Feb 26, 2021
This Ash Wednesday, following a word from the Congregation for
Divine Worship and the Sacraments, many American parishes didn’t
distribute ashes within the customary manner of smudging a cross on the
brow and saying certainly one of two potential formulation to every recipient.
As a substitute, as an ostensible anti-COVID precaution, they sprinkled
ashes on the highest of the top and stated the components as soon as to the entire
congregation.
As we speak’s visitor, Gail Finke, wrote a thought-provoking article,
not a lot on the appropriateness of fixing the same old observe
this yr due to the pandemic, however on an perspective so usually
taken in discussing Ash Wednesday yearly.
There’s a sure non secular elitism which regards concern for
the exterior ceremony, together with the uncommon alternative to explicitly
witness to the religion in a public manner, because the province of these of
little or superficial religion, and even of the useless. If somebody
objects to a seemingly pointless change, he’s stated to be overly
involved with the inessential. But the expertise of the previous
a number of a long time has proven us definitively that the elimination of
“inessential” devotions has had catastrophic results on the religion
of Catholics.
Exterior expressions of devotion are vital. The little
issues which set Catholics aside are vital. Fixed change and
disorientation will not be good for the folks of God. The belief
that those that object to it should have little religion is smug. The
indifference to the truth that the massive quantity who do have weak
religion will simply fall away when denied the rites of the
Church—“you don’t have to go to Mass, simply make a non secular
communion”—is callous and legalistic.
Hyperlinks
Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/LYkXheSxHXs
Gail Finke, “Are We Going to Throw Out Ash Wednesday Too?”
https://www.crisismagazine.com/2021/are-we-going-to-throw-out-ash-wednesday-too
Thomas Humphries, “The Case of the Nice Pandemic Liturgical
Flip-Flop”
https://churchlifejournal.nd.edu/articles/the-case-of-the-great-pandemic-liturgical-flip-flop/
Driving Dwelling the Religion radio present produced by Gail www.sacredheartradio.com
Ep. 84, Disobey Lockdown Now w/ Douglas Farrow and Andrew Busch
https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/84-disobey-lockdown-now-douglas-farrow-andrew-busch/
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