Catholicism is a little bit like a secret club. Catholics have rites of initiation, regular meetings, and it seems that people who aren’t Catholic don’t know exactly what Catholic doctrine is. After all, the majority of Catholics don’t know what their church teaches… but that is neither here nor there.
The kicker concerning Catholics is that their worship is so different. The standing up, the sitting down, the kneeling, the standing back up… It is like Simon Says without a winner. As if this wasn’t enough to confuse the ordinary visitor, the flood of call and responses can be quite overwhelming:
The Lord be with you. –And with your spirit
Lift up your hearts. –We lift them up to the Lord
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. –It is right and just
The Lord be with you. –And with your spirit
Go in peace. –Thanks be to God
This is only a small sample, but the list could go on and on. Somehow Catholics just simply know what they are supposed to say. Yet, all that is changing.
With the start of advent, the new English Translation of the Roman Missal is now in use. And now, for a few weeks at least, everybody will be equally confused. I see this as an opportune time to join the church. Of course I think that all the time is an opportune time to join the church.
It is mildly amusing to be in a seminary at this historic time. For many of us, it is a matter of pride to get all the responses correct. “And with your Spirit” tends to be a little bit louder in order that all the bumpkins who are saying “And also with you” are drowned out. For quite a while, there will be a lot of “and also with your spirit” going around. It is difficult to teach an old dog new tricks. Especially a dog as old as the Church.
I think it is going to end up being a little bit like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luU9j6mPKe4
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