Lifeteen

[nippy316]

mp, would you rather have Lifeteen exist with altar gathering or have it not exist all??

And please don't say, "I'd want it to exist if it was in compliance with the GIRM"

Simple question: Lifeteen or no Lifeteen?

[mp15]

If it can't follow the rubics then I say "No Lifeteen at all"

[nippy316]

Okay, thanks.

[jasJis]

I don't think it's petty when it comes to beliving my opinion about the Church is more valid than my Bishops.

Either you believe in the Authority of the Bishops, or you don't. Reasonable and logical explanation was provided by my Bishop to me. I asked because I wasn't comfortable with the Altar Gather.

Yep. Better to lose a soul then violate the Rubrics.

That's about as bad as working on the Sabbath...

[dUSt]

I had a very small rock stuck in my nose when I was 6.

[Azriel]

Tristan shoved a pea up his nose one time.

[littleflower+JMJ]

I had a very small rock stuck in my nose when I was 6.

no way!

my sister (not tina) got a M&M stuck in her nose once...

it was funny....

afterwards :ph34r: :rolleyes:

[MC Just]

Here is something to ponder

An open letter to those involved with Life Teen.

April 27, 2001

Since our article criticizing the Life Teen Mass was posted we have had a surprising amount of responses, mostly from those involved with the Life Teen Mass.  While some have mentioned how much inspiration they receive by this style of liturgy, none have really addressed the fundamental reason for my criticism.  I suspect this is simply because there is no defense for open rebellion against the magisterial authority of the Church.  Although this letter was originally intended for one young man, due to the responses, we have decided to make this an open letter to all involved with Life Teen.

Dear Life Teens,

With heartfelt concern I would like to give you my own reasons why the “lively” Teen Mass is inappropriate.  The feel good songs of praise, the tambourine shaking and the hooting and hollering is well and good in another setting outside of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.  The reason is this.  There is an extremely poor understanding of the Theology of the Mass, of knowing what exactly takes place at every Mass.  If every Catholic understood, the Church itself would be transformed.

Every time you enter into a Catholic Church and prepare yourself for the Sacrifice, you leave the world behind and enter into Calvary.  Time stands still and you are no longer in 2001 for the Mass is “other worldly”.  This is a mystery that you are not meant to understand but it makes this truth no less a reality.  You are present with Jesus and the Apostles in the upper room.  Jesus is getting ready to spill out His blood for your sins.  He is getting ready to suffer.  This was not a “happy” time for Him.  You are one of the apostles sitting at the table with Him.  You feel Christ’s sadness, see His distress, are ready to go to the garden, to pray and to watch with Him.

After that you begin to walk the road to Calvary.  And if you are one of the brave ones, as Christ’s Mother, St. John the Beloved, and St. Mary Magdalene was, you will walk the way with Christ and stand beneath the cross and see His blood spilled and His Life poured out for you alone.  We’ve often heard that if we were the only one in the world, Christ would’ve died for me.  This is a personal thing.  At Mass these realities should be every present to everyone there.  When the focus is on feeling good and having a good time we forget that Jesus is getting ready to shed His blood and our sins are what put Him on the cross.

If Jesus were to come in the clouds today or were to show up in your living room I don’t believe that you would play some “happening” music or shake your tambourine.  In Revelations St. John saw the “Lamb looking as if slain” and St. John “fell down as if dead”.  We too would fall down on our faces and cry, “Have mercy!”  We have an extremely poor understanding of the ugliness of every sin in comparison with the beauty of God and therefore we consider ourselves somewhat “worthy” of this redemption thing so we have no true fear of the Lord or appreciation for what actually took place on Calvary.  One tiny venial sin is so incompatible with the complete goodness of God that our tiny minds cannot fathom how ugly our souls must be compared to the perfection of Christ.  When we make the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass a “feel good” thing we take the emphasis off Christ and put it on ourselves.  One could easily say the Mass becomes a “self-worship” thing  instead of true worship of the Living God.  All our attention should be on God and absolutely nothing should bring attention to ourselves.  I say come down off that altar where no one belongs but the Priest who represents Christ, the great High Priest, fall down on your face and make reparation for your sins.  “A contrite heart, O God, you will not spurn”.

Hopefully you will better understand what takes place in every Mass.  If you love to sing songs of praise and dance to the Lord that is a wonderful thing.  But we must also be willing to forget ourselves, unite ourselves to Christ’s sacrifice and enter into the mysteries of our salvation.  We must go to Calvary at Mass, prepare our hearts to receive him by confessing our sins to a priest often and by spending much time in quiet prayer before receiving our Lord sacramentally in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.  The Mass is primarily a Sacrifice and we can never lose sight of this fact lest our celebrations become “love feasts” with ourselves.  None of us would’ve been dancing in the aisles at the Last Supper.  Nor should we be at Mass.

