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
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Ad Orientum & Versus Populum
95. Reservation of the Most Holy Eucharist
The most holy Eucharist shall be reserved in a solid and inviolable tabernacle placed in the middle of the main altar or of a minor, but truly outstanding, altar, or, according to lawful customs, and in particular cases approved by the local ordinary, in some other noble and properly adorned part of the Church. It is lawful to celebrate Mass facing the people even if there is a tabernacle, small but suitable, on the altar.
Cardinal Jorge Medina Estevez, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments,
"Whatever may be the position of the celebrating priest, it is clear that the Eucharistic Sacrifice is offered to the one and triune God, and that the principal, eternal, and high priest is Jesus Christ, who acts through the ministry of the priest who visibly presides as His instrument. The liturgical assembly participates in the celebration in virtue of the common priesthood of the faithful which requires the ministry of the ordained priest to be exercised in the Eucharistic Synaxis. The physical position, especially with respect to the communication among the various members of the assembly, must be distinguished from the interior spiritual orientation of all. It would be a grave error to imagine that the principal orientation of the sacrificial action is [toward] the community. If the priest celebrates versus populum, which is a legitimate and often advisable, his spiritual attitude ought always to be versus Deum per Jesus Christum [toward God through Jesus Christ], as representative of the entire Church. The Church as well, which takes concrete form in the assembly which participates, is entirely turned versus Deum [towards God] as its first spiritual movement."
Cardinal Schonborn FAITH Magazine May-June 2007,
"Both directions of celebration are justified and neither should be suspected or “ideologized” . Mass isn’t celebrated “to the people” or “to the wall”, but to God through Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit. The celebration turned “to the people” has the meaning that we all, priests and laypeople, gather around Christ who symbolizes the altar and whose Body and Blood become present on the altar. The celebration “with the back to the people” is not a turning away from the faithful but facing in the same direction in prayer, expressive of the path we walk towards God as pilgrims, His wandering people."
Labels: Ad Orientum/Versus Populum, Altar, Liturgy, Official Documents, Quote, Quotes, Sacred Congregation of Rites, Second Vatican Council, Tabernacle
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
The Sacred Heart of Jesus
Quia Rex Sum Ego
This month is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Solemnity of the Sacred Heart falls on the Friday after the Second Sunday after Pentecost. This year, the celebration of the Sacred Heart will take place on 15th June.
The Feast of the Sacred Heart was established in order that the faithful might honor with more devotion and zeal, under the symbol of the Sacred Heart, the love of Jesus Christ, which induced Him not only to suffer and to die for the redemption of mankind, but also to institute the Sacrament of His Body and Blood in commeration of His death.
"Behold this Heart which has loved men so much, and yet men do not want to love Me in return. Through you My divine Heart wishes to spread its love everywhere on earth," Jesus to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque.
Devotion to the Sacred Heart was made public by the holy Margaret Mary Alacoque of the Order of the Visitation. In the year 1690, during the Octave of Corpus Christi, our Blessed Lord appeared to His devoted handmaid, disclosing His heart to her saying, "Behold this Heart, which, notwithstanding the burning love for man with which it is consumed and exhausted, meets with no other return from the generality of Christians than sacrilege, contempt, indifference, and ingratitude. My desire is that you should make reparation to my heart for this ingratitude, and induce others also to make reparation."
In several subsequent apparitions our divine Lord repeated this injunction, and made the most unbounded promises in favor' of all who would apply themselves to this office of reparation to His Sacred Heart. The following are some of His promises;
- I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.
- I will establish peace in their families.
- I will console them in all their pains and trials.
- I will be their assured refuge in life, and especially in death.
- I will shed abundant blessings upon all their undertakings.
- Sinners shall find in my Heart an infinite ocean of mercy.
- Lukewarm souls will be rendered fervent.
- Fervent souls shall rise rapidly to greater perfection.
- I will bless those houses where the image of my heart shall be exposed and honored.
- I will give to priests the gift of moving the hardest hearts.
- Persons who propagate this devotion,. shall have their names inscribed on my heart, never to be effaced from it.
"The Lord retained until these late centuries the devotion to His Sacred Heart, as a last effort of His divine love," St. Gertrude
The venerable P. Simon Gourdan tells us that it is,
- The most sacred devotion, for by it man venerates the holiest sentiments and emotions of the Heart of Jesus, by which He has sanctified the Church, glorified His Heavenly Father, and presented Himself to us as the perfect model of the most exalted sanctity.
- The oldest devotion of the holy Church, which, instructed by the great St. Paul, has at all times recognized the munificence of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
- The most approved devotion, for the holy Scriptures everywhere exhort us to renew our heart by changing our lives, rendering them contrite by true penance, inflaming them with the fire of divine love, and adorning them by the exercise of all virtue. Therefore a new heart is promised on which to remodel our Heart. That Heart can be no other than the Heart of Jesus, which is given us as an example of all virtue, and which we must imitate if we wish to be saved.
