Every move you make…
The whole world is watching.
If you read blogs you know the liturgy police are out in full force critiquing every little detail of the papal liturgy… All the experts are on top of it.
Usually, only the uninvited criticize the parties they can’t attend, while the invited are just happy to be there and be near the guest of honor.
When I say I’m so sick of this pope bull shit - I really mean the rude people insulting the guest of honor by their constant complaining and nit picking. Is everything in the Church a performance to be critiqued? Can’t people watch, listen, participate - even worship first, and then discuss the faux pas later? At least let the guest return home before the murmuring begins. (Foreign press excepted - they are watching from afar.)
The following comment from Vox Nova makes the point better than I can:
Morning’s Minion Says:
April 18, 2008 at 10:13 am
It’s amazing. I came back from the Mass on such a high. The feeling in the stadium was one of pure joy, the woship of the universal Church (in all its divesity) in the presence of the Holy Father. Now, some of the music was not to my taste, but so what? I was just one of 50,000. I know most people I talked to really liked it. And then I come home, and see the blogs. The usual suspects start their sniping. Honestly, they remind me of bitter old geezers who infiltrate neighborhood associations to promote their selfish agendas, and whose only contribution is negative– to complain and moan. It’s the bitterness that gets me, the lack of charity. How ironic that the pope preached a homily against the divisions in the US church, and this is what the blogosphere focuses on. - Vox Nova
April 18th, 2008 at 9:42 am
Dear Terry,
I with you on this one. We are a part of the “Universal Church”are we not? Perhap I should say the “Church Universal”.”
Kate
Who is wearing pink on this gray day in MN
April 18th, 2008 at 9:46 am
Nicely said! The Mass is supposed to bring us together, isn’t it?
April 18th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
I think Vox Nova is being terribly naiive and taking out his hostility on the wrong people.
One need only refer to His Holiness’s book on “The Spirit of The Liturgy” to see that there was definitely an agenda afoot in this mass - one that was thrusting a contrary message [one that didn't assimilate the classical traditionalist sacrifical return to calvary sentiments] in His Holiness’s face.
Vox nova speaks of the standing during the consecration and the Pope distributing communion in the hand as if His Holiness was promoting a message of renewing the novus ordo - and that the only reason the blogosphere was aflame was because they wanted the Pope to be pro-Tradtionalist alone. This is deceptive !
The mass was a caterwauling cacophony with deliberately imposed little kicks in His Holiness’s teeth at every opportunity - it was not on !!! and whether the organizers were being deliberately hostile or downright negligently thoughtless is for their consciences to determine.
April 18th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Agree with the comments here! Before the Holy Father even stepped off of the plane, he was speaking highly of pluralistic America. The mixed music was definitely not my taste, but so what. America is the melting-pot of many cultures, and the music attempted to reflect it. Not a big deal. Blessed are all of the people lucky enough to have been in attendance. If the Holy Father minded the liturgical music, he gave no hint of it. I didn’t notice any visible irritation. He certainly didn’t wag his finger, or yell “silencio!”
.
The host of THAT station, along with the collared “expert”, made a lot of unfortunate comments. And the snarky, self-righteous spin doctors are busy indeed in the blogosphere.
Our Holy Father is a great pastor, and we are very blessed to have this very thoughtful shepherd. “Salt of the Earth” should be required reading for anyone who thinks the Holy Father is going to return everything to pre-VII. God bless our Holy Father!
April 18th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Paul,
I hope that my post did not come off as offensive to non-Americans - I think it is perfectly fine that British and Europeans critique the visit as it unfolds - but those of us in the host country ought to be more restrained.
I think it was especially bad for Fr. Neuhaus to be so critical of the Mass while it was being celebrated since many non-Catholics and non-Christians alike were watching the live broadcast.
Thanks for your comments though.
Terry
April 18th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
Some of the indignation being expressed in the blogosphere comes, I am sure, from the fact that the music at the Mass of the Holy Father in Nationals Park seems to have been planned either in flagrant disobedience to everything he has written on the subject (I hope not) or in ignorance of it. It is perhaps another expression of the American “We will do it our way” syndrome. I could have wept over the music — so much did it fly in the face of what the Holy Father has taught and requested, most recently in Sacramentum Caritatis, but that did not keep me from pondering all his words in my heart.
April 18th, 2008 at 2:41 pm
Reading Thomas Kempis today I swear he was scolding me for having allowed the men of ewtn to ruin my day (yesterday). I should have had them muted, which I plan to do for Yankee Stadium.
