i live in the l.a. archdiocese. first, to be fair to the cardinal (which truthfully is the last thing i think he deserves) these pictures are not from the 2005 congress. the original poster should clarify what his/her source is. note that each year the theme/title of the congress is projected on the backdrop. that is not this year’s theme. i think it is from a few years ago. also, this year the congress occurred during lent and (surprisingly) the vestments conformed to the season. he is in green in one of these photos. i believe that these photos were taken before the new GIRM and RS. it seems unfair to factually distort the situation.
that being said, don’t let me give the false impression that things have changed, or that it has not become worse.
When I look at those photos and see the body of christ consecrated in a wicker basket…
also in the interest of fairness, the hosts that are consecretated are not just laying in a giant basket. there are metal bowls stacked up in the basket, which are handed to the priests, deacons, and ems at communion time. they are not extremely nice metal bowls, but Jesus isn’t just falling all over the floor through the wicker either. a mass this size is only done once or twice a year. if you think they’re going to buy 40 gold ciboria and chalices in order to distribute Communion, you are dreaming. its not the vatican where this size of mass occurs daily. other bishops are in the same predicament. i doubt they have super nice vessels at the world youth day mass, etc. as long as they are reserved for the Eucharist only, other criteria of beauty, etc. become a matter of taste and culture.(note the adaptations in the GIRM)
so being one who was in attendance this year and years past, here’s a few things to take note of. in the first photo note the cross being carried by the server. it is not a crucifix. there is no crucifix present at any of the masses.(GIRM 297, 308) btw, it’s “liturgical movement” because liturgical dance is not allowed. (that’s not a joke.)
look to the right on the stage, and notice that there is a large group of bishops and/or cardinals there. every year his auxiliaries plus others from all over the world are there. he has comrades in his mischief. they seem to be all smiles, etc. in my opinion, this is a huge indication of the kind of problem and why the vatican doesn’t just jump on this. keep in mind that this event doesn’t occur in his diocese. the bishop of orange is a co-conspiritor also.
the pitchers are commonplace since the cardinal issued a statement in '04 that RS doesn’t apply to him or his diocese.
i don’t know for sure, but i’d bet my last beer that the photo with the singer is from the youth day mass (thursday, the day before congress starts) where about 10,000 youth are shown this ****. he knows what he doing; he thinks that he is changing the Church in the future. the message is Church=good, cardinal=good, this mass=good, this mass=Church, etc. the saddest part of the whole thing.
the worst thing is that these photos don’t show the half of it. mahoney’s idea of the holy liturgy is performance, audience, hyperventalating euphoria, entertainment. people in the pews and money in the basket.
so who’s fault is it? it is easy to blame him, but the real problem is the people who judge their parish, etc. according to their likes and dislikes and then shop around for what pleases them. they abandon parishes, bad mouth bishops… the people who know what’s right have abandonned all the places where this stuff happens. yeah there are a few who will post back “not me” but it is the majority that counts. so for all of you who have abandonned what you should be fighting for, you get half the blame. i sit in my parish alone every sunday.
for those of you who are indignant about the little things that happen in your parishes, this stuff will make its way to you soon. this is a catechists’ convention. the people go with the intention of ‘learning’ and then ‘teaching’ in their parishes. it is a slow moving, deadly disease. these lemmings suck it in. they applaud after every ‘hymn’ (i call it “number”)
just because Jesus said the gates of hell will not prevail, that doesn’t mean you and i and our neighbors will remain part of that which the gates of hell will not prevail against. the u.s doesn’t have to survive in order for Jesus to be true too his word.
if you are brave enough, you should all try to get to this thing. your heart will be shaken to its core. you’ll realise that the battle is not this or that sentence in the GIRM or RS; its about the calculated undermining to the Church itself.
