Monday, September 5, 2011

Use of the Stanley Cup for Baptismal Font

Imagine sitting around your living room with your newborn child, thinking about the Sacrament that cleanses him or her from original sin...

Celebrant: Do you reject Satan?

Response: I do.

Celebrant: And all his works?

Response: I do.

Celebrant: And all his empty promises?

Response: I do.

Celebrant: Do you believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth?

Response: I do.

Celebrant: Do you believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, Who was born of the Virgin Mary, was crucified, died, and was buried, rose from the dead, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father?

Response: I do.

Celebrant: Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting?

Response: I do.


..thinking about the holy water that will be poured over his or her head, where you are literally placing your finger into the water that gushed forth from the wound on Christ's Chest, holy water which purifies and exorcises us from venial sin...

..and saying to yourself "I have an idea!! Let us do it in the Stanley Cup!!"

These poor misguided souls do not appear to be Catholic from the photographs. Interestingly enough, one really can't even tell whether the individual baptizing the child is a woman or a man.

Striking in light of yesterday's readings..If you do not speak out to dissuade the wicked from his way, I will hold you responsible for his death.

Terry at Abbey Roads has a post up that is thought-provoking. (Be sure to check out the picture and his description of it - Dada's Magic Bishop)

The Bishop referenced in the post actually DID speak up, as Larry D points out, but Terry brings up an important point.

There are periods in the Church's history when the priests and Bishops fail in their sacred duty to be a physician of souls. They think their vocation is to be nice and reminding us of our wicked natures so that we will be called to the Sacrament of Confession will make the uncatechized think the priest is not being nice.

In periods such as we are in, when priests and Bishops recoil from their vocation of dissuading us from our wicked nature, that duty falls to the faithful and God cultivates the courage and zeal in the people He raises to do the job. At the same time, of course, we warn the Bishop about his failures so that he has the opportunity to accept this fraternal warning or reject it. Most just take the easy way out and let laity do their job. I wouldn't want to be them on their day of judgment. Nor do I want Christ to hold me accountable for seeing it and saying nothing about it while calling it piety.

For those like Michael Voris, who are called to the role he is in, there are only two choices and one of them is, if we do not speak out to dissuade the wicked, we will be held accountable for his spiritual death. Not an option at all, really.

Of course, all along the way, the people who see with the eyes in their head instead of the eyes of the soul have a field day trying to torment those answering that call...as is memorialized in the comments section of Terry's blog post.

15 comments:

Maria said...

Holy Communion received on the tongue "signifies the reverence of the faithful for the Eucharist ... provides that Holy Communion will be distributed with due reverence ... is more conducive to faith, reverence and humility.... It [Communion in the hand] carries certain dangers with it which may arise from the new manner of administering holy Communion: the danger of a loss of reverence for the August sacrament of the altar, of profanation, of adulterating the true doctrine."

- Pope Paul VI in his instruction Memoriale Domini (May 29, 1969).


And this from Fr. Hardon SJ

We were at concelebrated Mass with the Holy Father, and we were absolutely forbidden to give Communion in the hands. Communion in the hand, Communion in the hand began, in the hand, with the publication of the Dutch Catechism with nobody's permission except the bishops—in effect, in principle separated themselves from the Holy See. One country after another began then to ask for permission, which the Dutch bishops never asked for, permission to receive Communion in the hand. I was asked by the [U.S.] bishops' conference to write a defense of Communion on the tongue, and I can again talk for hours.

"In the very, very early Church, Communion was given in the hands. However, as the faith of the Christians weakened in the Real Presence, by the 5th, 6th centuries Communion on the tongue became mandatory—remained mandatory until the present century. Behind Communion in the hand—I wish to repeat and make as plain as I can—is a weakening, a conscious, deliberate weakening of faith in the Real Presence.

And the American hierarchy took most—three times, those wanting Communion in the hand kept pushing and pushing. Finally, meantime, I was asked by the vice-president of the Catholic Conference of Bishops to defend Communion on the tongue, which I did. To get enough votes to give Communion in the hand, bishops who were retired, bishops who were dying, were solicited to vote to make sure that the vote would be affirmative in favor of Communion in the hand. Whatever you can do to stop Communion in the hand will be blessed by God.”

- Fr. John Hardon, S.J., November 1st, 1997 Call to Holiness Conference
in Detroit, Michigan, panel discussion

TTC said...

Thanks for this.

I think I was just blessed in Terry's comments section.

Who would expect that trying to elevate the wrongfulness of the desecration of the Eucharist when Catholics take Communion by mouth as being more serious than 'wearing pants' or 'dancing' could ever result in thuggery in a Catholic forum?

