The Pope and That Communion Issue

Some coverage is being given to the Pope's response to a Lutheran lady who asked him if she could receive Holy Communion with her Catholic husband. Here is an extract from a Catholic Herald article which sums up what happened:

The Pope was asked whether a Lutheran and Catholic married couple might “finally participate together in Communion”. The questioner referred to “the hurt we’ve felt together due to [our] difference of faith”.

Francis said it was “not my competence” to give permission to do this, and admitted: “I ask myself and don’t know how to respond – what you’re asking me, I ask myself the [same] question.”

The Pope then stressed the role of personal discernment rather than repeating Church teaching that Protestant spouses can only receive Holy Communion if they do not “have recourse for the sacrament” at their own church.

He said: “There are questions that only if one is sincere with oneself and the little theological light one has, must be responded to on one’s own.”

When I read this first I immediately thought of President Barack Obama's response to a question on the abortion issue regarding the status of the unborn child and its rights: it's "above my pay grade".

Now we have to note that the Pope is correct when he says he does not have the competence to give permission to allow her to receive. He is right, as a servant of the Church he cannot change Church teaching on this issue, and the teaching is clear: inter-communion is not permitted. There is a provision for a very rare occasion when a non-Catholic can receive the Eucharist for a special event - a wedding perhaps when a non-Catholic marries a Catholic in a Catholic ceremony, but there are strict conditions which must be fulfilled, including an explicit belief in the Catholic understanding of the Eucharist. This provision was and is not envisioned to be utilized on a regular basis.

However, the Pope's response to the lady has created confusion. He should have told her that she could not receive the Eucharist while sharing her pain at the divisions which exist and prevent Lutherans from being in full communion with the Church. The Pope not only has the competence to do this, he has the duty, but on this occasion the Pope has created confusion among the faithful, and indeed may well have misled many on this issue. This is not a matter of conscience, it is a matter of objective reality, a reality that exists because of serious divisions that exist between the Catholic Church and Protestant communities. 

However the damage has been done and now the media have jumped on what he said and are running with the line that Lutherans can discern for themselves whether they can come forward for the Catholic Eucharist, relativising the whole issue. Was this intentional on the Pope's part? I cannot say, I cannot read his mind I can only observe what he says and does and drawing on what I observe I know he is no fool, he knows what he is doing and he knows what he is saying. 

I think we need a Paul to have a talk with Peter on this issue, and on a number of others.

Here is Edward Pentin's article on what happened. Fr Z has an interesting take on all this.

His Eucharistic Face

Maundy Thursday is the day of the Eucharist and the day of the Priesthood. At our Mass this evening I preached on the Eucharistic Face of Jesus - I'm taking the Holy Face as the theme of my Triduum homilies. I was asked to put the homily on my blog, I usually don't, but I agreed. So here is the text of my reflections this evening; it might be of use to some of you.

Homily for Maundy Thursday 2015

The Holy Face of Jesus I: The Eucharistic Face of Jesus

In a few weeks’ time the famous Shroud of Turin will be exposed in an Extraordinary Solemn Exposition to celebrate the bicentenary of the birth of St John Bosco. Millions will come from around the world to see it. It is a relic that has captured the attention of generations and for many it is intriguing not only because of its age, the seemingly miraculous nature of its composition as an image, but also because it may well reveal the very Face of Jesus himself. It is a relic associated with these days of the Triduum because in it we are confronted us with the reality of the Lord’s passion, death and resurrection. Over these days of the Triduum, in my homilies, I would like to take as our focus the Holy Face of Jesus not only to help us enter these days, and the forthcoming Exposition of the Shroud, but also to help us grow in our relationship with the Lord who became man so we could look upon him and be fulfilled in that desire to see the Face of God.

In his last encyclical, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, the Church and the Eucharist, Pope St John Paul II speaks of the Eucharistic Face of Jesus. This last encyclical, written for Holy Thursday 2003, was prompted by his visit to the Upper Room in Jerusalem in 2000, to the place where the first Mass, the Last Supper, was celebrated. He says in the letter, “I cannot let this Holy Thursday 2003 pass without halting before the “Eucharistic face” of Christ and pointing out with new force to the Church the centrality of the Eucharist”. Tonight as we celebrate that first Mass and ponder the mysteries of the Passion, death and resurrection of the Lord we too must halt before his Eucharistic Face to contemplate, to pray and to enter more deeply into his life, for there we find our own lives. On this Holy Night, we also recognize the centrality of the Eucharist, its venerable nature, and also understand that in it the Face of Jesus Christ is revealed. 

Why did Jesus give us the Eucharist? As a memorial, as he says himself: but as a memorial of what?  A memorial of his suffering, death and resurrection. The Last Supper was to be understood in the context of the Passover – it was a Seder meal, but of a new Passover, the Passover which would take place the next day when the Lamb of God, Jesus himself would be sacrificed for the people, when his blood would be daubed on wood and the angel of the Lord would pass over the sinful nations and gather the blood of Christ as the expiation for our sins. The Eucharist is that sacrifice which continues in the Church to this day each time Holy Mass is offered. Each time we gather for Mass, we enter that sacrifice and its fruits are given to us to eat, its graces are poured over us. The Church is nourished by the Eucharist, she truly becomes the Church in the Eucharist.

