Tell all the deacons in the diocese to show up at the cathedral, ordain them as priests and then send them off to do their duty. Those who don't like it? Too bad, that water went under the bridge when they chose to be deacons.
Next, how to get rid of those dreadful E.M.E.s
And after that, how to get rid of the alter girls.
The alter girls are cute with their little boppy ponytails and all, but they would be better served out in the vestibule helping the moms to take of the little ones.
If Catholics, lay and clerical alike, would take the Bible and Sacred Tradition as taught for hundreds of years, seriously; then all the EMEs and all the altar girls would quit, in a hurry.
ReplyDeleteI want to keep telling myself that this isn't a serious post... but I would just be lying to myself. First, there is no excess of Deacons. Common sense dictates that with each degree of Holy Orders, the higher you go, the number should diminish (fewer Priests than Deacons, fewer Bishops than Priests). Otherwise just take it to the next level and opine how there is an excess of Priests and a dearth of Bishops. In reality there's twice as many Priests as Deacons. Get the number of the latter up and you can have one Priest in each parish assisted by two or three Deacons. Second, free consent is required to effect a valid ordination. Saying, "Too bad. Suck it up, you're Priests now," accomplishes diddly squat because in reality they wouldn't be Priests.
ReplyDeleteMr Kehoe,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment.
Given that permanent deacons where virtually non existent in the West from Nicea to Vatican II, I doubt common sense dictates more deacons than priests.
Of course it could likewise be argued that just as common sense prevailed from Nicea to Vatican II, so likewise does it prevail now with the lifting of the suppression.
And so I'm not so much arguing against permanent deacons as I am simply proposing a practical solution the shortage of priests.
Second, consent simply means to chose to do what is expected of you given your circumstance. Many a girl has married a man she did not want to marry, but she did give her consent because the marriage was what was expected of her, and so she did it. Similarly, the deacons may not like it, but what is being asked from them is far less than many a young girl chose to do out of duty to family and society at large.
And yes, all my posts are extremely serious because the world hinges at the abyss and my posts are what are keeping it from tumbling over. If the bishops do not take my advice it will be at their's and the Church's peril.