Later this year, on October 11th to be precise, Pope Benedict's planned 'New Evangelisation' programme begins and it is scheduled to finish on November 24th 2013. Here is how Catholic Online describes it:
"Many Catholics do not know what the Catholic Church actually teaches. Others practice a "cafeteria Catholicism"- choosing what parts of the faith they will follow.
Some profess the Creed but confine its influence only to participation in the Liturgy on Sunday. This has led to what the fathers of the Second Vatican Council warned of - the "greatest error of our age, the separation between faith and life."
The rejection of the existence of objective truth has unleashed what has been referred to by Pope Benedict XVI as a "Dictatorship of Relativism". The contemporary culture has embraced a "new" paganism; which is just the old paganism dressed up in the sophistry of an age that purports to be "enlightened" when it is bound in the ignorance and darkness which accompanies the rejection of God.
So this missionary Pope has announced a "Year of Faith". It will run from October 11, 2012, until November 24, 2013, when the universal church celebrates the Solemnity of Christ the King.
He told the faithful, "It will be a moment of grace and commitment to a more complete conversion to God, to strengthen our faith in Him and proclaim Him with joy to the people of our time"
Whether we deem it a New Evangelisation or a Re-evangelisation is immaterial, the fact is, it is aimed at those Catholics who, like Mae West, started out snow white - "but drifted".
They drifted in precisely the same manner as the man who neglected to look at his face in the mirror; after a year or two he forgets just what sort of a person he is.
His hair is longer and unkempt, his face a little unshaven and not washed too thoroughly; his tie is awry and his shirt could do with a decent laundering.
In short, he is now a CINO (Catholic in name only).
He believes that his conscience is the arbiter of any questions regarding moral codes, he has never attended a Latin Mass and thinks it backward and the congregation odd (he may have a point there).
He is vaguely aware of liturgies that used to be celebrated back in the Dark Ages of the 1950s; Benediction, 40 Hours Exposition, Stations of the Cross.
But he shudders when anyone mentions them believing that too much reverence and incense leads to a peasant mentality and, very likely, a desire to genuflect when entering the pew or, Heaven forfend, kneeling to receive Holy Communion.
This poor wretch likes nothing more than to entertain his parish priest whom he calls, Reg.
He belongs to a masonic lodge, eats meat on Fridays, last went toConfession oops! Sacrament of Reconciliation in 1998 and has made provision in his will to be cremated and his ashes scattered over Wentworth Golf Club.
It is this man that the Holy Father has his eye on.
And here, for what it is worth, is my ten step guide to getting Crispin (sorry, I didn't mention his name earlier) back on track:
1. All secular priests to be instructed to conform to the clerical dress code (black and white only) and to re-establish the social protocols so that Crispin's PP (Reg) becomes, at the very least, Father Reg.
2. All parish catechists and council members to attend briefing sessions that set out the parameters of the programme (return to reverence etc)
3. All electric candles to be banned from churches and churches to be open from 8am to 8pm
4. The Latin Mass to be established (over a two year period) so that at least one Mass on a Sunday or Holiday of Obligation is an EF Mass
5. Communion rails to be reintroduced
6. Altars and sanctuaries to be re-designed to accommodate the EF Mass facing East
7. All parishes to be issued with a facts sheet telling them the basics of Catholic beliefs eg abortion, IVF, Euthanasia, Homosexuality, Intimate relationships outside of Marriage etc are absolutely wrong. Also to carry a ready guide to Catholic behaviour (no speaking in church, no hugging and kissing in church, no hand clapping when it's Father Reg's birthday and so on.
8. All guitars, tambourines and Andean epiglottal wind instruments to be banned and plainchant made more readily available.
9. Every parish, within the two year period of grace, must acquire appropriate sets of proper vestments and ensure that all ciboria and chalices are as required by Canon Law ie no pottery or glass to be used.
10. Seminary admissions policies to be reviewed and re-structured so that a panel interviews prospective candidates. Four panel members with three being priests who celebrate the Latin Mass or religious from a traditional order.
Good job!
