tears and band-aids

By Diogenes ( articles ) | Oct 01, 2005

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.