In Christ’s love Your sister in Him,

Janet Inman, SFO

I agree with this. The Mass is not a place for a Party. If they have lifeteen Masses, they should go along with how the Mass is suppose to be, not make their own style of the Mass. In fact I think it should be absolutely forbidden for people to add in and change things in the Mass, doesnt matter who's there celebrating it.

[dUSt]

I agree with this. The Mass is not a place for a Party. If they have lifeteen Masses, they should go along with how the Mass is suppose to be, not make their own style of the Mass. In fact I think it should be absolutely forbidden for people to add in and change things in the Mass, doesnt matter who's there celebrating it.

And some people think Catholic Hip-Hop Rappers are liberal. lol

[Dave]

I agree with this. The Mass is not a place for a Party. If they have lifeteen Masses, they should go along with how the Mass is suppose to be, not make their own style of the Mass. In fact I think it should be absolutely forbidden for people to add in and change things in the Mass, doesnt matter who's there celebrating it.

Actually, it IS absolutely forbidden for people to change things in and add to the Mass. But too many people -- priests and laity alike -- just don't care.

[jasJis]

It's not a party, despite the slander ignorant people claim.

Write to your Diocecesan Director of Liturgy or something.

Not all the Bishops are ignorant putzes.

Try reading the GIRM yourselves and discuss it with your Diocesan Bishop.

386. The renewal of the Roman Missal, carried out in our time in accordance with the decrees of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, has taken great care that all the faithful may engage in the celebration of the Eucharist with that full, conscious, and active participation that is required by the nature of the Liturgy itself and to which the faithful, in virtue of their status as such, have a right and duty.147

In order, however, to enable such a celebration to correspond all the more fully to the norms and the spirit of the Sacred Liturgy, certain further adaptations are set forth in this Instruction and in the Order of Mass and entrusted to the judgment either of the Diocesan Bishop or of the Bishops' Conferences.

387. The Diocesan Bishop, who is to be regarded as the high priest of his flock, and from whom the life in Christ of the faithful under his care in a certain sense derives and upon whom it depends,148 must promote, regulate, and be vigilant over the liturgical life in his diocese. It is to him that in this Instruction is entrusted the regulating of the discipline of concelebration (cf. above, nos. 202, 374) and the establishing of norms regarding the function of serving the priest at the altar (cf. above, no. 107), the distribution of Holy Communion under both kinds (cf. above, no. 283), and the construction and ordering of churches (cf. above, no. 291). With him lies responsibility above all for fostering the spirit of the Sacred Liturgy in the priests, deacons, and faithful.

My Bishop believes it forsts the spirit of the Sacred Liturgy in the faithful. You can disagree. We are allowed our own opinions. But just because your opinion differs from my Bishop (and many other Bishops) doesn't make those Bishops wrong.

[dUSt]

I agree with my bishop. lol

[jasJis]

I think I need to up my meds. :blink:

[littleflower+JMJ]

i hope your feelign okay jasJis :)

[JP2Iloveyou]

It's not a party, despite the slander ignorant people claim.

Write to your Diocecesan Director of Liturgy or something.

Not all the Bishops are ignorant putzes.

Try reading the GIRM yourselves and discuss it with your Diocesan Bishop.

My Bishop believes it forsts the spirit of the Sacred Liturgy in the faithful. You can disagree. We are allowed our own opinions. But just because your opinion differs from my Bishop (and many other Bishops) doesn't make those Bishops wrong.

well, with all due respect to your Bishop, there are many bishops in this country and elsewhere in the world who feel quite differently. Most liturgists who know what they are doing with regards to the GIRM feel differently. In the two paragraphs you quoted, it says nothing about a Bishop being allowed to disregard the rubrics. There are certain things that a Bishop may or may not do, for example: determine if Holy Communion in his see will be distributed under one or both species, determining if females should be allowed to serve on the altar, and, as it said, the construction and ordering of churches. It DOES NOT say that he can decide on his own to throw out rubrics he disagrees with. I do not wish to criticize a Successor of the Apostles and I am not going to, I am merely pointing out that when a rubric is already clearly spelled out, as it is regarding who is permitted in the Sanctuary and who is not, the Bishop does not have the power to change it. Even the USCCB does not have the power to change it. I'll give a simple example. In this country, many parishes use glass patens and chalices. The GIRM says they are to be metal. The USCCB can not just say, "Go ahead and use glass." They have to apply for an indult to Rome first and IF Rome says OK, then they can use glass. The same applies in this case.

Someone also mentioned that Lifeteen is similar to a wedding or to RCIA. First of all, people are allowed in the sanctuary during a wedding, but only those assisting with the ceremony. The bride and the groom are the ministers of the sacrament (the priest of deacon is only a witness) and others such as the Maid of Honor or the Best Man clearly have larger roles. As for RCIA, I see no reason why they should be treated any different. As far as I know, RCIA has not received an indult from Rome on this matter either.

Just follow the rules. It's not that hard. Among dioceses that are routinely considered the most "orthodox" in the U.S., this is not practiced, yet they are thriving in vocations and their youth ministry is on fire. Disobedience is not needed.