Something I just realized in that thread that I have not been able to put my finger on for a very long time....maybe because it is so shocking...

If you fall absolutely head over heels in love with Christ, there's a large number of Catholics who will set themselves to smash you to smitherines.

It seems to be what's left of the Catholic Church in the pews. Roaring lions waiting to devour alive with a vengeance all the holiness and intimate love for Christ they can find. Their behavior is devoid of empathy and compassion and more importantly, zeal for truth. For the life of me, I could not put my finger on why they are incapable of seeing all the parts of the Body of Christ and be joyful about the tapestry of others gifts.

After this conversation, it's finally dawned on me...it's all coming from inferiority complexes.

Anonymous said...

Carole,

I am just sick over the way you were treated by Mercury and Shadowlands. You did a nice job of maintaining your cool and bringing the conversation back to the reality of what is happening to Christ.

Kudos.

Maria said...

I know, Carol.

"To continue living a Christ-like life in this kind of environment is to practice the martyrdom of witness. Why witness? Because it means giving testimony to our deep religious convictions although all around us others are giving their own example to the contrary.

It means giving witness twice over: once on our own behalf as the outward expression of what we internally believe and once again on behalf of others whose conduct is not only different from ours but contradicts it.

Wherein lies the martyrdom? It lies in the deprivation of good example to us on the part of our contemporaries, and in the practice of Christian virtue in loneliness, because those who witness what we do are in the majority--numerically or psychologically--and we know they are being challenged and embarrassed by the testimony. We witness to them, indeed, but they are not pleased to witness who we are, what we stand for, what we say, or what we do.

Notwithstanding all of this, however, it behooves us to look at the positive side of the picture. We must remind ourselves that this witness of ours is not so sterile as we may suppose; quite the contrary. Although we may be, or at least feel, often quite alone, we are not alone at all. Not infrequently our severest critics can become our strongest admirers. In any case, witness that we give by living up to the conviction of our Faith is surely demanding on human nature. That is why we call it martyrdom. But it is a witness to the truth and God's grace is always active in the hearts of everyone whose path we cross.

If we would know the power of this martyrdom of witness we have only to read the annals of the early Church. The handful of believers whom Peter baptized on Pentecost Sunday were as a drop in the immense culture surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. Yet see what happened. This small group of convinced faithful were able, in less than three hundred years, to turn the tide of paganism in the Roman Empire. For a long time they were deprived even of the basic civil rights accorded other citizens. They were often hunted like animals, and the catacombs tell us that they had to hide when celebrating the Liturgy and hide the tombs of their revered dead.

But their patience and meekness finally prevailed. Yes, but only because it was supported by unbounded courage, born not of their own strength, but of the power that Christ promised to give all His followers that shall witness to His name everywhere. This promise is just as true today. All that we need is to trust in the Spirit Whom we possess, and never grow weary in giving testimony to the grace we received".

John Hardon SJ

TTC said...

I've just got to start praying to that priest!

Maria said...

He is the man, Carol, lol! Be careful. He will have you undertaking some sort of work :)

TTC said...

He couldn't possibly find the time in my life!

TTC said...

btw - poor suzy seems to have been caught in the rapture of all the kindness and mercy bubbling over there.

Good grief, what a tango with the devil.

Maria said...

Jesus, have mercy on us...

Anonymous said...

I notice that you did not reveal on Terry's blog that you are Both Carol and Maria. I trust we will not be seeing either of you on there again!

TTC said...

Beg pardon?

You have lost me.

I think Terry knows who we are...

Do you think we have been disinvited?

Lynne said...

Carol and Maria, you two have a lot more patience than I ever will. God bless you for the effort.

TTC said...

Mercury, What happened over there is much bigger than you but I thank you for your sincere apology. You are a good man and I understand your pain and struggles. I pray you feel God's comfort and love.

TTC said...

Lynne, thanks for your kind note.

Maria said...

I notice that you did not reveal on Terry's blog that you are Both Carol and Maria. I trust we will not be seeing either of you on there again!
--Anonymous

Anonymous:

I am Maria and Carol is Carol. We are two different people and both of us have commented for a long time at Abbey Roads.

Mercury: Please, not to worry. Carol is quite right. It was much bigger than you. Merc, remember we just try the best we can each day to love the Lord. We fall down. We get up. You are fine. All is well mon frere.

Lynne--Thanks for your kind words. Carol has been blessed with a gift of the Holy Spirit: fortitude, hasn't she?