Liturgy, Ecumania, First Commandment

I have already mentioned the beautiful words of the Holy Father concerning what happens when one builds on sand.

I am certainly not being in any way original or innovative when I say exactly the same concept applies to the Liturgy.

One of the many concepts V II never understood (or willingly demolished) is the absolute centrality of the Liturgy in the life of the Church.

If the Church is the engine, the Liturgy is the motor oil. Exactly in the same way as the motor oil is absolutely indispensable for the life of the engine and a cheap oil will gravely impair the ability of the engine to work properly and lead to increased wear, bad liturgy will seriously impair the Church’s ability to function correctly.

One may think that a Pope with wrong liturgical ideas is half so bad if he is still orthodox on many Catholic issues, but this reasoning does not consider that in the same way as an engine can never work properly if the motor oil is mediocre, the Church will never work properly until she repairs her liturgy.

Bad liturgy leads to bad theology.  This might not be immediately evident in the one or the other, but it is certainly evident in the life of the Church, and the fact the devastation of traditional Catholci thinking went hand in hand with the devastation of traditional theology is a chilling example of this. 

Nor can we say that the Holy Father is a paragon of sound Catholic thinking, but with the idiosyncrasy of liking Pinocchio Masses.

If one can even think of celebrating a Pinocchio Mass, there’s an awful lot already wrong with him, and this wrong will come out however orthodox one may sincerely be – and I am sure the Holy Father is – in other matters.

Look at the video above (courtesy of Ars Orandi, another blog it is very difficult to praise enough), and see what the then-Cardinal made of the authentic Church teaching on religious liberty. His personal Gospel seems to read “Go ye therefore, and teach no nations, wearing a yarmulke in the name of Peace, Inclusiveness and Inter-religious Dialogue”. 

In this case, bad liturgy not only led to the wrongest possible ecu-mania, but even to forgetfulness of the First commandment.

You see very clearly that one can be sincerely moved to be a good Catholic, but if one’s liturgy is awful his theology will not be much better.

The video above, besides being utterly ridiculous in itself (“Umbanda”? Seriously?), shows what happens when “it’s possible to leave in peace” comes before  “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

If you liked Assisi I, II and III, you will love this Pontificate.

Please keep your seatbelt securely fastened.  

Mundabor