Name something weird you heard in a homily

[Bruno_Schulz]

** It’s hard to believe, that a priest from Nigeria should be scandalized by the moral decay of our society.
All you hear from Nigeria and see at TV, is a single scandal. He must find our western hemisphere a right paradise compared to there.

But never mind. Let’s work for better society. Rather than pointing out what’s bad, we should do right. That begins in our very near surrounding, when we give a loving smile to anyone, a smile that origins in Christianity and christian joy. It was Jesus who brought us the real, the deeper joy which we must pass on to others - whom so ever we meet. This is done with a friendly smile given any stranger - in the road, the underground, at work, wherever.
It’s up to us to make the world a better one.SIZE]**

 

[BarbaraTherese]

Interesting comments. The upside is that there was a priest for daily Mass. More and more there are fewer daily Masses and more daily Communion Services. Many parishes are lucky to have one priest. He needs days off and some vacation at times. Vocations are up in many foreign countries.A priest from Nigeria told me that hundreds are turned away from the seminary due to lack of space.Those priests who come here to serve us, are scandalized by the moral decay of our society.

In my archdiocese of South Australia, in my parish which was once two parishes serviced by five priests and is now one huge massive parish serviced by a part time priest only who lives a long way from our parish. He is a university lecturer in our Catholic university and very often overseas on some sort of study. We have to get another priest from somewhere or other for Sunday Mass if we can in his absence. We lost Eucharistic Adoration over a year ago. We no longer have weekday Mass only Eucharistic Services on some weekdays, and I have been told by an informed source that even Sunday Mass in our parish as a weekly event is under threat and probably could become a fortnightly or monthly Mass only on Sundays. This is all due to our priest shortage. The last time we had a priest from a non English speaking country, we could not understand his homilies, nor understand him in confession, let alone have a conversation with him - so bad was his broken English.

There is no need for over concern and emotionalism…The Lord knows what He is about and will be with His Church until the end of time. Undoubtedly at this point in time The Church is undergoing purgation and in the light of the many scandals in The Church - and still coming to light here in Australia, The Church was in a shocking mess anyway - it was just that we did not know it…with priests and some nuns abusing children and leaving them with shocking memories for their entire lives. Thank God it has all come into the light! It is Catholic Theology that the sin of one Catholic affects the whole Church…as do the merits of her saints. Our Lady of Fatima warned us that if we did not do prayer and penance as a Church, there would be terrible repercussions on us as a Church - and some coming from within.

Barb

 

[tkdnick]

We had another goofy one this past Sunday. The priest talked all about botany. Particularly referring to large, old grape vines and large, old olive trees. He was trying to make the point that we should be everything we can possibly be as designed by God. And that we should blossom and grow in our faith. But he spent a lot of time talking more about those plants than connecting the analogy back to the spiritual life.

 

[Bruno_Schulz]

**Our priest shortage must be of our concern and emotionalism, and we can not leave it all to God, for the Church are we, and why should God help us, if we do not undertake any efforts do do so?!

If we do not live a live within God and give witness to our believe in God within the profane world, the church lives an increasing hidden life in our society - which surely not attracts young men to become a priest.

This leads to the mentioned goofy things that happen, when people become priest then, who are not really qualified, but rather fled harsh life outside the church.

Just regularly attending Holy mass in the church, is definitely not enough to be a Christian. It’s to us to bring the church into everyday-life, instead of sneaking once in a while into a hidden church non-Catholics never take any notice of, because we don’t carry church into workaday understanding.

Priest too often feel to be left alone, because we indeed do leave them alone. This is, what’s real weird, for frustrated priests sometimes do say something out of this helpless situation, that sounds weird.

Let’s remember, that we ourselves do so nearly every day, and expect people to understand, and to not make any fuss about it. Let’s understand the situation of these priests too and help in the way pointed out. They’ll grow in our sympathy and
togetherness with them. They too are humans who need our love and understanding.
**

 

[Snowy]

The mustard seed means . . . that Obama should be President.
What we learn from the prodigal son is . . . that Obama is like Gandhi.
The good Samaritan shows us . . . that God is a Democrat.
We should always be alert because . . . God reveals Himself through universal health care and environmentalists.

 

[sbriton]

The weirdest homily was the new pastor at our church. Without warning he decided the 9:30am Mass would be a children’s Mass. During the first Mass when he did this he had all the children come up to the altar and sit on the steps (this is a Cathedral, btw). When he got to the Homily he brought out props and did a puppet show about the Gospel, asking kids questions etc. So the homily was specifically for the children. But nobody knew this ahead of time. The kids returned to their seats after the Homily.

