Praytell is nostalgic for the legitimacy of clown liturgies and wants to revel in this piece of liturgical history once called "renewal." Read it and weep there. Particularly interesting are the comments. I want to throw-up! And this is suppose to be a serious blog on the reformed or revised liturgy!
Here is an excerpt:
Forms of “clown ministry” were practiced as early as the 1960s, but experienced something of a popularity surge in the early 1980s. One such comprehensive “clown ministry” was run by the Sisters of Mount St. Benedict, in Erie, Pennsylvania. Sisters involved in the ministry dressed in clown costumes for retreats, ministry outreach events, and worship services, as a way to spread the Gospel with a touch of humor and a lot less severity than a nun in a traditional habit might project. As one sister, also known as “Bubbles,” reported, “The traditional Christian message seems to get boxed in. What we attempt to do [with this ministry] is break down some of those barriers.” (Beaver County Times, 8/17/1986).
And then a priest made this comment!
In my opinion – whatever one thinks of clowns – the (occasional) performance of clowns in (rare) postconciliar liturgies on the one hand, and the all-pervasive performance of the priest in the entire preconciliar setup is not just apples and oranges – it’s apples and screwdrivers.
This is what happens to the Church and her clergy and laity when there is a rupture between the Church and Her Mass prior to Vatican II and after Vatican II (preconciliar/postconciliar). This language is right out of the 1960's/70's mentality! And it is finding a new mentality in second decade of the new 21st century!
Can you image equating the priest celebrating the 1962 Missal with its high theology of Christ Himself, Head of the Church, Bridegroom of the Church and High Priest offering His Prayer, His word and His sacrifice to the Father on our behalf and made visibly present in a sacramental way through the signs of the ordained priest being equated with postconciliar clowns during Mass? It is sacrileges to say the least.
7 comments:
The past few decades have been full of this sort of nonsense, but God struggled for centuries to rid Israel of false worship. What's extraordinary today is that our false worship isn't even of foreign gods, but of ourselves. Liturgical clownishness is meant to sooth our self-esteem, thereby giving us confidence to be what we want to be, rather than what God wants us to be. So, send in the clowns for the circus and for Leoncavallo's "Pagliacci", but keep clowns and clownishness out of divine worship.
I think people know where I stand, in my large red floppy shoes, on this issue. But I will say that a lot of these people have good point when they want to bring the less severe and harshly judgmental message to people. But this is answered in better understanding of the Liturgy and the Mass, not the revision of it.
Whenever I see photos of these clown "liturgies" I imagine St. Peter or one of the apostles presiding at liturgy in the year 35 A.D. and put the two images next to each other in my mind. Their reaction, in my mind, to clown "liturgies" is not pretty.
You might even think of St Nicholas and how he reacted to heresy. Merry Christmas, buddy, here's your red nose.
I have seen those clown liturgies, and clown stations of the cross advertised in 2013. I have read about how spiritually moving they are supposed to be but I can't get over the feeling that they are a mockery of the Catholic mass, even though they are taking place in a Catholic Church by Catholics. They are one of the main reasons I give a nod to the traditionalists and their Tridentine mass .
rcg, I'm glad I wasn't drinking anything when I read your last comment.
And however much anyone refers to Pope Francis's donning a clown nose while taking a picture with a couple in St. Peter's Square, keep in mind, folks, that he doesn't make it a habit, and he doesn't do it at Mass!!!
No catechesis, no comprehension. Proper catechesis has been MIA for decades.
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