thanks, Templar. Maybe you could introduce yourself to me at Mass...unless you want to remain anonymous, which I understand, too. Anyway, enjoy your posts.
Well, I suspect Pin that I would have as hard a time picking you out as you would me, anonymity workings both ways as it were.
Perhaps Father can organize us Bloggers into some sort of extra-Ecclesial commando unit and we can tackle the folks leaving early from Mass; Taze anyone who fails to at least bow before the Holy Sacrament in the Communion Line; storm the choir loft if Amazing Grace gets sung; etc etc.
This must be he power of the new media I keep hearing about :-D
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