As everyone who reads my blog knows, I went to an extremely progressive/liberal seminary for major theology from 1976 to 1980 (actually end of 1979). It was St. Mary's Seminary and University, Roland Park, Baltimore.
I must say that at 22 years old when I arrived, I loved the stretching that I experienced in this seminary and I loved being in the seminary although it was quite different in ethos, spirituality and discipline compared to Mt. St. Mary Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland who claimed to be Vatican II but in reality was pre-Vatican II. I do not mean that as a criticism today but back then, wow! That description was derisive and was quite telling.
The whole time I was there I felt so fortunate that I was being prepared not for the Church of then but for the future Church that would certainly come about by the turn of the century, 2000, or if you are a purist, 2001.
By that time, from a late 1970's perspective, the logic of liberal theology would have come to its final logical conclusion:
1. Clericalism was derided and the only way to rid the Church of this pustule was to lance it to death and make sure there were no real or sacramental or canonical differences between lay, religious and clergy.
This meant that the Church of the 21st century would have parishes that would call forth from their midst those who could celebrate the Liturgy well with a form and language the congregation accepted as their own. Anyone, with some simple training, could lead the liturgy and provide the "eucharist" and other ordinances.
2. This lancing of the pustule of clericalism would lead to a new springtime of ecumenical and inter religious services not to mention gatherings with the world of atheists, agnostics and pagans. And all could share in whatever was offered be it bread and wine or any other symbol appropriate for such an august gathering and each could celebrate his/her/or any non binary orientation of the truth.
3. Canon Law was completely abrogated and all canon law books burned to include those sections in the Old and New Testament dealing with Commandments. This opened the community to the God of surprises in many ways. NO MORE DOCTORS OF THE LAW OR PHARISAICAL CATHOLICS.
4. The washing of the feet of males, females and any variety of LBGTQETC people or whatever they wished to be called would be the 8th sacrament and would include social work and care of the earth as its foundation. The weather forecast would become a liturgy of lamentation unto itself.
IF I COULD ONLY GO BACK TO THE FUTURE IN 1976. But given our Jesuit Pope and His Holiness' 1960's formation, it appears that His Holiness' logic has unleashed for us what the future might well be for the Church by 2050. I'll be dead, thanks be to God. But no one will pray for me because no one will be praying in any Catholic Church throughout the world.
18 comments:
Burning the village to save it.
Hey, Strom Thurmond lived to 100. The Queen Mother lived to 101. Rose Kennedy made it to 105. You might still be around---I hear the Mediterranean diet increases the odds of a long life!
Father,
Please be more respectful, the correct letters are LGBTLMNOP, not LGBTETC.
By the way, when the Q appears, as in LGBTIQ+, does the Q stand for “Queer” or “Questioning”?
And what about A, for our asexual brothers and sisters? To say nothing of the “pan-sexual community”?
The future is in the hands of God, and there always be some truly faithful carrying on the true mission of leading folk to know and love God, and thereby serve him purely.
The rest will be gainfully employed in re-education centers programming folk to work for state approved social justice issues such as stamping out old people as resources hogs, and building heaven on earth in our new and glorious future.
Was it in 1517 or 1520, when Father Martin Luther publicly burnt books of Canon Law?
3:41 pm,
LOL! Whom could you be referring to?
No reference to anybody. Father Fox had suggested nom de plumes.
Which only works when everybody plays by those rules, including Father K, who does not, and who works quite hard at troll behavior and then spiritually advises parishoners and then approaches the altar, which does NOT spontaneously combust, thereby proving to him he is on the right track.
BUT, a consistant name DOES help everyone else keep track of each other, and saves folk guessing if maybe someone they thought they knew, even on friendly terms, and so, this is my new and consistant name (where I hope to remember to use it most the time, having forgotten once or twice today, already).
Anonymous at 5.40pm -
1517 was the year of the 95 theses.
It was either 1520 or 1521, I think, when Fr Luther declared “the Pope’s decretals are the Devil’s excretals”
So you went from hard-left/progressive in seminary days to hard right/a return to the 1500s today? Wow...where is the middle range between those extremes?
I am wonderfully made, a blend of Kung and Ratzinger with a pinch of Luther and Augustine, peppered with Aquinas.
Oh my oh my Fr McDonald. what a post.
All I can say is... you talk a lot of BS!!!
Anonymous at 7:19,
Nah, Father K has the corner on BS
Give Father McD a break. It takes a while to get Küng out of the system, it has a half-life of 14 years. 28yrs after ingestion, it still has 1/4 the effect with which it started.
Apropos de rien: Is Charlie Curran still alive?
Bullshit is one of those words which changes its meaning when it crosses the Atlantic. Over here it is a slang military term for spit-and-polish or outward show. So one talks of a 'bullshit parade' and during the war there was the acronym BBB standing for 'bullshit baffles brains'. Frequently shortened to 'bull' it can be used as a verb, as in 'bulling one's boots'.
If someone is spouting nonsense he is said to be talking 'bollocks' or, better still 'a load of bollocks'. Another useful expression is 'cobblers' which is Cockney rhyming slang - cobblers' awls, i.e. balls.
There can be pitfalls. A young woman teacher was on an exchange visit to a US high school. Administering a pencil-and-paper test she said to the assembled 16-year-olds: 'I hope you've all brought rubbers with you.' The term 'eraser' is not used in the UK.
Rubbers here can be prophylactics or goulashes. We also have a furniture chain store called Badcocks.
Well we have a berk who spouts bollocks most of the time! 3 guesses!!
Fr Allan, I assume you mean galoshes, a sort of overboot, and not Hungarian soups (goulashes).
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