The ordinary form of Catholicism.
Father used a quote from America magazine in his homily. Nothing wrong with that of course. It was a remark about the Passion of Christ. Although, if he was a Catholic blogger - he's not and he doesn't read blogs - but if he was, and he wrote that on his blog, or even admitted he read the magazine, he would probably be reprimanded sharply. Catholic bloggers should not be surprised however, that most urban diocesan priests and almost all regular religious communities - OFM, OP, SJ, OCSO, and so on, also receive and frequently read publications such as America, Commonweal, both NCR's, and maybe OSV, along with their diocesan papers. And how many Catholic school principals attended the Los Angeles Religious Ed Congress? See. In other words, that's still the real ordinary form for the Catholic Church in the United States. (And Austria, I might add.)
What can I say?
So anyway - my job is pretty much done here. My Lenten charity that is. Lent is just about over and I've been posting regularly as a teeth-grinding penance for most of those who know me and read this blog. I know! My latest blog posts especially have been verging on the insane, I hope you have noticed? I'm actually serious about the topics I've written on, but as always with my posts, I like to mix in a bit of humor. In fact I've been having fun pretending I'm the guy from Invasion of the Body Snatchers*, warning y'all: 'they're here already!' Obviously, long time readers knew that, although I'm not sure new readers have been picking up on that aspect.
*Critics of the first production believed the film was a metaphor for either the McCarthy-era witch hunt, or the infiltration of Communists into American institutions and society. Kind of two sides of the same coin really - which is another point BTW.
Imagine you having a priest who chooses to 'choose' his own reading matter. I blame Vat 2 for this. Boycott his church, write about him. Call him a liberal. Call him old. Call him the cause of all things wrong in the church today!!
ReplyDeleteAs soon as some 'know it all' Catholic (be they priest or lay)starts telling me(through their blog) what to read, where to start, where to finish, what to buy, which buttons to press etc:
I tend to smell a rat. A very manipulative controlling rat. If I feel genuinely nauseous being bossed about on a blog, I know the Holy Spirit is nudging me to be wary. I call that discernment. The blog author might call it belligerence, but I remember other religious 'leaders' who's power and the materialism gained therefrom got the better of them.
Shadowlands, I hear ya, but I hope you are not directing your comment at Terry. I don't know of any Catholic blogger who is less of a "shill" than Terry.
ReplyDeleteRobin, not at all. Me and Terry go way back. He knows the types to whom I refer.
ReplyDeleteThanks to y'both. Showlands is always free to speak her mind here.
ReplyDeleteI don't read those periodicals or magazines because I cannot afford the yearly subscriptions besides I don't want my blood pressure goes up. ;-)
ReplyDeleteHe needs a subscription to Homiletic and Pastoral Review. My pastor in high school used to give me his old copies in the 80s. In those days our parish subscribed to and offered "The Wanderer" and "National Catholic Register" on the news table in the back.
ReplyDelete