Very, very 2020:
Priests in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe have been threatened with suspension if their homilies go over the prescribed five-minute limit set by the archbishop on account of his fears of the faithful being longer in church during the COVID outbreak.
Yesterday, British journalist Damian Thompson published a photograph of instructions from the vicar general of the Santa Fe archdiocese to priests. They contained a severe reproof to priests who have apparently been frightening the faithful by preaching for more than five minutes.
“We’ve received reports of some homilies going well over the 5 minute limit set by the Archbishop,” wrote Fr. Glennon Jones.
“This not only increases exposure time to others, but increases the discomfiture to many congregants, to the point of some not attending Mass because of it,” he continued.
“If such long homilies continue, the AB will consider severer [sic] actions for subject clergy, up to and including possible suspension of the faculty to preach.”
Go here to read the rest. PopeWatch is a fan of short sermons but this is simple hysteria.
Zeal for the Salvation of Souls Factor. Like a thief in the night; you do not know the day or time.
Theology question: If you contract China virus at Mass and die, You go straight to Heaven, right? Asking for a friend.
Seriously, people: When your number’s up; you’re number’s up. If you are under 77 years old; do not have serious high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, do not live in a nursing home or suffer in a dying, democrat hell hole, etc. your survival probability is approximately 98%. I’ll take those odds to the race track everyday.
Whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.
Maybe the Bishop is right. Priests should imitate Jesus and create a parable around the teaching they wish to communicate. Jesus parables are memorable, actionable and can be given in 5 minutes or less.
In general, Catholic priests are (in my experience) better preachers than their mainline protestant counterparts. The finest preacher I’ve ever encountered was a Melkite priest, born in Syria, who died in 2011. He’d been building a file of sermons since 1948. They were precisely formatted and each one derived from the week’s Gospel. He’d update them irregularly. “Whenever I find something from the Church Fathers, I grab it”. I do wish his deacon would preserve them properly and self-publish a volume. They weren’t long-winded, but they were longer than five minutes. I think all priests should do it this way. AFAIK, he was unique.
T. Shaw – I dunno. If you get old people sick. does it count as euthanasia?
A more serious reply: I go up for Communion on the tongue, and while I hope I don’t die, I’d be ok with it. I also appreciate the prudent precautions being practiced at my parish. Our numbers are down, and while I hope that’s due to summer vacations, the truth is probably mostly fear. You can address that by teaching fortitude and devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, but also by acting responsibly.
Only five minutes? Wow. That’s about five minutes too long. In my parish the priest would blurt out guncontrolecuminism.
Hearing a great sermon is an essential joy, rare though, the experience. Coupled with the lack of, near locally nonexistent, Latin masses, not to mention hymns with organ accompaniment, it is evident that church leaders aren’t all about evangelizing the starving youth or feeding souls. Reading rich sermons written for the glory of our Lord in days of yore helps. Things are so stifled.
Alas. My natal state has descended into madness. Almost glad I don’t live there. In any case, this 69-yearold diabetic, being currently treated for breast cancer does not avoid Mass. I think, sometimes. Of scenes I have seen in movies, of Mass in war zones. Besides, if our priest shows up, I can respect him enough to do likewise.