The Holy Father Gets It, Why Don't They?

I'm talking about modern architects who design churches that look more like barns or auditoriums than Churches. & then they have the gall to call them sacred spaces. The only thing that comes close to making many of them sacred is when, by some miracle, they actually include a tabernacle, that you know is a tabernacle.

On the other hand, I think they do get it. & that their doing what they do in designing these monstrosities is intentional. & certain bishops/archbishops/cardinals are intentionally abetting them because they have the same goals. (Did you get that Cardinal Mahony? We are on to you!)

Before I go on, I suppose I'd better explain what I mean by the Holy Father gets it. I am refering to his homily at the Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York. In it he talked mostly about the architecture of the Church. & its spiritual symbolism. Papa Benedetto did an excellent job of relating the 2. The design of a Church does matter is what he said. It functions to lift us up to Heavenly things. It serves to aide us in our worship. & above all, to glorify God. I will post the entire homily so you can read it yourself.

Now you see why I suspect maybe they do get it. By building these horribly designed buildings & foisting them off on us they are changing the focus. Instead of focusing on God & eternity, the focus is here now & us. God is pushed aside, if not entirely out, we are put center stage so we can worship ourselves instead.

1 other group that has again shown that it does nae get it is the media. MSNBC's sub-headline of the AP article on the Papal Mass reads Pontiff again addresses sex abuse scandal in service at iconic NYC church. Yes, he did say something, in passing, but they made it the heart of his homily. The heart was what I already mentioned. & Papa Benedetto's mention of it was to place it within the solution, returning God to center stage, where he belongs.

Of course they get the purpose of things in relation to the liturgy even less. During Easter it is usual for the celebrant to bless everyone with Holy Water as a reminder of our baptism. AP's writer wrote: "Benedict blessed the cathedral with holy water before making his way to the altar of the landmark church." No he didn't, he blessed the people.

I suspect the media doesn't want to get it. They know what they would have to do if they did. They don't want to. They don't want to repent, convert & let Jesus truly be Lord. They don't want the hope that is Christ. The only true hope.

Like I said, the Pope gets it, that is why he said what he did here. Put Christ back at the center. Lift Him up as Our Hope, not man.

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In the homily at St. Patrick's Papa Benedetto held up Venerable Fr. Michael McGivney as an example of what it truly means to be a priest.

Later he met with young people & seminarians at St. Joseph Seminary in Yonkers. The central theme of Christ Our Hope continued to be loudly proclaimed by Papa Benedetto as he has at every event.

This time he called the young people to a life of proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He lifted up 6 American saints, blesseds & venerables as examples. He warned that it won't be easy. There will be struggles, dangers & many trials. But with faith & prayer all these things can be overcome.

As I said, the Holy Father gets it, it's all about Jesus. Christ, crucified, died & risen, seated at the right hand of the Father. He who sends the Spirit to empower us to live as God wants us to. We need to have God there, at the center. The result when we don't is just as Papa Benedetto described in his talk to the youth. "My own years as a teenager were marred by a sinister regime that thought it had all the answers; its influence grew – infiltrating schools and civic bodies, as well as politics and even religion – before it was fully recognized for the monster it was. It banished God and thus became impervious to anything true and good. Many of your grandparents and great-grandparents will have recounted the horror of the destruction that ensued. Indeed, some of them came to America precisely to escape such terror." With our society trying to do the same, remove God from the public forum, he is warning us that something similar, or even worse could once again happen.

Again. MILLE GRAZIE!!!! Santo Papa. May the Spirt continue to bless you with all the gifts you need to proclaim the message of Christ Our Hope!