The Eucharistic banquet is one in which we are fed by his own body and blood, with his own life to give us life, with his grace so we can live as his people. The sacramental grace we receive in the Eucharist is one which nourishes our souls and makes us strong, strong to live the Gospel, to excel, to become heroic in the practice of virtue, to face the challenges, trials and sufferings of life. The heart that is open to this will derive great benefit, many blessings and divine strength from the Eucharist. They will no longer complain about not being able to live the Gospel, meet its standards, but like any athlete will rise to the challenge and triumph.

In the Eucharist Jesus also fulfills his promise to stay with us even to the end of time. Present in our tabernacles, he is here for us, he calls out to us, invites us in to is company, and in his company we will never be alone.

And then in the Eucharist we receive the vision of the Face of Jesus. In faith, when we gaze on the Host, but even better still when we receive him in Holy Communion, we are allowed to see his Face – not with the eyes of the body, but with the eyes of the soul. To the soul that is open, living the way of the Lord, to the humble soul that Face is revealed. In his life many saw Jesus, they saw his Face, but to them he was just another man, indeed a man they came to hate. But his disciples, those who believed in him, they looked on his Face and saw the face of God. As Jesus himself said to St Philip: “to see me is to see the Father”. Likewise to some the Eucharistic is just bread, taken, eaten, forgotten. But to those who believe – who know the truth, it is the Lord, and when he enters in Holy Communion, they are filled with his presence, and their souls can see his Face, they contemplate his features, they look upon him as he looks upon them. 

The Holy Face of Jesus is revealed in the Eucharist and he intended this: that those who worship him in that holy sacrament may rejoice in this vision that is waiting for them. In giving us the Eucharist, Jesus offers us that vision and it is only the blindness our hearts impose on our souls that prevents us from seeing him. This vision is offered to console us, to strengthen us, and like the lovers who gaze into each other’s eyes we are to do the same – to look on him and fall deeply in love with him. Our encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist is to be the meeting of lovers, where we ponder the beauty of his Face, the majesty of his body offered for us, the glory of his divinity. 

On this Holy Thursday we enter into the events of that night when Jesus offered the Last Supper, suffering the agony in the garden, was betrayed and arrested and taken from his disciples to begin his passion. Some, and I hope, many of you will spend time at the Altar of Repose tonight and there, I also hope, you will seek to contemplate his Holy Face as you meditate on these events. Jesus himself said to one of his visionaries, Blessed Maria Pierina de Micheli “He who contemplates me, consoles me” – your contemplation of his Holy Face tonight will console the Lord in his agony. But as you receive him in Holy Communion tonight, remember that kiss – the kiss of Judas planted on the Lord’s face, the ultimate symbol of betrayal. In your Communion, in your contemplation, kiss him too, but let your kiss be one of veneration and adoration, to console rather than betray, and make that kiss a sign of your determination to love him more, as we all should.

Tonight, the veil is lifted, the Eucharistic Face of Jesus is revealed, come us let us worship, let us gaze on him and console him.

The Ongoing Saga

Damien Thompson's most recent article in The Spectator has received some coverage in the last few hours. Both the guys over at Creative Minority Report and Fr Z devote posts to it. Thompson is writing on the German Bishops' attempts to force a change in Church teaching with regard to the Eucharist for the divorced and remarried.

There is enough being said there and Thompson's article is comprehensive. So just for the record, for those poor souls who might be confused.  

The Church's position emerges from divine law, uttered by Jesus Christ himself and laid out most explicitly in the Gospels. If Christians are not happy with that law they have to take it up with God and argue with him. 

If the Church were to change her law she would be committing an act of infidelity to Christ and would no longer be the Church, the bride of Christ. Scripture uses other quite explicit images for the people of God who break covenant with him, see the Prophet Hosea for an example.

Compassion is grounded in truth. There is no compassion in leading people into sin and perdition.

All the so-called progress in worldly terms will never negate a teaching of Christ: his teachings do not need updating, they are uttered by the Eternal God. We must change, not God nor his teachings.  God is God, he does not change his mind, what he uttered in and through his Word is eternal teaching.

All the money in the world cannot be used to justify defying the law of God. Those who try to use their wealth and power to force people to abandon the true faith and the commandments laid down by God are guilt of serious sin and, as Jesus himself said, it would have been better that they had never been born rather than lead any of the little ones astray. A millstone will be put around their neck and they will be thrown into the sea.

Bishops are entrusted with preaching the truth, if they fail in that they will be judged severely at their personal judgment and it will effect their personal salvation.  

And for those anxious about the Church:

We must trust in God: the gates of hell will not prevail. Have faith. 

If others are unfaithful, even bishops, you must be faithful.

Pray for the bishops of the Church, especially those in Germany.

Pray for the Pope, do not rebel, he is the Vicar of Christ and the Holy Spirit will ensure he will not betray the Gospel. If the Holy Father's children abandon him, he is left alone. This is the time to gather around the Pope and encourage him to stand firm against those who are trying to force him to do what is contrary to the Lord's teaching.

Enough said for now. Let us be vigilant in prayer, faithful in our observance, prudent in judgment, and above all, charitable. And may God forgive us all for the times we have failed in these.

