[firebrand]

This is exactly the kind of mentality I'm talking about. You're all wrapped up in whether the blessing of the holy oil takes place on Tuesday or Thursday.

[Desdemona]

The relaxation of all things moral, a lot of us believe, is directly related to disregard for liturgical law. It's the most visible aspect of Catholicism. Mess around with that and anything else is fair game. That's why we're so adament about "rules."

The other thing about Holy Week - this is our Passover, just as the Exultet at the Easter Vigil proclaims. Everything old is discarded and all is made new. We haven't gotten there yet. Having the Chrism Mass on Holy Thursday is part of this renewal. That's the symbolism. It's not a convenience.

Frankly, the biggest problem right now, IMO, is lack of Catechesis beginning in the late 1960's. That is directly related to the relaxation of all the "rules". That's when it happened. I grew up in the 70's and was a victim of it. It hasn't been until the last couple of years that I've truly understood what it means to be Catholic - and I didn't learn it from school or my elders.