Saturday, January 12, 2008
Teddy Bear Picnic Mass
An introductory extract from The Instruction Concerning Worship of the Eucharistic Mystery (Inaestimabile Donum)
Prepared by the Sacred Congregation for the Sacraments and Divine Worship Approved and Confirmed by His Holiness Pope John Paul II April 17, 1980.
This Sacred Congregation notes with great joy the many positive results of the liturgical reform: a more active and conscious participation by the faithful in the liturgical mysteries, doctrinal and catechetical enrichment through the use of the vernacular, and the wealth of readings from the Bible, a growth in the community sense of liturgical life, and successful efforts to close the gap between life and worship, between Liturgical piety and personal piety, and between Liturgy and popular piety.
But these encouraging and positive aspects cannot suppress concern at the varied and frequent abuses being reported from different parts of the Catholic world: the confusion of roles, especially regarding the priestly ministry and the role of the laity (indiscriminate shared recitation of the Eucharistic Prayer, homilies given by lay people, lay people distributing Communion while the priests refrain from doing so); an increasing loss of the sense of the sacred (abandonment of liturgical vestments, the Eucharist celebrated outside church without real need, lack of reverence and respect for the Blessed Sacrament, etc.); misunderstanding of the ecclesial character of the Liturgy (the use of private texts, the proliferation of unapproved Eucharistic Prayers, the manipulation of the liturgical texts for social and political ends) . In these cases we are face to face with a real falsification of the Catholic Liturgy: "One who offers worship to God on the Church's behalf in a way contrary to that which is laid down by the Church with God-given authority and which is customary in the Church is guilty of falsification."[7]
None of these things can bring good results. The consequences are--and cannot fail to be--the impairing of the unity of Faith and worship in the Church, doctrinal uncertainty, scandal and bewilderment among the People of God, and the near inevitability of violent reactions.
It appears that the waves of heresy has hit the shores of our Diocese. Why are we allowing such grave abuses that have destroyed thousands of years of Catholic tradition and doctrine into our parishes? This apparently shows a lack of understanding and ignorance as to what the Mass is about and what truly take place during the celebration of the HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS.
Reverence and dignity must be restored to the Roman rite of Mass. Out with Clown Masses, Halloween Masses, Barney Masses, and Teddy Bear Picnic Masses. The enthusiasm of the clergy and laity to take part is such a grave sacriledge demontrates an appalling ignorance as to what really and truly takes place in the HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS: Jesus is made present- The Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
We are reminded by the great Saint of the Eucharist, St. Peter Julian Eymard of the sacredness of the Holy Mass and the degree of adoration, dignity and reverence it truly deserves:
"... He would rise again to be our perpetual Host of propitiation, the Host of our Communion, the Host of our Adoration. Heaven was enraptured at the sight of this mystery. The Most Holy Trinity contemplated it with love. The angels, struck with awe, adored it. And with what rage were not the demons seized in hell!"
Why then, is this being tolerated? How many warnings from the Holy See reprobating such actions need to be written, promulgated, and ignored, before more concrete action is taken? The abuses have to stop! Where is the unity in divine worship that had united all Catholic Masses for 2000 years?
The institution of this pernicious biritualism is intolerable to the faithful People of God! The unity of faith in the Catholic Church will be undermined by the existance of parallel rites. We must stand in defense of our liturgical unity, of its unitary ritual purity, of the active participation of the faithful against duplicitous attempts to introduce divisions within the faithful People of God! The faithful cannot be forced to cope with such unprecedented variety in worship. It is clear that a "liberalization" of the long-forgotten rites will shatter the united front of Catholicism as it faces its enemies!
Some sacrilegious Masses/Liturgies exposed on YouTube:
It may not be surprising to see our Masses turn into Protestant asssemblies if we don't act. It is apparently that many bishops and priests are not doing their job is safeguarding the deposit of faith. Therefore, we as the laity, faithful to Rome, must act! We need to save the Church! It is "not our bishops, not our priests and religious. It is up to you, the people. You have the minds, the eyes, and the ears to save the Church. Your mission is to see that your priests act like priests, your bishops act like bishops, and your religious act like religious." Archbishop Fulton Sheen.
St. Alphonsus Liguori CSsR, Doctor of the Church, warns us about Sacrilegious Masses in Chapter 7 of the Dignities and Duties of the Priest:
According to St. John Chrysostom, during the celebration of Mass the Altar is surrounded by Angels, who are present to pay homage to Jesus Christ, the Victim offered in Sacrifice. And St. Gregory asks, "who doubts that at the very hour of immolation, at that voice of the priest, the heavens are opened and the choirs of Angels are present at that mystery of Jesus Christ?" St. Augustine says that the Angels assist as servants to the priest who offers the Sacrifice.
Now the Council of Trent teaches that Jesus Christ Himself was the first that offered this great Sacrifice of His Body and Blood, and that He now offers Himself by the hands of a priest chosen to be His minister and representative on the Altar. St. Cyprian says that "the priest truly holds the place of Christ," and that, therefore, at the Consecration, he says This is My body: this is the chalice of My blood. To His disciples Jesus Himself said, He that heareth you, heareth Me . . . and he that despiseth you, despiseth Me.
The Confraternity of Catholic Clergy attempts to explain why such Masses continue to stain the Church and reduce the Mass to a mere show:
"Bad theology is supported by bad liturgy and together they spawn bad morality. As Catholic clergy and as baptized members of the Church, we ask that across the board, our shepherds enforce the universal laws of the church; to protect and serve the people of God by ensuring that every ordained deacon, priest or bishop will act morally, properly and pastorally; defend the deposit of faith as taught by the Magisterium; and insist that reverent and proper celebrations of the sacred liturgy be done everywhere, from seminaries to parishes to cathedrals."
The Holy Father, reminds us all that we "...ought to get back to the dimension of the sacred in the liturgy... the essential in the liturgy is the mystery, which is realized in the common ritual of the Church; all the rest diminishes it. Men experiment with it in lively fashion, and find themselves deceived, when the mystery is transformed into distraction, when the chief actor in the liturgy is not the Living God but the priest or the liturgical director." (Sermon to Chilean Bishops, 13 July '88).
A clip from the lecture "The Classical Roman Rite and the Renewal of the Liturgy," by Msgr. Michael Schmitz of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest. The transcript may be found here. In this video Msgr. Schmitz quotes H.H. Pope Benedict and reminds us that the liturgy is not something we can expose to our own whimps and fancies. Do read the transcript of his entire lecture.
Here is a video (in French) produced by the Society of St. Pius X displaying the beauty and reverence that is rightly mandated in the celebration of the Holy Mass. Though I am not of the opinion that we should return to the things of the past, it is worthwhile to note that nothing less can be given to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords who renews His one sacrifice each day at the Altar. The Novus Ordo can be as inspiring and eddifying as the Extraordinary Form IF celebrated with dignity, reverence, love and humilty.
Secular Carmelite writter, Paul Malik warns the Church that "the vocations crisis in the Church is an self-imposed one". He was refering to the abuses in the liturgy.
Let us turn to the great saints of the Eucharist who defended reverent celebrations of Holy Mass and were themselves living examples of zealous priests who celebrated the Holy Mass with reverence, humility, love and ardour.
St. Peter J. Eymard, pray for us!
St. Francis Fasani, pray for us!
St. Josemaria Escravia, pray for us!
St. Gregory the Great, pray for us!
St. Padre Pio, pray for us!
Labels: Eucharist, Holy Father, Official Documents, Photos, Sacrilege, Saints, Video
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