Seeking His Face

One day more, as the song says, and Lent will be upon us.  Today is the traditional day to celebrate before the fast begins: Mardi Gras or Carnevale in the Latin tradition, or Shrove Tuesday here in Ireland and the UK.  As the Latins have parties, we have pancakes - there's a difference in culture for you.

But today sees another celebration: the feast of the Holy Face of Jesus. In 1958 Pope Pius XII approved the observance of the feast on this day, the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, and a Mass was approved for use in what is now the Extraordinary Form.  As today is a ferial day in the Ordinary Form we can observe the feast, though there is no votive Mass proper, as of yet.  I know the Sanctuary of the Holy Face in Manoppello have a votive Mass used there, but the texts are quite specific to the Sanctuary.  It would be great if the Congregation for Divine Worship and Sacraments would approve a more generic text, drawing on the rich Biblical texts which speak of the Face of God and the Incarnation.

Devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus has been growing for a number of years, and the recent expositions of the Shroud of Turin have intensified people's interest in the devotion.  The glorification of two devotees of the Holy Face, St Gaetano Catanoso and Blessed Maria Pierina De Micheli has also drawn the faithful's attention to the devotion.   And of course Pope Benedict's visit to the Sanctuary of Manoppello in 2006 brought the mysterious cloth imprinted with an image of the Face of Jesus to the attention of the world.  With another exposition of the Shroud next year I'm sure the devotion will continue to grow.

What did Jesus look like?  That is a question people have been asking for centuries.  We have in our mind a particular image of the Lord, and while that image is often subjective, it may well be based on ancient images, some of which are, it has been suggested, based on the mysterious image of the Lord on the Shroud and the Veronican towel.  Traditional icons of the Lord bear a remarkable similarity to the image of the Shroud.

 

A few years ago a project based on the Shroud of Turin sought to create a 3D image of the face of the man imprinted on it to see what he looked like.  The project yielded the image at the top of this post (and see the video below).  Is this the face of the Lord?  Whether it is or not, the project reveals the desire of all the disciples of the Lord: to see his Face, to gaze upon him whom we love.  This is the longing of the Saints, it is also part of the Beatific Vision - to see God face to face, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and taking Jesus' words to heart, "When you see me, Philip, you see the Father", we long just to catch a glimpse.

Jesus told St Thomas, "You believe because you have seen me, but blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe".  We have not seen yet we believe, and yet we also long to see.  Ultimately, on this earth, we shall see him through the eyes of faith, and we live his way so one day that faith will yield to the eternal vision of him.  This is what devotion to the Holy Face seeks to inspire: a virtuous life lived in imitation of Christ so that one day we will gaze upon his glorious Face.  A devotion which also urges us to see the Face of Christ, the wounded Face of Christ, in our wounded and poor brothers and sisters: for what we do for them is done for Christ.

And of course we will also see him, through the eyes of faith, in the Holy Eucharist.  In his last encyclical, Ecclesia de Eucharistia Blessed John Paul II spoke of the Eucharistic Face of Jesus.  So when we spend time in adoration and gaze on the Sacred Host, we gaze upon the Face of Jesus; yes hidden, but there.  As we gaze on him he gazes back at us.

Happy feast day.

Is Church History About To Repeat Itself?

A friend sent me an email recently in which he wondered if Pope Francis will face a "Humanae Vitae moment" at the Synod on the family next October. The substance of his reflection is that the Pope will be unable to satisfy the demands of the German bishops, the media and liberal Catholics and permit the admission of divorced and civilly remarried Catholics to the Eucharist, and this will lead to a situation for Francis which will mirror that faced by the Venerable Paul VI in 1968 following his refusal to endorse the use of artificial contraception. This has been suggested by a few people in the past couple of weeks. 

I have been thinking about this for the last while, and reflecting on it with some theologian friends, and I think it is possible that this might actually happen. Ultimately it will depend on how Francis deals with the situation, but I have to admit the Holy Father is being pushed further and further into a corner by growing expectations.  

Let's explore this for a moment. We are all aware of the media hype that surrounds the Holy Father. Okay, we can put to one side for a moment his ambiguity, his lack of theological precision and the now growing need for Fr Lombardi or other Vatican officials to clarify points made by the Pope due to his spontaneous utterances. The Holy Father's style is different from John Paul's and Benedict's - he is more free and ambiguous in his speech and I think we'll just have to get used to this for this Pontificate (although rumours have it a senior ranking Churchman has taken the Pope to one side and has had a "chat" with him on this ambiguity so we might see a change there - might). But all that said, I do not doubt his orthodoxy.  

However the media and liberals have been engaged in creating a virtual Francis, one who eschews doctrine and wants to demolish the Church and rebuild it as a more liberal organisation founded on the shifting sands of relativism and human emotions. At the moment it can be hard to distinguish between Francis and the virtual Francis because the secular media control most of the airwaves and Francis's free ways do not help matters. As we have seen here in Ireland with the recent abortion issue, the media set the agenda and can actually push public representatives and even the electorate in a particular direction - one which favours their point of view and political persuasion. Such is the power of the image and careful control of reporting and opinion. In a similar way, the media are presenting the virtual Francis as the reality and selectively reporting on what he says so as to lead the public to accept their man as the real man.

In this context, then, it may well be that the media and liberals will be attempting to use their power to push various issues in a particular direction. They may well be naïve enough to think that Francis will go in that direction (but he is, as we all know now, his own man), and so they are sowing expectations that Church teaching on marriage and the Eucharist may well be changed "for pastoral reasons". There are those in the Church who seem to think this as many pastors have already allowed divorced and civilly remarried couples receive Holy Communion in anticipation of the Pope changing the rule. This is very much like the situation in the 1960s with regard to contraception - many bishops and priests were then advising Catholics to use contraception because they believed Pope Paul was going to permit it.  

But will Francis change the rule? I do not think he will, not because he won't but, as I said before, because he can't. Even though it is a personal and painful issue for many, it is at its core an issue of the moral law. I have no doubt that Francis realises this and knows that to change the rule is to admit that adultery is no longer a grave sin, and such a change will undermine the nature of Christian marriage and lead the faithful into error, something as Pope he cannot do. There is much to be done on this painful issue, and the synod will reflect on what possibilities lie before us - one of which is a reconsideration of the annulment process and perhaps even the issue of canonical form as suggested by Ed Peters in a recent article. Such a synod is long overdue and, given the challenges to marriage, it is necessary. 

I hope Pope Francis is also aware that to change the rule will have other consequences with regard to marriage: this is not just about the divorced and civilly remarried receiving Communion - it is about the nature of marriage. We had a similar situation in 1968: Pope Paul realised that contraception was broader than controlling fertility in the short term, but rather an issue of life, marriage and the family. Paul prophetically understood that contraception would led to the undermining of respect for life because it placed life under the control of human beings and left it up to them to decide whether life begins or not, and, as we have seen, if life has begun whether it will be allowed continue or not. Rendering the sexual act barren through artificial means would also lead to other problematic issues regarding the integrity of the human person and the family. 

So too with this issue on marriage. To change the rule would undermine sacramental marriage and endorse situations in which Catholic marriage can be put to one side and other unions legitimised. Remember receiving Communion is not just a personal act, it is an ecclesial act: admitting those in what are seen as irregular unions under the moral law to the Eucharist will be seen to legitimise those unions. This will have many consequences. For one it will open the door to a form of legitimising same sex unions: how could the Church refuse the Eucharist to those in a same sex union when it allows it for the divorced and civilly remarried? To be consistent, she can't: she will have already undermined and put aside the moral law. 

If the Pope were to grant the German bishops what they want, he would leave the decision about the validity of a sacramental marriage to the subjective opinion of the spouses. This too would have serious consequences for marriage and for women in particular - what is stopping a man who is tired of his wife to decide in his heart of hearts that the marriage was not valid and so put her to one side with the, albeit reluctant, approval of the Church? An English king tried to do that once.

We may well be facing another troublesome period in the Church, not quite unchartered waters, but stormy ones, and the now popular Francis may well suddenly find himself presiding over another period of defections, and this will be painful for him and for all of us. It will, I suppose, depend on how the media and liberals want to proceed - will they ignore the Post-Synodal Exhortation and continue to mislead, or will they decide the decision is too obvious to ignore and turn on Francis? I do not know, it's all in the air. But one thing I do know: we need to pray for the Holy Father, and pray hard: first that he will do the right thing, and then that God will sustain him as what may be a very difficult cross will be laid on his shoulders - one which may well kill him in the end, as Paul VI's did.

Perhaps we might commend him to the care and intercession of the Venerable Paul VI.

The Evening News

A couple of pieces for you this evening.  First an article on Pope Francis and the media on the Aleteia blog.  According to Russell Shaw the media are actually quite accurate in reporting what Pope Francis says, some simplification aside, it seems, they are not missing the point.   Shaw tells us that we in the Church are in for an exciting ride.  I just hope the heart can take it!

 

Secondly, the CDF has issued a document on the matter of divorced and remarried Catholics, essentially reiterating the Church's position (Catholic Herald reports here). The document can be downloaded here.   It seems the Prefect of CDF, Archbishop Muller, is attempting to stave off undue expectation that Pope Francis will change the Church's teaching on who can receive the Eucharist.  Archbishop Muller points out that "An objectively false appeal to mercy...runs the risk of trivialising the image of God, by implying that God cannot do other than forgive".  “The mystery of God" he continues, "includes not only his mercy but also his holiness and his justice. If one were to suppress these characteristics of God and refuse to take sin seriously, ultimately it would not even be possible to bring God’s mercy to man.”  This is an important point: the mercy of God is deep but not limitless - there is a limit and that limit is that line drawn in the sand by lack of repentance - a limit set, not by God, but by those who refuse to repent.  As I said before, Pope Francis, like every other Pope, even Peter, is only the Pope, he cannot change the moral law.  The Holy Father, in his humility, knows that all too well even if many of his new-found supporters do not.

 

I also note with interest what Archbishop Muller says about the Orthodox Church's approach to divorce and remarriage.  He writes that “This practice cannot be reconciled with God’s will, as expressed unambiguously in Jesus’ sayings about the indissolubility of marriage”.  For a very good and clear article on this issue I would recommend Jimmy Aiken's most recent post.

