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The Loss Of The Sacred; Bishop Arthur J. Serratelli,
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Topic Started: Sunday, 24. June 2007, 15:39 (455 Views)
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Deacon Robert
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Sunday, 24. June 2007, 15:39
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I thought some may find this link interesting. It is the second time in two weeks my Bishop has been qouted on a website. the first was on denying communion to public dissenters from church teaching. this is on the loss of the sacred.
http://www.patersondiocese.org/page.cfm?Web_ID=2224
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The Loss of the Sacred
In the 17th century, Descartes, the father of modern philosophy, rejected the philosophical traditions of Aristotle and the Scholastics. For Descartes, the very fact that we think is the proof that we exist. Cogito, ergo sum. I think, therefore I am. He rejected the use of his senses as the basis for knowledge. In so doing, he wounded the unity between mind and body found in classical philosophy. Over the course of time, the wound has widened. The spiritual and the material have drifted apart. The sacred and the secular clearly divided.
Besides modern philosophy, other factors have contributed to the separation of the sacred from the secular. The scientific manipulation of human life in test tubes has lessened the respect for life itself. Life is no longer, for some, a sacred gift from God. Likewise, the divorce of human sexuality from procreation, coupled with the continual campaign to redefine marriage has helped to push God out of the intimacies of human life. Marriage is no longer recognized as a sacred institution given by God for a man and woman to join with Him in bringing new life into the world. The sacredness of even the natural order as coming from the hands of an all-wise God is thus lost.
The anti-authoritarian prejudice that we have inherited from the social revolution of the '60’s imprinted on many a deep mistrust not only of government but of Church. Some even reject the very idea of hierarchy (literally, “a sacred origin”) as a spiritual authority established by God. As a result, Church means, for some, simply the assembly of like-minded believers who organize themselves and make their own rules and dogmas. Thus, the Church’s role in the spiritual realm is greatly eclipsed.
On the first day of the new millennium, Prince Charles of England said, "In an age of secularism, I hope, with all my heart, in a new millennium we will rediscover a sense of the sacred in all that surrounds us." He said he hoped this would hold true whether in growing crops, raising livestock, building homes in the countryside, treating disease or educating the young. He recognized by his statement that we have lost a sense of the sacred.
Living in our world, we breathe the toxic air that surrounds us. Even within the most sacred precincts of the Church, we witness a loss of the sense of the sacred. With the enthusiasm that followed the Second Vatican Council, there was a well-intentioned effort to make the liturgy modern. It became commonplace to say that the liturgy had to be relevant to the worshipper. Old songs were jettisoned. The guitar replaced the organ. Some priests even began to walk down the road of liturgical innovation, only to discover it was a dead end. And all the while, the awareness of entering into something sacred that has been given to us from above and draws us out of ourselves and into the mystery of God was gone.
Teaching about the Mass began to emphasize the community. The Mass was seen as a community meal. It was something everyone did together. Lost was the notion of sacrifice. Lost the awesome mystery of the Eucharist as Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. The priest was no longer seen as specially consecrated. He was no different than the laity. With all of this, a profound loss of the sacred.
Not one factor can account for the decline in Mass attendance, Church marriages, baptisms and funerals in the last years. But most certainly, the loss of the sense of the sacred has had a major impact.
Walk into any church today before Mass and you will notice that the silence that should embrace those who stand in God’s House is gone. Even the Church is no longer a sacred place. Gathering for Mass sometimes becomes as noisy as gathering for any other social event. We may not have the ability to do much about the loss of the sacredness of life in the songs, videos and movies of our day. But, most assuredly, we can do much about helping one another recover the sacredness of God’s Presence in His Church.
On the first day of this millennium, the Prince of Wales struck a strong note of optimism for the recovery of the sacred. Paraphrasing Dante, he remarked: "The strongest desire of everything, and the one first implanted by nature, is to return to its source. And since God is the source of our souls and has made it alike unto Himself, therefore this soul desires above all things to return to Him." There is one place where we can begin to rediscover the sacred.
