"Suppose a priest comes at the beginning of Mass and says: 'Good morning, everybody, did your team win last night?' That's not a liturgical greeting. If you can find it in any liturgical book, I'll give you a turkey"
Now, on a more serious note, a point to ponder as we enter Holy Week. This from the pontifical household Lenten meditation by Fr. Cantalamessa:
Christians, the papal preacher said, tend to place restrictions on what they think God can require of them. He outlined a typical Christian's commitment:
Prayer, yes; but not to the point of losing sleep or rest… Obedience, yes; but not to the detriment of our own convenience. Chastity, yes; but not to the point of depriving ourselves of some entertaining spectacle… Such a collection of "half-measures," Father Cantalamessa said, is evidence of a superficial faith. A deeper faith, he said, acknowledges the reality of Christ's suffering and one's own role in causing it.
"I am Judas who betrayed Him, Peter who renounced Him, the crowd that cried out against Him," the preacher said. "Each time I have preferred my satisfaction, my comfort, my honor to that of Christ, that is what has happened."
I will continue to post this week at least through Wednesday. After that all bets are off.
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