The Sign of the Cross

lilacturtl:

signum-crucis:

humilismedominus:

awkwardbutaccurate:

lilacturtl:

humilismedominus:

awkwardbutaccurate:

lilacturtl:

humilismedominus:

galesofnovember:

lilacturtl:

shortbreadsh:

humilismedominus:

No. Never. Serving at the alter is connected far too much with the Priesthood, which is for men only always and forever. Nuns do not help serve a Mass, a licit one at least.

Who do you think serves the…

You are a Lutheran. You don’t have a valid service or….well…anything. The only thing your girl is a part of is, sadly, your heresy. I do hope you lead your family back to the True Religion. Praying for you. 

Lord please be with humilusmedominus. Give him the strong faith in your love and grace that he needs to be cleared of anxiety about his salvation. Remove from him the doubts he expresses about the power of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus name, amen.

Humilismedominus, please familiarize yourself with Church teaching, thanks.

And what teaching would that be? Canon 230? Modernist documents? Show me a Pre-Vatican II document ever expressing a desire for female altar servers, from the very beginning to 1983. Show me the Scripture verse that says that women can serve in ministry. Show me a Church Father/saint quote that expresses how excellent Altar girls are. Show me a female saint that served the Mass. If you can do all of that then I will support the new invention of Altar Girls. Church teaching extends 2000 years in the past. Good luck. 

Vatican II and the current pope aren’t Catholic enough for you? Sounds like you’re as much in schism as Luther.

Man, I ain’t even mad anymore. This is just funny.

I’m dying.

Vatican II and the subsequent teaching of the Church are binding, Humilis, whether you want to believe it or not.

So I will not show you anything. Do your own research, and decide for yourself whether or not you want to believe that the Holy Spirit still moves the Church, or whether she abandoned the Church in 1962.

The Holy Spirit can never abandon the Catholic Church. I will never say that either.

Pope John Paul II told Mother Teresa that as long as he was Pope, there would never be altar girls. Two days later she was greatly shocked by the nonsensical clarification of liturgical law permissive of altar girls from the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. What happened in 1994? The Holy Father was in the hospital. The prefect took it upon himself to make the change. Afterwards, the Pope was furious. He told Mother Teresa that he allowed the change to stand because he did not want the public scandal of a Vatican fighting itself. If you look at the document in the ACTA, you will note that it is signed by the prefect, but the Pope never put his name to it.Cardinal Ratzinger was a close friend and supporter of the Pope and he did not forget those who took advantage of Pope John Paul II.
-Fr Joe in the comments at http://www.firstthings.com/blogs/firstthoughts/2010/08/05/the-rise-of-the-altar-girls/

With his customary application, Paul studied the history of the Church’s attitude to the issue and current Church legislation. He did more. He heard that Mother Teresa of Calcutta had spoken to the Pope on the subject, so he rang her one evening in India. She told him— “Don’t worry, the Holy Father promised me that he would never permit altar girls.”
http://www.superflumina.org/brazier_tribute.html

The Holy See respects the decision adopted by certain Bishops for specific local reasons on the basis of the provisions of Canon 230 2. At the same time, however, the Holy See wishes to recall that it will always be very appropriate to follow the noble tradition of having boys serve at the altar. As is well known, this has led to a reassuring development of priestly vocations. Thus the obligation to support such groups of altar boys will always continue.
http://www.ewtn.com/library/curia/cdwcomm.htm

Regardless of where one stands on the issue, it should give us pause that many Catholics, from the pious in the pews to prelates in the Vatican, stand in fear of being stigmatised as supporters of a 4,000-year-old tradition, faithfully kept by God’s chosen people from the days of Abraham until the Catholic Church began changing its practices in the 1970s.
G. K. Chesterton once complained of would-be reformers that they “do not know what they are doing because they do not know what they are undoing.”
http://www.catholicity.com/commentary/mfoley/08626.html

The Mass is essentially nuptial; Christ the Bridegroom is embracing his Bride the Church and the two become one flesh. The priest is acting not only, as they say, in persona Christi (in the person of Christ), but in persona Christi Capitis et Sponsi (in the person of Christ the Head and Bridegroom). The sanctuary, which by liturgical law is to be clearly separated from the nave (which is one of the functions of the kneelers in our chapel that serve as an altar rail), is the place of the Bridegroom (and “groomsmen”). The nave is the place of the Bride, the Church.The priest acts in the person of Christ the Son, who is the Icon and Word of the Father. The relation of the Father to Creation (as that of Christ to the Church, which is its fulfillment in the order of Redemption) is nuptial or spousal. The priest also offers Christ’s Sacrifice to the Father. While men are neither holier, superior, nor more worthy than women, women cannot participate symbolically in the work of Christ in the same way men can. This is, at least in part, the theological foundation for the Church’s unbroken tradition over almost two millennia of permitting only men or boys to serve at the altar or proclaim God’s Word. http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=4647

Parishes With All-Male Altar Service Corps Tout the Benefits
http://romancatholicvocations.blogspot.com/2009/01/boys-will-be-altar-boys.html

Service at the altar was tied to the idea of the priesthood, which, by its nature, is male. Each altar boy was considered a potential priest.
http://catholicism.about.com/od/worship/tp/Comparing_the_Masses.htm

Seriously a dude in the comments section on First Things is the source for this conspiracy theory?

Please note that Paul Brazier, a well-known lawyer in Australia, personally checked the facts of that episode as well.

By the way, this is the dude =p
http://fatherjoe.wordpress.com/

-=+=-

First the general principles: Servers should understand why they are serving at the altar. They do not serve at the altar because Father and Deacon can’t manage without them. We can. They serve not only a practical function, but a liturgical function. As they serve at the altar they picture the service that the whole people of God give to the church and to the liturgy. This fact affects all that they do.

Secondly, they serve a symbolical function. The Divine Liturgy pictures the celebration of worship around the Throne at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. They symbolise the ranks of heavenly hosts who circle around the throne and worship the Lamb. Yes, they’re supposed to symbolise the saints and angels, and that should also affect their behaviour.

Thirdly, in their youth, they remind the whole congregation that unless you come as a little child you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.
http://gkupsidedown.blogspot.com/2008/09/more-on-servers-of-st-marys.html

“At my parish, there is a unique society formed called ‘Handmaids of Mary’ for girls instead of having female altar servers. They don’t go on the altar but they do assist during Mass, kneeling at the foot of the altar just as the women with Our Lady at Christ’s death knelt at the foot of the cross. You can find out about this here: http://www.straphael.org.uk/handmaids_of_mary.htm

I think it’s a wonderful idea and that all parishes should do this - it would show the difference in role between men and women, providing both with their own special yet unique dignity. I think it shows that women are important too, but just in a different way than men.”
-Jude Vaughan-Spruce
http://www.xt3.com/discussion/thread.php?id=6706

On Altar Girls

http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/1993/9305fea2.asp

http://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/altar_girls.htm