With all the talk about poverty, keep in mind what Mother, now Blessed, Teresa of Calcutta once said:"Some people are so poor all they have is money." Think about it!
5 comments:
ytc
said...
Absolutely beautiful, especially the dubbing of Coronation Mass.
Always it seems that it is Nebraska that shows the way and shames all the "great" Catholic Diocese in the US.
Any parish that doesn't look like this, or isn't striving to get there, is crap and should be driven from the Church.
PS: Father McDonald, please pay special attention to the part of the video where the Pastor states that Confession every day, while good, was quickly replaced with Confessions on Sunday and now the number of Parishioners receiving the Sacrament has grown exponentially. Dats what I'm talkin 'bout!!
LOL, while there's probably some truth to your jest Gene, I was really focused more on the idea that a 45 minute drive on Saturday for confession and another 45 minute drive for Mass on Sunday does tend to strain the gas budget. But more to the point, the Father in the video correctly points out that the most effective use of Confession is to have it available before Mass because it actually triggers people to examine their conscious when they are about to encounter Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. Most folks aren't thinking about it while they are cutting their grass or dining at longhorns on Saturday evening, and then when they get to Mass and go "oh darn, I should have gone to confession yesterday" it's too late. And since they don't want to stand out in today's society they don't dare not go up, and they sin again.
To me it's just a no brainer, you offer Confession before every Mass becasue it's the optimal time to do so. You offer last rites when people are in danger of dying because it's the optimal time to do so. You Baptize your children when they are born because it is the optimal time to do so. Offering confession every day is a wonderful and pastoral gift, but truth is, it's simply not as efficient as offering it before (and during) Mass. I know Father's position on this, (schedule and staffing limitations preclude it) but as I tell the people who work for me, never allow limitations to detract from the right course of action. If it's right, it will work because right has a way of providing for itself if you give it half a chance.
5 comments:
Absolutely beautiful, especially the dubbing of Coronation Mass.
Always it seems that it is Nebraska that shows the way and shames all the "great" Catholic Diocese in the US.
Any parish that doesn't look like this, or isn't striving to get there, is crap and should be driven from the Church.
PS: Father McDonald, please pay special attention to the part of the video where the Pastor states that Confession every day, while good, was quickly replaced with Confessions on Sunday and now the number of Parishioners receiving the Sacrament has grown exponentially. Dats what I'm talkin 'bout!!
Templar, You just can't behave yourself long enough to make it from Saturday Confession to Sunday Mass without sinning again! LOL!
LOL, while there's probably some truth to your jest Gene, I was really focused more on the idea that a 45 minute drive on Saturday for confession and another 45 minute drive for Mass on Sunday does tend to strain the gas budget. But more to the point, the Father in the video correctly points out that the most effective use of Confession is to have it available before Mass because it actually triggers people to examine their conscious when they are about to encounter Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. Most folks aren't thinking about it while they are cutting their grass or dining at longhorns on Saturday evening, and then when they get to Mass and go "oh darn, I should have gone to confession yesterday" it's too late. And since they don't want to stand out in today's society they don't dare not go up, and they sin again.
To me it's just a no brainer, you offer Confession before every Mass becasue it's the optimal time to do so. You offer last rites when people are in danger of dying because it's the optimal time to do so. You Baptize your children when they are born because it is the optimal time to do so. Offering confession every day is a wonderful and pastoral gift, but truth is, it's simply not as efficient as offering it before (and during) Mass. I know Father's position on this, (schedule and staffing limitations preclude it) but as I tell the people who work for me, never allow limitations to detract from the right course of action. If it's right, it will work because right has a way of providing for itself if you give it half a chance.
I do agree, Templar. I remember when many Catholic Churches had Confession before Mass. I would like to see a return to that.
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