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The burden of life is from ourselves, its lightness from the grace of Christ and the love of God. - William Bernard Ullanthorne
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Deleted User
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Sunday, 24. June 2007, 16:23
Post #2
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Deleted User
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Thank you Deacon Robert for that link - there is so much in the Bishops statement, and so many comments I should like to quote I just don't know where to begin. I recommend everyone print it out and read it a t leisure. I notice it is the first of a four part series, and, whilst appreciating that you have much on your mind at present, I sincerely hope that you find time to let us know when the next article is available
KatyA
I'm moving these posts to their own thread for discussion
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James
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Sunday, 24. June 2007, 16:32
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James
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Also there is an appendix of previous subjects - go to "our bishop" - then bishop's weekly column.
No doubt the follow up to this subject will appear there at some stage.
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Deleted User
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Sunday, 24. June 2007, 17:10
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Deleted User
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- James
- Jun 24 2007, 04:32 PM
Also there is an appendix of previous subjects - go to "our bishop" - then bishop's weekly column.
No doubt the follow up to this subject will appear there at some stage.
I hope so, James, I really like the sound of this Bishop. Did you notice that he quoted Prince Charles - not the first person to come to mind in religious issues- but his comments were apt
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On the first day of the new millennium, Prince Charles of England said, "In an age of secularism, I hope, with all my heart, in a new millennium we will rediscover a sense of the sacred in all that surrounds us." He said he hoped this would hold true whether in growing crops, raising livestock, building homes in the countryside, treating disease or educating the young.
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Paraphrasing Dante, he remarked: "The strongest desire of everything, and the one first implanted by nature, is to return to its source. And since God is the source of our souls and has made it alike unto Himself, therefore this soul desires above all things to return to Him."
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James
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Sunday, 24. June 2007, 20:09
Post #5
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James
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KatyA
Yes it did seem an unexpected source to quote from - but as you said very apt.
Again thank you Deacon Robert for the website details. There is plenty on the weekly columns to read and I look forward to new subjects as they appear.
James
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Clare
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Sunday, 24. June 2007, 20:18
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Putting the "Fun Dame" into Fundamentalist
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Good article.
B)
Clare.
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S.A.G.
Motes 'n' Beams blog
Join in the Fun Trivia Quiz!
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nelly k
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Monday, 25. June 2007, 11:25
Post #7
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Decon Robert, many thanks for that, there is a lot of guidance given, and very ordinary Catholics like myself need to have an oppertunity to read such writings from our Leading Clergy.
Iam not sure about the referance to "Hierarchy" there has and continues to be a rejection towards Heirarchy , to the extent that even the simple family Hierarchy of Parents is ignored, but the Heirarchy have in some cases brought this about themselves.
Secularism is I believe a Philosophy in its own right, and I think it is very bad for society.
I think its the loss of being quiet , and being with God who is Sacred and this is immense. Churches always had a Social element with various clubs and get to gethhers outside of Mass , most have Church Halls, Secular Society has now got us all working and shopping and competing with each other and making social events outside Church appealing, hence maybe the mistaking road to make Mass a community /Social event took root?
A very inspiring read, I think sometimes attendees at Mass could do with a reminder of when Jesus was angry in the Temple, his Fathers House nelly
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Deacon Robert
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Thursday, 28. June 2007, 13:22
Post #8
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Part II
http://www.patersondiocese.org/page.cfm?Web_ID=2237
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The Recovery of the Sacred The Dutch historian and philosopher of religion Gerardus van der Leeuw once said, “The modern man is not capable of finding himself in several circles simultaneously as his primitive cousins did. ‘When we dance, we do not pray; when we pray, we do not dance. And when we work, we can neither dance nor pray.’” In a word, the sense of the sacred has disappeared. But not completely nor irretrievably. The Liturgy of the Church is a moment where all the dimensions of our lives come before the living God. It is the place where we have an active encounter with God. It is the place, therefore, where we can rediscover the sacred in our lives.
