In the article I post below, Cardinal Sarah decries the mega Masses that are celebrated and mostly in Saint Peter's Square. I have distributed Holy Communion at approximately five of these Masses with upwards of 100,000 faithful and unfaithful present. I have done so at the periphery of the Piazza. I can tell you that I have no clue as to who is Catholic or simply a pagan tourist seeking a relic from their vacation.
While we are told by Vatican Mc's not to distribute Holy Communion in the hand, it is quite common for communicants to receive in the hand both in and outside of the Basilica. The worst experience I had, and I pray it wasn't captured on camera by me doing it, even unwittingly, is that tourists and or pilgrims pass the Host back to those who can't manage to come forward to the Communion station. God only knows who is receiving worthily and unworthily. I left it to God to take care of Himself. I am sure He can; but we mere mortals must help with the reverence that is due Almighty God, no?
No modern pope has tried to rectify this situation, protest as Cardinal Sarah does, not even Pope Benedict who I believe lamented the same thing. It would be easy to do, simply cordon off a section for pre-selected FAITHFUL to sit and only offer Holy Communion to this small group with the Sacrament of Confession available prior to the Mass for this group. Everyone has to be present very early prior to one of these mega Masses.
But the true problem that Cardinal Sarah highlights aren't these mega Masses, as bad as they can be from the viewpoint of how to consecrate so many Hosts and indiscriminate distribution of Holy Communion, but this more destructive problem in many/most Ordinary Form Masses which His Eminence also highlights:
Cardinal Sarah
also regrets that some "unfaithful priests in the memory of Jesus"
insist more on the festive aspect of the Mass than on the bloody
sacrifice of Christ on the Cross."The
importance of the interior dispositions and the necessity to reconcile
with God accepting to allow us to be purified by the sacrament of the
confession are no longer in fashion," concludes the prelate.
The first picture above is simply blah and banal and captures no one's imagination whatsoever and it isn't festive but it is completely destructive of authentic Catholic liturgical spirituality and devotion. The second makes clear that the priest is a priest offering the Sacrifice on behalf of the Church and that the emphasis is on the "bloody sacrifice of Christ on the Cross", offered as its re-presentation but in an unbloody, glorified, eternal way. That alone is enough to capture the imagination of those behind the priest facing the same direction--the symbolic liturgical east or the actual east!
Cardinal Sarah denounces mass masses "with thousands of attendees"
INFOVATICANA
June 24, 2017
"Men
and women in adultery and unbaptized tourists who participate in Eucharistic celebrations of anonymous crowds can receive without
distinction the Body and Blood of Christ." This
is the situation that warns Cardinal Robert Sarah, prefect of the
Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments,
in his book The Force of Silence.
Cardinal
Sarah emphasizes the need for the Church to study with urgency "the
ecclesial and pastoral opportunity of these multitudinous Eucharistic
celebrations with thousands of attendees." For
the Guinean cardinal, today there is an immense danger of converting
the Eucharist "into a vulgar verbena" and of desecrating the Body and
Blood of Christ.
"The
priests who distribute the sacred species without knowing anyone and
give the body of Jesus to anyone, without distinguishing Christians from
non-Christians, participate in the profanation of the Holy Eucharistic
Sacrifice," says in his book The Force of Silence.
The
prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship warns that "with certain
voluntary complicity," those who exercise authority in the church are
guilty in permitting the sacrilege and desecration of the Body of Christ
"in those gigantic and ridiculous self-celebrations, where There are
very few who realize that the death of the Lord is announced until he
comes. "
Sarah
also regrets that some "unfaithful priests in the memory of Jesus"
insist more on the festive aspect of the Mass than on the bloody
sacrifice of Christ on the Cross."The
importance of the interior dispositions and the necessity to reconcile
with God accepting to allow us to be purified by the sacrament of the
confession are no longer in fashion," concludes the prelate.
16 comments:
While I'm sure there are great articles on his book, I highly recommend that every Latin Rite Catholic, even those who detest our liturgical and devotional traditions, read this very thoughtful book in its entirety.
Perhaps as a rule of thumb there should be no more communicants at Mass that the celebrant and two deacons can handle, or no more than one ciborium of Hosts can serve.
But it seems that the Bugnini Mass is primarily a festive "celebration" that emphasises the joy of the resurrection. A celebration does not emphasise the suffering and death of the Christ on the Cross. That is dreary and mediaeval. Receiving the bread (and wine) is just a symbol of the unity of the gathered community present who believes in God. Transubstantiation is alien to modern enlightened man. In the new church, modern man does not need confession, since just saying the confiteor is sufficient. After all, everyone is saved just by believing in God; saying the confiteor is a way of expression one's feeling sorry for offending someone, because everyone fails sometimes to be a good guy. The Bugnini Mass has rightly extricated mention of St Paul's warning about receiving the Eucharist unworthily; it is an old fashioned idea that no longer applies to modern man.
