Da jeg for 15 år siden forberedte meg til å bli opptatt i Den katolske Kirke, ba (den elelrsl utmerkede) presten for forberedte meg, meg om å kjøpe Richard McBriens bok ‘Catholisism’ og lese den som forberedelse. Jeg gjorde det, men uten glede (og med lite utbytte), for liberal reologi hadde jeg allerede fått nok av i mine teologiske studier i Oslo.
McBrien er fortsatt aktiv, og har nettopp skrevet dette mot eukaristisk tilbedelse – som vår egen biskop med stor effekt har bedt alle menigheter øke frekvensen av:
The practice of eucharistic adoration began in the 12th century, when the Real Presence of Christ was widely rejected by heretics or misunderstood by poorly educated Catholics. The church saw eucharistic adoration as a way of reaffirming its faith in the Real Presence and of promoting renewed devotion to it.
However, as time went on, eucharistic devotions, including adoration, drifted further and further away from their liturgical grounding in the Mass itself.
Notwithstanding Pope Benedict XVI’s personal endorsement of eucharistic adoration and the sporadic restoration of the practice in the archdiocese of Boston and elsewhere, it is difficult to speak favorably about the devotion today.
Now that most Catholics are literate and even well-educated, the Mass is in the language of the people (i.e, the vernacular), and its rituals are relatively easy to understand and follow, there is little or no need for extraneous eucharistic devotions. The Mass itself provides all that a Catholic needs sacramentally and spiritually.
Eucharistic adoration, perpetual or not, is a doctrinal, theological, and spiritual step backward, not forward.
Father Z. skriver også om dette, og har fått godt over 100 kommentarer til sitt innlegg.
————— OPPDATERING————
McBrien får visst svært mye kritikk også fra sine egne (dvs andre liberale katolikker) på dette utspillet (se her), bl.a. følgende kommentar:
I consider myself a progressive Catholic like yourself. I love the way the Mass is celebrated now rather than before Vatican II. I wish the Church would allow qualified lay people to preach at the time reserved for the homily. I favor ordaining women as deacons and priests. I hope that someday married, baptized Catholic men will be allowed in the priesthood and I don’t look forward to the new Mass translations that our Bishops had to approve at their June plenary session. However, Fr. McBrien, I must strongly disagree with your negative attitude about the Holy Father encouraging the restoration of Eucharistic adoration…
Tridentkonsilet om adorasjon: «Hvis noen sier at i den helligste sakrament av eucharistia skal ikke Kristus æres også med adorasjon, offentlig utstilles og bæres i prosesjoner, anathema sit!»
Hvis jeg kjenner til dette, kunne en teolog også… Uansett, hvis man taler mot Tradisjonen, kan man alltid regne med et anathema på lur. Eller vet han om dette anathema og mener han forstår saken bedre enn Kirken?