The Second Vatican Council began the liturgical reform with the hope of reinvigorating this sense of the Presence of God who comes to meet us in love. Two generations after the Council, we are still searching for a deeper sense of the sacred in our Liturgy. We now realize some of the ways in which this can be accomplished. It is good to look at a few of these. Certain settings demand their own particular etiquette. Dress at a wedding reception differs from dress at a sports event. Conversation in a bar is louder than in a funeral home. The more we realize we are coming into the Presence of God in Church, the more respectful and reverent our whole person becomes. Chewing gum in Church, loud talking, beach attire and immodest dress simply do not belong!
In church, we need to cultivate a sense of God who is present to us. This is why we are called to observe moments of silence. Both before Mass begins and during Mass. Liturgy is much more than our joining together. It is our opening ourselves to God. By our singing and praying, we respond to the God who addresses us in Liturgy. A constant torrent of words and songs filling every empty space in the Liturgy does not leave the heart the space it needs to rest quietly in the Divine Presence.
In the Annunciation, after the angel announces to Mary that she is to be the Mother of the Lord and Mary gives her fiat, there is silence (cf. Lk 1:38). In this pregnant silence, that Word becomes flesh. Mary remains the model of the disciple before the Word of God. She reminds us that we need moments of silence for God to enter our life. We need those moments in our personal prayer and in the Liturgy.
In the Liturgy recorded in the last book of the New Testament, in the Book of Revelation, the word proskynein (to bow) is used twenty-four times -- more than in any other part of the New Testament. John, the author of the Book of Revelation, presents this heavenly Liturgy as the model and standard for the Church’s Liturgy on earth. Our body bowed in prayer acknowledges the Lord’s majesty. It visibly confesses our belonging to God who is the Lord of all. Here is a strong reminder of the place of body in Liturgy.
We are not just spirit when we pray. We pray in our total reality as body and spirit. And so, to recapture the sense of the sacred, therefore, we need to express our reverence through our body language. The norms of the Liturgy wisely have us stand in prayer at certain moments, sit in attentive listening to the readings, and kneel in reverent adoration during the solemn prayer of consecration. These norms are not arbitrary nor are they left to the discretion of any individual celebrant.
Creativity is not an authentic rule for celebrating the Church’s Liturgy. In many cases, it humanizes the Liturgy and draws attention from God to the celebrant. The priest is merely the servant of the Liturgy, not its creator or center.
Commenting on this, Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, said: “The great¬ness of the Liturgy depends—we shall have to repeat this frequently—on its unspontaneity (Unbeliebigkeit)…. Only respect for the Liturgy’s fundamental unspontaneity and pre-existing identity can give us what we hope for: the feast in which the great reality comes to us that we ourselves do not manufacture but receive as a gift (Ratzinger, The Spirit of the Liturgy, p. 170). Since the Liturgy is a gift and not something of our own creation, it takes great humility to celebrate the Liturgy properly and reverently.
Observing the norms of the Liturgy helps to create a profound sense of the sacred in each of us at Mass. Celebrating Mass and observing liturgical norms also makes us visibly one with the entire Church to which we belong. “Priests who faithfully celebrate Mass according to the liturgical norms, and communities which conform to those norms, quietly but eloquently demonstrate their love for the Church” (Ecclesia de Eucharistia, 52).
Today it has become commonplace at the end of the Liturgy to recite a litany of gratitude for all those who, in some way or another, have made the celebration beautiful. No doubt there is a way to express gratitude at the end of Mass. But is it possible that each time applause breaks out in the Liturgy at the end of the Mass for someone’s contribution, we lapse into seeing the Mass as a human achievement? Sometimes even during the Mass after someone has sung a beautiful hymn, there is spontaneous applause. At such a moment, does not the real meaning of Liturgy lapse into some kind human entertainment?
We can recapture more and more the sense of the sacred, the more we allow the Liturgy to be what it is. A gift from God that allows God to speak and act in our life. A gift that draws us out of ourselves and out of time into the eternal life of God even now.
To be continued
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The burden of life is from ourselves, its lightness from the grace of Christ and the love of God. - William Bernard Ullanthorne
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maklavan
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Thursday, 28. June 2007, 15:24
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This is not a simple matter, subject to generalisations. It seems to depend on area or local cultures. in South Africa, there was still a noted respect for the Blessed sacrament, and no talking in church, before or after Mass. In some parts of England,including London i have visited churches whwere silence and repect prevail. In other parts; oh my!