The above is what a lot of catholics believe today, even at high places in the Vatican.....God Bless Cardinal Sarah. Africa, through God's grace, will save the Church.
This is neither a suggestion or an observation: but what about distribution of unconsecrated hosts at these mega-Masses? For reference I know the orthodox offer part of the bread that has not been consecrated to people, and I think there is a tradition in eastern Europe of giving wafers that resemble the host(though this does not take place in a religious setting) during the Christmas season. Then there are those blessing up which follow a similar theme. Again, this isn't a suggestion or observation. It is a question.
I will defend the little altar because it is a private chapel, and not a large cathedral. It's simplicity in design makes that type chapel accessible to many, and again it is for a more private Mass than a parish church or cathedral .
I was born and baptized in 1951. My parents, born 30 years earlier, knew what it was to be Catholic and we were raised in the Faith. As a child I wanted to be a priest. I became a server soon after my Confirmation at age 8 and loved the Mass passionately.
I still do; but what a change there was in the 1960s! At university I read myself back into the Catholic faith but what passed for liturgy in the early 1970s was so dire that I couldn't stand it. Fortunately I walked off the street in South Kensington in 1973 and experienced Solemn Mass at the Oratory - Haydn's Nelson Mass - and realized that all was not lost.
Given the 2000 years history of the Church, I was a bit unlucky to have been born at the time the Church decided to self-destruct. But I will say this. I would not in conscience attend the average parish 'Mass'. Fortunately I don't have to, although I realize that many who post here have no alternative.
It seems to me that Cardinal Sarah knows he has nothing to loose by speaking his mind. He clearly isn't afraid of what Pope Francis is going to do to him. Something tells me he isn't the only Cardinal or bishop who has decided it is high time to speak up against what is going on. That isn't good news for Francis. But it is great news for the Church. Cardinal Sarah is a ray of hope in this dark dark papacy. What a wonderful pope he would make.
"...simply cordon off a section for pre-selected FAITHFUL to sit and only offer Holy Communion to this small group with the Sacrament of Confession available prior to the Mass..."
Do you do this in your current parish? Have you cordoned off an area at St. Anne's, allowing only those who have been to confession to receive? How do you know they are REALLY in a state of grace? Did they confess every single mortal sin, or did they hide a few, just to see if they could get past the newly installed Communion Gestapo?
This is among your most ninny-headed suggestions to date.
Anon at 2:34 - isn't that exactly what Christ did when He instituted the Eucharistic Feast at the Last Supper? Only the selected disciples were allowed into the room. FrAJM's suggestion seems to fit perfectly with the concept of the Mass as a re-enactment.
FWIW, this is a daily dilemma for TLM parishes. We want to welcome all to the Mass including and especially those laboring through the folk Mass and Broadway Hymnal/NGO Masses in other parishes. Many of us are refugees from that bedlam. But we have finally found a respecful and earnest worship that brings the works of the great minds of our civilization and lay them humbly at the feet of the risen Lord. It is difficult to invite people in to this place knowing that while they want to also worhip they probably don't know how to behave.
"...simply cordon off a section for pre-selected FAITHFUL to sit and only offer Holy Communion to this small group with the Sacrament of Confession available prior to the Mass..."
This is, in essence, how communion was handled at mega-Masses prior to the current era of mass profanation--communion was distributed to few if any. There probably is no other way to restore sanity, sanctity, and some semblance of Eucharistic reverence to these profane papal spectacles.
"He clearly isn't afraid of what Pope Francis is going to do to him."
No one who's read in Card. Sarah's prior book how he stood up to one of the world's most brutal dictators, barely escaping with his life, can imagine him being intimidated by the likes of the current pope.
www.sspx.com.au/organisations/thirdordersspx/letters/2017/April2017.pdf
Pax.
Mark Thomas
Yes, in the eastern tradition, we have the distribution of the blessed bread, which isn't consecrated....I argue there's enough Byzantinisation of the Roman Liturgy through various points....
Agree with Joe Potillor. The Latin Church should strive to perfect the celebration of the sacraments based upon its traditions without blending in the traditions of other churches and then, doing it poorly.
The notion of Mega Masses is troubling in that so many probably struggle to pray the mass well in such an overwhelming setting. Our communion, which is closed, is distributed to all who approach greatly increasing the likelihood of profanation. If the Church insists on continuing this practice, why not limit communion to the celebrants or, just celebrate vespers instead?
I struggle with the notion of defending the furnishings of the private chapel where mass is being offered publicly or, with invited guests. The bishop's obligation is to provide a good example as to what constitutes good liturgy to his diocese. That minimalist undersized table with the liturgical Trapper-Keeper hanging off the edge fails miserably in terms of setting a standard of respect and care.
They could just cast the wafers out in sweeping arm motions like feeding fish or chickens and have a big trough full of wine. "Camp Town Races" could be played for a Communion hymn and, after "communion," horse races could be held outside the Church...you know, something Faulkner-esque. Hey, it is all about having a good time...
Gene - That really cracked me up. Well done.
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