Tuesday, February 19, 2008

A Long Weekend

I had meant to post several times this past weekend, but it seemed that there was no time to write. I'm traveling to New Mexico this weekend to play at a Feis (and to see my dear friend Anne Hall) so I've been trying to get a lot of work done ahead of time in order to leave NYC free and unburdened.

It was, nevertheless, a fun weekend. I went to a lecture on Friday afternoon and then invited several graduate students back to Ciszek Hall (my residence) in order to discuss the lecture. On Saturday Dr. Patrick Hornbeck and I took a group of students to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. And finally, on Sunday we had a large vocation event here at Fordham were nearly twenty students come to meet with Jesuits from the Fordham community. It was great to see these students (representing various stages of discernment) and heartening to know that really good guys are attracted to the Society.

Oh, lest I forget, I did take the "Faces of Catholicism" group to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel (here in the Bronx) in order to celebrate the traditional Latin Mass. I am not looking for a debate in saying this, and I am aware that it will dismay some readers, but I doubt that I'll be attending this celebration again...at least not in the near future. I found it very difficult to pray and I found myself more intrigued by the liturgy than enveloped into transcendent mystery. That being said, several students and other Jesuits had a more positive impression of it. Having now attended it, I can see why there is such a clamor for it. I would not make it the only liturgy celebrated, but if it facilitates the prayer of a significant number of the faithful then I see no reason not to offer it as an option. 


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've said before that my preference is that of a liturgical centrist: Novus Ordo, ad orientem with the unchanging prayers in Latin and the rest in the (properly translated) vernacular.

That out of the way, anything that draws someone closer to Christ and His Church, whether it's the TLM or bongos-and-kumbaya, should be given room in the Universal Church.

One man's opinion,

-J.

P.S. Feis...in New Mexico?

Anonymous said...

Wonderful Blog :) thankyou may God use all you write to bless many people :)

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