Was there a GOOD point made in the sermon you heard at the Mass for your Sunday (obligation or none), either live or on the internet? Let us know what it was.
Too many people today are without good, strong preaching, to the detriment of all. Share the good stuff.
Also, are your churches opening up? What was attendance like? In a lot of places today the dispensation from Mass attendance was ended, so you were obliged to go.
If you are involved with preparing coffee and donuts after Mass (yes, this is returning) consider using Mystic Monk Coffee. Use my link. You help the monks, you help yourselves, you help me. A pretty good deal.
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“Less than optimal”
I love that Fr. Z.
Thank you for the only Mass available to a Catholic Family in Chile South America. Jim
I asked everyone if they were woke. Then went on to explain what it means and give two examples from my own life. You can listen on my website.
No, there was a “pastoral letter”, composed by a committee of the Bishops’ Conference Secretariat (so no signature or date). The subject was the Holy Spirit and the Environment; now I am keen on environmental action, and particularly on the need to be inspired by the Holy Spirit in our stewardship of the earth, but this was insipid stuff, typical committee verbiage, long-winded, lacking in challenge. In an age where we have let Satan infect environmentalism with evils such as reducing the population by killing babies we need call the faithful to positive action, not just closing our eyes to our dereliction of duty.
The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. (Gen. 2:15 RSV)
here the dispensation from the obligation has just now expired. attendance was not nearly as good as it was at Easter or the Sundays of Lent (excluding the one with a blizzard) – about 120-150 in attendance, which is pretty much in line with the post-Easter Sundays where the dispensation was still in place. pre-lockdown attendance was more like 400-500.
the gifts of the Holy Spirit are gifts. they are not of our own doing, but our sins hinder them. without those gifts of the Holy Spirit this world would be very nearly hell itself.
Byzantine rite. Today is the first week that the little police-tape dividers were removed from every other pew. (Congregation still in masks though)
Deacon preached that the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost for the time after Pentecost…i.e. now.
Last week our bishop announced that as of today (May 24th) masking and social distancing are not required, we no longer need to sign up for Mass, and the ropes on every second pew will be removed. The obligation is still suspended though.
Father compared 2 aspects of the Pentecost with events in the Old Testament. The tongues of flame that burn but do not consume remind us of Moses and the burning bush. The burning bush got Moses’ attention and began his calling to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. In the same way the flames at Pentecost lead the disciples to their ministry. A second event is the fact that those present were able to understand the apostles even though they all spoke different languages. Contrast this with the Tower of Babel where those building this tower to Man rather than God lost the ability to communicate; at Pentecost this is now reversed.
We also need to let the Holy Spirit work within us; we need to realize that we fall into sin and need to get right with God through the sacrament of Confession.
Byzantine rite, seat of the controversy. Father’s homily was about the flames of Pentcost and how it was those same flames that will be prsent when the visiting Roman Catholic Transitional Deacon who will be ordained in a week and a half is ordained.
This was the 2nd Sunday without pews being roped off; Palm Sunday was quite busy and our choir loft is open for seating as we don’t have a choir, but we opened some pews when some elderly people arrived because no way are they climbing to the choir loft. The ropes are being stored in case of future need.
The statewide mask mandate has been lifted; however, in the city, it has not, purportedly because insufficient POC have been vaccinated. The mandate applies to government offices and any public accommodation. A church is not a public accommodation so I haven’t worn a mask at church the last couple of weeks although most people did.