Monday, June 6, 2011

The mysterious 'Good Friday Mass'

Rosin Ingle in her article on atheists describes Karen Dervan, a 29-year-old musician from Galway as a woman who rejects religion from a rational, scientific viewpoint, but still ticked Roman Catholic on the cenusus form and went to Mass on Good Friday.

Is that basic 'ignorance' the fault of teachers or the taught?

5 comments:

Francis Hunt said...

I thought Good Friday was the only day of the year on which no mass was celebrated.

Michael Commane said...

But of course

Michael said...

The problem is, that for many people, the term "Mass" means any liturgy. While it is clearly incorrect, it is probably here to stay.

Fergus said...

No Mass on Good Friday is but one of the niceties of Church practice. Far more pressing questions for catechesis are the significance of the paschal mystery (or just what it is!), the Mass and what it is, the sacred liturgy and what it is, the incarnation, the divinity of Christ, revelation, human beings and our inherent dignity, the universal call to friendship with God who is a personal God, forgiveness of sins, the teaching authority of the Church, and many other things.

If we were to get technical, the Last Supper was on Good Friday in Jewish minds and we continue to celebrate Holy Thursday evening Mass at the time the Last Supper occurred; so it is Holy Saturday - the inbetween day and middle day of the Easter Triduum - when Mass is not actually celebrated. Sorry to be so pedantic.

Michael Commane said...

Michael,
Yes, your comment makes sense. Words.
After all we talk about an ATM machine and a PIN number.

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