We would look rather stupid if we were the only ones here.

A common error

I know I am not the only one that has ever heard the saying:

“We would look rather stupid if we were the only ones here.”

While the saying might hold true in the free market where ideas are infinite and people worship at the thrown of the almighty dollar, it does not hold true for all things.  As you can guess I speak here of being Catholic and attending to the obligations presented there within.

Generally people will use this when something happens within the church that causes scandal or really challenges them on the way they are living or how they will be living in the future.  The person will cite the problem then say, “Don’t these so called “holy men” get it that if they keep this garbage up they will look really stupid if no one is here?”

Lets grant the possibility (lets call it a guarantee because really who are we kidding ourselves with CCD classes making macaroni crosses) that they are ignorant of the necessity of the priesthood and the indefectibility of Holy Mother Church.  Now you could say that they are speaking specifically about leaving one parish (or if you are uncomfortable with such pre-conciliar terms insert “Faith Community”) for another for whatever reason, but usually they are speaking about an outright leaving, commonly referred to as apostacy.

Let’s get one thing straight if someone is indifferent on the matter of being Catholic they need to receive a rebuke and be instructed on the matter way before something happens and they fall right into their own erroneious thoughts.

Even if it was just the priest by himself it would not matter.  This is because he is not dependent on You or I to offer the sacrifice of the Mass.  One of the biggest culprits of this matter is how after the council the altar was wrechovated or replaced so as to make mass facing the people the norm.  It because a people centered service and thus the perception that it's a show necessitating spectators.

Pope Benedict, while still a Cardinal spoke on this in his excellent book The Spirit of the liturgy, which I recommend to any lover of the sacred liturgy (hint all Catholics). 

So ask your priest where his focus is when celebrating the Mass, is it an offereing to the Father or to the people, or has he created a hybrid of the two?  Either way don’t let this foolish saying go unchallenged.

+JMJ+

+Pray for Peter+

+Pray for the Middle East+