No iPad Roman Missals On The Altar At Mass For New Zealand Catholic Priests

See Electronics for Liturgical Use?


I have to admit I go back and forward on this issue. However this is sort of like the real candle vs electric candle debate to me.
 
.........But as a replacement for the Roman Missal, I just don’t see it. It’s certainly possible to have a digital Sacramentary, Lectionary, and Book of the Gospels, but that hardly seems ideal. Our faith is incarnational. Sacramentality is central to what we believe. God has worked through the material word. Among His most priceless gifts were His word in the scriptures, His Word in the flesh, and His Church in the world. Tactility is part of faith. A fine Book of the Gospels, bound in leather, edged in gold, and printed on fine paper with the skill of a craftsman, is a tribute to the texts contained within. It’s something worthy of being held aloft in procession and kissed with respect. I just don’t see a deacon coming up the aisle holding an iPad2 over his head. At least, I hope I never see it.







I admit that this bias probably does not have a rational basis. The words on the screen can be just as beautifully adorned as they are on the page. But they lack that permanence and tactility that creates a bond between the reader and what is read. The words can disappear from the screen, and be replaced by something else: Angry Birds, for instance. Or internet porn. That seems inappropriate. We want our texts to be permanent, crafted, dedicated to a single purpose, loved and cherished like a fine piece of art. I don’t think that will ever be possible with electronic versions