Diogenes of CWN wrote something amusing about Pope Benedict and the Jesuits (emphasis mine).
Yesterday, the Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Sodano celebrated Mass for a "pilgrimage" of Jesuits and Jesuit collaborators in St. Peter’s Basilica. After the Mass [can you blame him?] Pope Benedict arrived and addressed the assembly…
This reminds me of and old chestnut about how you know of the Masses of different religious orders was successful or not (with a large grain of salt, of course). So, how do you know?
A Mass by Benedictines is successful if more than half the notes were sung correctly.
A Mass by Domincans is successful if more than half of them show up for it.
A Mass by Jesuits is successful if more than half of them are still there by the end.
A Mass of Franciscans is successful if more than half of them are still uninjured.
While clearly an exaggeration, there is a kernel of truth in these stereotypes. Today, however, this could probably be better applied to parishes, rather than religious orders, no? Where would yours fit?
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“Benedictine”, without question.
…sigh…
A mass at our parish is successful if the sum of the obvious liturgical abuses and the affirmed heresies is less than six.
Lydia: ROFL — initially, I guess, though on further thought I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. But may I inquire where you came up with the number 6 in this regard. I lean toward 7 myself, if I count such mild abuses (if that) as
— 20 personal requests offered from the floor as “prayers of the faithful” (following 7 or 8 general intercessions offered by the priest)
— widespread hand-holding during the Our Father
— such a melee at the Rite of Peace that the priest has to wait for it to subside before beginning the Agnus Dei
What do you count?
I once had a priest remark that one could always tell if it was
a Jesuit saying the Mass by the number of women that were around
the altar.