robin or rebecca would have drawn blood

we went to the most liturgically incorrect mass EVER yesterday.

now, i'm not exactly a liturgy snob. i've been known to enjoy guitars in church, *gasp*! i enjoy going to church in a variety of languages and cultures. but this was over the top. i'm telling the pope.

i don't really speak or understand french, so i only caught a small percentage of it. but it WAS clear that the readings were replaced with poetry and speeches about imprisoned journalists. and the creed was exchanged for a "modern" one, that started out with: we believe in a unique god, and we believe in a free god who created freedom and created man. we believe in love and in the language of love. it ended like this: we believe in the church that we formed in the name of jesus, and in the Light, the Freedom, and the Strength of Love.

as my dad would say, "gag me with a spoon." what are these people going to take home with them? how will anything that they heard in those TWO hours affect their lives? yes, love and justice are good. but there was no mention of HOW to love more, or HOW this particular group of (mainly retired) belgians can make the world a more just place.

they missed completely the reason why we attend mass. we go to church to learn (through prayer, scripture, and a few words from the priest) how we can change ourselves for the better, consequently changing the lives of those around us for better. we do not go to mass to hear the latest count of jailed journalists.

i read an article recently (i don't remember what religion the author was, but i don't think she was christian) that distinguished between prayer and meditation. she said that prayer involves asking or requesting, but meditation involves listening and hearing. yes, catholics believe that meditation is one of the types of prayer, but don't get your panties in a bunch. i'm not sure what more-educated catholics say on this matter, but i believe mass is the prime time to both ask and listen. the rest of the week is for actions, for social justice, and for educated ourselves on the injustices of the world. sunday mass is a "recharging" of sorts, not a time to discuss wronged people that we will never help. am i right?