Dear
Parishioners,
One
popular definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over
again and expecting different results.
It’s cliché, but I use this concept to begin my thought process
regarding the difficulties within the Catholic Church in general, and the Mass,
in particular.
I
am “all in” when it comes to traditional teaching, longstanding moral values,
and everything that has its roots in Jesus Christ and His established
Church. After all, the bedrock of the
Church is Sacred Scripture and Tradition. We are an Apostolic Church. We have over 2000 years of history which
includes the writings of Church Fathers, the instruction of saints, the heroic
witness of the martyrs, various teaching from Church councils, and many other
contributions helping us to understand and to pass on the deposit of faith.
Where
we run into problems is when there is deviation—even if it is ever-so-small—in
our fidelity to this deposit of faith.
Being even a little wrong is still being wrong. When things begin to be built on erroneous
ideas or unorthodox teaching, we begin walking the path to heresy and apostasy. Whether the error occurs by design (intentionally)
or actually in good faith, there is never a reason to allow such error
to continue or to try to re-label it or disguise it in some other way. Some small things that we let creep into
Church teaching and practice have, in reality, snowballed and turned into an
avalanche. We seem to be buried in it
now.
If
we deviate from an all-male clergy and allow ordained women deacons/priests, we
will be in error. If we try to
accommodate so-called gay marriages, we will be in error. If we create a new rite within the Church
which incorporates pagan or idolatrous elements, we will be in error. If we allow the divorced and re-married
(without rectifying the situation through an annulment, etc.) to receive Holy
Communion, we are in error. If we
say one religion is as good as another, that God actively wills a plurality of
religions and minimize the importance of the Church that Christ Himself
established, then we are in error.
The above list is certainly not all-inclusive.
We
are told (and can reasonably verify) that approximately 20% of our faithful
attend Mass weekly.
We are also
instructed that about only
30% of Catholics believe what the Catholic Church teaches
about the Holy Eucharist.
The teaching
on the
Real Presence has been successfully undermined. People are
leaving the faith in droves—especially the poorly-catechized and
misinformed.
Ever more claim no formal
religious practice or affiliation.
Moreover, the
importance of Baptism and Confirmation is de-emphasized.
Church weddings are not occurring.
Many times,
people just live together. We are given more of the same moral and
doctrinal ambiguity, the same moral and doctrinal pablum that we have been fed
for decades.
Just be nice.
All are welcome.
Don’t judge.
And how exactly is that working out for any
of us?
Take another survey please.
I
want to spend a few future bulletins emphasizing the importance of the Holy
Sacrifice of the Mass. The Mass is
the heart of the Catholic faith and the soul of the Church that Jesus
established. Beginning with more reverence
and silence, we need to re-establish the atmosphere within the
Church as a sacred place of prayer and worship, not just some ordinary
place of communal social gathering. We
need to understand the importance of the Real Presence of Jesus in the Blessed
Sacrament in the tabernacle. How we
behave in the presence of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament speaks volumes concerning
what we actually believe. Most
importantly, we must see the Mass as the greatest sacrifice to God, the
Almighty Father, that we, as humans, can be a part of and witness on this
earth. So much has been misunderstood,
poorly taught, disregarded or even deliberately distorted. When we do not realize the essential sacrificial
nature of the Holy Mass and its importance as established by Jesus Himself,
little by little, everything else begins to crumble as well.
It
was Jesus who commanded us to “Do this in memory of me” regarding the
Holy Eucharist. (Lk. 22:19) My goal
is to help us all see more clearly the utmost importance of carrying this out reverently
and faithfully by our attendance at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
Fr. Ed Namiotka
Pastor
The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
(Definately worth repeating--reverently, of course.)