Whispered in the Sacristy

Blessings by the Laity

The following showed up recently on New

Oxford

Review web-site:

Please Don't Bless My Children

February 2006By Larry A. Carstens

Larry A. Carstens teaches English in a public high school and community college in the

Los Angeles

area.

Sometimes a practice creeps into the Mass that nobody seems to notice, and upon which nobody comments. But for those to whom their Catholic faith really matters, the barely noticed and gradually ubiquitous practice is a source of discomfort and concern. Take, for example, the distracting and uncomfortable custom of peer-pressured hand-holding during the Our Father. A number of orthodox voices were raised against it and, in some parishes, the inappropriate hand-holding diminished.

Nowadays, another practice has crept into the Mass in various dioceses throughout the country. It seems a very sensitive area, and objections to it are likely to offend a large number of people. But my concern is the proper worship of God, not approval among men. But how do you tell a sweet little old lady who loves the Lord and cheerfully does her best to assist at Mass that what she's doing might not be the best way to honor God?

Quite some time ago, there developed among priests distributing Communion at Mass the custom of placing their hands on the heads of children too young to receive the Sacrament to bless them. I have no objection to this practice at Mass, as long as the person blessing the children is an ordained priest (or deacon). However, as time has passed and more and more Eucharistic ministers have been distributing Communion at Mass, these helpful, but non-ordained, persons have taken it upon themselves -- or have been instructed -- to bless children in the manner of an ordained priest. And herein lies the rub: It does not seem appropriate for the non-ordained to bless children at Mass.

I know this will annoy some readers, but I would only ask such persons to consider if it really serves the purposes of our Faith for non-ordained persons, many (if not most) of whom are women, to imitate the actions and office of priests at Mass. I really do not believe that our Lord is best served by this relatively new practice that is creeping into the Mass.

If you believe that the Faith, which was handed down to us from the Apostles and preserved by the Magisterium through two millennia, is true and guided by the Holy Spirit, you will perhaps admit that God's plan for His Church has never included priestesses, and that therefore any steps in that direction, however subtle they may be, are steps away from rather than toward Him. Perhaps, too, you will recognize that the practice I have described has crept into the Mass in an illegitimate, and therefore inappropriate, manner.

And so, as the father of five children, all too young to receive Communion, my respectful but sincere message to all non-ordained Eucharistic ministers is this: Please don't bless my children during

Mass.

It's nothing against you, but is a reverence and respect for Christ and the ordained priest who acts in persona Christi. I appreciate your assistance in helping the priest distribute Communion, but I respectfully request that you leave the public blessing of children during the Mass to those who have received the Sacrament of Holy Orders.

I’d like to answer in the words of a priest-friend:

"Is it proper for lay extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion to give a 'blessing' to young children

or people who cannot (or choose not to) receive the Eucharist?"

I ask and will try to answer this question in the light of some Catholics who say: Extra-Ordinary Ministers of Communion can not bless people who come before them, saying: Ministers of Communion don’t have the Authority of the Church to bestow blessings. Their blessings are valueless. This empty gesture is useless and deceiving. Imitating the Priest's gestures at Mass (even at his request) is confusing to people who don't know that there is a difference.

Actually the laity actually do have their own limited authority, the authority of a parent, the head of the family, a husband, etc. to ask God’s blessings.  That authority is applicable for use in household blessings and under certain circumstances in church.

When asked this question, Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the

Regina

Apostolorum

University

,

Rome

, responded:

There are many ways of distinguishing kinds of blessings and sacramentals. One such distinction is between constituent and invocative sacramental.

The effect of a constituent sacramental is to transform the person or object being blessed in such a way that it is separated from profane use. Examples would include the blessing of an abbot [or] the blessing of holy water. Practically all of these blessings are reserved to an ordained minister and sometimes are the exclusive preserve of the bishop.

Invocative blessings call down God's blessing and protection upon a person or thing without sacralizing them in any way. Some of these blessings are reserved to the ordained, such as the blessing of the assembly at the end of a liturgical celebration.

Some blessings may also be imparted by lay people by delegation or by reason of some special liturgical ministry, above all when an ordained minister is absent or impeded (see general introduction to the Shorter Book of Blessings, No. 18). In these cases lay people use the appropriate formulas designated for lay ministers.

