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Friday, August 7, 2015

THEATER OF THE ABSURD AND MINIMAL EXPECTATIONS OF CLERGY AND LAITY AT MASS AND IN LIFE

Actual participation as expected by the Second Vatican Council's degree on the liturgy means three primary things and in order:

1. Be present for Mass
2. Internally be disposed to the graces of the Mass, the work of God
3. Externally participate in the rites of the Church as Holy Mother Church assigns these to the laity

Eliminating any of these three is an impoverishment of what actual participation is as the Second Vatican Council, and thus the Magisterium of the Church, teaches.

This does not mean the following:
1. That if the laity are missing from Mass, the Mass accomplishes nothing
2. That if one is distracted, praying the Rosary, daydreaming or doing something else, that nothing good is happening
3. That if one externally prays the liturgy but has no internal disposition toward the prayers that God's grace is absent

We've had inane discussions about actual participation. We should not settle for the minimal or rely simply upon" ex opere..." as needed as this is, but we should strive to give God our best, our Sunday best! And our daily Mass

At least Mass is valid, although no laity were present!
At least Mass is valid even if the priest has lost his faith and is morally despicable but follows the mind of the Church for the Mass!
At least the Mass is valid with poorly translated texts from the original Latin!
At least the Mass if valid if everyone of the laity at Mass are praying the Rosary, going to confession during Mass, making the stations of the cross or chatting with their neighbor!

Do Catholics really want to settle for this sort of at leasts? I hope not!

6 comments:

Michael (Quicumque Vult) said...

I see absolutely no issue with going to Confession during Mass. In fact, the act of confessing/being reconciled to God during the time the Lord's sacrifice is present/being offered in the church may give the penitent all the more graces.

Carol H. said...

My sister-in-law just posted a quote from Pope Francis supposedly saying we don't need God to be good people, and that we don't need to go to Mass. I don't know where she got this from, but if this is out there I do not know how to respond to this. I am assuming that this is way out of context, but since I don't know where this came from, I can't refute it. Any help would be appreciated.

Rood Screen said...

Michael,

Agreed. Saint John Paul II asked "that confessions be especially available before Masses, and even during Mass if there are other priests available".

Anonymous 2 said...

Carol:

Is this the quote?

“It is not necessary to believe in God to be a good person. In a way, the traditional notion of God is outdated. One can be spiritual but not religious. It is not necessary to go to church and give money - for many, nature can be a church. Some of the best people in history do not believe in God, while some of the worst deeds were done in His name.”

According to Snopes, this alleged quote is spurious and began circulating on Facebook around December 6, 2014. Snopes also explains that, although inaccurate, it may have seemed plausible to many because of what Pope Francis had said about atheists in one of his homilies in May 2013:

http://www.snopes.com/politics/quotes/popeatheist.asp


Anonymous said...

I think this post has lost sight of the fact of what the Mass is:

"357. What is the Mass?

The Mass is the Sacrifice of the New Law in which Christ, through the ministry of the priest, offers Himself to God in an unbloody manner under the appearances of bread and wine.

What are the purposes for which the Mass is offered?

The purposes for which the Mass is offered are: first, to adore God as our Creator and Lord; second, to thank God for His many favors; third, to ask God to bestow His blessings on all men; fourth, to satisfy the justice of God for the sins committed against Him.

(a) In every Mass adoration, praise, and thanksgiving are given to God, and reparation is made to Him.

(b) Besides the purpose for which the Mass is offered and the effects that it produces, there are also special fruits of the Mass. The fruits Of the Mass are the blessings that God bestows through the Mass upon the celebrant, upon those who serve or assist at it, upon the person or persons for whom it is offered, and also upon all mankind, especially the members of the Church and the souls in purgatory.

(c) The measure of these blessings depends especially on the dispositions of those to whom they are given.

363. How should we assist at Mass?

We should assist at Mass with reverence, attention, and devotion.

(a) There are different ways of assisting at Mass devoutly: using the missal to follow the priest, saying the Mass prayers as found in a prayer book; singing hymns; and the like.

364. What is the best method of assisting at Mass?

The best method of assisting at Mass is to unite with the priest in offering the Holy Sacrifice, and to receive Holy Communion.

(a) It is evident from the words of the priest himself that we do unite with him in offering up the Holy Sacrifice. After the Offertory he turns to the people and says: "Pray, brethren, that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God the Father Almighty." In the second commemoration of the Canon of the Mass he says: "Remember, O Lord, Thy servants . . . for whom we offer, or who offer up to Thee, this sacrifice of praise . . . "

http://www.ewtn.com/faith/teachings/euchb1a.htm

When people begin to understand what Mass is then may be we will get somewhere.

Jan

Carol H. said...

Yes, ANON 2, that is the quote. Thank you for the link!