What do we do when we synodize?

At Crisis there is a scorching, rousing piece by Fr. John Perricone about the synodal (“walking together”) process as a form of naval gazing.  It’s quite a read:

The Synodal “listening sessions” can easily be dismissed as another parlor game, most certainly passé by tomorrow. But that would be naïve. It is far darker. These sessions are a capitulation to the zeitgeist on a universal scale. It is the tip of the iceberg, concealing beneath a massive project of deconstruction. While many Catholics may not appreciate its true danger, it still seeps into their souls like a colorless, odorless gas that kills.

This got me thinking about a tune from this blog’s official parodohymnodist, Fr. Ferguson.   He composed some lyrics waaaaaay back in the 80’s about the parish program much in vogue at the time: Renew.   Remember that?

Anyway, the “process” and “renew” strike me as having common elements.

Here’s the song, to the tune of the Burt Bacharach song, I’ll New Fall In Love Again).

What do we do when we do RENEW?
We get together and we read some scripture
we drink some coffee and we hug each other.
I’m never going to Mass agaaaaain,
I’m never going to Mass again.

Don’t tell me what it’s all about
the words we say don’t have any meaning,
one of these days you’ll wake up and see,
we’re laying out a new heresy!

What do we do when we do RENEW?
We get together, then we write some scripture
we drink more coffee then we hug each other.
I’m never going to Mass agaaaaaaain,
I’m never going to Mass again.

What do we do when we synodize?

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
This entry was posted in Linking Back, Synod, What are they REALLY saying? and tagged , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

6 Comments

  1. Not says:

    Yes Father, They don’t need the pretense of a “Pastoral Council” i.e. VaticanII. They can now willy nilly water down or ignore Catholic Doctrine. I always give the example of altar girls .Find me the discussion in VaticanII. The Church does have rules against it. If they can’t change it, ignore it. Or , if the priest is too old or infirm that communion would take a longer time (oh my !) ,he may be assisted, step in eucharistic ministers, men, women, all with unconsecrated hands.

  2. Lurker 59 says:

    The phrase that jumps into my mind when I read about the Syn. on Syn. is, “Let the dead bury the dead.”

    There is a certain false hope, a hidden pride, that assumes that “I am the one to fix things”, “We are the change that we can believe in”. Yet if one rushes into the water to save a drowning person who is flailing around, to do something, they will take you down with them. It is clear that these Managers of Syn. have no faith and attempting to help them to have faith won’t work and will likely lead to the loss of yours.

    If you have ever been engaged in apologetics there comes a point in the discussion when the other person is either on board with the process of seeking truth or is clinging to darkness, like a dog with a bone. They have become, dare I say it, ridged – a rigor mortis has set in while they still live.

    The Syn. on Syn. and its Managers are irrelevant, passé, and old-hat before they have even spoken. Why bother? The response for Catholics who seek Christ is to seek Christ all the more. These Managers cannot take Christ or His Church from you, as it doesn’t belong to them, though they pretend that it does. That is so important to remember for it is where true joy resides. We belong to Christ and those that don’t want to, won’t.

    The best thing to do is not to engage, but to put up warning signs, big bold and in red “Toxic. Radioactive. Immanant Spiritual Death. Stay away.”

    The thing about middle managers is that, while they can make your life miserable, they don’t have the power to fire you. So do your job, that is be Catholic, collect your paycheck, and go home (to heaven).

  3. Dan says:

    I am thinking of the test run of the synod results that came in the form of Traditionis Custodes, the reasoning for the jailing of tradition was sited as a poll of all? certain? bishops which no one has ever seen the actual responses to.

    With the listening sessions, those compiling the results in Rome can pick and choose to highlight almost any response as the predominate response. I am sure the results of listening will produce almost ever idea under the sun and a few from the depths of hell.

    Like with traditionis I think a document will come out citing what was heard in the sessions calling for even more openness and inclusiveness and dialog so long as it has nothing to do with anything that came before 1965. In fact anything that came before 1965 will be outright forbidden as being harmful to the faith based on what was heard in the “listening sessions” I wouldn’t be surprised if the documents doing so have not been already written.

    I am not sure if I am being pessimistic of not in this prediction. But God is permitting the church to suffer right now, and I think it may be through allowing us our own devices. I am reminded of the Jewish people. “We want a king we want a king” God says you do not need a king you have me, “we want a king!!! all our friends have kings!” Fine have a king and see how that works out for you.
    I think we are in the same type of situation now.

  4. Dave P. says:

    I hope the Synod documents have the right cover sheet for their TPS Reports…

  5. Kathleen10 says:

    What do they get when we synodize,
    They get pointless words and pain and sorrow,
    it’s bad today but it’s worse tomorrow
    I’ll…never go to Mass aga…aiin…I’ll…never go to Mass again…

    Don’t tell Catholics what it’s all about
    We’ve read your sappy words and we’re glad we’re out,
    Out of the Church of weird Cosmology
    We prefer, Catholic theology!

    So what did we get when we synodized….
    We drove all the Catholics to the Latin Rite
    Where they have found, peace, truth and light,
    I’m…never gonna synodize aga…aiin…I’m…never gonna synodize again.

    bad poetry is cathartic. :)

  6. Pingback: MONDAY EDITION – Big Pulpit

Comments are closed.