This latter situation is probably the case of the extraordinary ministers of holy Communion who ask that God's blessing may come upon those who for some good reason approach the altar but do not receive Communion.

Finally, some simple blessings may be given by lay people in virtue of their office, for example, parents on behalf of their children.

Catechism of the Catholic Church #1669 teaches: Sacramentals derive from the baptismal priesthood: every baptized person is called to be a "blessing," and to bless. Hence lay people may preside at certain blessings; the more a blessing concerns ecclesial and sacramental life, the more is its administration reserved to the ordained ministry (bishops, priests, or deacons).

The primary difference is that the Priest blesses the people (or a person) with the Authority of the Church, Lay people can not.  As intercessory prayer, also called invocative prayer, they are asking God’s blessings for the good of another.  It is an exercise of a sacramental which is valid for a lay person to impose.

Catagory: If it weren't so funny I'd cry

I came across this recently on a site on the Traditional (Tridentine) Latin Mass:

"IF there is no Traditional Mass anywhere around," some people wonder, "What is a person to do?"

On very rare occasions, I have had to attend a Novus Ordo Mass on a Sunday (there was one time in 2006 that the snow was so bad, I was forced to attend Mass at the local parish). And there's only the Novus Ordo for daily Mass.

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There are a few things I do to get through it.

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The first trick is simply keeping your eyes closed. There are a lot of infuriating things that go on at the Novus Ordo that you completely miss simply by not looking. Even if you can't physically be at a Tridentine Mass, you can always use your imagination and imagine being at the traditional Mass, with its atmosphere more conducive to prayer.

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Another thing I have done, when having to be there on a Sunday, has been to bring my old missal along with me, and read the prayers for the traditional Mass instead of reading along with what the priest or deacon would be saying. That's another thing that makes praying a lot easier at the Novus Ordo Mass!

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One of the most aggravating things I find at the Novus Ordo is the so-called "Sign of Peace". I say "so called" because there are so many people who really believe it's not supposed to be a "sign of peace" but a "sign of conviviality". You see people waving to each other or having a quick chat and a laugh while that's going on – not to mention all the couples who like to use that as a time to 'make out'.

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What I usually do, besides simply not watching all that going on, is to keep my hands in my pockets. There is, after all, only one proper thing to do with the hands during Mass – keep them folded – and if you're not going to do that, then keeping your hands in your pockets is just as proper as anything else. One time I was not near anybody else in the pew and had my eyes closed during the "sign of peace", and somebody walked over to where I was and grabbed my hand to shake it. Ever since that happened, I've kept my hands in my pockets; nobody can shake your hand when it's in your pocket! This is also why I'm always careful to make sure I'm on the end of the pew. If the pew fills up, I can usually find a way to slip out the end of the pew and put some distance between myself and the overly-social types who seem to just be passing the time during the Mass until they get to the fun part where the sign of peace starts.

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At Communion time, I like to keep my eyes down at the feet of the person in front of me while walking up. That way I don't get infuriated watching the awful way most people receive Communion at a Novus Ordo Mass. I also find that being in the back of the church makes it easier to cross Communion lines if necessary to avoid receiving Communion from an extraordinary minister.

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That's what I do to put up with the Novus Ordo Mass when I can't get to a traditional Mass. Probably other people have their own techniques for keeping what's going on from distracting them from prayer. Whatever one does, it's certainly better than attending an Orthodox Liturgy or a Tridentine Mass at a church or chapel not in union with Rome just to avoid the Novus Ordo.

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Here We Go Folks! Round Two ...

Vatican to elaborate on Pope's liberalization of the old Latin Mass

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VATICAN CITY - The Vatican has begun drafting a document to elaborate on Pope Benedict's recent liberalization of the old Latin Mass because some bishops are either ignoring his move or misinterpreting it, Vatican officials said.

The Vatican's No. 2, Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone, said in comments published Thursday that the Vatican would be issuing an "instruction" on how to put the Pope's document into practice, since there had been what he called some "uneven" reactions to it since it went into effect last year.

The document the Roman Catholic pontiff issued in July removed restrictions on celebrating the so-called Tridentine Mass, the rite celebrated in Latin before the liberalizing reforms of the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s paved the way for the new mass used widely today in local languages.

