The Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Liturgy Cat./ Abuse remarks August 19, 2018
Fr. Albert St. Peter’s, New Iberia
I will continue our Catechetical series on the Mass, but first, I have to say something. If you haven’t heard, this past week the Pennsylvania Grand Jury released a massive 900-page report on the abuse of children by priests in the Church in the state of Pennsylvania. It implicates many people over a long period of time, including powerful leaders and bishops in the Church. It. Is. Horrifying. Some of it is probably inaccurate, but enough is true that horror is nonetheless appropriate. This is on top of the fact that two months ago, Archbishop Theodore McCarrick was exposed as a serial abuser. He has since been stripped of the title Cardinal and is awaiting trial for further punishment.
I want to say this publicly and on record. I am disgusted and horrified and angry just as you are. Fr. Blanda and I have discussed these problems many times, especially in the past few weeks, we are not blind to this. We hate it just as you do. There are also a few things we want you to know.
Most of these crimes took place many years ago. Most of the offenses were not with pre-pubescent children, but boys who were teenagers or nearly teenagers. This doesn’t change how terrible it is, it simply points us to the real source of the problem: the seminary.
My time in seminary was amazing. Good men studying there, good faculty running the place. Not too long before me, however, and going back over a few decades, many of the seminaries were known for a having a… sub culture, a portion of men, many still teenagers, who weren’t there because they wanted to be priests, but to hook up with other men and hide behind priestly celibacy while they did it.
At the same time, many seminaries were teaching heresy. They were going against the Pope and the Church they were supposed to serve. As we see now, many, not the majority, but still too many of the men ordained during that time were unhealthy, predatory, and uninterested in actually preaching the Gospel. Many of these men took advantage of young people in their care.
In response to all of this stuff coming to light, Fr. Blanda and I agree… Good Riddance! Kick the criminals out. Prosecute them for their crimes. Hold accountable anyone who covered for them. If it makes you angry, good. We should hate sin! Not hate the sinner, but their sin. Do not let the anger turn us into an irrational mob, but let it motivate us to shine this light on the problem and root out the wolves among the sheep!
If you or someone you know has been abused by a priest, bishop, or anyone employed by the Church, please contact us. Fr. Blanda has a great deal of experience working with families who have been victimized by this kind of thing.
If you know someone has left the Church over this. Tell them what we’ve said from the pulpit. Urge them to meet with one of us. We will listen to their anger and they will get to see our anger. We will answer questions. We want everyone to see that this does not destroy the Church. The Church will reform, she will survive, and She is still the Church we need to bring us the Gospel, the Eucharist, and all the sacraments.
This is not the time to leave the Church! It is the time to double down on our faith because the Church needs our prayers and our sacrifices to be what She is meant to be. Our faith is entirely built on the fact that Jesus offered his suffering and death on behalf of other people’s sins. We can share in that and offer our sufferings and sacrifices in reparation for these horrors. Daily Mass, the Family Rosary, Fasting, sleeping on the floor, and all sorts of little penances can help. Spend some time in our adoration chapel in reparation for these problems and praying for real contrition, real reform in the leadership of the Church.
And there is good news in all this. This all used to be a hidden problem, but now it is exposed to the light. Now the Church can really clean house and get back to her roots. The devil and his servants have been exposed; Instead of running from them, let’s show the world that he cannot win because the true light is on our side.
Now then, let’s continue our catechesis on the liturgy. The Offertory. The time after the creed and intercessions is not half-time. The collection is symbolic of offering our lives to God. Even if you give via envelope or online, you are still meant to offer yourself at this time. Mentally place your prayers, hopes, fears, joys, and sorrows on the altar. When the priest thanks God for the bread and wine and offerings, he also prays that each of these be transformed and united to the one true sacrifice on the Cross.
When we have incense, he incenses the altar as a sign of prayer rising up to God. He is incensed as a sign of reverence for Jesus Christ present in him and the people are also incensed as a sign of Jesus Christ present in the whole Church.
The priest washed his hands, once again asking for forgiveness so that he can offer the sacrifice with purity of heart and mind. Then he addresses the people, “Pray that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable…” Everyone in the Church is offering sacrifice! Mine and yours. We each offer sacrifice in different ways, but they are united to the one true sacrifice on the cross. Then comes a prayer asking for this transformation to take place.
I do want to remind everyone that the priest is acting in persona Christi, so the people in the pews are not supposed to say the words of this prayer with him. But, they are supposed to focus on the prayer and be united spiritually to what is taking place invisibly on the altar.
At this point, the Eucharistic Prayer officially begins with the Preface, which starts “The Lord be with you.” This prayer is chock full of scripture references I can’t cover now, but there will be a link on my website. The whole Eucharistic Prayer then follows a basic structure (See the Pictures at the Bottom). It begins with thanksgiving then moves to praise and acclamation, which is the Holy, Holy, Holy. Every time someone in the bible has a vision of heaven, the angels are singing these same words.
Scattered throughout the Eucharistic prayer, we have specific intercessions: prayers for our own health and well-being, for the Pope, the bishop, and for the deceased. Close to the beginning, though, we have the Epiclesis; We call upon the Holy Spirit. From there, we use the words of the Last Supper, which is when we can confidently say the bread and wine change into the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ. Now that Jesus is present, the prayer goes on to remember God’s plan of salvation. At this point, the priest re-presents… he offers to God the one eternal sacrifice of Jesus Christ to God the Father. Thanks to the gift of the Mass, however, he includes also our own offerings, now united to Christ on the Cross. This is a mystical reality and totally invisible, but it is the reason that Mass exists, to allow us to cross the boundaries of space and time and be present to the one eternal moment of the sacrifice of Love Jesus offered on the cross.
This offering, which we call an “oblation,” culminates in what we call the “doxology.” The priest offers all the glory to God the Father by saying “through him, with him, and in him.” The “him” is Jesus, now present in the Eucharist. You all respond “Amen” as a sign of your belief and of uniting yourself to this saving sacrifice.
Next week, we’ll pick up with the Communion Rite and go through the end of Mass. For now, pray for the Church in this time of crises and scandal. In a special way, listen closely to the Eucharistic Prayer, the most powerful prayer in the Church, and let it lift your hearts and minds above the wickedness of the world to the eternal joy of heaven for which we hope even as we battle the darkness here below.