 

All that said, the Church and her shepherds must continue to show love and compassion to those who find themselves in irregular unions and include them as much as possible in the life of the Church even if full sacramental and administrative inclusion is not possible.  For one thing greater resources and time should be given to marriage tribunals.  In the US, I believe, bishops and diocesan curiae are quite efficient in this area, but in other parts of the Church, including Ireland this pastoral work does not have the priority, funding or staffing it needs. 

 

And finally, hearty congratulations to Michael Warsaw and Doug Keck of EWTN who have been promoted.  Michael has been appointed Chairman of the Network's board, and Doug is now President; worthy appointments.  May the Lord bless them in their work, they can be sure of the Network's support and good wishes.

Of The Eucharist, Theology And The Urge For An iPad

A few interesting pieces of news, this Friday morning.  

As we prepare for the Eucharist Congress next week, a theological symposium has been taking place in Maynooth with a number of excellent speakers.  The Papal Legate, Cardinal Ouellet gave an impressive talk on "The Ecclesiology of Communion, 50 Years after the Opening of Vatican II" (see a Zenit report here).

Among the things he spoke about, one concerned devotion to the Eucharist which "must not be belittled as a pious but now outdated custom" but rather, it is "a development of the living tradition, which felt the need to express faith in Christ's real presence in the sacrament in this way".  A wonderful reaffirmation of the faith of the Church in the Holy Eucharist.   There are some in the Church here in Ireland who should take careful note of these words. 

In Ireland there is a growing movement for adoration and many churches now have adoration chapels, and some even have perpetual adoration.  Our own bishop here in Meath, Bishop Michael Smith, has made it a priority of his episcopal ministry to promote Eucharistic Adoration within the diocese and he has been very successful.  I hope and pray the Eucharistic Congress will revitalise the faith of many in the Holy Eucharist.

The Holy Father addressed similar issues yesterday in his celebration of Corpus Christi in Rome.  Here's an interesting article on his homily.

I see the fall out from the CDF's Notification on Sr Margaret Farley's book Just Love is continuing.  Now the Catholic Theological Society of America have come out in her defence and are rebuking the Vatican for such a narrow-minded approach to theology.  It said in a statement that the Vatican's move "risks giving the impression that there can be no constructive role in the life of the Church for works of theology". 

One has to wonder where these people are coming from - can one really say that dissent and rejection of the core moral teachings of the Church, taken from the Gospel, is constructive and building up the life of the Church?  In reality it breaks down the life of the Church as it introduces a moral anarchy into the communion of the faithful and makes sinful practices a valid alternative to the life of virtue or even the norm.  Theological investigation does have a part to play in the life of the Church, assisting the Magisterium in proclaiming the Gospel and exploring in ever greater depth the faith which Christ has given to us. 

Theologians, however, are not the Magisterium.  They do not define the faith nor how it is to be lived.  And when they propose to validate a manner of life or lifestyle which is in direct contradiction to the teaching of Christ and the Commandments and then promote themselves as a teaching authority in the Church they commit the sin of simulation - posing as authentic teachers of the faith when they are not.  One would think that having had so many years of study behind them these theologians would realise that.  But then again, ideology is a powerful thing and can blind even the most brilliant of thinkers. 

This is where humility comes in.  The Servant of God, Archbishop Fulton Sheen once said that theology must be studied on one's knees - he was right.  The first attitude one must have when it comes to studying theology is humility - not curiosity, not creativity, not the desire for fame, but humility because one must always remember that when it comes to theological investigation we are exploring the mystery of God (read today's Office of Readings - the first reading is from the Book of Job and humility before God: Job 40:1-14; 42:1-6).   However it seems some of our contemporary theologians think they are doing theology from their own little cathedras. 

And here's an interesting snippet.  The bishops of New Zealand have outlawed the use of the iPad for the celebration of Mass (their statement).  It seems some of their priests were using their iPads instead of the Missal for the liturgy.  I know that there is enthuasiastic discussion among some priests of how the iPad has all the texts you need and is very handy when travelling - no need to bring a Missal or breviary.  I would not be keen on it to be honest - call me a Luddite, but I prefer the book - there is something more reverent.  Of course I'm hopeless when it comes to Kindle and iPads - some friends are urging me to get one of each, but I am resisting.  I admit an iPad would be handy for work and internet when travelling, but the Kindle does not entice me at all: I love the feel of a good book. 

Issues Over The Eucharist

When it comes to the Eucharist, in recent times there have been endless rows over who can and cannot receive.  Many of these rows emerge because the people involved do not have a proper understanding of the Eucharist, usually through little or no fault of their own, or if in irregular situations feel excluded from the Church because they are not allowed to receive Holy Communion.  Situations are often made worse when some priests disregard the rules concerning reception of the Eucharist and then we have all sorts of practices which only confuse people.

In the UK there is a storm brewing over a child with Downs Syndrome whose First Holy Communion is being postponed for two reasons: questions over the child's ability to understand what the Eucharist is, and the family's non attendance at Mass.   I was going to offer a few thoughts on it, but I found a blog which says exactly what I would have said, so I refer you to it and recommend you read it. 

Point of information: the Church does not exclude people from the Eucharist because they have a disability. I have given the Eucharist to many with Downs Syndrome and found them to be very devout when they know they are receiving Jesus.  Indeed I worked in a parish where one of the Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion had Downs Syndrome and she was very conscientious and respectful: a model for the others.

