Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

To: Vicomte13
How is his back or his front changing the center of attention?

He is no longer in unison with the congregation - he is facing the opposite direction from everyone else.

In addition to this discrepancy, 90% of priests feel the need to "perform" in front of a crowd - it's a natural human instinct.

152 posted on 07/28/2005 4:00:27 AM PDT by wideawake (God bless our brave troops and their Commander in Chief)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 67 | View Replies ]


To: wideawake

"He is no longer in unison with the congregation - he is facing the opposite direction from everyone else."

Not as I see it.

As I see it, the consecrated Host is God, and the priest and everyone else are oriented towards God by facing God and holding up God. It's a circle, not a rectangle, but the orientation is all the same way: towards the center of the circle, where God is.

I can see either way as full of theological meaning and symbolism, and do not really think that one way is more theologically correct than the other.

I do agree that one way is more traditional than the other, and I would say that for those who find especially deep meaning in the form of the Mass practiced before the 1960s there should certainly be Masses done that way. I can't see any particularly good reason not to bring the important things home to people in the way they are best prepared to receive it.


161 posted on 07/28/2005 6:51:36 AM PDT by Vicomte13 (Et alors?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 152 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson