Painful.

Watching the Papal Mass. This is just painful. Why does it feel like an Oompa band playing the Responsorial Psalm? It's just not pretty, klunker notes. There is also a big section in the stands of women in tie-dye sashes. Uhg. What the heck are they doing? At one point, when the cantor did a jazzed up version of the Kyrie, I thought I saw the Holy Father roll his eyes. Just briefly. Add to that, only women, and those who are minorities, are doing all the readings. This happened last night as well. Yeah, maybe I'm nit-picking but I just get heebies. I much prefer a man, doesn't matter the ethnicity, to do the readings. My opinion, I know it's "allowed" and whatever so don't lecture me on that.
All this jazzy music is totally inappropriate for a Papal Mass. But....maybe it needs be. Maybe it needs to be obvious and klunky for change to take place. This doesn't make me feel any less about the Holy Father's visit, maybe it means more. We need help. The world needs help. Yuck, stop with the hand bells already. I need some Excedrin.
(Update: He just said "many of the baptized faithful choose to act contrary to the truth of the Gospel." Make what you want of that. Media will probably say "make love not war". Sigh. Regardless, strong message and firm in truth and logic.)