Most (if not all) readers of TTC have intimate knowledge of the power of Divinity and the Eucharist, we are often baffled (and frustrated) by prelates who withhold the magnificent power and/or replace it, undermine it with the asinine.
We watch Cardinals, Bishops, priests and uncatechized laity robbing people suffering, hurting from the effects of their sin, challenged with temptation, who draw near to the power of the Eucharist.
It's like watching a patient being wheelchaired once a week into an emergency room and given a bandaid for their bullet wound.
The ridiculousness of their malpractice of letting souls wallow in suffering and pain is an injustice to souls and moreover to Christ. The value of the soul and the Divinity of Christ is beneath the personal agendas, low self-esteem and narcissism. It is a deliberate alienation from the cure of what ails us.
I loved following reflection from St. Bonaventure (published in this month's Magnificat) and wanted to share it with all of you.
The intentions of those who communicate are different and numerous: some are induced to it by the love of God alone, that they may often draw their Beloved into the bottom of their souls, to enjoy Him, comfort themselves in Him, and become enflamed with His Love. Others are excited to it by the knowledge they have of their own weakness, and seek to be cured of their infirmities by the assistance of this heavenly physician; others are touched with the remembrance of their sins, and hope by this great Sacrifice, and by this saving Host, to obtain pardon of them; others, seeing themselves pressed with some temptation, or some extraordinarily affliction, have recourse to this Sacrament, that, by the power of the Almighty, they may be delivered from their troubles, and defended from their enemy; others desire some particular grace, and address themselves to this dear Son, to whom His Father can refuse nothing for the obtaining of their request; others burn with a zeal of testifying to God their acknowledgement of His benefits, and they offer Him this same Son who is given them, knowing that they cannot present him anything more agreeable than this Cup of Blessing which He has communicated to us; others have a design to praise God in His Saints, since we cannot of ourselves more worthily honor them than by offering to God this Sacrifice of praise in remembrance of them; others in fine, celebrate and communicate being induced to it through an earnest desire of their neighbor's salvation or by the compassion they have of their brethren's adversities, being assured that...nothing so efficaciously pleads the cause of the miserable, or so powerfully intercedes before the face of the Father for the living and the dead, as the Precious Blood of His Son, which He has shed both for the one and the other.
There is no temptation or sin that the surrender, repentance and remission of sin in the Sacrament of Confession and worthy reception - in a state of grace - of the Power of the Eucharist at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, cannot cure.
If you're attracted or tempted to steal, addiction to pornography, alcohol, drugs, covet thy neighbors wife or a person of the same sex or any sex outside of the Sacrament of Marriage, or any and every sin, this is the power to save you from your own sinful attractions.
3 comments:
In our era we have a significant population of souls depriving themselves of the Sacrament of Penance and the Holy Eucharist due to the violation of their bodies and souls by the ministers of those sacraments. Some have deliberately and forever cut themselves off from the sacraments in anger. Some are walking around dead or wounded and can't give it much thought. Still others long to return to the Sacraments that, in their heart. they know will heal. But, they can't bring themselves to do it because of the horrific way in which they were violated. They have been so broken and weakened and, instead of drugs and psychiatrists, they need a hand up by Catholics--clergy or laypeople--whom they can trust. When will the Church reach out to these people individually, personally with an invitation to begin to heal through the sacraments instead of with money, drugs and psychiatrists? And I mean individually. I mean with the thought that here is a soul in need of salvation through Christ's Church. These people do not function too well in groups. What are we afraid of? More lawsuits? More failures due to poor catechesis about what this Church is really about? What have we got to lose? The answer is souls.
This is beautifully expressed. There is no doubt that Bishops, priests and lay people only have the power to do initial outreach. Then, they have to get over themselves and lead the soul to the tools that unite them to Sacramental Grace - and get out of the way.
So few are willing.
Carol,
Fr.Z will be part of a Solemn High Mass for the feast of St. Mark at St. Paul's in Harvard Square Thursday. Confessions and Rosary at 4:15. Mass at 5:15.
"Seminarians from St. John's in Boston will be assisting at Mass. The renowned Choir of St. Paul's, featuring boys from the parish's choir school accompanied by adult male singers, will be singing their first Extraordinary Form Mass, complete with sacred polyphony.
"Following Mass at 7:15pm, Fr. Z, who writes wdtprs.com, the most popular Catholic blog on the web, will deliver a lecture, sure to please, in DiGiovanni Hall. Latin-English Missals will be provided. All clergy and seminarians are welcome to attend in choir. This event is co-sponsored by the Harvard Catholic Center, Una Voce Boston College, and Juventutem Boston.
I cannot imagine a better way to return to the Faith.
M
Post a Comment