A Bishop speaks up

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From a great Catholic blog:

**A Bishop speaks up **
Bishop Andreas Laun of Salzburg, Austria (who is a Salesian) writes about liturgical abuses. I translated most of his article.

How to celebrate the liturgy? In a manner that reflects the mysterium as much as possible. Therefore the special garbs, the chalices of silver and gold, the incense and candles, the beauty of churches and the singing and especially the liturgical body language. Liturgy belongs to the most holy, which corresponds to Him, the most holy.

When we ponder how to celebrate the liturgy, we have to be like a painter of icons who prays as he paints. Our speech and thought about the liturgy can only be right, if it is directly focused on the Mysterium.

If the proper celebration of the liturgy has such high demands, can it not only be celebrated in heaven, since nothing on earth could ever correspond? No, for God became man. He stepped into the human, and all too human history. He knew, who we humans are and nonetheless he said, “Do this in memory of me.” He made us the custodians of the Holy Mass, us, His beloved sinners, well aware how flawed our handling of His Body and Blood will be…

closedcafeteria.blogspot.com/
 
(continued)
  • Some priests wear no stole and the acolytes wear an alb - they meet in the middle, so to speak - this is supposed to mean that they are equal and the same. They are equal, but they are NOT the same!
  • Prayers and other texts for Funeral Rites are lacking certain terms: One hears nothing of the “soul”, there seems to be no more danger of going to hell and there is no mentioning of purgatory. Therefore a resurrection service is celebrated and easter songs are played. Certainly, the belief in resurrection is part of it, but not the canonization of the dead! Why even pray for the dead, if there is no place of purification?
  • Some priests end the doxology with “our brother” or “our Lord and brother” instead of “our Lord”
  • Frequently laypeople, or seminarians, give homilies.
  • Speaking of homilies - their purpose does not seem clear to some. The purpose is to preach the Word of God and the Catholic Faith, even if they have a problem with some detail - and NOT preach their own ideas.
  • Prayers of the Faithful, which people can write themselves - What stuff people ask for! One person asked for the realization of his “church dreams”. One time someone asked that God would side with him againt the Vatican.
  • Frequently priests think that “spontaneous” prayer is superior, more human and appealing than the ones in the Missal. Everyone who’s been exposed to that knows: the spontaneous texts get longer and longer and their intellectual and theological level decreases. Some priests soon repeat, ritualize what they had spontaneously concocted. The liturgical “freedom” of the priest is the imprisonment of all others invovled, he forces his personal theology on them.
  • Some priests pray the Our Father with folded hands instead of the orans position, claiming it to be more modern.
  • The Biblically witnessed bent knee infront of the Holiest of Holies is becoming more rare .
  • The Sign of Peace becomes a little too friendly, like a class reunion. Some bishops want it to be limited to one’s immediate neighbors, but I think it should be moved in order to not distract from Holy Communion. Concelebrating priests should use the traditional embrace and not shake hands.
  • More and more priests, bishops and deacons remain seated as laypeople distribute the Eucharist. This is against Church regulations. The rule says to use laypeople in exceptional situations, not to replace the priests and deacons.
  • At dismissal some priests use their own formaulas, like “Go and bring peace to the world”. A pious wish, for sure, but not correct. The formulation in the Missal is there for a reason.
closedcafeteria.blogspot.com/
 
Amen.
Our rite books are written as they are for a reason,
not just to give you ideas.
 
  • when catholic laypeople or Lutheran clergy concelebrate - by praying the priestly prayers along or even speak the words of the Transfiguration
Click to expand...
At which point all were clothed in resplendant white garments. :rotfl:
 
I wish a copy of this could be sent to every priest in the United States. I may just have to cut and paste a copy of it to mine. It’s beautiful! God bless this man.
 
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