- The most perfect devotion, for it is the: source of all other devotions; the Heart of Jesus is that inexhaustible treasury from which the Mother of God and all the saints have drawn their graces, their life, their virtues, and all spiritual blessings. Filled from this treasury, other servants of God have instituted different devotions.
- The most useful devotion, for in it we have the Fountain of Life itself before our eyes, from which we can draw directly, and increase in all virtue by adoring this divine Heart, meditating on its holy desires, and seeking to imitate it.
- The devotion most pleasing to Christ, for by it we honor God, as Christ requires, in spirit and in truth, because we adore the interior power of God, seeking to please His heart.
- Finally; the most necessary devotion, for its object is that we become intimately connected as members with Jesus, our Head, that we live by and according to His spirit, and have only one heart and soul with Christ.
Gospel of St. John 29. 31-35
At that time, The Jews, that the bodies might not remain upon the cross on the sabbath-day, besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. The soldiers, therefore, came, and they broke the legs of the first, and of the other that was crucified with him. But after they were come to Jesus, when they saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers with a spear opened his side, and immediately there came out blood and water. And he that saw it hath given testimony: and his testimony is true.
St. Augustine says: "The Evangelist is very careful in his expression; he does not say, the soldiers pierced or wounded His side, but he o p e n e d it, as if to open for us the door of life, from which flow the Sacraments of the Church, without which there can be no access to the true life."
"Let us remember that the Heart of Jesus has called us not only for our own sanctification, but also for that of other souls. He wants to be helped in the salvation of souls," St. Padre Pio.
Consecration to the Sacred Heart
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, to Thee I consecrate and offer up my person and my life, my actions, trials, and sufferings, that my entire being may henceforth only be employed in loving, honoring and glorifying Thee. This is my irrevocable will, to belong entirely to Thee, and to do all for Thy love, renouncing with my whole heart all that can displease Thee.
I take Thee, O Sacred Heart, for the sole object of my love, the protection of my life, the pledge of my salvation, the remedy of my frailty and insconstancy, the reparation for all the defects of my life, and my secure refuge at the hour of my death. Be Thou, O Most Merciful Heart, my justification before God Thy Father, and screen me from His anger which I have so justly merited. I fear all from my own weakness and malice, but placing my entire confidence in Thee, O Heart of Love, I hope all from Thine infinite Goodness. Annihilate in me all that can displease or resist Thee. Imprint Thy pure love so deeply in my heart that I may never forget Thee or be separated from Thee.
I beseech Thee, through Thine infinite Goodness, grant that my name be engraved upon Thy Heart, for in this I place all my happiness and all my glory, to live and to die as one of Thy devoted servants. Amen.
Documents on the Sacred Heart:
- Annum sacrum (1889) - Pope Leo XIII
- Caritate Christi Compulsi (On The Sacred Heart) - Pope Pius XI
- Miserentissimus Redemptor (On Reparation To The Sacred Heart) - Pope Pius XI
- Haurietis aquas - Pope Pius XII
- Message on the centenary of the consecration of mankind to the Sacred Heart of Jesus (1999) - Pope John Paul ll
Dear readers let us unite our hearts with that of Jesus as we pray: Dear Lord, may the precious rays of water and blood that flowed from your pierced side indue us to pray more fervently and humbly, that we may be induced to discover the treasures of Your heart. Holy Spirit, infuse into our souls the great gift of true compassion for the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Blessed Mother pray for us and with us as we make this devout homage of affection to the Most Sacred Heart of your Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, that we may fulfill our duty of worthy satisfaction. Amen. St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, pray for us.
Acknowledgements/References:
Rev. Fr. Leonard Goffine
1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal, Angelus Press
A Catholic Life
Miracle of the Rosary Mission
Labels: Catholic Belief, Official Documents, Prayer, Quotes, Sacred Heart of Jesus, Saints
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Novus Ordo Facing East?
115. After the prayer the priest genuflects, takes the eucharistic bread, and, holding it slightly above the paten while facing the people, says: "This is the Lamb of God." With the people he adds, once only: "Lord, I am not worthy to receive you."
116. Next, facing the altar, the priest says softly: "May the body of Christ bring me to everlasting life" and reverently consumes the body of Christ. Then he takes the chalice, saying: "May the blood of Christ bring me to everlasting life," and reverently drinks the blood of Christ.
An indication that the Novus Ordo was meant to be said facing East?
Labels: GIRM, Liturgy, Novus Ordo, Official Documents, Second Vatican Council
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