Following the 1960s reform, the Tridentine rite could only be celebrated with permission from local bishops - an obstacle that supporters of the old rite said had greatly reduced its availability.

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In a gesture to such traditional Catholics, Benedict removed that requirement in his document, saying parish priests could celebrate the Tridentine Mass if a "stable group of faithful" requested it.

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Implementation, however, has been uneven, with some bishops issuing rules that "practically annul or twist the intention of the Pope," Msgr. Albert Malcolm Ranjith, secretary of the Vatican's Congregation for the Divine Cult and Discipline of Sacraments, said recently, according to the Vatican's missionary news agency FIDES.

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Such reactions amounted to a "crisis of obedience" toward the pontiff, he was quoted as saying, although he stressed that most bishops and other prelates had accepted the Pope's will "with the required sense of reverence and obedience."

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Bertone, the Vatican's secretary of state, said the forthcoming instruction would lay out criteria for the Pope's document to be correctly applied, according to an interview published Thursday in the Italian religious affairs weekly Famiglia Cristiana. He gave no date for its publication.

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He complained that reactions to the pontiff's document had been uneven.

"Some have even gone so far as to accuse the Pope of having reneged on Council teaching," Bertone was quoted as saying. "On the other hand, there are those who have interpreted the (document) as authorization to return exclusively to the pre-Council rite. Both positions are wrong, and are exaggerated episodes that don't correspond to the pope's intention."

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Despite such incidents, Rev. John Zuhlsdorf, who runs a blog that has charted implementation of the Pope's document, said he had seen growth in both interest in and celebrations of the older form of the mass.

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"In some dioceses in the United States, bishops have been stepping up to the plate and not only learning the older form, but celebrating it themselves," he said in an e-mail. "Younger priests are attending workshops. Several seminaries are offering training for their priesthood candidates."

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Even before the Pope's document was released, liberal-minded Catholics had complained that Benedict's move amounted to a negation of Vatican II, and some bishops and cardinals publicly warned that its implementation would create a rupture in the church.

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Jewish groups also complained because the old rite contains a Good Friday prayer for the conversion of Jews. Bertone has said the issue could be resolved and that the church in no way intended to go against its spirit of reconciling with Jews.

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Benedict's document was also a bid to reach out to the followers of an excommunicated traditionalist, the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, who split with the Vatican over Council reforms, notably the introduction of the new mass.

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Prester Thomas: Under the unfortunate heading of “I Told You So” the divisive character of the document allowing greater access to the pre-Vatican II Latin Mass (the 1962 Missal of Pope John XXIII) begins.  Anything that takes the local Ordinary/Bishop out of the loop with respect to the teaching and practice of the Catholic Faith weakens the office of Bishop and clearly points to a re-centralization of power around the Pope and the Curia. This puts Bishops in awkward positions and allows some priests or communities to operate in opposition to their Bishop.  This is similar to the stipulation in Redemptionis Sacramentum which encourages the laity to “go over the head” of their Bishop if abuse in the liturgy is perceived.  It encourages the idea that “extraordinary” means “better than,” as we are already seeing in some news articles and essays recently published.

Christmas in Chaos and Calm

As we approach the New Year and leave another Christmas behind ... as we sit in the midst of torn paper, ribbons and bows, pine needles gathering on the carpet and poinsettias in need of water ... it's interesting to reflect back on what has been survived.  I think it was Nietzsche who said: What does not kill us makes us stronger.  That's also an appropriate sentiment for both the Old and New Testament, as well as the Christmas and Easter Seasons in Catholic parishes!  My distant Jewish ancestors would say, with a distinctive shrug: It could be worse!  That's true!  At least this year the Fourth Sunday of Advent was not also Christmas Eve as we encountered last year ... I think I celebrated 12 Masses in a day and a half!  I'm told that won't happen again until 2011 ... when I hope to be on a sabbatical!

I try to encourage my parishioners to really honor Advent with quiet reflection and (semi) patient waiting, rather than the made dash to shop and wrap and cook starting the day after Thanksgiving, so that they will not be exhausted when Christmas really arrives.  We've lost the whole concept of the Twelve Days of Christmas leading up to Epiphany ... there are already Christmas trees out on the curb for trash-pickup in my North Dallas neighborhood!

When did we become so lax that people legitimately have to ask: "What time is the Midnight Mass?"  Obviously some churches celebrate a "midnight" Mass at times other than midnight ... but doesn't that make it a Vigil Mass?  Why do some people show up for the Children and Family Mass 5 or 10 minutes before it starts and complain that "every year we have to stand, Father!"  I have one family send me a multi-page diatribe on changing the Christmas Mass schedule without notifying them ... when the change was made three years ago (and has been unchanged since)and the Mass schedule had been prominently posted at all church entrances since Thanksgiving, as well as printed in the Sunday Bulletin for the past three weeks!

Most years I go into Christmas with a joyful and hopeful heart ... and most years I come out somewhere between wistful over a gilded memory of the past, and the Grinch!  Of course most people have yet to learn the lesson of the Grinch: the real Spirit of Christmas comes without packages and bows, tinsel and trees, or even roast "beast."  Maybe it will be better next year!

Ordinary vs. Extraordinary

I came across the following brief article that seems to be representative of a movement to interpret the relaxation of rules with regard to the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass:

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Pope Benedict XVI, in Summorum Pontificum, his motu proprio liberating the Tridentine Latin Mass, says that the new vernacular Mass is "the ordinary expression" of Catholic worship, and the Tridentine Latin Mass is "an extraordinary expression," according to the official translation.

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In The American Heritage Dictionary, "ordinary" is defined as: "1. Commonly encountered; usual; 2.a. Of no exceptional ability, degree, or quality; average; 2.b. Of inferior quality; second-rate." "Extraordinary" is defined as: "1. Beyond what is ordinary or usual; 2. Highly exceptional; remarkable." No doubt, the Tridentine Latin Mass is "remarkable."

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Sr. Joan Chittister examines the Tridentine Latin Mass in her column in the National Catholic Reporter (Aug. 3); she offers an evenhanded assessment: "The sense of mystique, the incantation of 'heavenly' [Latin] rather than 'vulgar' language [English] in both prayer and music, underscores a theology of transcendence. It lifts a person out of the humdrum, the dusty, the noisy, crowded chaos of normal life to some other world. It reminds us of the world to come — beautiful, mystifying, ordered, perfumed [we don't agree that incense is perfume]. It takes us beyond the present, enables us, if only for a while, to 'slip the surly bonds of earth' for a world less mundane."

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In the Dictionary of Ecclesiastic Latin, "ordinárius" is defined as: "ordinary, regular, usual, in order." "Extraordinárius" is defined as: "extraordinary, from another source, from the outside." The Tridentine Latin Mass is extraordinary, from another source, from the outside world — it takes one Heavenward. John Henry Newman said, "Time is short, eternity is long." We say, "Life is short, eternity is forever."

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It never ceases to amaze me the extent to which people will twist language to achieve their personal agenda.  If we assume this warped understanding of the Tridentine Mass then Extraordinary Ministers of Communion are greater than ordained ministers and have a greater right to fill that role than priests.  You can’t have it both ways!

On the Sexual Abuse of Children in the Catholic Church

It is a sad fact that the majority of priests today have been branded for the egregious sins of a few, and the conspicuously bad judgment of a lot of bishops.  Thanks to the unethical yellow journalism, scandal mongering, sensationalist, jingoistic and otherwise unprofessional practices by news media organizations, such as the DMN, or individual journalists (do you get the idea that I don’t like what some of the press has done?) the majority of good, faithful and celibate priests (over 90%) have been painted with the same broad strokes of filth as the 5%-8% who have fallen radically from God grace and ruined the lives of children and families.  Do not let it ever be said that I minimize the suffering of their victims.  However, the average newspaper reader has been led to believe that the vast majority of sexual abuse of children has been perpetrated by Catholic priests, when national statistics show that priests, ministers, gym teachers and scout leaders account for less than 8% of all child sexual abuse.  It is sad and shocking, but more than 80% of child sexual abuse is perpetrated by family members and family acquaintances. Check the statistics of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services www.dfps.state.tx.us/ or and of the Federal pages. For decades to come the Catholic Church will rightly be advocates against child sexual abuse by clergy and employees of churches. Where’s the outrage over the 90% of sexual abuse that is not being addressed?

