Friday, February 26, 2010

Externals

Do they really matter in the liturgy? They do indeed. As John Zmirak writes: "The old liturgy was crafted by saints, and can be said by schlubs without risk of sacrilege. The new rite was patched together by bureaucrats, and should only be safely celebrated by the saintly." Share

5 comments:

Enbrethiliel said...

+JMJ+

What a great quote from Zmirak--and what a fantastic article! I'm so glad I clicked on the link.

Yes, it is true that liturgical externals are essential. Someone who says, "As long as the rubrics are followed and the Eucharist is valid, that's okay," is doing the Church an intellectual disservice.

I don't read Inside Catholic, Elena, so I must thank you for linking to it here at Tea at Trianon. =)

elena maria vidal said...

You are welcome, E.!

God Alone Suffices said...

Thank you so much for linking this article, Elena! :) I showed it to my fiance and he thought it was the best Pro-TLM article he's ever read! As a budding Traditionalist, I found this article wonderfully refreshing (the comments, however...not so much).

Julygirl said...

The spectacle of the Mass should speak to one's soul as well as one's mind. In general, our 'modern' world wants to throw out everything ethereal and replace it with practicality.

Christina said...

In general, our 'modern' world wants to throw out everything ethereal and replace it with practicality.

Yes, and if you dare suggest that the Mass should be beautiful and that churches should be beautifully decorated, you are immediately accused of being a "snob" or worse!

I'm reading a wonderful book by Fr. Thomas Dubay, The Existential Power of Beauty. I've just finished the chapter in which he talks about the inability of some people to appreciate beauty, because they have not learned how to respond to it. It seems very appropriate to this discussion.