Bad practice is resolved through good theory
Last year, the SSG’s Annual Crichton Lecture was given by Cardinal Roche. One point that he made stuck with me; bad practice is resolved through good theory. And a recent personal epiphany moment has illustrated this point very well indeed. I have had a growing awareness that there are members of our community who do not appreciate the significance of the Offertory Prayers – the fact that it's linked with, for example, Temple practices; we bring our gifts, bread and wine, and they are offered up to God by the priest for sacrifice. That is what priests do. This lack of appreciation of the importance of the offertory is perhaps not helped by the fact that most priests, in my experience, seem to pray them inaudibly. I have been racking my brain what to do about this. Then it dawned on me. I had forgotten that the offertory song is essentially a processional song – it’s purpose is to accompany the procession only, until the gifts are placed on the ...