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There’s a point at which frustration leaves one with apparent limited options.  Leaving the ministry is cutting off ones nose to spite ones face … if there is a potential for change in the Church it must happen from the inside.  It would also make me no better than those among the faithful who are constantly complaining about what the “Church” does, when they really mean the Pope, the Curia, a bishop or a priest … or even other members of a particular parish.  I guess we’ve learned nothing since Vatican II about us being Church … somehow the message of St. Paul that we are members of the one Body of Christ has never quite soaked in.  Of course the autocratic rule of the current and recent past Curia/Pope at times makes it clear that Church is certainly not a democracy by any stretch of the imagination!  Nor does it have the first clue about how the Church operates outside Rome.

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It is sad to contemplate how many people have been tempted to lose or abandon their faith after reading about the scandals … especially the sexual abuse scandal … in the Church.  Yet it also says something about how weak that faith was if it can be so easily lost.   God forbid we Catholics should ever encounter real persecution in this day and age.  Many would die in the stampede to burn incense to whatever the new god may be.

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Since the sex abuse scandal reared its’ ugly head, I have heard from too many claimants to Catholicism who have rejected their Catholic faith.  I have tried to tell them - you may have lost faith in those who lead our Church, the bishops, cardinals, popes and some priests … you may have realized the clay feet of some of the clergy … they may lead and be the public face of the Church in the world, but they are not the Catholic Church … don’t lose faith in the Church that is the body of Christ or in Jesus Christ who is the Head.  The Bride of Christ may be mud-smeared and her once radiant gown rent and ruined, but the Bride remains holy as the Head remains holy … and aren’t we sinners glad of it!   My guess is that many find it easier to reject the whole rather than distinguishing the parts that need fixing or replacing.  Even those whose faith is strong can be very demoralized when surrounded by an angry laity and a clueless hierarchy.  I will admit, I am one of those. There are days that the last thing I want to do is to represent the Church in public.  Some days it’s damned hard to be joyful cleric in the midst of those who either suspect you of being a crypto-pedophile or a supporter of the cover-up. Damned if you do and damned if you don’t … and you’ll always be guilty until proven innocent.

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I know a priest in the Diocese that had glass windows put not only in his office door but even in his Confessional.  He may say it is to reassure parents … so that could see their children were not being molested in private.  I know that he … like many others … live in dread of being even suspected of any impropriety.  He says the rumors would even be worse that a direct accusation. 

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Another option is trying to be the Don Quixote of the presbyterate tilting at rather formidable windmills armed with a straight-pin or a toothpick.

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Golden Compass ... Free Advertising

You may as well know that The Golden Compass is a fantasy adventure set in an alternate universe, part of a trilogy of novels, published a decade ago.  Several key themes of the novels, the rejection of organized religion and the abuse of power in a fictionalized Catholic Church, have been seriously diluted in the film adaptation. Director Weitz said "in the books the Magisterium is a version of the Catholic Church gone wildly astray from its roots" but that the organization portrayed in his film will not directly match that of Pullman's books. In an attempt to avoid a religious backlash, the Magisterium will instead be a critique of all dogmatic organizations. 

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Weitz said that New Line Cinema had feared the story's perceived anti-religious themes would make the film financially unviable in the US, and so religion and God will not be referenced directly in the film.  However, the negative publicity generate by the Catholic League is already showing sign of bringing greater attention to the movie, thus generating even greater revenue.  It is rumored that this was actually engineered/encouraged by studio public relations ... that even though rewritten to exclude religious specific references, the Catholic League was encouraged to think otherwise: what the Catholic Church forbids will ultimately generate much higher attendance.

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What is forbidden is always more tempting.  These knee-jerk reactions just make the movie better known and attract more viewers … including many that otherwise would have paid no attention all.

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In Convocation

Last week the presbyterate of Big D gathered in Denton for a few days of priestly fraternity and discussion.  Bishop KJF was the featured speaker and few priests missed this opportunity to hear his plans for the future of the Diocese. 

