It's a Susan Boyle moment.
It's just weird. I wonder if he knows "Wind Beneath My Wings"?
He has a fine voice.
So does the Italian nun Sr. Cristina - but at least she saves her pop tunes for television... Nuns just want to have fun?
What is with this stuff? I blame Simon Cowell and all the People Can Sing reality shows.
Lately it has been difficult to take priests and bishops seriously - consistently, that is. After all the scandals, all the confusion about priestly lifestyle - bishops building and selling mansions. Priests as pop stars and celebrities, exorcists and demons. Catholics protesting Catholic moral teaching in their schools, Cardinal against Cardinal, and so on. The scandals, the conflicting messages, the strange behaviour of priests and religious in the world - out of the world, on stage - off stage, what have you: These 'scandals' have really hurt the image of the priesthood - not to mention religious life.
I have never been as tempted to be critical or skeptical as I have been lately. The Church is being made a fool of and it isn't the folly of the cross doing it. If only it was.
Mass isn't a performance or a talent show. Neither is religious life.
I have wondered if it is all connected and cyclic: because of the scandals, because of our sin, true joy has been lacking and fervor has dissipated. In it's place, we have singing nuns and priests, and the sentimental moralizing is offered in defense of them (http://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2014/03/the-acid-bath-of-ingratitude), which adds to the saccharine banality. A new form of 'charity' develops, a new form of 'joy': it is not too different from the self-help, feel-good religion that "the world" desires in the wake of its rejection of Christ. It pays no attention to the scandal as such or its effects, but only to those who refuse to smile at it.
ReplyDelete"Lately it has been difficult to take priests and bishops seriously - consistently, that is"
ReplyDeleteYou know, Terry...I am sad and disappointed and tired. I do not want to lose respect for Papa Francis...I really don't. I am a supporter though some of what he does makes me cringe but I still support and pray and hope for him.
I do not want him to lose his personal credibility by this latest mishap. I went to some of the other blogs where folks are sneering and saying things about him that caused me to leave those blogs in the first place.
Never heard of Fr. Blake til today...went there too but many of the comboxers did not help me at all.
I am going into silent mode now and will pray and hope for a better outcome.
I will do my best to give him the benefit of doubt and trust Jesus even more on this whole phone call affair.
"The Church is being made a fool of..."
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, in large part the Church (the human structure of it) is making a fool of itself.
It's hard not to be critical & skeptical these days, sir.
ReplyDeleteI agree; strange. And your commentary reminded me of Our Lady of Akita, when she said on 10-13-73:
ReplyDelete"The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops against bishops..." https://www.ewtn.com/library/MARY/AKITA.HTM
Every day brings some new shock, sorrow or embarrassment. I share your sentiments, Terry. Prayer and penance, esp. Holy Mass, Eucharistic Adoration and the Rosary are essential.
ReplyDeleteSomeone order a Traditional Pig Latin Mass stat with only girl servers! STAT!
ReplyDeleteSame priest is making the rounds on the internet singing his version of Leonard Cohen's Alleluia...at a Nuptial Mass...to the surprise of the bride and groom. EVERY single person I know that posted this on FB LOVED it. I wanted to cry. It makes Haugen and Haas look good. *sigh*
ReplyDeleteSo many people have proudly told me about this, asking me how "cool" I think it is. I'm afraid I've disappointed them all by telling them flat out that I find it very disturbing. The more we make ourselves the center of any liturgical celebration, the less room we leave for Christ.
ReplyDeleteThis video is from 2010, if I read the (c) correctly. I also don't know the circumstance of the video. I agree, a priest shouldn't be just giving a concert in mass, however, I also feel there is a sense of the heart in his singing, whenever he is doing it; that, although he is the center of some attention, it is not for the attention but out of his sincere love for God. He might be "out of order" but the spirit is greater than the law, and might be like David dancing before God
ReplyDeleteAh Terry, you are getting to be a grumpy old fart lately : ) While I really dislike singing myself, I would agree with Anonymous above and say the guy is projecting his love of God in his singing (I mean, it wasn't "Like a Prayer," and we didnt see nuns in leotards dancing about...)
ReplyDeleteHowever, I always wanted to go to a nun for advice and have her sing "Climb Every Mountain," but it has yet to happen.
Hello,
ReplyDeleteThis unfortunately is not new. I remember going to a Mass on St. Patrick's Day some years back, and the Irish Priest, after Communion, went up to the altar and started singing "O Danny Boy". I walked out (even though he did have a nice voice...)
This is a showman priest and that always makes me concerned -- for them. Why are they taking a religious event and making themselves the center of attention? Where is the humility? I agree with Fr. Joe that it is very disturbing. At least he's doing these things at private Masses, but what happens when he decides to regale his parishioners with it? Will they look for the new act every week? Good grief!
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ReplyDeleteThree things - the link to Skojec doesn't work. Skojec has his own blog and may write about anything he chooses to write about. Do not embed links in my combox.
DeleteThanks.
The pendulum has swung back the other way again. I'll try to keep up.
DeleteSorry - I just don't like that blog and the claims promoted there. So I should say - comments with embedded links to site I don't like or disagree with will be deleted. If you post a link without a comment, that too will be deleted.
DeleteToday I would like to delete most everyone on line.
Heaven on Earth...
ReplyDelete• Work like you don’t need the money...
• Love like you’ve never been hurt...
• Dance like nobody’s watching...
• Sing like nobody’s listening...
• Live like it’s Heaven on Earth!
(attributed to Mother Teresa, but I’m not sure)
If you google a bit you'll see that this song is anything but religious. It uses biblical phrases but this is totally inappropriate for a priest to sing, especially at a wedding. I can't stand that no one does their homework and teaches it to, for example, kids choirs. No. Just no.
ReplyDeleteIt’s a beautiful love song. It‘s most appropriate to sing at a wedding. And are we not each a bride betrothed to Christ?
ReplyDeleteOnly a couple of weeks ago in the First Reading (April 11) we had Jeremiah proclaiming that the Lord was at his side and “a mighty hero”.
It may be a beautiful love song and the priest may have a beautiful voice - but it is inappropriate at Mass. It fuels the arguments against the Ordinary Form of Mass and feeds into a secularist mentality. - and gives the Irish a bad name. ;)
DeleteWhat?
Terry..we do that for ourselves..as the song goes... Not to bring up singing..."We drink, we drink we drink, we fight we fight we fight"!
DeleteYawn. Under duress I saw Fr. Elton's first act. I'll pass on clicking through to the second show. I'm not, as you know, Mr. Button, one to knock the Novus Ordo but this pal certainly, if unintentionally, makes the case for whatever that Lain phrase is for the celebrant facing the altar/God and not the audi-, er, I mean community.
ReplyDelete