On Palm Sunday the Passion Narrative from Matthew—the longest in the New Testament was read at Mass (Latin) in our church. The people were all asked to remain standing throughout the reading. There were many old and sickly people in the congregation, not to mention mothers with little children in their arms. The Gospel reading was followed by a sermon twice as long as Passion Narrative. It was a very hot morning. After Mass a highly educated couple questioned me: “Must we continue doing all this?”
Here it will be good to listen to Pope Francis: “In her ongoing discernment, the Church can also come to see that certain customs not directly connected to the heart of the Gospel, even some which have deep historical roots, are no longer properly understood and appreciated. Some of these customs may be beautiful, but they no longer serve as means of communicating the Gospel. We should not be afraid to re-examine them. At the same time, the Church has rules or precepts which may have been quite effective in their time, but no longer have the same usefulness for directing and shaping people’s lives (Evangelii Gaudium, no. 43). Yes, there are many rules and rubrics, rites and rituals, doctrines and dogmas that no longer serve any real purpose. Yet many of us are not willing to submit them to an honest evaluation. But we have no choice if we wish the Church to be meaningful to the people of our times, especially the young and the educated.
Subhash Anand, Bhupalpura-313001
