Sunday, July 15, 2007
PENANCE FINISHED FOR THE WEEK - OR MAYBE THE MONTH
Three guitars, a keyboard, a flute (or maybe it was a clarinet, I couldn't see it), and a tambourine. I knew I was in the wrong place when I walked in and they were makin their music. A couple of pieces started off with finger-picking that sounded like the opening to the TV show "Beverly Hillbillies". The mystery of faith and the amen were repeated in case we didn't catch it the first time through. (Wasn't the Novus Ordo supposed to do away with all the repitition? I guess just THAT OTHER repetition needed to vanish, because there is plenty of repitition still around.)
Then there was the social gospel homily--in spades, and maybe in aces and kings, and queens, and jacks, too, complete with hellfire and brimstone shouting and lots of arm gestures. Haven't heard one this blatant in a long time. Did you know that the reason the priest and the levite walked on by was that they may have been on their way to worship? No, I didn't know it either. Neither did I know that we are supposed to go to Mass but it's more important to help others in need.
Just in case I hadn't gotten the idea that this was the progressive Mass, lots of ad libbing was thrown in for effect, including a reference to God as mother and father. And this wasn't done in the homily. It just got tacked on to some of the prayers of the Mass, along with all the other added stuff.
This must be a regular feature of the 10 a.m. Mass at St. Bernards. It was the second time I've attended the 10. The first time was a special celebration I mistakenly went to. It was my husband's idea to attend it this morning. And it was the last time either of us will make that mistake.
The priest was the one who started the gay ministry in Akron. Apparently it is too limiting to his style to stick to the rubrics. The whole thing was quite a performance that I survived by asking God to "just get me through it." After all the ad libbing, I wasn't convinced the consecration had taken place, and in any case I was too angry by the time communion rolled around to even think of receiving. We left instead.
When the day comes that I walk away from it all, it won't be because I wanted to, it will be because I've been driven out.
American priests should all be given a video of Benedict's Christmas Eve mass that was on TV live in 2005 so they can take lessons!
