Two Holy Week at Gethseamni

I was blessed to have friends who drove me to Holy Thursday and Good Friday services. My thanks to the Dittmans for their kindness.

Because it is Monday in Easter Week. We need to pay special attention to Old Style Breviary, and Universalis, and then talk about it. In an interesting way it ties into the Vigil of Easter I attended at St. Vincents at Nazareth. Just as the old style breviary is bringing to the modern day the gems of the liturgical past of the Roman Catholic Church, so to is Universalis bringing forward the gems of the Reform.

Gethsemani and holy week with Trappists, and then an Easter Vigil with Sisters of Charity! Wow, what a difference in style. The Cistercians are more of the old style breviary, yet up to date. The Sisters of Charity were the church of the Reform of Vatican II, in the way that Universalis is the new church.

I know that there is conflict in parts of the church about liturgy and how it ought to be done, and accusations of heresy and every kind of sinful thing that St.Paul spoke most stringently about. I could list site after site and multiple blogs condemning to hell one side or the other.

It's the Liturgy, the Holy Language we use to speak as a community to God.

The Wars of Religion are over. France fought them for 64 years people! The Danes invaded Iceland and put the Catholics to the sword. Will we shame ourselves again in front of the world by wrenching apart our common faith in Jesus Christ for the sake of words that most people don't even bother to utter!

Why cannot both Old Style Breviary and Universalis be both active representations of the riches that make up the Roman Catholic liturgy? Why must it be one or the other? What is one without the other might be a better question? The Trappists showed me glory with revised chants, that are older than we dare think, and worship in a style that is nothing short of heavenly. The Sisters of Charity showed me a glory of the modern church, the church of the Gather Hymnal. Faith makes up the worship, not a liturgy

As Catholics we are captive to the voices that shout conservatism and to the voices that shout liberalism. Both are just -isms. Both hide. You see, the only reality that should concern us in our life in Christ is that we live that life as if Christ were our mate! Our life partner! If Christ is not a life partner then all we have to talk about is how we speak in church. And certainly to abuse those who prefer Mass to be one way while we prefer Mass in another.

For instance. I dislike Mass express. If you can't take a breath safely in the Our Father, then things are going too fast. Mass express is in my estimation just barely qualifies for intention to say Mass. So I avoid them, I don't go and say you people are wrong. I don't write letters to the Bishop. No, I simply move along to another daily mass location.

So, my two services at Gethsemani and one at St. Vincent's, have given me a wider view of the RCC which I joined of my own free will. I do not regret it. But I am not blind to it's cosmic silliness in its earthly manifestations from time to time.