This life is a continual spiritual battle……and for one moment I felt a foretaste of heaven when the visage of Benedict appeared on our soil, but alas, the feast can not start yet and my place at the table is not yet secured.
April 18th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Re Neuhaus - spot on !
He was out of order and should have been more reticent in any contention - he could have said what he wished in his magazine or national newspaper AFTER the event but to do so during it was simply ill-mannered and embarassingly [if not narcissistically] proselytising his own agenda . But fair do’s he maybe just got carried away with the whole hype of the moment and went too far.
As for your hesitancy ?
I’d be the same if it was my own country : keep my own counsel during the event and wait till it was all over and His Holiness back in Rome until I let rip and launched the vitriol ! Protocol and Decorum dude. Nobody declares ‘this is a travesty/debacle’ during the event - it just makes one seen as a boatrocking troublemaker - let the critical analysis occur after the event, not during : it’s poor taste and embarasses everyone even more than what’s occurring.
April 18th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
Have you heard the comments of Bill Maher about the pope and the Catholic Church?
Oh, is this guy on my SHIT LIST!!
April 18th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
Tom - yes, I read what he said. He is pretty stupid.
April 18th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
I just returned from adoration where I realized I know nothing about this stuff.
April 18th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
For someone who knows nothing, which is usually a step in the right direction, you have a surprising tendency to see clearly.
April 18th, 2008 at 9:11 pm
Totally with you (and Morning’s Minion) on this. Good post.
April 19th, 2008 at 8:08 am
I think that many times we Catholics sin against one of the most important doctrines of our faith: the Incarnation. The Word became flesh (sarx). What I see that because of the Paschal mystery of Jesus Christ all things have been redeemed through the Blood of our savior. Doesn’t St Paul speak about the new creation? That means because of Jesus Christ all things have been redeemed and that we have been reinstated in the Love and mercy of the Father. So that once again the words of Genesis ring through, that God looked at everything he had made and found it good. So because of Jesus there is no longer a division between the profane and the sacred. Only man’s misuse of creation and his disobedeince can turn that which is good into sin. Like Peter was told in the Acts of the Apostles; Do not call what God created unclean, in his vision of the sheet lowered from heaven with all the animals in it. Talk about making nonessentials important, with all that the Church is suffering we settle on the music performed.
The entire life of the Christian when it is lived in conformity with the will of God is pleasing to the Lord. So what is the problem? All things have been renewed in Christ, yes even our culture and our differences. I don’t think that any of us have to worry about the antiCatholic propaganda from the outside because we do a pretty good job of it on all our brothers and sisters, because we may have various tastes concerning something as insignificant as styles of music. How different we are from what Christ talks about being the servant and some of us have become elitist.
peace
April 19th, 2008 at 8:14 am
Fiddlesticks. The music was so bad it was embarrassing. It’s no sin to call bs when you hear it. The music was as lame as not having toilet paper when you invite a bunch of people over for dinner. Bringing us togehter sounds great but not if it means standing kneedeep in quicksand.
However, the mass with Peter was what we in DC came for and from what I saw most people were delighted. I certainly was.
April 19th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
The endless critiquing among the various liturgical websites has become tedious, ad naus.
Even The WDTPRS has taken on an atmosphere of restaurant review with the good Father Z and his fans offering critique of the Papal Mass at St. Patrick’s, commenting on everything from the vestments to the position of the candlesticks. No doubt some there would critique the vintage poured into the Chalice if given a taste.
April 19th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
I concur : I have no qualms in Fr Z picking some academic’s lecture or archbishop’s pastoral letter to shreds ; but I do get somewhat irked when he attempts to disseminate Papal speeches , make ANY political comment or comment on anything outside his sphere of remit.
Let him shout from the rooftops regarding the liturgy; if he wishes to speak of Roman or curial shenanigans - cool ; in things clerical let him pronounce fron high - but please, in a blog read by so many he should remember he has a duty to not appear to pontificate from a ‘catholic perspective’ when it is very much the opinion/taste of Fr Z ; not the One , Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.
I like him a great deal, but find it kinda scary when he reverts to part Reagan/part Charlton Heston/part Barry Fitgerald.
April 19th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Best anonymous comment I’ve ever seen.
May 22nd, 2008 at 12:36 pm
Do it Right,or don’t do it at all.
And doing it right means the way Rome wants it done,not the way the liberals want it done.
Dominic.