Confused Catholics

The post about the production and filming of a secular video in a Catholic Church as a "business endeavour" and career promotion has revealed in a small way just how far the Catholic faithful have fallen. Some have lost their respect for that which is sacred -- set apart for that which is holy. It has also revealed a disgusting underbelly from badly behaving Catholics; profanity, vulgarity, the dyspeptic mutterings of those who clearly forgot their "meds" and have engaged in what can only be described as speckle-fitted rage. The producer of the video has sat by whilst these minions have unleashed a torrent of abuse on those who came with concerns and in private. At some point, a public scandal (a video of secular music performed in a Catholic church by one inappropriately dressed for being in a church, see St. Peter's Basilica dress code, below) must be met with a public challenge.  

When one defends the Church and Her liturgy and decorum from those who would abuse both, the reaction shows itself from whence it comes. When the abuse comes from Catholics who should know better, it is worse and it shows them to be nothing more than liturgical fetishists and abusers of the sacred for their own narcissistic gain and promotion.

Let's just look at this which I deleted from the combox:

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Ignition Sequence Fail - IgniteTV crashes with its...":

I would have excused my language, but you are too ridiculous to justify doing so. You guys need to f--- off. There is nothing sacrilegious about her playing that song in the church. I feel that she is expressing herself, in an inoffensive way, and you need to calm down. God might have been a huge influence for her in her music. Maybe she is paying homage to that? You need to get your heads out of your asses, and stop looking for things to complain about. The world is a dark enough place without your cancerous attitudes. She is going to go far, regardless of your criticism, and I sure as hell hope her next video is filmed in a church.

OH THE IRONY.

Ps. You're perverted for finding the shoe thing to be erotic.

"Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." (Exodus 3:5)

Maybe she just has MORE respect for the church that you a--holes.

PEACE

Posted by Anonymous to Vox Cantoris at Thursday, 27 June 2013 23:32:00 GMT-4 

 Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Ignition Sequence Fail - IgniteTV crashes with its...":

It is quite interesting that you have no shame in sharing with the internet world that you and your wife are turned on by feet. I know you probably don't believe this, but most people do not see feet and think "erotic and sexual." Most people see feet and think "feet."

There is nothing sexual about that video and it is disturbing that you find an innocent video of an eighteen year old girl and a one second clip of her feet and call it porn.

Also, there are nuns who don't wear shoes in church. And performances don't have to contain "God God God God God" in it to be praising God. We're called to give praise to God with our talents in all we do...which shockingly doesn't require us to go around only saying "God God God God" all day like the seagulls from Finding Nemo.

Posted by Anonymous to Vox Cantoris at Friday, 28 June 2013 00:01:00 GMT-4 

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Ignition Sequence Fail - IgniteTV crashes with its...":

Honestly, this is a pathetic attack on a talented girl's career. It's sickening to see that Catholics such as yourselves would think of PORNOGRAPHY when you see a pair of feet. (It must be hard for you people to enjoy yourselves at the beach then). It's very obvious that this is simply a girl who's trying to be comfortable while playing her piano. As for playing in a church, WHY NOT? It's music that appreciates GOD. Name a better place than that! Honestly, this is an innocent video that strict Catholics are taking into the wrong context. As the previous person said, "You are what is wrong with the Church."

Posted by Anonymous to Vox Cantoris at Thursday, 27 June 2013 23:13:00 GMT-4 

There are other examples.

We live now in a dark period in the Church. When the Church is weak the culture of the world decays. It is our fault as Catholics. We've not been to the Sacrament of Reconciliation in years, maybe decades and we live a life devoid of the grace of God through His Son's redeeming blood and the Holy Spirit. We dress for Mass in ways unbecoming of Catholics, we talk in Church when it is not absolutely necessary. We treat the liturgy as our own little play thing to every whim we have. We fail to receive the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist properly, on the tongue at least and worse, we do it in a state of mortal sin. We fornicate before marriage leaving the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony a fallacy, but we expect Holy Mother Church to bless our own inability to control our libidos and respect the spiritual well-being of the other. We develop a thought pattern that explains away everyone's choices as relativistic. Sodomy is fine, who are you to tell me how to use my body, is is my choice to murder my young.

If every Catholic practised their faith would abortion be an issue in society, would so called, same-sex marriage to say nothing of the economic crimes being committed against one another? The world is becoming a hostile and dangerous place for believing Christians and Catholics in particular.

Priest-blogger, Father Z has a saying, "Save the Liturgy, Save the World." Nothing is more true. When we worship God properly, in truth and holiness, in reverence and beauty, we give the Holy Trinity the honour and worship due to them and we receive from that worship the grace to change the world.

We all must change how we approach the church and the liturgy. If we dress for church as if it were a casual barbecue or a jazz club this is inappropriate, it can be sinful. If we use a church for other than its purpose especially for self-promotion or a business purpose, we have defiled the sanctuary and turned the House of God into our own. If we stand in the sanctuary and pose for pictures as if we were a theatrical troupe, we have defamed the Holy of Holies for our own narcissistic benefit. We need to stop doing this. This is important because this is where it starts. If we can't dress properly for Mass; if we are so puffed up with our own prideful arrogance to think that the dwelling place of the Lord is just another space to be rented and used for own own gain, we have erred. If at the same time we do all of this, but we purport to love Jesus and the Mass, we are hypocrites. If you don't believe me, ask your grandmother, she will remember and she will tell you the truth.

If this is our attitude over the sacraments and the church building, what then of Mass? Do we even know what it is or why we go on Sunday, or do we? We go to the Divine Liturgy to worship the Triune God in truth and holiness. We go first to worship and adore Him, to thank Him for His blessings, to ask forgiveness for our sins and to seek out from Him, our needs. That is it friends. It is not about us, or community, it is about Him. When we debase the liturgy for our own purpose, we debase God. Do you not know yet what you are witnessing at Mass? Has it been so forgotten? You are witnessing the fulfilment of the thanksgiving offering of  Melchizedek, the Sacrifice of Isaac and the Passover of the Lord all as precursors to the one, pure sacrifice of Our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary, re-presented at the hands of the priest, offered in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world to the Father, by the Son and through the Holy Spirit. 

Do we get that? Is that not the most magnificent and precious moment in the world?; and we debase it by our refusal in our puffed-up pride to worship as Holy Mother Church has asked us.

We are to be transformed by this worship and transformation does not mean we become wimps. John the Baptist, Saints Peter and Paul whose feast we just celebrated, the other Apostles and early martyrs, these were not wimps. The Fathers of the Church spoke out, boldly, they were not afraid who was offended  by the truth. The martyred Father Francois Murad, beheaded by Islamists was no wimp. Being meek does not mean being silent. Being prudent does not mean not being corrective.

We need to speak the truth about what is wrong in the Church, on the larger picture with the infiltration of homosexuals, Marxists and Freemasons who seek to destroy Her and us and on the local level with those who use the sanctuary for their own narcissistic pleasure and gain. People are going to be offended by the truth; let them be offended. At the end of the day, you and I have a responsibility by our baptism and confirmation to speak up, to challenge that which is wrong and to do our duty as Christians.  

If we still wonder what is wrong with the world it is because we have failed in our love for the liturgy and the truth of the Holy Mass. It is up to each and every Catholic to behave properly at Mass and to use the church for its right purpose.