2008 December archive at Being Frank

Archive for December, 2008

Dec

Jesus Shock Treatment for the New Year

By Tuppence 2 Comments

Categories: Being Frank...

Hmm, New Years Eve…off to the beach, a round of Auld Lang Syne and a glass of bubbly…yippee! At this time, we’re probably all pondering what was 2008 and wondering what might be 2009. Whether you’re into new years resolutions or not, I reckon it helps to have some sort of ammunition to guide such resolutions. A few days ago, I think I found mine…

If anyone claims to have met Jesus without being changed, they haven’t met Jesus. Meeting Jesus is a shock. As a cradle catholic, it’s something we might find a bit weird – he’s, like, all loving and special and nice, but shocking sounds a bit…uh…dramatic? Peter Kreeft calls it Jesus Shock and listening to his talk, it doesn’t take long to remember that Jesus is nothing less than shocking.

Jesus is the only man in history that never bored anyone – an empirical fact. And this fact adds to the evidence of his divine nature.

Jesus was also exceptionally interesting, wondrous…his disciples worshipped him, his enemies killed him, the agnostics said “no man ever spoke like this man” and they knew they’d have to eventually take a side…with his disciples or his enemies.

Kreeft thinks that boredom is one of our major psychological problems these days, as a major source of violence, hatred, and even promiscuous sex. After raising his children, he noticed that kids will pretty much always cause disruption if they’re bored – ie keep them occupied, engaged and interested and they’ll most likely behave.

And we’re just big kids – if we’re engaged and interested, we’re not bored. That brings to mind the challenge that probably surfaces from every kid (and big kid!) at some point… â€˜Mass is boring’…

Kreeft quotes a colleague that seems to agree that Mass (or at least our engagement in it) appears so totally bored…”Why do people in the churches seem like cheerful brainless tourists on a packaged tour of the Absolute? Does anyone have the foggiest idea what sort of power we so blandly invoke?”

Kreeft asks what’s missing to Mass if it seems like the congregation seems awfully bored…

- It’s not pleasure. We’re great hedonists…we know how to create pleasure, but pleasure isn’t sufficient to quell boredom. We know this because there are many times when we’re willing to undergo pain (the opposite of pleasure) in order to make life more interesting…think of the marathon runner, it’s painful but so satisfying. He goes on to suggest that’s why those who seek more materially can often be less happy with life – the more money you have, the more â€˜predictable’ life can be, the more boring it is…the more unhappy you are. No one wants an unsurprising life.
- The opposite of boredom is not pleasure or even happiness, but joy. And joy always includes surprise, even shock. Anyone who really meets Jesus always experiences either joy or it’s real opposites – rage, outrage, horror, terror. They either experience a foretaste of heaven or a foretaste of hell. “Jesus keeps bursting asunder all our comfortable categories and keeps transcending all our feeble expectations.”

Kreeft goes on to explore just how shocking Jesus is -surveying the Gospel, he claims that “It’s closer to the truth to say God is crazy than that God is reasonable.”

Like a good movie, I don’t want to ruin the ending (well, in fact, the remaining hour of the talk that I haven’t listened to for the second time to help me write this blog…)…
So if you’re looking around for a bit of a New Year â€˜wake up call’ – get some shock treatment (ahaha…er) and check out Peter Kreeft’s talk called Shocking Beauty.

Dec

Survivor Liturgy Island – Part One

By The Dumb Ox Closed

Categories: Being Frank...

Eight Catholics

Two teams

One Island

Ten days of dubious liturgy

But there can be only one survivor of Liturgy Island!

Day One:
The contestants of Survivor Liturgy Island are dropped off on the island by a boat, or so they think. En route the boat is stopped, and all the participants are assembled on the stern of the boat and instructed on their first challenge.

They must exit the boat and swim to Liturgy Island. Upon reaching the island they must retrieve the Gather Hymnal, which is buried in a bucket of cheese on the beach, and then use it to break the secret of the Hass code.

The participants waste no time in exiting the boat and swimming to the island.