*    *    *

Another issue.  I received an anonymous letter a couple of days ago concerning abuses at Mass, heretical teachings and refusal by priests in the church concerned to use the new translation of the Missal.  As I have no way of knowing who you are and contacting you, I would like to advise you here, as I share your concerns. 

Write to the local bishop with copies of the evidence that you have - even though the priests concerned are Order priests, they are still subject to the jurisdiction of the local ordinary when it comes to heretical teachings and the liturgy.  Write also to their Superior General in Rome - you can find the address on the internet.  If you hear nothing within a reasonable length of time, write to the new Papal Nuncio, again with your evidence and a copy of the letter you sent the local bishop, and write also to the following addresses in Rome with the same information:

Concerning the heretical teachings:  write to the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith:

H.E. Cardinal William Joseph Levada,

Prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith,

Piazza del S. Uffizio, 11

00193 Roma,

Italy.

Regarding the liturgical abuses and refusal to use the new translation: write to the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of Sacraments:

H.E. Cardinal Antonio Canizares Llovera,

Prefect, Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of Sacraments,

Palazzo delle Congregazioni,

Piazza Pio XII, 10

00193 Roma,

Italy.

I believe the people you are concerned with are already known to the above Dicastries, so if anything is to be done to resolve issues, they need to know how things are. 

Reforming The Body Of Christ

In Ireland today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ - Corpus Christi.    The feast has added significance this year because we are preparing for the Eucharistic Congress next year, and the Church in Ireland held a mini Congress in Knock.  Having reflected on our martyrs, this feast gains even more significance since many of our martyrs were put to death for their devotion to the Mass - our priestly martyrs in particular.

Interestingly I am also reading Mark Dooley's new book, Why Be A Catholic? - I have to say it is a good read.   Dooley is a philosopher, and has held a number of positions in philosophy departments.  He is an expert on the "philosopher of beauty", Roger Scruton and has written a couple of book about him.  He has also written articles and columns for a number of newspapers, he is currently a columnist for the Irish Daily Mail.  It was in that paper that he exposed the inner life of the national seminary in Maynooth where he was working in the Philosophy Department.  His articles caused a stir, perhaps even a bit of a storm in the seminary.  Strangely, following the publication of the articles his contract with Maynooth was not renewed - a pure coincidence I'm sure.

Dooley's book is, in a sense, a response to his critics, although it was in pipeline long before he wrote the articles, and it is wider in scope.  I mention it today on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi because his writing reveals a real veneration for the Holy Mass and, indeed, a profound understanding of the Eucharist.   Asking the question, How may we reform the Church in these times? He sees the answer in the revitalisation of the liturgy as we see in the present Benedictine reform.  

Dooley points out that we need to come to understand what the liturgy is - that it is not ours but God's.  It is not a place for experimentation, but rather the place where we encounter God and enter more deeply into his life.   Refreshing stuff, but not original, Pope Benedict and many of the new reformers have been saying this for years.   He is correct when he maintains that the renewal of the Church begins with the way we worship because the way we worship reveals what we believe.  When we reorient our worship back to God, we give him precedence, and so we are more inclined to listen to him and more resolved to life lives conformed to his teaching.

At the moment, though many talk about reform, many fall into the trap which swallowed Marx and other ideological thinkers - thinking that reform will emerge from changing structures.  We see so many efforts, so many committees, so many policies and plans from thrusting the burden of the reform onto the laity, to spending thousands of euro on clustering and other such schemes. It will all fail if prayer and adherence to the Gospel are not put on top of the list.   If we look at the history of the Church we see that every reform (EVERY reform) began with personal, spiritual renewal.  

Recovering from the spiritual and religious stagnation of the last forty years will require the same plan.  So what should we do to reform the Church?  Ordain married men???? No.  Ordain women????? No.   Allow contraception and divorce so we can get the people back????  No - those things will only create an even greater rupture from Christ and his teaching.  The reform of the Church will begin when you and I get on our knees before Christ in the Eucharist and make the commitment to become holy.  That's what Dooley says and he is right, hence the importance of today's feast.

This Holy Night

The Venerable Pope John Paul II in the Upper Room of the Last Supper in Jerusalem

As we begin the Sacred Triduum, this evening reflecting on the Holy Eucharist, the priesthood and the Lord's agony in the garden of Gethesemane, my thoughts turn to Pope John Paul's reflections in his encyclical on the Eucharist. To aid our meditation this evening an appropriate extract:

During the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 I had an opportunity to celebrate the Eucharist in the Cenacle of Jerusalem where, according to tradition, it was first celebrated by Jesus himself. The Upper Room was where this most holy Sacrament was instituted. It is there that Christ took bread, broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying: “Take this, all of you, and eat it: this is my body which will be given up for you” (cf. Mk 26:26; Lk 22:19; 1 Cor 11:24). Then he took the cup of wine and said to them: “Take this, all of you and drink from it: this is the cup of my blood, the blood of the new and everlasting covenant. It will be shed for you and for all, so that sins may be forgiven” (cf. Mt 14:24; Lk 22:20; 1 Cor 11:25). I am grateful to the Lord Jesus for allowing me to repeat in that same place, in obedience to his command: “Do this in memory of me” (Lk 22:19), the words which he spoke two thousand years ago. 

