Archbishop Flynn ends lay preaching at Mass?

Father Terry Rassmussen, pastor of St. Joseph in New Hope, finished reading, closed the Book of the Gospels, and stepped away from the ambo. From the congregation, Ginny Untiedt stepped forward.

Clad in a white robe, Untiedt bowed as Father Rassmussen laid his hands on her head and blessed her. She looked up, walked to the ambo and began preaching for the last time.

As many as 29 parishes in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis have used lay preachers at Mass during the past 25 years. In January, however, Archbishop Harry Flynn instructed pastors to discontinue the practice. He gave his retirement date - May 2 - as the time by which parishes should develop "a pastoral plan" to end lay preaching at Mass....

25 years of wandering in the wilderness...And the faithful were left to find a parish where a licit Mass was celebrated.

Archbishop Flynn referenced the 2004 Vatican instruction "Redemptionis Sacramentum" as a reason to discontinue the liturgical abuse. Strange that it took so long. Every faithful Catholic has known for years that it was not permitted and is a grave abuse.

Is it any wonder that the Church is infected and infested with dissent and rebellion - with women thinking that they can be priests and dressing up as clergy (see the picture above), with the widespread rejection of the authority of the Church, and so forth?

Thankfully, the faithful in Minneapolis now have a new shepherd - Archbishop John Nienstedt. May God shower him with the graces necesary to lead them as Christ would.

Proponents of lay preaching argue that canon law allows the practice and that both the congregation and pastors benefit from hearing Gospel reflections from diverse voices....

I wonder just where they get that...Maybe my comprehension is not what it used to be, but I don't get it. Canon Law seems pretty clear to me:

Can. 767 §1 The most important form of preaching is the homily, which is part of the liturgy, and is reserved to a priest or deacon. In the course of the liturgical year, the mysteries of faith and the rules of christian living are to be expounded in the homily from the sacred text.

§2 At all Masses on Sundays and holydays of obligation, celebrated with a congregation, there is to be a homily and, except for a grave reason, this may not be omitted.

§3 It is strongly recommended that, if a sufficient number of people are present, there be a homily at weekday Masses also, especially during Advent and Lent, or on a feast day or an occasion of grief.

§4 It is the responsibility of the parish priest or the rector of a church to ensure that these provisions are carefully observed.

But, like others we've witnessed, some twist the canons to their own ends, while ignoring the most relevant parts of the code. But then, this is what has been going on for years, to the detriment of numerous souls.

Then we have this:

Lay preaching also brings a woman's perspective to the Gospels, Baumer said. "The suppression of lay preaching is simultaneously the suppression of female voices, because no matter how God has gifted a lay woman . . . to break open the Word, the community will not have access to that word as it gathers on Sunday," she said. [Patricia Hughes Baumer co-founded the lay preaching training organization Partners in Preaching with her husband, Fred, in 1997.]

"Break open the word?" What's that? I'm surprised we haven't heard them say "Break open the bottle" when the wine is brought to the altar for the offering and consecration.

If I saw such activity as this, I'm afraid I'd have to get up and leave. This is just another example of a gross misunderstanding or of a deliberate bastardization of "active participation of the laity."

You can read the entire article from the Catholic Spirit here.