Tom from Arkansas is first to reach the island, but he struggles to find the Gather Hymnal, which has been buried in a bucket of cheese. Tom thought he had it but then realised he was actually holding a block of mouldy old cheese, although it’s easy to understand how he confused the two.

First to retrieve the Gather Hymnal is Jan from Ohio, and after much frantic searching she realises that the secret of the Hass code is that there is no secret! After just ten minutes of comparing Hass music Jan realises that it is simply too simple to be musically appealing, let alone contain any secret code.

Jan announces her discovery and she is crowned winner of the first challenge on Survivor Liturgy Island, meanwhile Dave from Texas is trying to figure out why his Gather Hymnal won’t open; until one of the other contestants points out that, just like Tom from Arkansas, he has also found a block of mouldy old cheese.

As winner of the first challenge Jan is allowed is given her Immunity Rosary to wear until the next challenge is complete. The Immunity Rosary means that Jan gets immunity from the first round of Survivor Liturgy Island evictions.

As the participants listen intently, the rules of Liturgy Island are read aloud and they are then split into two teams – Team Gregorian and Team Tridentine.

The two teams are sent to different sides of Liturgy Island and told to erect their temporary shelters and then to make their way to the Liturgy Island Chapel in the middle of the island for the second challenge.

Four hours later both teams are gathered in the chapel, waiting for instructions.

Things get interesting when both teams are given the details of the next challenge – to make a team sacred space using only items growing on the island. The teams are warned that they must follow the strict rules of sacred space building by not including any overtly religious symbolism. Each team has two hours to complete the challenge; with the wining team being allowed to return to their camp, while the losing team will have to vote one of their fellow team members off Liturgy Island.

Tom from Arkansas immediately suggests that his team, Team Tridentine, votes on who should be appointed as chief liturgist for the team challenge. After much discussion the team appoints John from New York to the role of chief liturgist. Unfortunately this has taken them almost 115 minutes, leaving them only five minutes to complete the actual challenge. The team scatters and grabs several smooth stones, some palm branches, and a shrubbery. They return to the chapel and place their items on top of the altar in a random configuration.

The horn sounds to signal that the time is up and that each team must stop what they are doing to wait for the judge’s decision on their completed sacred spaces.

The judges are impressed by Team Tridentine’s creation and announce that they are the winners. Team Tridentine returns to their shelter while Team Gregorian is asked to report to the Parish Council area to decide who will be first to leave Liturgy Island.

The vote doesn’t take long, and Team Gregorian votes Karl from Los Angles off the island because he was the one who placed the one branch haphazardly on top of another one – which meant that their sacred space had a centre piece that almost looked like a cross – something that is frowned upon in the rules of sacred space construction.

The remaining members of Team Gregorian return to their side of the island, feeling dejected, and facing the daunting prospect of the coming challenges with a team member short.

To be continued…

Team Gregorian’s overtly religious sacred space:

Dec

2008…been there, done that

By James the Least 3 Comments

Categories: Being Frank...

So another year draws to a close. Rather than reminisce with words that won’t do the past 12 months justice, I’d like to end this year with some photos – specifically these ones from Boston.com (and part 2 and part 3)- which show the year in review. They’re taken from a number of sources all over the internet, and can’t help but look at them and think the following things:

It has been quite a year!
Some things about the natural world make me astounded that people can honestly believe there is no God and we are all here by lucky cosmic accident!
Mankind’s ability to murder, slaughter and generally be nasty to his fellow citizens also beggars belief.
I wish I was as good a photographer as some of those that took these photos!

There’s a couple of days to go before 2009 begins, but I just wanted to say thank you to all of our readers who keep coming back for more (suckers! ) And I hope you all have a blessed and propserous New Year.

Dec

What Happened to Christmas Mass?!?

By On the Road 70 Comments

Categories: Being Frank...

My first Christmas mass in the Catholic Church. Intimately meeting my saviour to celebrate his birth and the victory of his death. A celebration to remember the wonderful story, and all those who were faithful to God’s will in their lives and in salvation history. The faithful have prepared, more or less, for the last few weeks for this occasion, and this mass is the pinnacle of the season, one to be taken with utmost respect and reverence for our saviour. Right?