There was no earth-shattering news, but the message was clear and direct: it's time to move on! ("The time for lamenting is over! We have lamented more than Moses and Jeremiah combined.  But that is the past, from which we will continue to learn.  It's time to address the present and the future!")  After almost six months the Bishop is struggling to understand the Church in Big D ... after over 20 years I'm still struggling to figure it out!  We are the 10th largest Diocese in the US, having grown from 300,000 to one million in the past 10 years ... and we're still growing! We have only one-third the number of priests we should have for our size, and are in need of 7-10 new parishes to accommodate a growing Catholic population.  It's not going to happen over night.  He said he was well aware that there were some priests, out of "pastoral necessity," who had to celebrate 5-7 Masses on Sunday.  He said we need to help one another more than we are currently, because we are a fraternity of "workers in the larger vineyard ... not "lone rangers."  We also need to remember that we were ordained Priests and not CEO's ... a similar message to that of Archbishop Wuerle in Baltimore at the 2007 NCEA convention this past April, when he admitted that many pastors were thrust into roles more akin to a bishop than a parish priest.

He took some pains to bring us up to speed on the financial status of the Diocese ... for which I am most grateful!  It's published yearly in the Texas Catholic but I've never understood it.  Bottom line: the coffers are almost empty ... no deep pockets, only a hollow echo.  The Diocese is operating on a day to day basis and we're going to have to find a way to better the situation.  He remarked that in the midst of the abuse crisis in Boston that diocese was able to raise $80 million in an Archdiocesan Capital Campaign.  He hopes to do the same in the nest few years.  He also posited that Catholic Community Appeal (CCA) could be done better. [Pastors are calling it Catholic Community Assessment!]

He has made a few preliminary changes in the past five months.  He has hired a Diocesan spokesperson and is in the search process for a Director of Safe Environment, rather than simply giving already over-worked personnel an added responsibility.  He as also appointed a Vicar for Clergy to oversee all aspects of clerical life in Diocese ... something many of us have begged for in the past.  He has reconstituted the Presbyteral Council.

So far he has visited more than 90% of the parishes and schools of the Diocese and hopes to bring that to 100% by the end of the year.

The message was positive and practical ... no pie-in-the-sky that was a hallmark of the last administration.  As priests we have a sense of working for a real leader and one who supports our ministry ... and not surprisingly, there was a greater sense of unity and priestly fraternity at this year's convocation than any time in the past 10 years.  KJF is beginning to resemble a beacon of hope to many discouraged priests.  Please God, he continues.

I'm back ...

News of my demise are exaggerated.  I began this nine months ago out of frustration over the lame duck tenure of Bishop CVG when everything was frozen in place.  Now I have been waiting for Bishop KJF to jump-start the Diocese ... in spite of the fact that I knew he was not likely to make anything but minor changes until he had at least six months of understanding of the Diocese of Dallas.  That six month grace period/honeymoon is coming to an end now. 

The priests of the Diocese were gathered in Convocation this past week for the best and most positive such gathering in the past ten years!  There was a real sense of unity and positive outlook among the gathered Presbyterate.  The Bishop gave us some general insight into his plans for the Diocese, but was honest in telling us that he was still struggling to understand this Diocese ... which has grown from 250,000 to one million in the past ten years! We are officially the tenth largest Diocese in the US ... and it's still growing!

Over the next week I'll write more, but I don't feel the need to try to write daily unless I decide in favour of more brief reflections.

Mass Ad Orientem

I find it curious in reading about the Latin Mass and other "back-ward" looking theological analysis justifying a return to the priest and people all facing the same direction for the celebration of the Eucharist (the priest with his back to the people,) that the most frequent justification for this orientation is that of facing east (ad orientem) ... all facing in the direction of Christ's Resurrection. Writers are quick to say that they are not advocating a return to the practice of the priests' back to the people, but rather the importance of us all facing east.

In order to face east in my church, which is oriented on a NNW-SSE direction, I would have to stand at a corner facing diagonally across the Altar.  The people would them have to turn with their backs to me, which I suspect will not lead to greater solemnity or participation.  As I think back over almost 60 years as a practicing Catholic, I cannot remember any church with a neat east-west orientation.  In fact, as I think on it our Cathedral in downtown Big D is oriented with the congregation facing northwest.

The concept of ad orientem is all well and good, but unless we are going to rebuild a whole lot of churches, it is not practical in reality and cannot of itself justify the Mass celebrated with the priests' backs to the people.