To digress a bit, we used to attend a parish where the priest had all the kids come up to the altar at the beginning of Mass. THe worst part was he had them circle the altar during Consecration and would interrupt the words of Consecration and prompt the kids to finish the words. For instance, “Take all of you and eat. This is my…pause”, the kids would say “my body!” sometimes yelling it. Likewise, when he go to the part, “Lord, remember your Church throughout the world; make us grow in love, together with…” he’d pause and say “who’s our Pope?” and wait until someone said the Pope’s name (then JPII) and then again for the bishop ("Who’s our bishop?..pause). We left this parish shortly after this practice started. But not strictly because of this. It was his homilies about why women should be priests, why priests should be allowed to marry, why homosexuals should be free to live as they wish without Church penalty and other abominations.

God be praised!

Simon

 

[distracted]

The mustard seed means . . . that Obama should be President.
What we learn from the prodigal son is . . . that Obama is like Gandhi.
The good Samaritan shows us . . . that God is a Democrat.
We should always be alert because . . . God reveals Himself through universal health care and environmentalists.

You are kidding, right??? :hypno: uch:

Tell me you are ***kidding!!! ***

 

[distracted]

**Shouldn’t we, rather than pronouncing what’s weird in this or that homily, announce what was great an helpful in a sermon? ** well, it is good to know approximately how many priests out there are really orthodox… gives us a good idea of the condition of our poor, suffering Church… and how much success satan has had in his efforts to destroy it… Knowledge is power, as someone once said…

Still – altogether it’s really terribly seldom, that a priest talkes foul matter, and rather than leaving it to God in praying for this misled person, we really ought to speak up to him and the matter. We can’t leave all to God and do simply nothing

i would not say “vast majority”… I have been to Masses all over the US… and i have been in 100s of different Churches… I have heard some weird things… Fortunatley, the Holy spirit (or my own self-protective tendencies) causes me to block it out… (except for the most recent stuff…)

anyway… it points out our need to always pray for our priests…

 

[distracted]

Actually, we ARE all called to be saints! Our Catechism says so:

1695 - “Justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God, sanctified . . . [and] called to be saints,” Christians have become the temple of the Holy Spirit.

Through our baptism we are called to a pure holiness (sainthood).

I didn’t word that post correctly. I did not mean to say or imply that we are not all called to be saints. We definitely ARe… What i meant to say is that we are all called to be a saint the way God wants us to be one… meaning we are to do the will of God in our lives… what God would want us to do (it may not necessarily be what he wants someone else to be… Example: he wants some to be priests, some to get married. If i got married when God wanted me to remain single… that would be going against God’s particular will for ME)…

that said… There are some things he wants of ALL of us… he wants us all to ***live His Words… to the letter… ***

 

[Snowy]

You are kidding, right??? :hypno: uch:

Tell me you are ***kidding!!! ***

I wish I was. Obama was never named explicitly, but the priest didn’t bother veiling his meaning much either. The last example I gave wasn’t even veiled at all, according to my priest, and I paraphrase, “this week has been filled with bad news, Mumbai and all that, but still God reveals himself through the opportunity we now have to implement universal health care and through the work of environmentalists.”
When the SSSX guys claim that Marxists infiltrated the seminaries in the 60’s and 70’s, I have to admit that they have a point.

If my priest turned every homily into a political campaign for any other candidate or party, I would also consider that a great abuse of his power; he knows we cannot heckle him or stand up and leave!

 

[distracted]

IIf my priest turned every homily into a political campaign for any other candidate or party, I would also consider that a great abuse of his power; he knows we cannot heckle him or stand up and leave!

Who says we can’t?

I think if i hear something heretical (from now on) i am going to protest by getting up and walking out… until the consecration…

also, i think it is not just communists infiltrating but Masons…

(or is that the same thing, basically??? )

 

[Snowy]

Who says we can’t?

I think if i hear something heretical (from now on) i am going to protest by getting up and walking out… until the consecration…

also, i think it is not just communists infiltrating but Masons…

(or is that the same thing, basically??? )

I think that the only thing that Masons have in common with Communists is that they don’t like us.

I vent my frustrations with you folks, but I stick with my parish. It’s not fair that a priest’s misbehavior turns sour my masses, but maybe that’s what I need to build my Christian character.

 

[Bruno_Schulz]

the condition of our poor, suffering Church… and how much success satan has had in his efforts to destroy it…

**Well, according to Jesus promise in Mt 16:18, Satan will NEVER overcome Church.

But what is Church. It’s namely us members, for Church without members would not be – just as any unification would not exist without members.

