Posted on 08/04/2010 2:31:29 PM PDT by Alex Murphy
He puts as much love for Christ in his homilies, and just about every aspect of the parishes community.
Fr. Carmel Prepares the Altar for the offertory
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7998-Ttndc
Dedication of baby to the Blessed Mother.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JioaV87T3fE&feature=related
Usually, the official reason Protestant songs are rejected is because they contain problematic theology. Of course, given the meaningless drivel that is used in its place (”Let Us Build City of God” appears to directly contradict St. Augustine, although isn’t heresy only because it’s so meaningless), that’s hard to believe. But FWIW, Amazing Grace and How Great Thou Art are in just about every Catholic hymnal I’ve ever seen, although How Great Thou Art is seldom used..
It’s sorta funny. There are three types of “embarrass-the-Catholics” threads: Those that are strongly refuted by Catholics, those that are dismissed as just plain dumb, and those like this one, where Catholics are just as upset as the Protestants that malarkey like this is going on. Because when the abuses are real, not just plain lies or furious spin, the Catholics WANT to clean them up.
Each to his own I suppose....some may call it love...others see it as gaudy and way overdone.
Not to mention in these times constraint of flower expense and that which is not necessary would likely feed some of lesser means. The church should also be an example of frugality when it’s own parishners are trying to make ends meet.
We also have a food pantry that is constantly refreshed by members of the parish. No one ever knocks on the door of the rectory and is turned away without at least two bags of food.
We often think that way about how other people express their love for someone other than ourselves. We frown on public displays of affection unless we're the ones doing it.
in these times constraint of flower expense and that which is not necessary would likely feed some of lesser means
I'm not sure that citing Judas really works here. Altar flowers are generally donated by people in the parish rather than paid for by the parish.
“A Mighty Fortress” was in the Missal when we got married.
Played it at my wedding. Made the priest laugh.
Though you may see this as “citing Judas”, as you stated in your post, and I was not surprised something of that nature would insue...as it always does sooner or later. I do not see a church and it’s membership being frugal with flower donations as you implied... and my point remains the same. In these times better to invest monies where it helps people survive, such as restocking pantries,.. and cut way down on the floral arrangements, especially because the departed are not affected one way or another.
Why? Do you regularly protest against people spending their own money in a manner they deem appropriate? I wouldn't want this to get personal, but it seems to me that you made it that way.
I do not see a church and its membership being frugal with flower donations as you implied... and my point remains the same.
I can't imagine caring if your congregation uses flowers or chicken feathers or mounted moose heads, this isn't about Catholics imposing their devotional practices on you, it's about you imposing your sense of propriety and decorum on Catholics. Or does the mere idea that people decorate their churches with flowers make you uncomfortable?
In these times better to invest monies where it helps people survive, such as restocking pantries,.. and cut way down on the floral arrangements, especially because the departed are not affected one way or another.
Wait, you think this is about funerals?! None of those pictures or video links are funerals. Just because you have a perception of what a funeral should look like doesn't mean the rest of the world has to conform to your ideas.
The pictures in post 7 are Easter, Christmas and what looks like it might be Thanksgiving. The video links aren't funerals because the priest is wearing green. The world is a very big place and cultural and religious practices aren't wrong just because they differ from your own.
I've been going to a Maronite parish lately and it's very different from what I'm used to. It's in Arabic for a start and the chants and other music are foreign sounding to my Roman ears. They have icons instead of statues and there are bells on the thurible chains, they administer Holy Communion by intinction. The whole place looks weird to me, it's strange and foreign but it's not wrong, it's just the way they do things. It would be the worst sort of parochialism for me to complain that the Maronites stand when we Romans kneel or that they spend money on something I neither understand nor appreciate.
Coming to a church near you: http://church.alltop.com/
I’m glad you’ve escaped so far.
One quick look at http://church.alltop.com/ makes you cringe. But http://cheezewhizchurch.blogspot.com helps when you think the franchise model worship is taking itself too seriously.
Smooth, plasticky, yellow, oozing, ready-to-consume; spreads easily; sounds like "Jesus" but isn't; appears bright and colorful; doesn't have a lot of serious nutritional substance -- it's gotta be Cheeze Whiz Church
Dude, thank you. I'm going to have to give that a good perusal, in my Abundant Free Time.
I was a Roman Catholic for many years. But after I got saved, one of the things I did, and it was a struggle, was to look up all of these words in the New Testament:
altar
priest
sacrifice
sanctuary
*** I found no carry-over of Old Testament architecture, clergy, vestments, liturgy, etc etc into the New Covenant.
*** It was therefore a test of faith and obedience to God’s word that I left the RCC, but the issue of salvation was foremost. The RCC denies salvation by grace through faith, and if they say they don’t, then they re-define the words so that they carry unbiblical meanings.
Who are those nuts? They would not be allowed within 500’ of my SBC. Where in the Bible does it support gay marriage? They are not true Christians.
Who are those nuts? They would not be allowed within 500’ of my SBC. Where in the Bible does it support gay marriage? They are not true Christians.
That may be, but the megas are draining people from the smaller churches, and while they sometimes sound biblical, the real emphasis is self-help stuff. Jesus wants to help you with your finances, nail fungus and remote control choices. Scripture is purposely de-emphasized, Christian symbolism like crosses removed (so as not to turn off the “unchurched”). After all, it’s not about YOU. These churches are growing and members of smaller churches who like all the glitzy programs, lights and contemporary feel, coffee bars and slick web sites are leaving smaller but scripturally faithful churches to shrink and shrivel. Thing is, these megas are often politically liberal, but the masses attending only slowly catch onto that. The terminology sometimes stays the same while the meaning behind it differs.
That may be, but the megas are draining people from the smaller churches, and while they sometimes sound biblical, the real emphasis is self-help stuff. Jesus wants to help you with your finances, nail fungus and remote control choices. Scripture is purposely de-emphasized, Christian symbolism like crosses removed (so as not to turn off the “unchurched”). After all, it’s not about YOU. These churches are growing and members of smaller churches who like all the glitzy programs, lights and contemporary feel, coffee bars and slick web sites are leaving smaller but scripturally faithful churches to shrink and shrivel. Thing is, these megas are often politically liberal, but the masses attending only slowly catch onto that. The terminology sometimes stays the same while the meaning behind it differs.
*** I found no carry-over of Old Testament architecture, clergy, vestments, liturgy, etc etc into the New Covenant.
Well, we do have one priest.
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