Seeking, finding, and following Jesus in the Liturgy

From Cor ad Cor
Jump to navigation Jump to search

De minimis

Modernists dominate the life of the Church in the Western world.

They are essentially Protestants in Catholic clothing.

They often express their contempt for the authority of the Church in the way they modify the liturgy.

"Be angry but sin not" (Eph 4:26).

Anger and rage are not helpful. Going to the text of the GIRM won't change the hearts of the pastor and the congregation. Pharisaism doesn't work — it is a major sin in its own right. We must not "strain the gnat and swallow the camel" (Mt 23:24).

The arrangement of our worship space — and all of the details of celebrating the sacraments — is really small stuff compared to the sin of hating our enemies. It is not easy to identify members of the Church as enemies, but when we do, Jesus' law of love comes into play: we must forgive them, bless them, pray for them, and love them with God's own love. It is not acceptable to so focus on the small details of the liturgy (the gnats) that we cultivate hatred of our brothers and sisters (the camel).

God's wrath is a function of His perfect love for His children.

The fact that we can easily tell that someone is breaking God's law or the laws of the Church does not give us freedom to hate or despise them. They and their sins are God's problems, not ours. We are not God. If we have some say in the matter, we can voice our protest; if not, we can keep peace in our hearts and pray for them as Jesus commands us to pray.

We should obey the rules that apply to our part in the liturgy and, as far as possible, forgive the disobedience of others.

Links