9 February 2020

We are justly afflicted

The Septuagesima propers confess our corporate sinfulness to God and confess that we are justly afflicted for our sins.

As we face the possibility of a major epidemic, journalists perform their ancient ritual of clustering round 'Christian leaders' to ask them how a loving God can behave so terribly badly.

The abolition of the Septuagesima message was, pastorally, perhaps the greatest apostasy of the 1960s. How badly the world needs this teaching.

2 comments:

Patrick Sheridan said...

After folded chasubles were abolished (and not by Paul VI), Septuagesima had to go. Without them, it's three more weeks of violet.

Josephus Muris Saliensis said...

Mr Sheridan makes a very interesting and wider point. Nothing in this life, but particularly in the Liturgy, may be seen in isolation. All things are connected.

An FSSP friend made a similar point to me recently about the Novus Ordo calendar and the practice of transferring feats off occurring Sundays being a logical consequence of the abolition of Commemorations. Just as, a reign earlier, the loss of vigils of many feasts was a logical sequence to the abolition of 1st Vespers commems for most feasts. Unintended consequences. Or were they always unintended?