Here's the story from today's Gazette:
Sermons delivered by Roman Catholic priests are often painfully "grey and dull" and need to be livened up with the "scandal" contained within the Bible, the Vatican's most senior cultural official said.
Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi said preaching in churches had become so formulaic and boring that it risked becoming "irrelevant" to congregations accustomed to the excitement and immediacy of television and the internet.
"The advent of televised and computerised information requires us to be compelling and trenchant, to cut to the heart of the matter, resort to narratives and colour," said the cardinal, who as the head of the Pontifical Council for Culture is the Vatican's unofficial minister for culture.
Too many priests employed theological language that was "grey, dull and flavourless" and instead should spice up their sermons with graphic stories contained in the Bible, which used much more forceful imagery.
The Bible was "crowded with stories, symbols and images", he said.
Speaking at a conference in Rome, he said Twitter was also an effective way of spread the "Word of God".
"We need to remember that communicating faith doesn't just take place through sermons. It can be achieved through the 140 characters of a Twitter message."
Cardinal Ravasi, a champion of new media who writes a blog for the website of Italy's financial daily, Il Sole 24 Ore, said that whether they liked it or not, priests in the pulpit should be aware that their congregations were "the children of television and the internet".
4 comments:
Hey ! maybe a live microphone in the confessionals broadcasting to the internet or just over the church pa system......"forgive me father ,for I have sinned, it's been 50 years since my last",,,,well you get the picture
Almost guaranteed to drum up business........
Now that would be a 'reality show'............lol
Well all I can say is "WE NEED TO GET THE NUNS (or sisters) INVOLVED.
A golfer playing in Ireland hooked his drive into the woods. Looking
for his ball, he found a little Leprechaun flat on his back, a big bump > on his head and the golfer's ball beside him.
Horrified, the golfer got his water bottle from the cart and poured it
over the little guy, reviving him.
'Arrgh! What happened?' the Leprechaun asked.
'I'm afraid I hit you with my golf ball,' the golfer says.
'Oh, I see. Well, ye got me fair and square. Ye get three wishes, so
whaddya want?'
'Thank God, you're all right!' the golfer answers in relief. 'I don't
want anything, I'm just glad you're OK, and I apologize.'
And the golfer walks off.
'What a nice guy,' the Leprechaun says to himself.>
I have to do something for him. I'll give him the three things I would
want... a great golf game, all the money he ever needs, and a fantastic
sex life.'
A year goes by and the golfer is back. On the same hole, he again hits
a bad drive into the woods and the Leprechaun is there waiting for him.
'Twas me that made ye hit the ball here,' the little guy says. 'I just
want to ask ye, how's yer golf game?'
'My game is fantastic!' the golfer answers. I'm an internationally
famous golfer now.' He adds, 'By the way, it's good to see you're all
right.'
'Oh, I'm fine now, thank ye. I did that fer yer golf game, you know.
And tell me, how's yer money situation?'
'Why, it's just wonderful!' the golfer states. 'When I need cash, I
just reach in my pocket and pull out $100 bills I didn't even know were
there!'
'I did that fer ye also.' And tell me, how's yer sex life?'
The golfer blushes, turns his head away in embarrassment, and says
shyly, 'It's OK.'
C'mon, c'mon now,' urged the Leprechaun, 'I'm wanting to know if I did
a good job. How many times a week?'
Blushing even more, the golfer looks around then whispers, 'Once,
sometimes twice a week.'
'What??' responds the Leprechaun in shock. 'That's all? Only once or
twice a week?'
'Well,' says the golfer, 'I figure that's not bad for a Catholic
priest in a small parish.'
Winston that reminds me of the old question: What was the only type of meat a priest was allowed on Friday's ? = Nun !!
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