The erudite Fr. George Rutler writes a column on the “Shorter Form” of the modern Roman lectionary. The “Shorter Form” are edits of the Sunday Gospel readings supposedly allowed because of time considerations. Though as Fr. Rutler points out some of these edits reduce the Gospel by only 30 seconds.
Regardless this column is well worth reading and too good to just excerpt.
I find the whole concept of the “Shorter Form” Gospel readings to be a real bad idea driven really by removing hard sayings and not time reduction. This fact is obvious considering the readings that are shortened. If parishes have enough time for the “Liturgy of the Bulletin” where they read all the announcements, they have time for the Gospel.
St. Paul did not say.
“For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, unless of course it is a hard saying and might make somebody in the pew uncomfortable.”
Though of course it must be remembered that the”Shorter Form” is optional and we really should encourage our pastors to preach the full Gospel.
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As I always say, the leadership of the Catholic Church in America over the better part of the last fifty or so years has been at best embarrassed about the Faith or at worst antagonistic about the Faith.
As I always say, the leadership of the Catholic Church in America over the better part of the last fifty or so years has been at best embarrassed about the Faith or at worst antagonistic about the Faith.