Denver Catholic

14 JUNE 24-JULY 7, 2017 | DENVER CATHOLIC Perspectives It's Howdy Doody Time! T hree or four times each month, Father X (as I'll call him here) celebrates the noontime daily Mass I regularly attend. I'm grateful for his homilies, which are almost always thoughtful. Thus in a recent com- mentary on Jesus's debate with the Saddu- cees over the resur- rection of the dead, Father X gave a lucid and moving explanation of the "commu- nion of saints" and how it functions in our Christian lives. The problem is not Father X's preaching. The problem is – if you'll permit me an AmChurch neologism – Father X's "presidential style." And then, boys and girls, it's Howdy Doody Time all over again. In his liturgical formation, Father X evidently didn't get the short memo that reads, "Do the red and say the black": that is, follow the rubrics in the Missal and don't mess around with the liturgical texts. Or perhaps Father X imagines himself a better stylist than those who translated the third edition of the Roman Missal into English. But whatever the causal- ity, Father X can't seem to help him- self – the temptation to jolly things up is an itch that has to be scratched. Thus the Gospel is always announced by "A reading from the Good News as proclaimed by St. ----." At the consecration, the institution narrative is changed so that the Lord passes the bread and wine rather than gives it. "The Lord be with you" is frequently prefaced by a "My sisters and brothers….", with an emphasis on the "with" that rings up – you guessed it – the Howdy Doody Show and its opening jingle. But Father X doesn't limit his rhe- torical and stylistic assaults on the liturgy to '50s TV re-runs. His invita- tion to "Lift up your HEARTS!" (the last word zoomed so that it's almost shouted) calls to mind an ecstatic radio announcer informing his Bay Area listeners that Steph Curry has won the game again by draining a buzzer-beater from six feet behind the three-point line. The Mass is the Mass, and we may thank God for the settled theo- logical principle of ex opera operato, which assures us that God's grace acts through earthen vessels, even priests who defy the rubrics and the proprieties. But Father X's insistence on turning parts of the Mass into the children's hour bespeaks several problems. In the fi rst instance, it suggests that the priest-celebrant is the master of the divine liturgy rather than its servant. In this case, that mastery too often turns Father X into a kind of ringmaster whose verbal antics, presumably intended to make the Mass more user-friendly, are a dis- traction from that toward which the Church's worship aims, according to the teaching of the Second Vatican Council: "The liturgy daily builds up those who are in the Church, making of them a holy temple of the Lord, a dwelling-place for God in the Spirit, to the mature measure of the fullness of Christ" (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, 2). Howdy Doody and Chris- tian maturity do not go together. Secondly, the jollying-up-by- dumbing-down of the liturgy bespeaks a clericalism that doesn't trust the lay faithful to "get it" without bells and whistles. I'm sorry, but that lack of trust is o• ensive. The "full, conscious, and active participation in liturgical celebrations…to which the Chris- tian people, ' a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a redeemed people' [1 Peter 2.9, 4-5] have a right and obligation by reason of their bap- tism" (Constitution on the Sacred Lit- urgy, 14) is not advanced when those Christian people are treated as if they were dimwits, or fi ve-year olds with short attention spans. There has been considerable progress made in the reform of the liturgical reform, not least by the restoration of sacral language to the Missal. As Cardinal Robert Sarah, prefect of the Vatican's Congrega- tion for Divine Worship, reminds us, recovering a sense of the liturgy's kingdom-dimension, its anticipation of the Lord's return in glory, is the next important step. Taking that step requires celebrating the liturgy as if it really were a foretaste of the Wed- ding Feast of the Lamb described in Revelation 19, not a knock-o• of the Howdy Doody Show. The Catholic Di¢ erence George Weigel is a distinguished senior fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C. GEORGE WEIGEL The feminine genius: A spark of wonder A n arti- cle is making the rounds on social media. Apparently a theater in Austin, Texas hosted a women-only screening of the new Wonder Woman movie. In response, one "gentleman" (I use the term loosely) named Richard Ameduri sent an email to Austin mayor Steve Adler protesting the event and threatening a boycott on the city. Ameduri's missive revealed his extremely low opinion of the fairer sex. Specifi cally: "Name something invented by a woman! Achievements by the second rate gender pale in comparison to virtually everything great in human history was accom- plished by men, not women." Gee, what a charmer. What made the story newsworthy was the mayor's clever response, in which he said that somebody had clearly hacked Ameduri's email, as surely he would not personally spout such nonsense. And then he went on to list the many, many inventions that women have brought to the world. I waited for the rest. But it never came. I wanted him to say something about women's other contributions. About how, as awesome and import- ant as women's inventions have been, we women don't need to invent any- thing to prove our worth as human persons. I wanted him to say some- thing about our other contributions to society — like, for instance, the fact that women have conceived, borne and nurtured pretty much every human being who has walked the face of the earth — including all of those inventors, male and female. About our uniquely feminine gifts, the "feminine genius" that St. John Paul II spoke of so frequently. About how the struc- ture of women's brains and women's anatomy, as well as our experience as women, give us unique relational and interpersonal skills that enhance the family . . . and the workplace . . . and every area of society. I certainly appreciate Mayor Adler's vigorous defense of women. But doesn't this whole exchange, on both sides, imply that we women are valuable only to the extent that we invent things, or serve in combat (another of Ameduri's complaints), or in some other way excel in tradition- ally masculine areas? Don't get me wrong — all posi- tive accomplishments are good and important. I am grateful to live in an era in which women work, and invent, and lead nations. As St. John Paul II repeatedly emphasized, women's gifts Guest Column Bonacci is a syndicated columnist based in Denver and the author of We're On a Mission from God and Real Love. MARY BETH BONACCI Progress usually tends to be measured according to the criteria of science and technology. Nor from this point of view has the contribution of women been negligible. Even so, this is not the only measure of progress, nor in fact is it the principal one. Much more important is the social and ethical dimension, which deals with human relations and spiritual values. In this area ... society certainly owes much to the 'genius of women'. ST. JOHN PAUL II, LETTER TO WOMEN. "

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