What kind of changes do you foresee? And how do you see Pope Benedict actually implementing those changes?
Hey, I gotta tell you that I kind of thought it was the security team that was infirmed and in weakened physical condition. I mean, every time I see him on TV, they are panting trying to keep up with him. He may be old, but he is hardly infirm and weakened. Sounds like wishful thinking. Bottom line is that he will be here as long as the good Lord wants and he will address what the good Lord wants. If the Lord feels the Liturgy needs addressing, then it will be address, regardless of how old he is when it happens.
Please, Pope Benedict, re-enchant the mass
What does this mean?
Here is the full paragraph using the blog I presented above:
While I wholeheartedly agree that the implementation of the reforms mandated by the Second vatican Council WERE shamefully hi-jacked, manipulated, imposed and abused - at the same time I see a parallel between
I believe it means “as if God were not given”. In other words, “assuming that God does not exist”.
To the exclusion of God? I think he is saying that many times the Catholic liturgy (Mass) is seen as a product of the community, by the community and for the community to the exclusion of God. Liturgy is seen in many palces as something we do for ourselves! Not something we do for God. Mass is seen as a show or performance, not something mystical, that is already taking place, perpetually in Heaven, and we are invited to participate in.
I’ve encountered this straw man a few times now. I’m really interested in learning how this actually works. How is bringing change in an area that simply was not a focus for John Paul II a slap in his face?
Nonsense.
Yes, absolutely. And he has mentioned this before in another book. It was right and proper for John Paul II to emphasize the community aspect. Look at what the world had just gone through and was recovering from at the time. Now, the pendulum swings the other way and perhaps the mystical will be more emphasized at Mass under Pope Benedict XVI. Every Pope brings his own emphasis to the Liturgy, depending on what is most needed at the time.
Bro Rich, you sum up here exactly the emptiness I have felt in the Novus Ordo until experiencing it at Grotto, where this “community” aspect is left for before and after the Mass, and the emphasis is on the mystical body community. This means, the Mass is not only enjoining all of those present at a particular Mass with Christ, but it enjoins those present with the angels and saints, and those who have gone before us, as well as with those celebrating around the world. Hence, the reason I keep saying that physical contact with those present at Mass is simply not required. It is more of a spiritual dimension than a corporal one and I feel as if the Novus Ordo Masses I’ve attended most of my life have been corporal-focused.
What would happen if…the divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ was not believed in, by some.
I agree whole-heartedly. Pope John Paul the Great was instrumental in transforming the world. Communism collapsed under his watch and with his help. People were liberated from oppressions many of us can’t even understand. Sadly, not all are using that freedom for the spiritual purpose he probably hoped for, much like we don’t fully use our freedom as much as we possibly can spiritually.
