Monday, October 8, 2012

Messing with the Agnus Dei?


Thankfully, I've never run into this one.

What will they think of next?

As I mentioned in the comments section of another post, I ran into some shenanigans last evening at Mass.   The priest made up his own penitential rite.  He did do the general absolution but the prayers before it were not from the rite of the Catholic Church.

He also said we were going to hear the best homily ever given in the history of mankind.

He skipped over the first part of the Gospel on the substance of marriage and made up his own version of the second paragraph.  

When he got to the homily, it turns out 2000 years of Saints and the Doctors of the Church do not hold a candle to Winston Churchill.   "Don't ever give up or give in".   Absolutely no context but after he told us the story, he asked for applause.

Good advice for weight watchers but there are plenty of things Catholics are called to surrender.  As he was building the drama of the greatest story ever told, ten  feet above where he was standing, directly above his head hung the paradox of his own foolish maxim.  Christ hanging from His Crucifix.

This was the second time I ran into this priest and he clowned around with The Sacred Liturgy. I stayed away from the place for months.  I seldom run into this nonsense anymore.  I suppose I know exactly where these priests are in residence.  This was a new one on me.  I hope he is not on the local circuit.  I hate to put more miles on my car.   Thank God, he did do a valid Consecration, but I laughed to myself on the way out.  After 25 years of occasionally going to Mass at this parish, giving up is exactly what I'm doing.

For those of us in Boston, speaking of the music ministry futzing with our prayers:  Tell me something, is the new musical composition for the Gloria painful, or is it me?   The refrain is overdone and repeated ad nauseum.   The actual prayer gets lost.   I hope this goes the way of the David Haas hymnals.


7 comments:

breathnach said...

Carol,

Inane homilies are a scourge, but messing with the rubrics of the Mass itself are of a different order.

Last week the pastor at early Mass, who normally is uninspired but is a rule follower, broke out unexpectedly in his homily with a prediction that a "progressive" Church was around the corner. In 10 minutes he mentioned Cardinal Martini, America magazine and several other vague references to "progress".

I wondered where all of this was coming from. I looked around the congregation and noticed some unfamiliar faces. I concluded that he was playing to one or more "progressives" that normally did not attend the early Sunday Mass.I'm sure these bothersome "progressives" were giving him an earful at parish council meetings. "Give the sqeaky wheels what they want" replaces sound catechesis .

(I believe you are familiar with this cleric from another South Shore parish. You mentioned several years ago that you had to chase him around the sacristy to have a Confession heard. Also, that he advised:children have no sins and penance wasn't central etc..etc...)

TTC said...

Brutal. Aidan undid 15 years of solid Catholic catechesis with my two youngest children, possibly for the rest of their lives. I used to fret about it until I saddled his soul with the damage. Giddy up.

andy kastone said...

I witnessed a priest ignore three penitents including me waiting for confession at the scheduled time. Cape Cod. It was bizarre.

ignorant redneck said...

I've seen the Agnus Dei so trophed as to lose it's nature as a request for mercy and become a political harangue.

TTC said...

That is unbelievable. To the best of my knowledge, even the worst of the worst here in Boston have not touched the Agnus Dei.

The penitential rite did petition for mercy but one of the petitions was 'Christ quiet us'.

Do you suppose there is a lot of commotion in the pews in Brockton?

Maybe he got the message from the stinkeye?

Funny - it's a pretty active and faithful parish and it was empty last night. He says Mass there every Tuesday. Emptying the place.

TTC said...

Andy - I'm surprised. The Fall River diocese is in better shape than Boston.

I hope they smarten up but as long as the pastoral leadership at the top is focused on the money, I don't hold out much hope.

Maria said...

I thank God every day for my Dominicans. Still getting up at 5:00 AM to get to 7:00 AM Mass every day. Never do I have to worry about these things. I am SO grateful to God for His having made and preserved Dominicans :)