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Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Biretta rubrics are proof in the pudding that Paul didn't know diddly about head coverings


I can prove it. More than a few traddies like to twit that this women-should-have-their-haeds-covered business has never been abbrogated, that Paul's cultural BS should be taken at face value. [Hi, Joe! ;-D]

I say "Bunkum." I can prove it, by the fact that if you buy his statement that it is shameful for women to have their heads UNcovered, then you have to buy his business about it being shameful for a man to pray with his head covered.

I noticed in the EF form of the High Mass, that when the priest is seated during the Gloria and Creed, there are portions where the biretta, which has been sitting on the priest's head, is removed for certain phrases. Either he's NOT praying the Gloria and the Creed and just kicking back dreaming about what's for lunch, OR he's sitting there thinking:

"LA, LA, LA, sing all you want, I'm not praying, I'm NOT praying, dearie me, NO, not ME...I'm NOT praying because Paul said that men praying with their heads covered are lame, even though he was a Jew himself, and prayed all the time with something on his head, yada-yada-ding-dong, NO, I'm NOT praying---

EXCEPT --- right now for THIS phrase, when I take my biretta off, I'm paying attention and PRAYING because I've "cheated" and paid attention long enough to know during these particular words of the prayers I have to take my biretta off---but HEY, they passed those words, and I'm putting my biretta on again, and NOT praying, so NO, NO, LA-LA-LA....I CAN'T hear you, I'm NOT praying."

Any takers?

St. Paul was SUCH a piece of "Work" about this cultural stuff, that too many women have been suckered in to believing. At the EF church I go to some women even stilll have their veils on when they clean the church. I still think Paul had an older sister who regularly beat the crap out of him. But that's just my speculation. The priests didn't buy it pre-Vatican II, either!!! [Funny how the sanctuary's is a "holy place for men only" except when someone has to clean it. Then the ladies are more than welcome! ]

I was also amused the other week when the Delightful Father Freddy was going over the old testament bits about sacrifice as a precursor to the sacrifice of the Mass --- i.e. what types of sacrifice there were, etc. I had to silently laugh when he mentioned that ONLY the high priest went into the Holy of Holies once a year, and only he was allowed in the place. Well, that's what the Torah says, BUT I have a hard time believing it, for practical reasons:

Aaron: HEY, SARAH, front and center, woman!!!
Sarah: Qu-est-ce que tu as?
Aaron: YOU know what! Don't give me that.
Sarah: Give you WHAT, liebschen?
Aaron: You KNEW today was the day of Atonement. You KNEW no one had been in there ALL year -- what do I FIND when I go to offer Sacrifice the most important day of the year? WHAT do I find?
Sarah: [turns and laughs to self] NO idea, dear, what DID you find?
Aaron: You know DARN good and well there were enough spiders in there to give Michael Jackson the creeps! One of the spiders was bigger than a Volkswagon.
Sarah: Michael WHO? A WHAT?
Aaron: And FURTHERMORE there was enough dirt in there to build breastwork fortifications from here to the Arctic!
Sarah: WHERE?
Aaron: So WHAT did I do to DESERVE THAT? YOU KNOW YOU AND YOUR CREW OF GALS WERE SUPPOSED TO CLEAN THE PLACE.
Sarah: Got news for you, sweetheart: We're on STRIKE. Besides, I'm afraid of spiders and I finally had enough. Clean it yourself, Mr. Bigshot --only the HIGH PRIEST is supposed to be in there -- says so right in the Torah.

Yes, I've been saving this up.

12 comments:

Packrat said...

You are too much! I'm laughing so hard I can hardly type, and the dogs are looking at me like I've lost my mind.

gemoftheocean said...

Well, I've been "saving" this one. So I just let it rip! [The apostle, Paul, would have HATED to have me as a parishioner. Oh, yeah, you and what army is going to make me put on a head covering?"

Patrick Sheridan said...

The Sacred Ministers recite the Gloria and Creed together at the Altar, and so to save standing around doing nothing, they retire to the Sedilia and don their birettas - they have, therefore, no liturgical function or purpose when they are sitting down.

gemoftheocean said...

Yes, but the fact remains they are still paying attention enough to take off the birettas!

Patrick Sheridan said...

The Ministers don't need to pay attention to the chant - they just do as the Master of Ceremonies tells them!

gemoftheocean said...

HAHA---still not buying it -- the whole Paul-as-fashion-arbitur just doesn't wash.

The Digital Hairshirt said...

You are too much, Karen!

Joe of St. Thérèse said...

LOL!, Hi Karen, LOL! as a Trad, I'm laughing really hard right now...

Though, the vocal genuflections (when the priest takes off his biretta) is at the name of Jesus, and a Theological Definition. Liturgy involves doing more than one thing at the same time, at that point the laity are doing their portion of Liturgy...

Now, just because I believe that the head covering is in force, does not mean that I believe you should be forced out of your own free will to wear one (which is perhaps why it was removed from the 83 code), so in that I agree with you :)

Who said trads didn't have a sense of humor :p

Father John Boyle said...

Totally creased up laughing!!!

gemoftheocean said...

Glad I got you guys laughing!!!

Seriously, I've been saving that one up since the first high Mass I saw (well, within recent memory anyway!)

gemoftheocean said...

BTW, Fr. Boyle, I bet you think of this post next time for the rubrics call for the biretta-off-at-these-two-places business!

Joe of St. Thérèse said...

Gem, you always make me laugh everytime I come here, it's a good thing :)

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