I don’t know what it’s like in the US. Here, the richest Church in Europe ist he Cath. Church in Germany, as we pay Church-Tax. Though – Churches are empty. I suppose Cath. Church in the USA is a minority, (?) as there seem to be more other denominations and a lot of sects. I don’t know though.
But still. As we are the Church – it’s members, it’s no use to moan about the state of the Church, as we created that state the Church is in. So, when we talk about „of our poor, suffering Church…“ it’s us who makes the church suffer.

Of course priests must be terribly frustrated when they preach in empty churches. In that case, even some bad or harsh words might occur. Jesus Himself sometimes used very hard language (you snakes and vipers).

I, by the way, opened a new thread here:

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?p=4509732#post4509732
asking:
Is it enough to be good?

Nice if you’d care to answer if you think or deny that’s enough when people are good.
**

 

[tkdnick]

I didn’t word that post correctly. I did not mean to say or imply that we are not all called to be saints. We definitely ARe… What i meant to say is that we are all called to be a saint the way God wants us to be one… meaning we are to do the will of God in our lives… what God would want us to do (it may not necessarily be what he wants someone else to be… Example: he wants some to be priests, some to get married. If i got married when God wanted me to remain single… that would be going against God’s particular will for ME)…

that said… There are some things he wants of ALL of us… he wants us all to ***live His Words… to the letter… ***

Very true

 

[nilofc]

I was once in a daily mass and the gospel is about divorce (Mt. 19:6)… then the priest knowing that he might be offending someone in the pew said…“This is a hard saying let’s focus on the first reading…old testament…”

 

[nilofc]

I was once in a mass…i remember vividly…I was so young then… like 10…

He said that the only time Jesus sinned was when he answered back His mother when she found Him in the temple after losing him for 3 days.

Imagine that…telling the congregation that God sinned.

***“The road to hell is paved with the skulls of erring priests, with bishops as their sign posts." – St. John Chrysostom ***

 

[Bruno_Schulz]

“The road to hell is paved with the skulls of erring priests, with bishops as their sign posts." – St. John Chrysostom

If we keep mentioning suchlike thing, we do it to the pleasure of Church-antagonists and give them arguments for fighting Jesus Church.

Remember Chrysostom was in the 4th century in a very much different time than we are.
We too sometimes say things we didn’t really mean. If anyone picked them as “archetypal we and absolutely right”, this would be more than wrong and even virulent.

 

[nilofc]

If we keep mentioning suchlike thing, we do it to the pleasure of Church-antagonists and give them arguments for fighting Jesus Church.

Remember Chrysostom was in the 4th century in a very much different time than we are.
We too sometimes say things we didn’t really mean. If anyone picked them as “archetypal we and absolutely right”, this would be more than wrong and even virulent.

I am not giving them arguments so they can fight the Church of Christ. You have to see this through…

Even Jesus chooses the twelve apostles one of which betrayed the Lord. We should be able to see that not every ordained clergy will be faithful to the Church’s entire teaching.

Do you wish that people just ignore Popes such as

Pope Sergius III who obtained his office by murder?

or Pope John XII who spent his entire life in adultery?

or Pope John XV who split the churches finances among his relatives and was described as “covetous of filthy lucre and corrupt in all his acts.”

or Pope Benedict IX committed murders and adulteries in broad daylight, robbed pilgrims, and was regarded as a hideous criminal.

or Pope John XXII who was accused by 37 clergy witnesses of fornication, adultery, incest, sodomy, simony, theft and murder. It was proved by a legion of witnesses that he had seduced and violated 300 nuns. He kept a harem at Boulogne of 200 girls. He was publicly called the devil incarnate. He has been called the most depraved criminal who ever sat on the papal throne.

Everyone needs to understand that they have to study the catholic teachings and its history so when they’re confronted with heretical teachings and issues like this they know how to respond.

You should stop ignoring these facts…so you might be able to appreciate more the truth of the Catholic faith.

Knowing these will get people to accept the truth that the Church is perfect but the people in it are sinners. That way, protestants will know what they’ve left…the Eucharist, the Church, and all the treasures of the church and that is because they chose to look at the sinners in it rather than God Himself.

 

[distracted]

I think that the only thing that Masons have in common with Communists is that they don’t like us.

I vent my frustrations with you folks, but I stick with my parish. It’s not fair that a priest’s misbehavior turns sour my masses, but maybe that’s what I need to build my Christian character.

it’s good to accept sufferings and offer them up (and grow through them) but allowing a priest to get away with heresy (for example) is perpetuating evil…

 

[distracted]

**Well, according to Jesus promise in Mt 16:18, Satan will NEVER overcome Church. ** didn’t say he could/would…

But what is Church. It’s namely us members, for Church without members would not be – just as any unification would not exist without members.