Catholic Liturgical Liberals Are So Predictable - Redux

Yesterday, I blogged about the liturgical liberals' favored tactic of attacking efforts at liturgical reform by changing the subject to the myriad of problems facing the Church and the world.

According to the liberals, the Church is wasting its precious time by focusing on implementing Liturgiam Authenticam when it should be addressing "the Scandal" and priest shortages (read: by ordaining priestesses and/or allowing for more lay participation in administering the Sacraments) and solving all the problems of a fallen world.

Following up on that post, below is the text of a letter that I have sent to the editors of the Toledo diocesan newspaper, the Catholic Chronicle, in response to 3 letters it published attacking the liturgical changes recently adopted for the English translation of the Roman Rite. Although I cribbed from yesterday's post (and plagiarized from Publius' comment to that post), I toned down the letter somewhat in the interest of getting it printed.

Last month, the Catholic Chronicle ran 3 letters responding to Bishop Blair's August column in which he addressed the changes recently adopted for the English translation of the Roman liturgy. All 3 letters expressed concern that the Church was wasting its precious time bothering with liturgical reform when there are so many problems in the world, including the "recent difficulties and challenges the Church has had to deal with".

The implication being that the Church can't walk and chew gum at the same time. Or rather, that the Church can't tackle the important issue of providing its members with authentic worship according to the Latin Rite while at the same time addressing matters of social justice.

But we've heard all this before. Jesus Himself was faced with a similar challenge from Judas Iscariot, who claimed that the expensive ritual oil used to annoint the feet of Our Lord was wasted because such oil could have been sold and the money used to help the poor.

One can't help but wonder, if there are so many "much more important issues" out there, why those who are so concerned about these issues spend their precious time fighting the liturgical reforms tooth and nail? Don't they think their time could be better used addressing the issues they raise?

James T. "Jay" Anderson
Norwalk St. Mary

Previous Pro Ecclesia posts on this subject:
Catholic Liturgical Liberals Are So Predictable