"B" Movies

I had a friend when I was a kid who really liked "b" movies. He said the acting was not that bad, the dialog was just fine, and the story lines were quite interesting. I always thought my friend was a bit "off". For the majority of people in the world "b" movies are not well appreciated. A "b" movie is called that because it is less than "a" quality; it is the "extra" that gets tacked on to the well done movie, but everyone knows that it is lower quality and not worthy of much respect.

Bad liturgies; they are all over the place. I am referring to those places where a valid Catholic Mass is done in such a modernist manner that it becomes not just irreverent but also unworthy of respect. Someone said to me recently that Masses are so poorly done in most Catholic parishes, that she was uncertain whether she could find a valid Eucharist in most places she visited. I pray it is not that bad, but even one bad liturgy is an evil that must be overcome.

Are bad liturgies the "b" movies of the religious realm? Excellence is completely absent from bad liturgies. In the Mass we should be seeking to reach the highest and most excellent celebration possible. Yet, when a Priest ad-libs the prayers, or he allows guitars for the musical accompaniment, we all need to be aware that this is not "excellent". It is second rate (to put it lightly), and it would be better if it were not done at all than to do it so poorly.

We could compare it to a cheap hamburger at a "greasy spoon" of a restaurant. It uses low quality ingredients, and is not done with the utmost attention to detail. Thus it is cheap and not worth much. To do this same thing to the Mass is a disgrace and those who choose this should be ashamed for giving Jesus a "b" Mass. Let us make sure that every time we participate in the Mass, we aim at "a" quality and nothing less.