Down at the post True Love, someone has asked the question, 'What do you mean by infiltration of Protestantism?'
Would anyone want to tackle that? You can post your comments here, or write a short for/against piece and have it posted as a guestblogger.
A taste of Protestantism that my family has experienced would be present in the Teen Mass on Sunday evenings. The atmosphere is condusive to a rock concert. We only attended once and even my youngest son commented: "Is this mass?" Somewhere, lost in the drums and electric guitars that adorn the altar area, was the Blessed Sacrament. The central focus of the mass, the Holy Eucharist, must not be forgotten or diminished, lest we become a building of worship undistinguishable from our Protestant brothers and sisters.
ReplyDeleteGood point, anonymous. To play devil's advocate, I think some believe the mass is boring for teens, and that livening it up with praise and worship music will attract more young people.
ReplyDeleteHas it? I think not. Teens today have access to entertainment 24/7- through their cell phones, I-pods, etc. Attending mass should provide an environment that cries "This is a holy place".
ReplyDeleteTeresa of Avila said...
ReplyDeleteGood point about teen access to 24/7 entertainment. Here's a quote for you from Antonio Cardinal Cañizares Llovera, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments:
"Young people and children should participate in liturgies celebrated with great dignity, which are entirely permeated by the mystery of God in which the individual knows himself to be included. Active participation does not mean to do something, but to enter into the worship and the silence, into listening and also the prayer of petition and all that which really constitutes the liturgy. As long as that does not happen, there will be no liturgical renewal. We have to turn around one hundred eighty degrees. Youth ministry should be a place where the encounter with the living Christ in the Church takes place . Where Jesus Christ appears as someone of yesterday, neither liturgical education nor active participation is possible. As long as the awareness of the living Christ does not awake again, nothing will come of the much-needed renewal."
Something to think about.
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ReplyDeleteThe above post was deleted at the poster's request.
ReplyDeleteWe do not need to adjust Catholicism to attract the teens. Statistics show that the younger generation is similar in faith and practice to their grandparents, not parents. Witness the crowds of youth who attend visits by the Pope. We don't need hats in Mass. Young people can cut straight through hypocrisy.
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