You see these folks don't understand that their opinion doesn't matter one hoot and their creative or antiquarian tastes don't justify anything. Private individuals including priests don't decide what happens in the sacred liturgy. They are honor-bound to celebrate it as the Church gives it to us. To impose mere tastes as absolutes is to deny the breadth of the Church's tradition and to use personal tastes as a pretext for violating the Church's liturgical law is grave liturgical humbug. To just not care and do things wrongly is cancerous liturgical humbug.
The Pimpernel has drawn his sword in the face of a lot of liturgical humbug from active participation in Christmas midnight Mass to Patricius the prince of liturgical humbug. There are those who won't countenance the use of a fiddleback and perpetuate their own affectations or who presume to adopt monastic customs in secular churches. Others concelebrate casually when nobody is looking while others do it badly when everybody is looking.
The Pimpernel has also been able to salute those who have no time for this sort of thing. They get it right all the time and don't think about how they can improve the liturgy, but about how the liturgy can improve them. They understand that the liturgy is too important and too great to be improved by individuals. They know that when the humbug of private taste takes root it spreads like a poisonous weed.
To arms all who would do honor to the sacred liturgy! Liturgical humbug is our enemy wherever it is found. Honor him who asks what the Church says is to be done, not he who decides how we will do it here or there!
''There are those who won't countenance the use of a fiddleback and perpetuate their own affectations or who presume to adopt monastic customs in secular churches.''
ReplyDeleteSo what if somebody likes more ample vestments? St. Charles Borromeo saw the rapid shortening of the vestments in his times even as a break with the long tradition of ample vestments. It's not monastic to wear a conical chasuble.
Cunjo the word "or" in the sentence you copied suggests that the two things are not necessarily related.
ReplyDeleteIf that is so, i stand corrected. I saw that "or" in function of equivalency. For example:,,A triangle or a geometrical shape that has three sides, points and angles.''.
ReplyDeleteHey Pimp! I confess! I want things my own way too but thanks be to God I can see that what I want isn't the issue when it comes to the things of God.
ReplyDeleteI want to bring your attention to an infamous statement read out at all Masses in an Irish Diocese this weekend referring to "what is termed the Latin Mass in which the priest had his back to the people"
http://www.kandle.ie/2011/09/02/diocesan-message-sept-2011/
I'm curious as to the Pimpernel's use of the term "humbug." It would seem that it ought not be used as the noun form of a verb, as in "the prince of liturgical humbug." A logical grammatical progression might suggest that a Humbug is one who humbugs, and thus engages in humbuggery, no?
ReplyDeleteJust a though.... Although, given Patricius' particular proclivities, as he has himself admitted a couple of times on his blog, that might be hitting a wee bit too close to home...
Anonymous: Given that >90% of clergy and laymen (including myself) who are interested in discussing traditional liturgy are gay, I really wouldn't single anyone out. Maybe we'd do better to find who's _straight_.
ReplyDeleteI think that you ought to police the silly comments above lit. pimpernal. It marks a decrease in the quality of this blog.
ReplyDeleteFr. A
sortacatholic: Nice try, but you are never gonna be able to hang with Patricius in the Stupidest Thing Said on a Blog competition, so save your breath.
ReplyDeleteWP: Okay, so >90% is facetious. Still, I am convinced that gay laymen and clergy predominate in traditional liturgical arts and research. At least Patricius is willing to come out about his sexuality. I know a heck of a lot of priests and laymen who aren't strong enough to take that step. Rather than put Patricius down for taking a honest stand, why don't you and other combox 'phobes step up to the plate and just be real?
ReplyDeleteI was not referring to Patricius' statements on his sexuality, in which I have no interest at all. I was referring to everything he says about LITURGY, in which he demonstrates an ignorance which is as comprehensive as his lack of charity. He may be honest about that, but he knows nothing about anything else.
ReplyDelete