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Sunday, July 31, 2011

THE RISE OF EVANGLICAL CATHOLICISM--GEORGE WEIGEL


I read another blog, Praytell, that is about the liturgy. It is a bit more like the National Catholic Reporter in that there is crafted into many of its posts and comments a negativity about the Church and any and everything about her current condition.

Vatican II is proclaimed, its theology, its vision, its understanding of the Church, its reform; its this, that and the other which so many of that blog's commenters believe bad old Pope Benedict and so many bishops and priests are trying to undo today.

Living in the Evangelical south and enamored by Evangelical Catholicism, I want to puke. Ever since Vatican II, those who made an idol out of a Church Council have been promoting Vatican II as though this Council should be worshiped and obeyed as God Almighty.

Time and time again, a clinical approach to the Church, her Liturgy and her life leaves one thinking, where is Jesus Christ. Idolatry abounds when Liturgy is an "end unto itself" rather than the means whereby God Almighty connects us to Himself in the most personal and also the most communal way possible. We're not to see the Mass as us connecting to it, but the Mass as God's means to bring us into communion with the Most Holy Trinity. That is a big difference.

Obviously Vatican II was meant to be a great blessing for the Church and to unleash Catholicism's evangelicalism, that would enable Catholics who are nourished and sustained by the Church's liturgy to go into the world and lead others to Christ by the example of their lives and their joyful hope. Catholic "lite" as George Weigel calls is, has failed miserably.

I like George Weigel's article on the new Archbishop of Philadelphia, Charles Chaput and the Archbishop's emphasis on evangelical Catholicism.
READ IT BY PRESSING HERE!

13 comments:

Rood Screen said...

Yes! The whole point of the Council was to increase and improve Christian vigor for Christ and to bring the whole family of mankind into the household of Christian faith. In other words, we need to be better Christians and everyone else needs to become Christian. But some of these "new idolaters" have taken Christ out of the Council and tried to worship what's then left of it. Very strange indeed. Even the pagans of old would never have worshiped a meeting! Bless their hearts.

Anonymous said...

I used to read PrayTell. But lately, as the implementation of the new translation becomes more imminent, the negativity is too much- not good for the soul. It's always the same people spewing the same vitriol and they'll never be happy. They wait for some one to disagree with their "ecclesiology" and they pounce on the poor victim. if the poor victim tries to defend himself he's reprimanded. It gets so boring and melodramatic, it's not worth it. It's such a tiny group of people - they're in a goldfish bowl.

Bill said...

I pray that Bishop Hartmayer will be for the Diocese of Savannah as Chaput will be for Philadelphia.

Anonymous said...

Where can we get one of those shirts?

Anonymous said...

Why just get the shirt?

Get the tattoo.

rcg

Gene said...

Get spandex ones with small letters so when the girls put them on "Catholicism" expands...LOL!

Fr. Allan J. McDonald said...

It's just a photo I found, no idea where to get it. Fr.AJM

:o) mg said...

http://agnusgiftshop.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=12

Bill said...

Wow! Good job!

Templar said...

A nice shirt, but I'm going to stick with my "I'd Rather Be Roasting Heretics" shirt that I got from the New Oxford Review Online store :)

William said...

Checked into it: the T-shirt will cost $22.00 + handling! Bit pricey, perhaps (too bad); but hey, I'm out of touch when it comes to these things.

Anonymous said...

I agree with the commenter about Pray Tell. There are obviously 2 sets of rules--one for people the editor likes and one for everyone else. If you comment in 2 boxes and he agrees, you can comment in 4 next time. If you comment in 2 and he doesn't agree, you are yelled at. Hey, it's his place and he can do what he wants. He just can't say he fairly applies his rules. (He also very publicly pulled out of speaking commitments on the new missal, and yet headlined the one that pays for the site. hmmmm). I am very nervous that when the New Missal comes in Advent and it is no big deal many of the regulars there will have to sow dissent to prove their points.

Anonymous said...

Theyre already doing that. It's no secret that they hate the new translation and they feel bitter and angry about the fact that there's nothing they can do about it. I get the sense that they want it go fail, just so they can gloat. What is already happening is that diversity of opinion is being stilted and the blog will become an echo chamber for the few who continue to foment dissent and repeat the same ol' cliched ideas. I give it another year before they all get bored of themselves.