Monday, April 02, 2007

Liturgical Dancing at its Worst

Whatever happened to adoration being a silent conversation with God? In no way can I see this being pleasing to God, but it sure seems to make the laity happy. Unfortunately, that seems to be the predominant ingredient these days.


Thanks to Maureen for sending me the link.

13 comments:

Michael Leggett said...

The Silence would refresh the soul:

I guess that Roger must have Talent Scouts around the world.

Anita Moore said...

Looks like a pagan festival! Isn't it bad enough Protestants think we're idolaters because we adore the Eucharist, without these yahoos giving them ammunition?

Michael Leggett said...

Looks like "Dancing With The Liturgical Stars":

Cancel THAT Series!

Anonymous said...

And Jesus wept.....
I think we need to get a group or a petition together to send to Rome to stop this horrifying style of abuse. If enough people cry out we will be heard.

Anonymous said...

First, let me say that in the USA I am appalled at liturgical dancing. However, this is obviously from another country. They do have different customs and unlike here in the USA where dancing usually has sexual overtones, in other countries it is a form of worship.

Also, if you read the Psalms, it talks about dancing and singing and playing the lire and the harp before the Lord. And remember, King David danced before the Ark of the Covenant.

In this case, it just looks like a matter of different customs. It would not work in our country, but I have to admit, this video really does look silly.
Joan

318@Nicea said...

Bring back TRENT!!!

Dave

Simon-Peter Vickers-Buckley said...

Ah yes. Saw this in early March. Some Brazilian blogger said it was from Brazil and these folks are part of some group originally given a mandate by Pope John Paul II. There was some defense of them, which wasn't too unreasonable.

Still...I think I'll pass.

Anonymous said...

well, 3 seconds of watching them dance was enough to gag me out so i stopped watching it.

Simon-Peter Vickers-Buckley said...

"Also, if you read the Psalms, it talks about dancing and singing and playing the lire and the harp before the Lord. And remember, King David danced before the Ark of the Covenant."

Not before the Shekinah Glory it doesn't...not in the Holy of Holies it doesn't.

Brazil is just soooooooo different from "the west" isn't it?

This is judaizing nonsense. That is JESUS, GOD, he is prancing around with...can't you understand how wrong this is?

David Contra Mundum said...

WHERE ARE THE BISHOPS!!!??? yes, I am shouting....

Antiochus Epiphanies would be soooo happy if he were alive today....

Anonymous said...

one further comment on this issue, i posted this over at CCF.
i asked someone for proof who claimed liturgical dancing was approved by the church, and when asked to submit proof, the poster has not responded. i checked the vatican websites search engine on liturgical dance, and no where did it come up with any sort of approval for liturgical dancing, and until someone can show me a papal document on it, or an official statement from the vatican that it is approved, i will not believe it is acceptable. even if it is, it should be done away with because to me, it is absolute disrespect for our Lord.
it takes away from what the Holy Sacrfice of the Mass is about. Not just that, it is a protestant type worship, to have dancing around, hand clapping, and hopping around!
that was a shame to see a priest hopping around with a sacred reliquary ( i believe it was one )
and dancing around to all that protestant dance. it was an absolute horror to see it. you want to see protestant type dnacing and worship, turn your tv on on sundays and watch the electric preachers who play music and have people hopping up and down in the aisles, and falling down when they are supposedly healed, exct. this type of stuff has NO place in the church. it is disgusting and if approved, it sadly either way, makes me hang my head in sorrow.

Anonymous said...

Here is what Cardinal Arinze says about liturgical dance:

Has liturgical dance been approved for Masses by your office?

There has never been a document from our Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments saying that dance is approved in the Mass.

The question of dance is difficult and delicate. However, it is good to know that the tradition of the Latin Church has not known the dance. It is something that people are introducing in the last ten years -- or twenty years. It was not always so. Now it is spreading like wildfire, one can say, in all the continents -- some more than others. In my own continent, Africa, it is spreading. In Asia, it is spreading.

Now, some priests and lay people think that Mass is never complete without dance. The difficulty is this: we come to Mass primarily to adore God -- what we call the vertical dimension. We do not come to Mass to entertain one another. That's not the purpose of Mass. The parish hall is for that.

So all those that want to entertain us -- after Mass, let us go to the parish hall and then you can dance. And then we clap. But when we come to Mass we don't come to clap. We don't come to watch people, to admire people. We want to adore God, to thank Him, to ask Him pardon for our sins, and to ask Him for what we need.

Don't misunderstand me, because when I said this at one place somebody said to me: "you are an African bishop. You Africans are always dancing. Why do you say we don't dance?"

A moment -- we Africans are not always dancing! [laughter]

Moreover, there is a difference between those who come in procession at Offertory; they bring their gifts, with joy. There is a movement of the body right and left. They bring their gifts to God. That is good, really. And some of the choir, they sing. They have a little bit of movement. Nobody is going to condemn that. And when you are going out again, a little movement, it's all right.

But when you introduce wholesale, say, a ballerina, then I want to ask you what is it all about. What exactly are you arranging? When the people finish dancing in the Mass and then when the dance group finishes and people clap -- don't you see what it means? It means we have enjoyed it. We come for enjoyment. Repeat. So, there is something wrong. Whenever the people clap -- there is something wrong -- immediately. When they clap -- a dance is done and they clap.

It is possible that there could be a dance that is so exquisite that it raises people's minds to God, and they are praying and adoring God and when the dance is finished they are still wrapped up in prayer. But is that the type of dance you have seen? You see. It is not easy.

Most dances that are staged during Mass should have been done in the parish hall. And some of them are not even suitable for the parish hall.

I saw in one place -- I will not tell you where -- where they staged a dance during Mass, and that dance was offensive. It broke the rules of moral theology and modesty. Those who arranged it -- they should have had their heads washed with a bucket of holy water! [laughter]

Why make the people of God suffer so much? Haven't we enough problems already? Only Sunday, one hour, they come to adore God. And you bring a dance! Are you so poor you have nothing else to bring us? Shame on you! That's how I feel about it.

Somebody can say, "but the pope visited this county and the people danced". A moment: Did the pope arrange it? Poor Holy Father -- he comes, the people arranged. He does not know what they arranged. And somebody introduces something funny -- is the pope responsible for that? Does that mean it is now approved? Did they put in on the table of the Congregation for Divine Worship? We would throw it out! If people want to dance, they know where to go.

http://www.adoremus.org/1003Arinze.html

318@Nicea said...

I was watching the little clip with my 11 year old son. I said to him, what would they have done if the priest would have tripped over one of the girls and dropped the host?
My son replied, "How do we know that's even the Host."
He was commenting on the fact that sometimes the words of consecration aren't even used any more and the faithful just receive bread and wine.
Dave