I did not feel that this was the case at the vigil mass I attended on December 24th. It was a different parish than I normally attend and at a different time, and I was quite taken back (in some ways) by what was happening. I wanted to propose to all of you what you would make of it. I am quite a new Catholic, but even after speaking to a few of the most knowledgeable people I know in this area, I do not have a definitive answer.

The mass seemed to be a children’s liturgy, which was held at a regular Christmas vigil mass. Thus, I am not sure if there are any legitimate differences between a normal mass and a children’s liturgy that I did not recognise. The mass for the most part followed the normal overall structure(with some minor changes), but there were a few key things that caught me by surprise:

- There was only one reading (from Isaiah), and no reading of the Gospel. The Gospel (the story of Jesus’ birth) was told with a children’s story through the means of a play conducted around the alter. There was no standing or alleluia to introduce the gospel either.

- Children were up front for the entire mass, causing quite a stir. While that did not seem to be a big deal, it did surprise me when the children who were dressed as angels were invited to surround the alter with the priest during the â€˜unending hymn of praise’ and the consecration.

- There was no standing or kneeling for the entire mass. There was no kneeling during the consecration. There was no standing during the Our Father. You did not rise from the opening until either lining up to receive the Eucharist or for the final blessing.

- There was a general disinterest in the mass. Either parents were too busy taking pictures of their children, or the children themselves were running around in the front. It was more of a production than a solemn occasion. There was nothing close to what could be described as silence during the entire mass.

There were the four things that I took issue with. I walked away from that mass quite surprised. I realise it is very easy to get caught up in the liturgy, forgetting about why you are there, or how even through all the irregularities, it is still a time to meet our Lord in the most intimate way. But, the liturgy is extremely important and should be adhered to through respect and reverence for our Lord and His Church. This, in my opinion, was disrespectful. While I know the last point above is more due to the sheer numbers attending (the parish was overflowing outside), I feel that it was an incredible chance wasted to really draw the CEO (Christmas, Easter Only) crowd into the wonder of the mass, especially one to celebrate such a special occasion. With so many lovely children filling that parish, I would be disappointed to know that, through their parents church attending habits, they will only be brought to mass possibly twice a year to encounter such a poor reverence for the miracle they are participating in. It was really a loss of what the liturgy is about, a loss of the sacred and the fact that it is a prayer to God, not a production put on to entertain the in-laws at Christmas.

I am new to the Church, have not seen this before, and wanted to ask all of you, where is the line drawn? In this situation, what constitutes abuse? Is it legitimate to change the liturgy in such a way? What resources are there for looking into legitimate variances in the mass?

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. Christ, our dear saviour, is born. Amen!

Dec

“Dear Santa, if you bring me lots of good stuff, I promise not to do anything bad between now and when I wake up. Amen.”

By Methuselah's Beard Closed

Categories: Being Frank...

I noticed there wasn’t a post yesterday (I noticed this at the time of writing today’s post, so it could very well be up now…), but I guess it was Christmas, and what is Christmas if not a time to forget things?

Well you leave your eating inhibitions at the door at every Christmas party you go to, you forget about how annoying some Christmas songs are, you leave your ‘disappointed face’ behind when receiving presents, and so and so forth.

I hope noone forgot to go to Church… Anyway, today is Boxing Day. I’ve always wondered about the spiritual significance of Boxing Day, as in is there one. Apparently, traditionally it used to be the time when we gave presents to less fortunate members of society. The day after Christmas is St. Stephen’s day, named after one of the first martyrs of the Church.

So today while we’re either enjoying the Boxing Day sales, or enjoying the sun, or sleeping off the piles of Christmas mince tarts you had, I think we should set aside some time to think about the bravery of those who came before us in ensuring that we have something called the Catholic Church.

Dec

Melanesia, Benedictus, egg beaters and Vigil Choirs

By Tuppence 1 Comment

Categories: Being Frank...

