Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Slouching towards what, again?


What is that thing he's wearing? It looks like it was designed by the team from STNG circa 1998.


This

is listed as the "Dramatized liturgy of reconciliation".

Do you think the organisers of the International Eucharistic Congress know what the word "liturgy" means?

If you can stand it, fast forward to about 31:56 to get to my favourite bit.

In case you want to sing along, the lyrics are in English:

"Millions and billions and trillions and zillions and of angels around..."

Zillions.

That many? Really?



. . .



This pseudo-church needs to die.

It needs. to. die.

Soon.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sweet Mother of God. I've likely wasted millions and billions and trillions and zillions of moments in my life. Sadly, I'll never get back the ones I just wasted watching these breathtakingly narcissistic vids. Couldn't you have waited until Lent to post them, Hilary? At least then we could have included them in our Lenten penance, thereby squeezing some merit from the experience...

Hilary Jane Margaret White said...

It's the internet TS. The only merit is in turning it off. Face it.

Anonymous said...

Hang on a sec. I thought it was a _play_. But there's a guy in a stole. Is this supposed to be a _liturgy_ thingy?

Darn it. I had this mental image that the Congress was going to be a bit good, and I was pleased that some people from the parish were going, perhaps they'd hear something real.

Is this supposed to be a _liturgy_ or summat??

AM

Hilary Jane Margaret White said...

I just know what it says on the box.

Jeremy said...

Ugh.

I didn't think it possible, but your posted videos have made me even happier that I skipped this event to assist at a traditional Pontifical High Mass. All I knew of this 'liturgy' was that the progressives who work for the Archdiocese found it beautiful and moving. Ergo, it had to be wretched.

There was some of this nutiness, and a great deal of anthropocentrism about the Congress. However, there was also a great deal to cheer. The Masses, despite being in an arena, were reverently celebrated with really very good music. Latin responses, prayers, and ordinaries were used constantly, and Cardinal Zen said the Roman Canon in Latin.

Moreover, a Byzantine Divine Liturgy was celebrated mid-week, with no pandering to the people who think worship is about themselves. Everyone, even the polyester pastel leisure suit sisters, seemed generally attracted to the richness of tradition and true worship. The appetite for reverence is still there, no matter how suppressed.

Much of the catechesis was solid, too, if a little heavy on the social aspects of santification.

As a fantastic (Oratorian!) priest I met in Quebec put it, it seemed as though someone was trying to implement positive changes while balancing the demands of 'left' and 'right.'

It wasn't perfect, but movement was in the right direction.

But those damn PUPPETS...

Hilary Jane Margaret White said...

Puppets were a big deal in the 70's in the hippie world. We made loads of them in the hippie free school I went to. I recall one in particular was a rather good green dragon costume the entire school pitched in and built. It was the sort that takes four or five people to wear/operate. It was part of a Victoria-wide protest of the testing of Trident nuclear submarines that were swimming around the Pacific Ocean at the time. I didn't get to see it in action, but it was taken to a big protest rally at the Parliament buildings and, if I recall properly, tied to a plinth with red tape.

Very symbolic. I thought it was neat, but I was only in the fourth grade at the time, which is about the target age group for big papier mache puppets.

But the hippie ones aren't a patch on the genuine article that they have every Chinese New Year. The lion dancers are really something.

Hilary Jane Margaret White said...

Oh, and Andrew,

I had this mental image that the Congress was going to be a bit good,

what were you thinking?

This is CanChurch.

Anonymous said...

Well, Hilary, I did say "a bit good".

There have been _some_ kinda, sorta, movements in the right sort of direction. I told you about some of them: Latin (f.o.) Mass at St L----'s two weeks ago.; Fr I-- D---- plans to chant a solemn Requiem with us next November. You know about some: certain Bishops saying rightish sorts of things in public settings.

So I did hope for some a bit goodness. And, OK, Jeremy (above) tells that there was some, a little. So I am pleased, and hope to engage those from my parish (including the "lay pastoral associate") who went, to encourage us to be, er., influenced by those "great deal[s] to cheer".

AM