Harvesting The Fruits of Contemplation

  (Image Source: Wikipedia Commons ) Father, you did it again! You are so gifted in so many ways. Your sermon was right on. The poem you shared was a shock to the heart and soul. But when you refused to hold up our Blessed Lord’s Body and Blood while the bells were rung three times; When you so irritatingly directed the Extraordinary minister of the Cup as to where she was to stand; When you interrupted the distribution of Holy Communion to encourage communicants to stop and pick up a copy of   the poem you read at Mass and which you had placed on the altar rail; When you just threw our Lord into my wife’s hands. This is all too much. There was nothing reverent and Sacred about the manner in which you distributed Holy Communion today. No one's belief in our Lord's Real Presence would have been enhanced. It was offensive... Father…please pause…take a close look at what others see…and adjust what you do.

(Photo©Michael Seagriff) “The Apostolate of Mary consisted also in the silent but very convincing sermon of outward reverence. This type of preaching suits everybody. A soul desirous of making the Eucharist known and loved will apply herself to it with great care in union with Mary. How modest and reverent in the divine presence of Jesus was the attitude of Mary, the perfect adorer! All penetrated with faith and absorbed in the presence of Jesus, she acted like the angels before the divine Majesty. Reverence in church, especially in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, must be also our chief exterior virtue. This respect is the solemn profession of our faith and, at the same time, a grace of piety and fervor; for God punishes irreverences committed in His sanctuary with a weakening of faith and a withdrawal of graces of devotion. Let us, therefore, be very severe on the matter of reverence in worship. Let our bearing be dignified, our attitude religious...

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons ) As we face the tragic reality that so few Catholics believe our Lord is really and substantially present in the Holy Eucharist, we must be honest in assessing the reasons why this has occurred. While there are many possible explanations, there is one common denominator: we abandoned sacred rituals and conduct for the banal - discarding that which elevated our minds and hearts to the heavenly King, for practices that center on ourselves and the mundane. So many Catholics today either do not remember or never experienced the sacred practices of days gone by. It is important then that those practices and the reasons for them be shared anew if we are ever to re-establish belief in, awe and amazement for our Eucharistic Lord. Actions do indeed speak louder than words: Toward that end, let me share again the observations of columnist, James Monti:

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 m ost 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 i...

We thank Allison Gingras at  Reconciled To You  and Elizabeth Riordan at  Theology Is A Verb   for hosting Worth Revisiting each week. It is a privilege to share our work with them and their followers . Monday Musings - Lasting Gifts to God and to Ourselves - Part II (Originally posted on March 11, 2019)   A few months ago, I shared some suggestions as to how we, as individuals, could approach Mass attendance differently and as a result receive greater graces and benefits from participating in the Holy Sacrifice.  If you missed that post, you can read it here. All the suggestions made in that article, were things we could do and which required no one's permission. (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons ) Today's post offers another list of suggestions to reinstate a sense of the Sacred within our Churches and during Mass, to encourage greater Mass attendance, to increase reverence for and belief in Jesus's Real Presenc...

A few months ago, I shared some suggestions as to how we, as individuals, could approach Mass attendance differently and as a result receive greater graces and benefits from participating in the Holy Sacrifice.  If you missed that post, you can read it here. All the suggestions made in that article, were things we could do and which required no one's permission. (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons ) Today's post offers another list of suggestions to reinstate a sense of the Sacred within our Churches and during Mass, to encourage greater Mass attendance, to increase reverence for and belief in Jesus's Real Presence among us, and to help others rediscover awe and amazement in the great gift of our Lord's physical presence  among us.  Unlike the first post, all of the suggestions that follow will require the consent, catechesis and support of your pastor. Let us not be fearful in seeking such support. Those parishes who have engaged in this effort, have found ...

Thank you Allison Gingras  (Reconciled To You) and Elizabeth Riordan ( Theology Is A Verb) for this opportunity to re-publish a favorite post on Worth Revisiting . Stop for a visit now (and every Wednesday). The gifted hostesses and other writers who post each week will no doubt have much of value to offer you.. Here's my contribution: Toward Reclaiming the Sacred Nature of our Churches  (Originally posted on February 22, 2016) When you enter your parish Church are you struck with the awesome power of reverent silence?  Do all who enter demonstrate reverence for, and their belief,  in the Real Presence of their loving Savior by reverently genuflecting to He Whom they have come to worship and adore? Are your fellow parishioners on their knees praying or sitting silently gazing upon the Tabernacle instead of chatting with their neighbors?  Do they stay for a moment at the end of Mass offering a silent prayer of ...