"Many Catholics do not know what the Catholic Church actually teaches. Others practice a "cafeteria Catholicism"- choosing what parts of the faith they will follow.
Some profess the Creed but confine its influence only to participation in the Liturgy on Sunday. This has led to what the fathers of the Second Vatican Council warned of - the "greatest error of our age, the separation between faith and life."
The rejection of the existence of objective truth has unleashed what has been referred to by Pope Benedict XVI as a "Dictatorship of Relativism". The contemporary culture has embraced a "new" paganism; which is just the old paganism dressed up in the sophistry of an age that purports to be "enlightened" when it is bound in the ignorance and darkness which accompanies the rejection of God.
So this missionary Pope has announced a "Year of Faith". It will run from October 11, 2012, until November 24, 2013, when the universal church celebrates the Solemnity of Christ the King.
He told the faithful, "It will be a moment of grace and commitment to a more complete conversion to God, to strengthen our faith in Him and proclaim Him with joy to the people of our time"
Whether we deem it a New Evangelisation or a Re-evangelisation is immaterial, the fact is, it is aimed at those Catholics who, like Mae West, started out snow white - "but drifted".
They drifted in precisely the same manner as the man who neglected to look at his face in the mirror; after a year or two he forgets just what sort of a person he is.
His hair is longer and unkempt, his face a little unshaven and not washed too thoroughly; his tie is awry and his shirt could do with a decent laundering.
 |
| Over a period of one year his face had changed somehow |
He believes that his conscience is the arbiter of any questions regarding moral codes, he has never attended a Latin Mass and thinks it backward and the congregation odd (he may have a point there).
He is vaguely aware of liturgies that used to be celebrated back in the Dark Ages of the 1950s; Benediction, 40 Hours Exposition, Stations of the Cross.
But he shudders when anyone mentions them believing that too much reverence and incense leads to a peasant mentality and, very likely, a desire to genuflect when entering the pew or, Heaven forfend, kneeling to receive Holy Communion.
This poor wretch likes nothing more than to entertain his parish priest whom he calls, Reg.
He belongs to a masonic lodge, eats meat on Fridays, last went to
It is this man that the Holy Father has his eye on.
And here, for what it is worth, is my ten step guide to getting Crispin (sorry, I didn't mention his name earlier) back on track:
1. All secular priests to be instructed to conform to the clerical dress code (black and white only) and to re-establish the social protocols so that Crispin's PP (Reg) becomes, at the very least, Father Reg.
2. All parish catechists and council members to attend briefing sessions that set out the parameters of the programme (return to reverence etc)
3. All electric candles to be banned from churches and churches to be open from 8am to 8pm
4. The Latin Mass to be established (over a two year period) so that at least one Mass on a Sunday or Holiday of Obligation is an EF Mass
5. Communion rails to be reintroduced
6. Altars and sanctuaries to be re-designed to accommodate the EF Mass facing East
7. All parishes to be issued with a facts sheet telling them the basics of Catholic beliefs eg abortion, IVF, Euthanasia, Homosexuality, Intimate relationships outside of Marriage etc are absolutely wrong. Also to carry a ready guide to Catholic behaviour (no speaking in church, no hugging and kissing in church, no hand clapping when it's Father Reg's birthday and so on.
8. All guitars, tambourines and Andean epiglottal wind instruments to be banned and plainchant made more readily available.
9. Every parish, within the two year period of grace, must acquire appropriate sets of proper vestments and ensure that all ciboria and chalices are as required by Canon Law ie no pottery or glass to be used.
10. Seminary admissions policies to be reviewed and re-structured so that a panel interviews prospective candidates. Four panel members with three being priests who celebrate the Latin Mass or religious from a traditional order.
Good job!
Yay! May I just suggest that "Mission Statements" be abolished as being entirely superfulous..........
ReplyDeleteYes! Amen! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteYou do know that "guitar" is a French word meaning kindling, don't you?
Uh, oh -- now to suffer the Lenten penance of the obscure "Prove you're not a robot" letters...
- Mack in Texas
Sandy, yes, along with monk's outfits for altar servers!
ReplyDeleteMack....I like that a lot.