Wondering if Mass at your parish follows "the rules"? We sometimes don't need to wonder at St. Al's because the pastor announces that it doesn't. The latest example was at last Sunday's 11:00 a.m. Mass when he underscored a homiletic point by noting the translation of the Gospel we're using is no longer the prescribed one.
If there are any regular readers, you know that I've raised issues of conflict between what the parish has us teach in Christian Formation and parish practice. Our parish Christian Formation program takes it for granted that the students and their parents aren't likely to be at Sunday Mass. (It's an example of what I call a "shoulder-shrugging scandal".) I'm somewhat dubious of suggesting to the kids that they should go to Mass so they can hear the pastor announce the latest thing we should be doing, but aren't.
P.S. In his column in the February 15, 2009 bulletin, our pastor writes, "it is difficult to understand why some Catholics excuse themselves from Mass for the slightest reason." In the same column he goes on to say "As part of the Lenten observance, I will not be telling a 'story' until after Easter." The story refers to the joke he tells just before the final blessing. He once explained that jokes aren't supposed to be inserted into the Mass, so he calls it a "story".
There ARE other parishes in the Greater Milwaukee area, you know.
ReplyDeleteI was at a parish where the lady gives a "reflection" after the Gospel, which of course we know is not a homily......
ReplyDeleteWell it is in the tradition of Ab. Weakland, who dispensed with rubrics and Vatican directives with abandon. And his followers learned their lessons well.
ReplyDeleteSome attribute the laissez faire attitude of many priests regarding the Liturgy to the number of choices allowed with the Novus Ordo. They reason that: "If I can choose different openings, Eucharistic Prayers, Prefaces, etc. so what if I insert some off the cuff remarks at sundry times...?"
Consequently, the Liturgy for many priests has become a DIY affair, where the 'performance' of the celebrant is key. It's all about him - when it should be all about Him...