Your gift counts double until 5/31: $29,040 to go in our Easter Campaign. Please help now!
 Off the Record

tears and band-aids

By Diogenes (articles ) | October 01, 2005 8:22 AM

You should never let liturgists run with pointed metaphors in their hands. They can trip and hurt themselves:

"It seems that we are willing to sacrifice the Eucharist on the altar of priestly celibacy," said Viatorian Fr. Mark Francis, a noted liturgist and a synod delegate elected by the Union of Superiors General, the main umbrella group for male religious orders.

Ouch. It hurts to watch. "Sacrifice" isn't in Father Mark's theological vocabulary, only his political one, whence to sacrifice the Eucharist -- on an altar yet! -- is a regrettable occurrence. If we can get this God-business (what liturgists call "the static presence of Christ") out of the way, than we can get on with the Celebration of Self.

[S]ome liturgists and other experts worry that an over-emphasis on adoration and the "static" presence of Christ may marginalize other dimensions of the Eucharist, including the presence of Christ in the community. "If the main point of the Eucharist is to consecrate hosts and put them in a tabernacle, why bother celebrating Mass?" Francis asked.

Quite.

An appeal from our founder, Dr. Jeffrey Mirus:

Dear reader: If you found the information on this page helpful in your pursuit of a better Catholic life, please support our work with a donation. Your donation will help us reach five million Truth-seeking readers worldwide this year. Thank you!

Easter Campaign:
Progress toward our Spring 2013 goal ($29,040 to go):
$80,000.00 $50,959.70
36% 64%
Sound Off! CatholicCulture.org supporters weigh in.

All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!

Show 1 Comments? (Hidden)Hide Comments
  • Posted by: Venerable Aussie - Oct. 02, 2005 10:22 AM ET USA

    Perhaps sacrificing a few liturgists - with the active participation of the laity - could help marginalize their presence? Then the community could really celebrate...

Think with the Catholic Leaders: Subscribe to Catholic Culture Insights Newsletter
Donate to Support this Site: Your contribution will be put to good work.
Tour the CatholicCulture.org Site
Shop Amazon to Raise Money for Catholic Culture

Recent Catholic Commentary

Learning from the sick, and from the death of a child May 17
The case for change in Irish abortion law: based on a framework of falsehood May 17
The Smell of the Sheep May 16
Too many missing funds: Catholic institutions need tighter financial controls May 16
What capitalists should learn from the Pope's critique May 16

Top Catholic News

Most Important Stories of the Last 30 Days
Pope strongly supports call for reform in religious life CWN - May 8