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Wednesday 11 February 2015

"The Last Altar Boy"

Fr Z's commentators are certainly getting into the spirit of things, enjoying the satire from Eye of the Tiber.

There are the usual tangents, and one poster  uses the occasion to rag on Extraordinary Ministers of Communion of the female persuasion.
(Ooh, talk about tangents - but I just realized, when we were kids, in mockery of someones, can't recall whose, way with words and wont to specify another person's religious beliefs by saying "he was of the Lutheran persuasion," or some such, we would often describe someone, referencing a trait that was presumably inborn,  as "of the Asian persuasion," or "of the gay persuasion" or "of the Black persuasion" and then it was the job of anyone else in the conversation to say, "nobody had to persuade him." Well, now, we couldn't do our routine in respect to sex or gender, could we? because the received opinion is that it's such a fluid concept that being female MIGHT BE open to persuasion, right? I digress.)

Anyway, said poster seems to feel that it is the congregation which is urging expedience, but IME it is the clergy who are in dread of Communion taking a nanosecond longer than usual.
So it will take a little longer if only the priest or priests give Communion? Big deal. Who has a hot date right after Sunday mass?
We used to mutter amongst ourselves at one parish, as the Liturgy seemed to be being given the bum's rush, what? Father got a date or something?

And the poster's suggestion?
Get a decent organist or choir to give people a sort of musical background while they wait, and they might actually have a moment of reflection.
He seems not to be aware of the typical  Liturgy Committee Fiat - the PEOPLE must sing during the Communion Procession!

(Because it's such a natural thing to walk and eat and sing all at the same time......)

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