It should trouble the
hearts of all Catholics to see how we have lost the sense of the Sacred within
our Church buildings, where for the most part we act as if our Lord is not really,
substantially and physically present among us in our tabernacles and on our tongues. In far too many parishes, our Church’s have
become nothing more than another social gathering space with the focus on
those present rather than on the God to Whom our prayerful silence, reverence
and worship is owed.
What is
even worst is how hurt our Lord is by our neglect and irreverence. But how many
of us ever think of how He feels? Listen and feel His
anguish and pain:
“I remain unknown. I am left alone.
Even those who claim to profess the mystery of my Real Presence in the
Sacrament of the Altar forsake Me. I am treated with a terrible indifference,
with coldness, and with a lack of respect that causes the angels to weep
because they cannot offer Me reparation for the coldness and indifference of
human hearts. Only men can make reparation for men. What is lacking is the
loving response of a human heart to My Eucharistic Heart, pierced, alive and
beating in the Sacrament of the Altar. Only a human heart can make reparation
for a human heart. For this reason, the angels are sorrowful.”
(The
Soul of the Apostolate - Jean-Baptiste Chautard, O.C.S.O.)
Nothing in the documents
of Vatican II directed parishes to move the tabernacles from the center of our
Church sanctuaries. Nor did any of those documents direct the abandonment of
reverent silence before, during and after Mass, Latin, Gregorian chant,
kneelers, communion rails, reception of Holy Communion kneeling and on the
tongue, or Mass celebrated with the priest and congregation facing our Lord in the
tabernacle.
We have
lost the sense of reverence, sacredness and silence. Our
every action while in Church should reflect to all those present that we
actually believe that Jesus Christ is really, substantially and physically
present in the tabernacles of our Churches and in the Sacred Host which we
consume. Nothing that is inconsistent with this fundamental Truth can be
tolerated or permitted.
This
lack of reverent silence and belief in our ever-present Eucharistic Lord is
the greatest crisis facing our Church. It must end in every parish where it exists!
We
must speak up! Our priests and bishops must return to basics and instruct us as
to the appropriate manner in which we are to act when in the Presence of God
and in His House. Thank God for those who have done so. More must.
With
his permission, I would like to share an excerpt from Father Darr Schoenhofen’s
January 1, 2019 homily as he addressed this pressing issue with his flock:
“…
when we are in the presence of this unique kind of Christ's presence in the
Blessed Sacrament, either on the altar or reserved in the tabernacle, we should
maintain a proper silence. Talking in church should be limited to brief
greetings, spoken in a hushed voice. Although there are obvious exceptions to
this rule, exceptions pertaining to the conduct of practical matters in the
service of church life — for example, the need to talk during choir and wedding
rehearsals, liturgical training sessions, when cleaning in the church with
other workers, and so on — in general
carrying on conversations in church as one would in other places is very
disrespectful and irreverent, and such behavior saddens the Lord and his Mother
greatly (my emphasis). The real presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament
reserved in a Catholic church is itself a call from heaven to behave there as the
angels behave in the presence of the holiest of holies — and, to be sure,
angels are invisibly present, adoring the Blessed Sacrament unceasingly, in
every Catholic church. Mary, for this reason, wants us to practice reverent
silence at all times when we are in church, after Mass as well as before, and
to come there, the sacred house of God, to adore and worship her Son truly
present, body and blood, soul and divinity, in the Most Holy Sacrament of the
Altar. Let all mortal flesh keep a reverent silence before the Blessed
Sacrament as do the angels! By this reverent silence we dispose ourselves to
receive the graces the Lord wishes to bestow upon us during our time in church,
his house of prayer.”
I believe, as did St.
Vincent Ferrer, O.P., that we cannot be timid when addressing problems in our
Church and the lukewarm manner in which many of us live out our faith. St.
Vincent was direct and confronted people with the Truth since it is only the
Truth that will set hearts and souls free.
There should be absolutely
no unnecessary talking in Church. Ever! What talking that does occurs must be
in whispered soft voices and for the briefest of time. This is not subject to
debate. This is the Truth which we have been too often unwilling or fearful to
teach to those many Catholics who don’t know it, have been misled or who have
lost their Faith.
This irreverence and lack
of sacred silence is not of God. As James Monti noted in his recent column
entitled Reverence as A Way of Life In
Church and Beyond: “Satan is the father of irreverence. He hates the
sacred, and so he seeks to hurl against the sacred all that can desecrate it.
Art that makes the human face and form hideous, music that make life and love
ugly, immodest clothing that blaspheme against the Temple of the Holy Spirit,
architecture that makes man crawl on his belly rather than raise his eyes to
Heaven all suit Satan’s purposes quite well.” (The Wanderer, March 21, 2019).
To violate the sacred
silence and reverence owed our Lord is a big deal. As uncomfortable as this may
make many of us feel, it is a sin. It is an offense to God and neighbor. Listen to Dan Burke here as He explains why.
Thank God for Father Darr,
Dan, and the army of unsung and unknown pastors whose Churches are filled with
sacred reverent silence. They have done what so many others have been unwilling
or fearful to do – speak and share the Truth – not for their own benefit (I
suspect many have been or will be criticized for doing so) but for the Glory of
God and in reparation for the profane manner so many of us have treated Him.
Now is the time, as
Father Schoenhofen urged us, “to keep a reverent silence before the Blessed
Sacrament as do the angels”.
Now is the time to adore,
love and worship God as we ought and as He deserves!
.jpg)
.jpg)
Thank you for this! I will be sharing with others. I too have been criticized for my orthodox beliefs, but it matters not to me. What matters to me is what God thinks of me. God bless everyone who was involved in the writing of this excellent article.
ReplyDeleteYour friend in Christ,
Darlene Ross