I was greatly shocked when I first returned to these shores to find that some churches were more like market places not only regarding noise levels, but actually selling religious paraphenalia inside the church itself. When I asked one priest to state how long it had been like this,he stated that it crept in gradually,and had been imported from the USA along with other aberrations such as trick or treat.
Since only 20% of Catholics in the UK go to church on Sunday, one might assume they want to be there. So please explain why these dedicated Catholics find it necessary to make such a cacophony in church? Let me add, that in the local area, the tabernacle invariably stand in full view on the back wall of the church,so there is little excuse for forgetting His presence.
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Derekap
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Thursday, 28. June 2007, 17:07
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Maklavan. I have to sadly agree that too much conversation goes on in church before and after Holy Mass. In my present church it does stop immediately the Sacristy Bell announces the entrance of the Celebrant, Deacon and Altar Services. But there is then a commotion when the children and their Catechists come from all round the church and proceed through the Sacristy to the Presbytery. They usually return from outside the church through the front door (weather permitting) to form part of the Offertory procession.
With regard to sales of Religious Items, my previous parish church had no room in the porch and used an alcove at the back but within the church. On this particular, topic, during my last visit to St Paul's in the City of London some years ago my wife and I were disgusted to see so many stalls lined up along each side of the building. I was tempted to tip one over but controlled myself.
Then again, my only visit to the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican (1950) was worse than Bedlam. It was crowded with individuals all talking loudly and guides endeavouring to make themselves heard to their groups. A market hall would have been a quiet retreat in comparison. On that visit I attended a Papal General Audience within St Peter's and the Pope was welcomed with enthusiastic clapping (yes it was pre V2) even by some pilgrims from the British Isles and again when the Pope said anything in the language of some of the pilgrims. Memory does fail, but I think there was some cheering also.
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Derekap
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Deacon Robert
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Thursday, 5. July 2007, 22:15
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Part III
http://www.patersondiocese.org/
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The Eucharist: The Sacred Adventure of Life
The early Christian basilicas in Rome, the Cathedrals of the Middle Ages, the Gothic Revival churches in 20th century America and the more contemporary constructions of recent years all share the same purpose. The church building is meant to be “a sacred building destined for divine worship” (Code of Canon Law, 1214). More than just a place where we gather, the church building makes visible the Church living in this place, the dwelling of God with us reconciled and united in Christ" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1180).
Central to every Catholic church, therefore, is the altar on which the Eucharist is celebrated. For the Eucharist is the summit and source of the Church’s life. The Eucharist makes the Church. And the Church makes the Eucharist. No Eucharist, no Church. The Eucharist is the Church’s most sacred treasure, because the Eucharist is the Lord Jesus.
So great is the mystery of the Eucharist that it cannot be straight-jacketed into a single concept or explanation. Jesus gifted the Church with the Eucharist at the Last Supper. On the evening before he died, he celebrated God’s deliverance of Israel and the redemption he himself was accomplishing for all. He did this in the context of the Passover meal.
First, the very giving of the Eucharist reminds us of the structure of a meal. “Take, eat... Then he took a cup and... gave it to them, saying: Drink from it, all of you” (Mt 26:26, 27). The Eucharist is the meal in which we enjoy table fellowship with the Lord. When we worthily receive the Eucharist, we enter into a profound communion with Jesus. He abides in us and we in him (cf. Jn 15:4).
Israel celebrated communion sacrifices in which part of the victim was offered to God and another portion given to the faithful to eat. Thus Israel expressed her desire to be one with God. When Moses ratified the covenant with Israel, Moses, Aaron and his two sons Nadab and Abihu, along with the seventy elders, went up the mountain. In a very rare sentence in the entire Old Testament, we are told, “they actually gazed on God and then ate and drank” (Ex 24: 11). At the very birth of God’s chosen people, the meal on the mountain prefigures the fellowship which God wishes to establish with all his children. Today, as we sit down at the Lord’s Table and eat and drink in his sight, we enter that fellowship, sharing in the very life of God himself.
