Scripture still relevant

Well, I was bad and overslept today, so I had to go to a different parish to go to Mass. Although today is the Memorial of Saint Dominic, they took the readings from the readings of the day. Providentially, the 1st reading inspired me to make a story related to a modern day situation.

Now of course, I am not for adapting the Bible to suit today's culture. We are certainly intelligent enough to learn about the culture in the Bible so that we can understand it in the original context in which it was written. However, I want to use it to tell a parallel story:

The actual reading from Mass can be found here:

1st reading for Wednesday of the 18th Week of Ordinary Time, Year I
(It's the N.A.B. translation of Numbers 13:1-2, 25–14:1, 26a-29a, 34-35, if the above link doesn't work. I can't copy the enitre reading because of copywrite. Although I have no idea why the USCCB would even bother copywriting such a pathetic translation ... except to keep people from pointing out how bad it is.)

Here is my parallel story:
(it's better if you read the 1st reading in the above link first)

The Holy Spirit said to the popes [in the early 21st century,]
“Assign men to consider a wider use of the older use of Mass,
which I am once again giving to the children of God.
You shall send one man from each diocese,
all of them bishops.”

After investigating the use for some time they returned,
met Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI and the whole congregation of Ecclesia Dei
in the Vatican at Rome,
made a report to them all,
and showed the fruit of the old use of Mass
to the whole congregation.
They told the popes: “We went into the use to which you sent us.
It does indeed flow with milk and honey, and here is its fruit.
However, the people who are living in the land are fierce,
and their faith is fortified and very strong.
Besides, we saw descendants of the SSPX there.”

Ecclesia Dei, however, to quiet the people toward the pope, said,
“We ought to go up and seize the opportunity, for we can certainly do so.”
But some of the bishops and cardinals who had gone up with them said,
“We cannot encourage these people; they are too strong for us.”
So they spread discouraging reports among the children of God
about the use they had scouted, saying,
“The use that we explored is a liturgy that bores its inhabitants.
And all the people we saw there are cold, uncharitable giants
we felt spiritually immature, and so we must have seemed to them.”

And thus, the whole media broke out with loud cries,
and even in the night some of the cardinals wailed.

The LORD said to the popes:
“How long will this wicked assembly grumble against me?
I have heard the grumblings of some of the bishops and cardinals against me.
Tell them: By my life, says the LORD,
I will do to them just what I have heard them say.
Here in the liturgical desert shall their dead bodies fall.
A couple of years they spent in scouting the use;
Many years shall they suffer for their crimes:
one bishop for each day.
Thus they will realize what it means to oppose me.
I, the LORD, have sworn to do this
to all this wicked assembly that conspired against me:
here in the liturgical desert they shall be confined to the last [trout]man.”

Obviously you can tell what is on my mind lately.

RS