Posted on 09/23/2003 7:50:20 AM PDT by presidio9
No dancing in the aisles or applause in church, please, we're Catholic. And we'd prefer altar boys to altar girls.
Those are some of the warnings contained in the draft of a document the Vatican (news - web sites) is preparing to crack down on what it considers "liturgical abuses" of the mass, the focus of Roman Catholic worship.
According to the authoritative Italian Roman Catholic monthly magazine "Jesus," a draft document urges the faithful to notify their bishop or the Vatican to report suspected abuses.
The magazine released an advance text of the article which will feature in its October edition.
If issued in its draft form, the document, known as a directive, could have wide-ranging ramifications on some worship practices that have come into common use in many developed countries, particularly the United States and in western Europe.
According to the magazine, the draft says the use of girl altar servers should be avoided "unless there is a just pastoral cause" and that "priests should never feel obliged to seek girls for this function."
The Vatican in 1994 gave individual bishops the power to decide whether to allow altar girls in their dioceses. But some conservative Catholics are against altar girls, saying their presence has eroded a traditional recruiting ground for priests.
Traditionalists have also seen altar girls as a foot in the door to a female priesthood, which the church bans.
Italian media reported that the initial reaction to the draft, circulated to the world's bishops, has been negative and the document may have to be at least partially modified.
The draft document also discourages applause during masses and "dances inside the sacred building."
Ironically, Pope John Paul (news - web sites)'s sermons during masses, even those in St Peter's Basilica, are often interrupted by applause.
Some of the pope's masses in Rome and around the world have included dancing, particularly those celebrations marking Asian, African or Latin American events.
The document, drafted by two Vatican departments which oversee doctrine and liturgy, was ordered by the pope who will eventually have to approve a final version.
The draft also warns against the use of non-Biblical language during the mass, such as readings from poets.
It discourages the practice where the faithful receive the wafer and wine at communion.
Catholics believe Christ is present in the wafer and wine but the document says it is preferable just to receive the wafer.
"Self-service" communion is also frowned upon. This appeared to be a reference to the faithful taking the consecrated host directly from the chalice instead of receiving it on their tongue from the hand of a priest.
I did. And I've had my say, and he's had his say, and for my part, at least, it's over.
But thanks for the reminder to be civilised. It's easy to forget on this forum.
Because they're willing?
Because God doesn't really care about your musical talent, when your heart is right with Him?
While Cyrano and I hope, pray, and strive to pull the most out of our church's singers and musicians as they can muster and more, by example, teaching, and encouragement, a willing heart is much preferable to professional perfectionism from a heart in bondage to pride. And no matter how nicely you go about it someone is also rude enough to criticize harshly those that offer up their musical gifts out of love for God and his people.
....at making coffee and typing.
Umm, the church puts you on a never-ending guilt trip. Nothing you ever do, nothing you ever think is good enough to please their God. We sin when we get up in the morning, we sin all day long, we sin when we go to bed at night. It is not sinful to be human and to think and feel things others don't think and feel.
It all boils down to brain chemicals working properly. If your brain chemicals are fully charged, you don't care if fairies fly over the altar during mass. You only care about those things when you are depressed and crabby.
What? What? What?
Since you're advocating the replacement of Catholic liturgical rites with the liturgical rites of January24, you're promoting liturgical doctrine. Does this make you a Pharisee too? Are your liturgical doctines infallible?
Your post seems to presuppose that all are.
I'm amazed at how succinctly people on this thread think they can speak to the motivations of other people's hearts and the intent of their minds. Jesus tells us that the Father wants people who worship in spirit and in truth. It doesn't matter what the music is and clapping neither makes it worship nor excludes in from being so.
Mel
Or "Bilabong," "No Fear," or sports T-shirts. Pathetic.
You mean the latest Britney Spears video is appropriate for church use?
Not in recent times, but it's not unprecedented.
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