Did the Apostles who took part in the Last Supper understand the meaning of the words spoken by Christ? Perhaps not. Those words would only be fully clear at the end of the Triduum sacrum, the time from Thursday evening to Sunday morning. Those days embrace the myste- rium paschale; they also embrace the mysterium eucharisticum. 

The Church was born of the paschal mystery. For this very reason the Eucharist, which is in an outstanding way the sacrament of the paschal mystery, stands at the centre of the Church's life. This is already clear from the earliest images of the Church found in the Acts of the Apostles: “They devoted themselves to the Apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (2:42). The “breaking of the bread” refers to the Eucharist. Two thousand years later, we continue to relive that primordial image of the Church. At every celebration of the Eucharist, we are spiritually brought back to the paschal Triduum: to the events of the evening of Holy Thursday, to the Last Supper and to what followed it. The institution of the Eucharist sacramentally anticipated the events which were about to take place, beginning with the agony in Gethsemane. Once again we see Jesus as he leaves the Upper Room, descends with his disciples to the Kidron valley and goes to the Garden of Olives. Even today that Garden shelters some very ancient olive trees. Perhaps they witnessed what happened beneath their shade that evening, when Christ in prayer was filled with anguish “and his sweat became like drops of blood falling down upon the ground” (cf. Lk 22:44). The blood which shortly before he had given to the Church as the drink of salvation in the sacrament of the Eucharist, began to be shed; its outpouring would then be completed on Golgotha to become the means of our redemption: “Christ... as high priest of the good things to come..., entered once for all into the Holy Place, taking not the blood of goats and calves but his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption” (Heb 9:11- 12).

The hour of our redemption. Although deeply troubled, Jesus does not flee before his “hour”. “And what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour?' No, for this purpose I have come to this hour” (Jn 12:27). He wanted his disciples to keep him company, yet he had to experience loneliness and abandonment: “So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation” (Mt 26:40- 41). Only John would remain at the foot of the Cross, at the side of Mary and the faithful women. The agony in Gethsemane was the introduction to the agony of the Cross on Good Friday. The holy hour, the hour of the redemption of the world. Whenever the Eucharist is celebrated at the tomb of Jesus in Jerusalem, there is an almost tangible return to his “hour”, the hour of his Cross and glorification. Every priest who celebrates Holy Mass, together with the Christian community which takes part in it, is led back in spirit to that place and that hour.

This is a beautiful night, a holy night, a night of grace, may it be full of blessings and graces for all of you.  I will be remembering all the members of the Fraternity, and all readers of my blog, in my Mass this evening and during the Holy Vigil.  Can I ask you all to pray for me also and for all my brother priests?

Godhead Here In Hiding

First Friday today, so I spent the morning on my Communion Calls - a great day - many of those who are housebound are wonderful characters, and people of great faith.   This evening we have Mass in the parish church - St Louis and St Mary's but with a difference, we have a relic of the Eucharistic Miracle of Santarem - some of the Blood which flowed from the Host.  I announced that we would have it this evening, so I wonder how many will come to Mass.

I was reflecting on Eucharistic Miracles today as I was driving around the parish with the Lord in my car, working out what I was going to say after the Gospel.  We have a number of them in the world, over thirty I believe, many dating from the Middle Ages.  There have also been a few in recent times, including one in Poland which is being investigated at the moment.  They are most unusual phenomena, science is baffled.  The Miracle of Lanciano, the most spectacular of them of all, defies explanation - an explanation outside faith that is.

I think we need to look at these Miracles, more Catholics should know about them since they can be a means of deepening our Eucharistic faith.  The sight of a Host bleeding is not a sight to merely marvel at or study, or even gawk at as if it was an item on Ripley's Believe It Or Not, it is a sign to remind us that here, in the Holy Eucharist, is the Lord in hiding: Christ himself, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.  That is not a popular thing to say in some Catholic liturgical circles, but it is the truth.   A truth which calls us to the proper celebration of the Holy Mass, adoration, worthy reception of Holy Communion and, that big problem for Irish people, being reverent and quiet in the church where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved - the Irish like to talk (part of our charm) but we do have a nasty habit of talking (very loudly) in church before and after Mass - another sign that the Church here needs renewal.

Here is a good video on Eucharistic Miracles.

Pray for us, Don Bosco

Today is the feast of St John Bosco, more often referred to as Don Bosco.  He is a saint who is assuming more and more of a role in the Church, thanks in particular to his visions and dreams.  He really was an interesting man: he was a most practical person, a wise man and a wily operator - he had to be to get his congregations established in a time when secularism posed a real threat to the Church and sought to claim the minds and hearts of the young, and the officials in the Church were afraid of innovation.  Yet he was also a dreamer, literally.  Through his dreams, God spoke to him, making Don Bosco a most remarkable mystic.

His most famous dream-vision is that of the barque of Peter, assaulted on every side, being guided by the Pope into a safe haven between the pillars of the Eucharist and Our Lady, Help of Christians.  A wonderful painting of it adorns the back wall of the Basilica of Mary, Help of Christians in Turin.  In this vision Don Bosco saw the troubles the Church would have to endure, but also the remedy: the Eucharist and Our Lady.  Thankfully this vision is coming to pass - the Church is facing difficult times, but the faithful are finding their refuge and a strengthening in faith through their devotion to the Holy Eucharist and Our Lady.  When in seminary many of my brother seminarians had a deep devotion to both.  This vision should be a great help to us and a signpost to bring us to Christ and Mary.

