Thursday, July 06, 2006
Church as a Chore - The Loss of the Sacred
Attending Mass has taken on a new name in our household: Church as Chore. In reality, we should be praying the Mass, but with the constant emphasis on the horizontal, the vertical has been diminished if not outright lost depending on the parish. This flies in direct opposition to the Pope's emphasis on returning the sense and reality of the Sacred to the liturgy. I realize that many of the people who are "liberal" are sincere; but sincerity does not equal right.
The latest affront occurred at the San Gabriel Mission where some of the mandated traditional prayers were replaced by pagan ones so that the culture of a particular group (Native Americans) could be inserted in their place. The reporter for the Tidings wrote:
The Gloria became the "Honor Song to the Creator," the offertory song the "Planting Stick Song," the communion song the "California Bear Healing Song" and the meditation song, the "Barbareno Chumash Song," which asks for the spirit of healing to do away with pain and suffering."Tayiy Honuuk," an ancient ancestor's melody, served as the dismissal song.
The "Mass" was overseen by the utlra-liberal Bishop Zavala.
Folks, I am not, as so many seem to want to be today, interested in "celebrating diversity while celebrating community." I am interested in praying the Mass with Catholics. In case you have forgotten, the latter word means "universal," and that is the communityin which I, and it appears the Pope, am interested.
The latest affront occurred at the San Gabriel Mission where some of the mandated traditional prayers were replaced by pagan ones so that the culture of a particular group (Native Americans) could be inserted in their place. The reporter for the Tidings wrote:
The Gloria became the "Honor Song to the Creator," the offertory song the "Planting Stick Song," the communion song the "California Bear Healing Song" and the meditation song, the "Barbareno Chumash Song," which asks for the spirit of healing to do away with pain and suffering."Tayiy Honuuk," an ancient ancestor's melody, served as the dismissal song.
The "Mass" was overseen by the utlra-liberal Bishop Zavala.
Folks, I am not, as so many seem to want to be today, interested in "celebrating diversity while celebrating community." I am interested in praying the Mass with Catholics. In case you have forgotten, the latter word means "universal," and that is the communityin which I, and it appears the Pope, am interested.
