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Thursday, 5 June 2008

Things that make you sad...

Jason, a sometime blogger at Christus Vincit is one of the snarkier, more aggressive wits 'round St Blog's.
After a long-time position at a parish that seems to have been a beacon if not of good liturgy (not saying it wasn't just don't know,) an absolute conflagration of good music, (for which he is owed much of the credit,) he was unceremoniously canned.
I don't do tons of subbing, but when I do, I sometimes feel twinges of guilt, for the reasons he not so believably brushes aside here.
His post made me very sad....
Sometimes I have thought I might feel better in his position than in mine, but... I dunno.

https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7002745&postID=685604555116624252&isPopup=true

I played a first Mass Sunday afternoon in the diocese of Baton Rouge.
They were using glass chalices and held hands during the Lord's Prayer.
I played a wedding in the diocese of Lafayette the day before and the priest took about 10 minutes giving a little homilette before each lesson because we were too stupid to understand the plain English the lector read off.
The priest even told us that the lesson from the Epistle to the Corinthians has been used at almost every wedding he's "done".
I don't know where I'd be, had I never heard that info before.
I have no clue what his hominy was about.
By then, I'd tuned him out altogether.
Talking head.
It's good being a professional sub/wedding/funeral organist.
You don't have to get involved in the liturgical scirmishes and the nail biting when people want something that doesn't comply to the GIRM or such.
You don't have to defend Benedict 16th in front of his own priests.
You can just play along and consider the pope's words like the priests do: 100% unadulterated horse crap.
You just sit back, play The Rose, and watch it all implode. Result: smiling bride, smiling priest. Abuse? What abuse? If a priest says it's ok, it's ok, isn't it? Obedience means we go along with whatever the priest tells us, even if that means abusing the liturgy and throwing tradition out the window, even if that means relinguishing our ability as humans to use reason.
So, I play whatever the people choose as an obligation to them: I have a service to offer, they want that service, and I render it.
Whatever that does to the liturgy isn't my problem anymore.
Or should it be?

1 comment:

George Tarasuk said...

I missed that blog. I know very well how Jason feels. I've been there. I'm going to have to agree with you. It is sad. I used to think these issues may have been mine and a few disgruntled friends of mine. Clearly that's not the case.

On many an occasion, I too, criticize. But deep down, I love the Catholic Church and would much rather use my talents there. It's one hot mess, I tell you.