Don Bosco was a great defender of the faith and a strong advocate for Catholic education to which he devoted his life.  He also came under suspicion and his enemies sought to stop his work with rumours of child abuse - as many have found down the centuries, accuse a priest of child abuse and you destroy him, his work and undermine the mission and teaching of the Church.  Don Bosco understood it was a terrible weapon which the Church's enemies, both within and outside Church are not afraid to use.  He sought what we would call today "best practice", but not an inhuman regime - he did not want the children in his care to think they were dangerous and had to be kept at a distance: he was their father and he loved them, he cared for them, he wanted the best for them for Christ's sake.  And they adored him and respected him.  I think we should Don Bosco's life and example - I think they might offer us some valuable insights as we deal with various issues today.

During our pilgrimage to the Exposition of the Holy Shroud last May we also visited the Basilica of Mary, Help of Christians - it was a wonderful experience.  The Salesians there gave us a warm welcome and were so kind - we all felt that Don Bosco himself was welcoming us to his home.   I came away with wonderful keepsakes: relics of Don Bosco and St Dominic Savio which I cherish - they will make their appearance at Mass today.

Back To Basics?

There is an interesting development in the Archdiocese of Liverpool, announced a couple of days ago. The decision has been taken to return to the original order of the Sacraments of Initiation - i.e. Confirmation will now be given before First Holy Communion.   According to the diocesan statement, the sacrament of Confirmation will now be given to candidates who are prepared for it around the age of eight, and then sometime afterwards, they will receive their First Holy Communion, I think with First Confession somewhere in between.

This is something to watch, I think, and see how they get on.  A number of theologians have for some time expressed misgivings over the present system we have in the Church where Holy Communion is given at seven or eight, and Confirmation a number of years later - the process of initiation is out of kilter, and to be honest I do have to agree with them.  In the Orthodox churches the three sacraments are given together - the child is baptised, confirmed and then given a tiny fragment of the Eucharist, and then after a number of years instruction, the child begins to receive Holy Communion on a regular basis.  I know Protestant denominations, Anglicans included, give Confirmation to the candidate when they are in their teens, and then they receive communion for the first time.  It was Pope St Pius X who allowed children receive Holy Communion at an earlier age, partly inspired by a saintly little Irish girl, Nellie Organ who had been given permission to receive it at the age of four, having demonstrated she had reached the age of reason early and had a profound understanding of, and love for, the Eucharist.

Is it time for us in Ireland to follow Liverpool's lead?  I think we should think about it and watch how things go in Liverpool.  Certainly, as I and many others have said on numerous occasions, there is an urgent need for our catechetical programme to be overhauled (in my opinon, programme trashed, new orthodox people put in place to work with the official Catechism of the Church to design, write and implement a new programme, and a strict process put in place to ensure diocesan catechists are following and adhering to the programme).    Seeing as the Church in Ireland is beginning to reform - I hear great things are happening in some areas of the Apostolic Visitation, we might begin a conversation with Rome to see if we should return to the original practice as Liverpool is doing.  I realise there may be some problems, not least among them the age at which Confirmation is to be given.  But, again, we will keep an eye on how Liverpool fares out.

Servant of the Eucharist

The idea of a victim soul may sound strange to modern ears, even within the Church, but, as today's feast reminds us, he or she has a unique vocation in the Church, living in a radical way the Lord's call to his disciples to take up their cross and follow him.  Today is the feast of Blessed Alexandrina da Costa, a Portuguese lay woman who spent most of her life bedridden, but found there the means of interceding for the world.  Alexandrina's story is fascinating and bound up with the apparitions of Fatima - she would have been contemporary with the visionaries.  She is often called the "Fourth Visionary" since her life of suffering and reparation fulfils in a mystical way, the calls of Our Lady.  Interestingly, Alexandrina died on the anniversary of the Miracle of the Sun, 13th October. 

Alexandrina is also famous for two extraordinary occurrences.  She had many visions which sustained her in her suffering, but it was her passion ecstasies which brought her to the attention of many.  Every Friday she entered into a mystical state and went through the passion of the Lord.  During those ecstasies her paralysed limbs regained their power.   These ecstasies were filmed and these films were examined as part of her Cause. The other was her eleven year fast, as she lived only on the Eucharist.  This is a medical fact - she underwent extensive tests and was observed by doctors who found that she ate or drank nothing except the Eucharist, with no ill effects.

Since I was ordained, most Monday evenings, I attend a small Eucharistic prayer group under Blessed Alexandrina's patronage - it has been a great source of blessings and graces for all involved, most particularly for my priesthood.  Members of the group have travelled to Fatima and to Balasar in the north of Portugal where Alexandrina lived and is buried.  So today is a special day for them.  I wish them a happy feast day. 

My colleague, Caroline, over at the St Genesius blog notes that the Archbishop of Braga has suggested to Archbishop Dermot Martin of Dublin, that Blessed Alexandrina be declared one of the patrons of the 2012 Eucharistic Congress. An excellent idea! 

There is an online video which includes some of the footage from one of passion ecstasies here.