As I reviewed the 1964 Mass card that I posted below this post, I was struck about how exited I was as a 12 and 13 year old experiencing the Mass to change from old and stuffy to new and improved. I liked the priest facing the congregation, although I had to agree with my mom at the time that it was rude for the priest to eat and chew the Host in front of us and we were asked to watch like voyeurs this private priestly moment of intimacy with the Lord. There was and is something wrong with watching someone eat when no one else is eating.
I loved the vernacular too.
I was excited about the changes in the Church at the time, but by 1968 or 69 when I realized how sloppy things were getting, how poor the music was and how confused Catholics were and no one knew what we as Catholics believed anymore and that despite protestations from the pope and some bishops that only discipline was changing not doctrine, we wondered and still do today!
And now it appears that Pope Francis enamored with the headiness and excitement of the 1960's and with a really, really, really strong desire to return the Church to that period of excitement thinks his synodal way will do it.
But will it?
This is from a commentary in the National Catholic Register which you can read the whole story here.
Synod on Synodality
(Dr.)Faggioli has styled the multi-year “Synod on Synodality” as the most important ecclesial event since Vatican II. But now even he thinks it will be a flop, asking, “if synodality can’t get young people interested in the Church, then what can?” It may be, Faggioli, concedes that the whole exercise in global meetings “may be coming at a bad time.”
As the synodal process grinds on, Francis will have to see whether it is possible to generate any actual interest, or whether it will be hijacked by special interests.
No one is excited about the synod on synods except for management at the Vatican and the current pope and no amount of demanding excitement from clergy or laity will change that!
And the only real excitement in the Church was from young people excited about the Extraordinary Form of the Mass and its way of being Church. And guess what--they get clobbered! Yes, the pope did that to young Catholics very engaged in the Faith and to what purpose? It does not fit his vision of a 1960's Church!
We don't want to worship Vatican II, ecclesiology, change, walking together, smelling like sheep, processes or synods or talk on synods or a synod on synods. Enough with it already!
7 comments:
It all gets back to the Mass, I'm afraid. The current normative version, despite the claims of some that its traditional, despite the attempts by others to celebrate it traditionally, is tradition-like, not really traditional. When stripped of a consistent vision of beauty, aesthetic, music, cohesive art, direction of prayer, you name it, it's more of a false facade with the consecration appended irritatingly disrupted by the "mystery of faith" in its middle. It feels like it lacks a soul in place of some "up with people" dynamic and, then, it fails where the protestants succeed. How possibly can you expect people to be excited when the central activity lacks passion to foster that excitement.
In the Eastern Byzantine Churches, things are how they've always been. The overwhelming majority does not desire change and overall, everyone is very protective about ensuring that erroneous change does not start to creep in. Get a bunch of us together and get us singing, no one wants to stop. That feeling of stability and permanence is just so lacking in the Roman Church and most of those immersed within do not realize it. Simply stated, the "sign of peace" mentality is too rooted in many places at the expense of much that is foundational. My opinion:
This synod, having seen the questions, will be talk for talks sake not likely resulting in much besides a formal document that will just sit on a shelf.
You want excitement - start with authenticity and the rest will, in time, fall into place.
Young Catholics aren't interested in the revolution of Vatican II. It's meaningless to them. They aren't interested in the Peter, Paul & Mary aesthetic of the Novus Ordo. They aren't interested in watching worship turn into a performance by Up With People.
When we bring young people to these Masses, especially after they've experienced the Mass of the Ages, they are indifferent and often, they laugh at the sheer silliness.
No wonder Pope Bergoglio wants to erase this Mass from our memories.
The revolution is over. Tradition won. It's just a matter of waiting for the flower-power despots to take their last breaths.
Beans is wrong as usual. Synods are exciting for losers who refuse to look at the wreckage they created. Father McDonald, my reaction to the changes was horror and disgust. I thought it rude that the priest had turned his back to Our Lord in the tabernacle and as an amateur musician found the music we were using trite. Unlike many folks our nuns taught us Gregorian Chant starting in first grade so by the time I was 10, I could chant 5 Latin ordinaries by heart. So much for it being “too hard!”
Thomas Garrett,
Well said but I prefer to call them doubleknit dinosaurs
I am fascinated to learn that Professore Faggioli ever imagined a "Synod on Synoding/Synodness/Sinai/Sodality/@#$%!" would interest young people.
Who are these young people with whom he converses regularly?
"Hey kids, wanna have some fun?"
"Huh, what?"
"How about a meeting?
"Huh?"
"Yeah, we're having a MEETING, wanna come?"
"Um, uh...(giggle), will there be snacks?"
"Oh, snacks? Um, well -- sure! We can do that?"
"What about girls? (More laughter)"
"Look, this is serious, we need you there?"
"What's the meeting about?"
"Well, um...it's kind of about...more meetings."
"Sounds like a BLAST there, chief!" (Raucous laughter.)
"Wait, wait! Look, this is your chance to share your opinions!"
"Gotcha, but see, they're having 50-cent wing night at Boozers, so...catch you later!"
"What about girls? (More laughter)"
"Look, this is serious, we need you there?"
ROFL
Father Fox,
You need to be cloned!
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