Second, all the narratives of the Last Supper (Mt 26:26-28: Mk 14:22-23: Lk 22:19-20; and 1 Cor 11:23-25), help us understand the Eucharist as not just a meal but as sacrifice. Jesus gives his body broken for us and his blood poured out for us. Jesus is the Suffering Servant who is offering himself in sacrifice, pouring out his blood for the new covenant. He offers himself in place of humanity and for the salvation of all (cf. Is 42:1-9; 49:8).
The Cross begins at the Supper (cf. 1 Cor 11:26). In the Upper Room, Jesus makes present in an unbloody manner his self-offering on the Cross. In every Eucharist, Christ makes present to us anew that same sacrifice offered once for all on Golgotha. The Eucharist is sacrifice, not repeated again and again, but the one sacrifice of the Cross made present to us in every age.
Third, at the same time that the Eucharist makes present what occurred in the past, it also impels us towards the future. The Liturgy itself reminds us of this in the acclamation following the consecration: “Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.” The Eucharist is an eschatological event.
St. John Chrysostom reminds us of this. He says, “For when you see the Lord sacrificed, laid upon the altar, and the priest standing and praying over the victim, and all the worshippers empurpled with that precious blood, can you then think that you are still among men, and standing upon the earth? Are you not, on the contrary, straightway translated to heaven, and casting out every carnal thought from the soul, do you not, with disembodied spirit and pure reason, contemplate the things which are in heaven?” (De Sacerdotio, III, 4).
Christ who will come again at the end of time comes to us in every Eucharist. This eschatological aspect makes the Eucharist an event that draws us up into heaven. Thus, the Eucharist fills our life journey with hope. In every Eucharist, we enter the Holy of Holies, the Body of Christ, and we are sanctified (cf. Heb 90:11-14). The Eucharist is the privileged place where life becomes sacred. The Eucharist makes our life a sacred adventure of ever-deepening communion with God.
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The burden of life is from ourselves, its lightness from the grace of Christ and the love of God. - William Bernard Ullanthorne
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Deleted User
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Thursday, 5. July 2007, 23:26
Post #12
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Deleted User
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Thank you Deacon Robert for another wonderful article from Bishop Serratelli - much of this latest part is relevant to several of our current discussions. It's a shame that part 4 will be the final part of his discourse. KatyA
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pete
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Friday, 6. July 2007, 19:14
Post #13
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Thank you for your postings Deacon Robert, they have now been circulated around the globe. God bless Pete
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Deacon Robert
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Friday, 6. July 2007, 20:49
Post #14
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We have been blessed with a good and holy man for our Bishop. He was one of my teachers when I was in formation, at the time he was just Fr. Arthur, you could not fail to see what a caring and loving person he was.
I will post the final part of the series next week, but if anyone wishes to read his previous or future columns, they can be found at the Diocese website which is given in the beginning of my last post.
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The burden of life is from ourselves, its lightness from the grace of Christ and the love of God. - William Bernard Ullanthorne
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Rose of York
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Friday, 6. July 2007, 21:55
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I have not followed this discussion in detail, yet. This evening I set some time aside.
These passages from Part I hit home
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The anti-authoritarian prejudice that we have inherited from the social revolution of the '60’s imprinted on many a deep mistrust not only of government but of Church. Some even reject the very idea of hierarchy (literally, “a sacred origin”) as a spiritual authority established by God. As a result, Church means, for some, simply the assembly of like-minded believers who organize themselves and make their own rules and dogmas. Thus, the Church’s role in the spiritual realm is greatly eclipsed.
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Walk into any church today before Mass and you will notice that the silence that should embrace those who stand in God’s House is gone. Even the Church is no longer a sacred place. Gathering for Mass sometimes becomes as noisy as gathering for any other social event. We may not have the ability to do much about the loss of the sacredness of life in the songs, videos and movies of our day. But, most assuredly, we can do much about helping one another recover the sacredness of God’s Presence in His Church.
I wonder, do the generation who were young in the heady sixties bear some responsibility for the current lack of quiet in churches?
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Keep the Faith!
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