Cardinal Sarah's Address on 10th Anniversary of "Summorum Pontificum"

[johnnyc176]

catholicworldreport.com/Item/5532/Cardinal_Sarahs_Address_on_10th_Anniversary_of_Summorum_Pontificum.aspx

But most of the time, this “reform” that replaced the genuine “restoration” intended by the Second Vatican Council was carried out in a superficial spirit and on the basis of only one criterion: to suppress at all costs a heritage that must be perceived as totally negative and outmoded so as to excavate a gulf between the time before and the time after the Council.

Hence it is necessary to recognize that the serious, profound crisis that has affected the liturgy and the Church itself since the Council is due to the fact that its CENTER is no longer God and the adoration of Him, but rather men and their alleged ability to “do” something to keep themselves busy during the Eucharistic celebrations. Even today, a significant number of Church leaders underestimate the serious crisis that the Church is going through: relativism in doctrinal, moral and disciplinary teaching, grave abuses, the desacralization and trivialization of the Sacred Liturgy, a merely social and horizontal view of the Church’s mission.

This is an unavoidable reality, a true sign of our times. When young people are absent from the holy Liturgy, we must ask ourselves: Why? We must make sure that the celebrations according to the usus recentior (the newer form of the Mass) facilitate this encounter too, that they lead people on the path of the via pulchritudinis (the way of beauty) that leads through her sacred rites to the living Christ and to the work within His Church today. Indeed, the Eucharist is not a sort of “dinner among friends”, a convivial meal of the community, but rather a sacred Mystery, the great Mystery of our faith, the celebration of the Redemption accomplished by Our Lord Jesus Christ, the commemoration of the death of Jesus on the cross to free us from our sins.

 

[Justin_Swanton]

Excellent and totally apposite.

 

[JackyB]

Thank you Cardinal Sarah. It is always a joy to read his words.

 

[Randolph]

May our Lord continue to bless Cardinal Sarah and other courageous cardinals who have stood firmly for Christ and the Magisterium…

Once again, I am heartened and humbled by the words of the good Cardinal. I am full of joy.

 

[RomanoAmerio]

The good Cardinal’s words are excellent and an inspiration to us all. May God bless him.

 

[Justin_Swanton]

The very heart of the crisis in the Church is what is going on in the parishes. That breaks down into two things: liturgy and catechism. My experience of Durban parishes is that liturgy is a lucky dip - you might get a tolerable Mass one Sunday and fun and games the next. The single element that really kills a liturgy is the music and I have yet to find in Durban a single parish that sticks to a musical programme I could call Catholic and reverent.

The second thing is catechism, and my experience is that in Durban it is dead, i.e. catechumens might get either platitudes or straight heresy, but they won’t get a solid grounding in the Faith, and they won’t end up with a Catholic outlook.

My feeling is that it would take very, very little for the local Catholic communities to lose the name ‘Catholic’ should that title cause them any inconvenience. In consequence I don’t trust them and keep them at arm’s length, going when I can to Mariannhill Monastery which is somewhat better though also problematic at times.

 

[pnewton]

It is hard to believe it has already been ten years. It seems like just yesterday.

 

[Fiasco]

Thank you, johnnyc! It was downloaded.

It is hard to believe it has already been ten years. It seems like just yesterday.

**DITTO!!!
**
Along with the ten years, the shroud of old age is settling.