Thursday, January 15, 2004
What prayer is, what it is not
I read with a little amusement and a lot of dismay of the use of the Rosary to shout down representatives of the Arlington diocese trying to explain themselves at an open meeting to explain why some anti-abuse program was going to be helpful. Or as the shouters were suggesting, why it would herald the arrival of the antichrist.
While the Left is not always a paragon of perfection when it comes to public protest, I think these folks could have used some pointers:
- The Rosary is prayer, duh. Not authorized for use in drowning out speakers. Catcalls and boos work better, especially when you project "boo" like an opera singer.
- Rival Eucharistic processions in the Middle Ages often led to street brawls. Really thought we had put that kind of thing behind us.
- You can't have a real protest without placards. Put slogans on them or pictures of what you're pro ... wait, never mind on that last idea. Just stick to the slogans.
- If you're going to shout someone down, use some chant that rhymes, so you can walk to the beat. March in a circle or something like that, too. Stamping feet can be great indoors.
I suppose we should all be glad the diocesan representatives didn't get beaten by rosary beads or some such. That would have been truly ugly.