Christmas Eve…is there something in the air? Maybe that’s the smell of my parents’ real pine Christmas tree in the lounge. Ah, great to be back with the parentals…

I have to admit it’s been an Advent with a difference this year. I spent the first few weeks in the bush in the middle of Melanesia then returned to New Zealand and managed to avoid the shops, the chaos and the plastic, bar one frightful outing to a Westfield Mall to buy my father a new egg beater for Christmas.

(He’s had the same, sturdy egg beater for at least 25 years – probably longer – and it packed a sad just recently. You wouldn’t believe how hard it is to buy a decent egg beater these days! He only ever uses it to whip cream on a Saturday afternoon. The proof will be in the pudding whether he thinks his new one is sturdy enough…)

Add to that the flop of a Christmas rush, and all round it’s felt like a rather less commercial Advent. Praise be to God.

Instead, many of my reminders that the feast of Our Saviour’s Birth is days away have come from the daily readings (amid the odd conversation about getting the turkey cooked, what’s happening Christmas day and uncharitably whinging about singing in the Christmas Eve Vigil choir “I’m sure I’m too old for this…”)

Today’s is the great Benedictus…Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, speaks those great words – “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, he has visited his people and redeemed them, he has raised up a mighty saviour…a saviour who would free us from our foes…he swore to Abraham, our father, to grant us that free from fear and saved from the hands of our foes, we might serve him in holiness and justice all the days of our life in his presence…”

“…as for you little child, you shall be called a prophet of God the most high…” Gee whiz, I’m glad no one dished that out to me on Christmas Eve!! “…you shall go ahead of the Lord, to prepare his ways before him, to make known to his people their salvation through forgiveness of all their sins, the loving kindness of the heart of our God, who visits us like the dawn from on high.” Righto, no trouble, he’s onto it!

“…he will give light to those in darkness, those who dwell in the shadow of death, and guide us into the way of peace.” What beautiful, beautiful words! While the Benedictus rolls off the tongue, to stop and type it out, and consider each phrase…wow!

Tonight while I’m singing in the choir at the Vigil Mass, feeling a little bit too old and trying to get that harmony right, I hope my heart and mind are set on that little baby Saviour who gives light in the dark, who guides us into the way of peace.

Dec

If the polar icecap melts, will the common ground survive?

By The Dumb Ox 9 Comments

Categories: Being Frank...

Something posted online recently by the blogger Diogenes…

If the polar icecap melts, will the common ground survive?

Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Taoists. Leading representatives of all the world’s major faiths have gathered for a conference to address a topic they all consider urgent– a topic which, they all agree, religious leaders must address.

What is that topic?

- Terrorism and violence unleashed in the name of religious belief?
- The worldwide epidemic of abortion?
- Widespread starvation in an affluent world?
- The persecution of believers by oppressive governments?
- Family breakdown, divorce, depression, alienation, homosexuality, drug abuse?
- War, injustice, intolerance, poverty, disease, illiteracy?

No, No, No, Nonono, and Nononono.

The common enemy of all religious faiths is climate change.

We should readily accept the idea that religious believers of all stripes, having already made one leap of faith, should be ready to embrace the cause of climate change despite the sketchy evidence that a man-made problem exists.

But if we assume that the problem does exist, what can religious leader do to solve it?

They aim to set up a manifesto to encourage far-reaching policy goals from the United Nations.

Oh, good. UN policy goals. That should do the trick.

And the organization that has done so well at putting an end to warfare should have no problem patching a hole in the ozone layer.

“Here is a major, human emergency,” the Anglican Bishop Richard Chartres of London tells BBC.

It’s a human emergency, mind you. Not Darfur. Not AIDS. Not the anti-Christian pograms in Orissa or the genocidal slaughters in Congo. Climate change.

Bishop Chartres continues: “Many of our constituencies regard this still as a peripheral second-order issue– it’s got to be moved up the agenda.”

Now there’s true religious leadership for you: moving issues up the agenda.

Wait a minute. Did this illustrious shepherd just refer to his flock as a “constituency”?