Friday, September 28, 2007
Welcome
Welcome to the Gorbertine Community. We are a religious order dedicated to the Spirit of Vatican II and our truth of Gaea as Our Mother. We have members of all genders and gender identities, hence we have discarded outdated titles such as 'brother' and 'sister' and go by the more enlightened title of syblyng. Our main compound is located in rural Wisconsin. I cannot be more specific as we are currently providing sanctuary to members of the Gaean community sought by the government. We invite all to join us in our adoration of Mother Earth and the Spirit of the Holy Parent. I should mention that one of our main tenants is to only use what technology we must. But this blog on the Internet is to fight fire with fire. And toward that end this blog will be updated on our Vic20 that we have for that purpose. Oh... and one note. Based on advice of our legal council we must state that we have been excommunicated by the patriarchal rigid hierarchy of the Vatican. Although we do not recognize their authority to excommunicate us.
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Strange you should mention the Spirit of the Holy Parent. It could have come from these minutes...
LITURGICAL RENEWAL PROPOSALS
Minutes of the 666th plenary session of the Council for Liturgical Appreciation, Paradigms, Theological Revision And Paroousia (CLAPTRAP), held in the Hotel Moloch, Los Angeles, June 6th 2007.
The Council has been asked by the Episcopal Conference to consider revisions to popular “prayers”, in the light of the spirit of the Second Vatican Council and subsequent liturgical and doctrinal insights. The Council considered that its work should begin with one of the earliest works of Christendom, the “prayer” formerly known as the “Our Father”.
In their revision of this work, members of the Council broke the “prayer” down into its constituent elements, thus assisting them to point up the errors and misunderstandings which have crept into the popular perception of this orison over the past two thousand years.
1. Our Father
The beginning of the old form of the Our Father is now clearly seen by all Christians as being patriarchal and elitist. The word “Our” expresses a form of unecumenical possessiveness which was quite alien to all that the Liberator taught. Equally, the word “Father”, while suitable to the narrow views of the Judaic mindset of two millenia ago, now reflects an intrinsic sexism which is unsuited to our more enlightened age.
The new form of the dialogue therefore begins simply “Parent!” The exclamation mark gives an immediacy and strength to the opening term-form. It may be spoken in a low whisper on a rising inflection, or shouted in unison. (The term “Parent!” should not, of course, be taken in any way to exclude the legitimacy of relationships between persons and their offspring which are outside the traditional forms of “marriage”.)
2. Who art in Heaven
The pronoun “who” is an exclusionary one, referring simply to human beings and failing to recognise the divine unity of all nature and the environment. It has therefore been replaced by the pronoun “that”.
“Art” for art's sake is insufficient and is replaced by the more positive and wide-scoping “may be”.
The use of the term “Heaven” reflects another Judaeo-Christian concept unsuited to our modern ecumenical age and is replaced by the more poetic and ecologically sound “the skies”.
3. Hallowed be thy name
The word “hallowed” is a mediaeval anachronism which suggests some sort of esoteric ceremonial. It is replaced by the more understandable and acceptable word “happy”.
The term “thy” is excluded altogether to help the flow of the new dialogue-form.
“Name” again tends to personalise the dialogue-form and can lead to guilt feelings in those Christians who habitually use the name “Jesus” or “Christ” as expletives. This tendency, while regrettable, is entirely understandable in today's stress-filled social circumstances and, in order to avoid linking the name with the speechform, the word is replaced by “designation”.
4. Thy Kingdom come
Of all the phrases in the ongoing-dialogue, this was considered to be one of the most sexist, imperialist and fascist. It contains overtones of all that is unacceptable in an egalitarian, democratic society. Indeed, some members of the Council found this phrase so distressing that they were unable to work on an alternative and proposed to delete it altogether. But, following a period of intense group therapy, it was agreed to defer to the majority (including the four casting votes of Sister Sharon, the Council Chair).
The word “thy” simply becomes “the”.
“Kingdom”, with its sexist use of the word “King” and its reactionary political overtones, becomes “community”.
“Come” is seen as too short a word and is replaced by “eventuate”.
5. Thy will be done
Here again, antiquated language is joined to outdated authoritarian concepts, producing a word form which alienates marginalised Catholics. We suggest this phrase be replaced with “Your wish be respected, where fitting”.
6. On earth as it is in Heaven.
Our knowledge of our universe has been greatly extended since the days of the Enlightened One. Science has proved that “Heaven” is not a geographical or physical entity to be contrasted to the earth, but an inner state of peace and love. This phrase, then, becomes: “outside, as well as inside, us.”
7. Give us this day our daily bread
Bread was a symbol for the Jews of material wealth. Today money has replaced bread as a unit of currency, so, in a spirit of realism, we propose changing this phrase to “Give us money, now.”
8. And forgive us our trespasses
Forgiveness for “trespasses” suggests the outmoded concept that “sin” is somehow a personal, rather than a social, ill. We propose altering this phrase to “pardon us all for not loving creation”
9. As we forgive those who trespass against us
This phrase should be set in its historical context of centuries of oppression, particularly of women by men, of travellers by the settled community, of democrats by authoritarian institutions. To reflect this, we propose it be changed to “as we exculpate those men and institutions which have oppressed us”.
10. And lead us not into temptation
The word “temptation” conjures up images of the myth of the Garden of Eden, a story which is largely responsible for the despotism of men in Judaeo-Christian culture. Sadly, some backward societies still cling desperately to such outdated social concepts as male domination and fundamentalist religious beliefs. We suggest, therefore, that this part be changed to “do not let us be lured by fundamentalism”.
11. But deliver us from evil.
The concept of evil as a tangible thing, personified in what used to be called the Devil, is quite alien to modern thinking. Everyone now accepts that “evil” consists of sins such as sexism, patriarchy, chauvinism, racism and imperialism. We recommend, therefore, that this phrase become “preserve us from counter-reforming influences”.
12. Amen.
This Hebrew words signifies assent. It is now an archaism and should be replaced with a word or words which have a meaningful significance to young people today. Perhaps no-one in the past two thousand years has better expressed the depth of young people’s feelings than the Beatles, particularly with songs like “She Loves You.” To experience the ecstatic response of young people to songs like this during the liturgy makes us aware of the reality of John Lennon’s assertion: “The Beatles are greater than Jesus.” We propose, therefore, as a tribute to young people - and to the Beatles and John Lennon in particular - to end the pray-dialogue with the words “Yeah, yeah, yeah!”
The new pray-dialogue now reads: Parent! that may be in the skies, happy designation, the community eventuate, your wish be respected where fitting - outside, as well as inside, us. Give us money now, and pardon us all for not loving creation as we exculpate those men and institutions which have oppressed us, and do not let us be lured by fundamentalism but preserve us from counter-reforming influences. Yeah, yeah, yeah!
It is intended, following thorough and wide-ranging democratic debate at all levels of church (Episcopal Conference liturgical special working party, parish theological renewal groups, special diocesan liturgical assessment committees and the International Institute of Theological and Liturgical Renewal and Assessment), that the new form of the prayer (or interpersonal dialogue) should be introduced into all churches on Unity Sunday (which may be celebrated at any time between Friday morning and Monday afternoon of the fifteenth week of the fourth cycle (new phase)). Books containing the old form of the “prayer” should be destroyed.
How did you ever guess? I will admit that I had the pleasure of attending that conference. Even now warm shivers of delight still pass through me whenever I think of it. I can never forget the hospitality extended to this quite lowly observer for my order by the Cardinal.
Feel free to use the orison in your liturgies! May Uranus (the son of Gaia) be good to u!
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