As The Spirit Moves Us
Posted by: tony on 11/04/2007 08:11 PM
Updated by: tony on 11/10/2007 06:30 PM
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Expires: 12/05/2007 12:00 AM
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 Penni from Martha, Martha... gets a lot out of the charismatic, laying on hands style of healing prayer. She points back to comments I made on one of her other posts:
Go in peace, to love and serve the Lord!" says the presiding Priest...
"Thanks be to God," is how we all respond.
in my question about prayer after Mass, below, Tony came in from Catholic Pillow Fight, as he is wont to do when there is a discussion about The Church [ed.- Yup, I pop up like some sort of evil genie. :)], and in his parting comments said
I guess I did misunderstand you. After the priest says: "The Mass is ended, go in peace to love and serve the Lord" and processes out, you can pray however you'd like.
my whole point was how nice it would be if the priest could stay at the front of the church and call people up who desired prayer or being prayed over or for (if the intercessory prayers didn't quite cover it for them for whatever reason), but Tony's viewpoint is that it should be left in our hands to do whatever we want after the priest processes out, or to meet up with people afterward and have our own prayer service.
Precisely. The Mass is the Mass. The Missal is promulgated by the Pope beneath the wings, and inspired by the breath of the Holy Spirit. It is sufficient and complete exactly as it has been promulgated.
I guess I did understand you correctly.
what if something stirred within me during the Mass? isn't it best to do things when the Spirit moves you to do so? are we not to be guided by the Holy Spirit at all times?
Sure, but if you are guided by the Holy Spirit, and He is telling you to do something different from the Vicar of Christ and the Magesterium of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church, then either you are wrong, or he is wrong. If you assume that he is wrong, then you open up a whole Pandora's box of doubt about the divine inspiration of the Pope and Christ's Church. If you don't believe that the Pope is correct about this, how can you be Catholic? This is fundamental. All Catholics have to come to grips with Apostolic authority. The whole "keys to the Kingdom" thing.
i can't say that the Spirit would be willing once the doors are closed or that It wouldn't; what i am saying is it seems to me we are missing a great opportunity of reaching people who are hurting, who lead fractured lives that could use a healing touch...people could come up for prayer without even saying what is *wrong* with them - they may not even know themselves - but could God not use someone in a huge and mighty way at that moment in time because it was appointed as such?
It all depends on what "spirit" is moving you. Is it the Holy Spirit, member with Jesus and The Father of The Trinity? Or is it some other spirit, such as the "spirit" of Vatican II?
Those who are hurting and lead fractured lives are prime candidates for frequent Confession. This is the perfect mechanism, designed by God, to promote healing. Or if they need more "intense therapy", they could find a spiritual director. You can tell your sins to anyone you want and ask for advice. Only a spiritual director cannot grant sacramental absolution unless he is also a priest. You can have a spiritual director pray over you, or possibly even bless you if they are a priest of deacon.
I'm going to take the opportunity to nit-pick (big surprise), and say that if you are talking about the Holy Spirit, it's "He" (but I did notice the capitalization of "It", which I have to assume is to acknowledge His Godhood but still avoid that hated pronoun).
i don't know - i feel like it should be a "strike while the iron is hot" opportunity for those who wish for prayer to be able to approach during their time of need, and there would be no better time than after Mass has concluded, after we have listened to the Word and received Jesus in the Eucharist: Jesus in me meeting the Jesus in you.
Well, you "do" have a captive audience. That's one reason why many priests give announcements after Communion and before the final dismissal (not really licit). But why subject people to the way the "spirit" moves you?
I think it would be neato to do Eucharistic Benediction immediately after Communion and before the final dismissal. Heck, it'll only take an extra 15 minutes, and I think it would benefit you too. What would be better than to worship our God in the Blessed Sacrament that He just provided to us?
Well, my idea is a no-no because it's illicit.
what could be more peace-filled than that?
An hour of adoration. Was that a trick question?
Update: I misrepresented Penni. She corrected me:
and by the way -- i do believe in the Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. and i do happen to refer to God as my Father, and the Spirit as a "He." what i wrote was a typo
Sorry about that.
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