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Kathy
wrote:
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Hi guys,
When I've attended Mass, I've seen inappropriate liturgical
norms resurfacing in my diocese; specifically the pouring Our
Lord's Precious Blood from a decanter-type glass container
into chalices. I have written to three priests and two bishops
regarding this recent practice reappearing in local churches
after the consecration. In my letter to my local bishop I stated:
I have seen this grave offense in, not one but, many churches
throughout the South Shore and that is why I am asking for
action from you.
It seems the practice of consecrating a full glass pitcher
of wine and then pouring Our Lord's Precious Blood
has resurfaced. I have been witness to this sacrilege in
more than five different parishes. |
So far, the bishops have answered me in some what of a scolding
tone. They have said that
I shouldn't be criticizing priests.
I do appreciate our priests and have adopted two priests in the Archdiocese
to pray for daily but for me, Christ's Body, Blood, Soul and
Divinity comes first!
- Am I being overly critical in trying to get the Archdiocese
to put a stop to this gravely offensive practice?
Thank you and may God bless you and protect you!
Kathy
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{
Is the pouring of the Blood of Christ after the consecration from one vessel to another permitted? }
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John replied:
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Kathleen,
Your heart is in the right place, but you need to put things in perspective.
I'm not condoning any disobedience on the part of priests with respect
to rubrics and liturgical norms but what you have described does not qualify
as grave offense or
sacrilege. It is simply a failure to follow a liturgical norm.
- Do
you really think the cup used by our Lord at the Last Supper was a special
and ornate chalice?
Most likely it was made of clay or wood.
Again, I don't condone the use of illicit vessels. I am enthused
to see you have such reverence for Our Lord's Presence in the Eucharist
but again, we must be careful not to quickly impute motives to every
rubrical foible.
We have a shortage of priests. These men are laden with more work than
ever before. Often times, there is just one priest in a parish. Against
this background, they receive piles of documents and directives from Bishops
Conferences and so forth so they do their best to keep up with
new norms.
I know that in my parish, for the longest time, we did not have a licit
chalice. The celebrant used a glass one. The previous pastor may have been
unaware of the norm. When the pastor arrived, he realized there was a problem
but it wasn't the first thing on his list. For starters, the proper vessels
aren't cheap so he had to find the money in the budget. It took a
several weeks to make the changes.
The fact that the first pastor didn't have a licit chalice didn't mean
he didn't have a great reverence for the Precious Blood. In
fact, I know the man was orthodox. The pastor had no choice but to wait
until the parish could get, order, receive, and pay for a proper set of
vessels.
- What was he to do in mean time, not celebrate Mass?
At some point, we have to pick our battles. When we choose to confront
a problem, we must do it with charity and start by talking directly with
offender. He may not know there is problem with what he is doing.
Hope this helps,
John
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Mike replied:
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Hi Kathy,
I agree with my colleague
John on this one.
I have referenced those portions of the bishop's reply to you that I agree
with.
It was always my experience that the former practice, now abrogated,
expressed what most priests considered a practical and reverent way in
which communion under both species could be celebrated. [...] Sometimes
these types of directives take time to be fully understood and appreciated.
In general it has been my practice to use those moments when I am the
celebrant at Eucharist to remind those assisting the Liturgy about the
proper preparation of chalices on the altar for the Offertory. I intend
to continue by word and example to encourage priests and parishes to
understand and follow the directives. I know that the Office of Worship
continues to instruct us all regarding the reverent and proper celebration
of the Liturgy. |
Thanks for asking the question.
Mike
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Kathy replied:
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Dear John,
I guess I wasn't clear enough, the grave offense is that the Precious Blood
is poured, not that it's in a glass decanter.
I agree that's wrong but in Redemptionis Sacramentum — "Instruction On certain matters to be observed or to be avoided regarding the
Most Holy Eucharist", Number 106, it states pouring the Precious Blood is
a gave offense.
I give up and will continue to just pray.
Kathy
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John replied:
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Hi Kathy,
I'm not exactly sure which specific norm or document classifies this offense
as grave.
I'm almost certain it's not a sacrilege.
As I said, there are many serious issues in each parish,
not least of which is that many, if not most, of the congregates
have a Pelagian view of salvation. They are under the false
impression that we are saved by our own efforts aside from
grace. This, of course, is heresy. Under these circumstances,
we have to pick our battles. If a priest is orthodox, the
best thing to do is, in charity, point out the abuse.
A word to the wise. When you write to a bishop, instead of asking
him:
- What are
you going to do about this grave offense and sacrilege?
You might try simply
reporting what you observed and ask,
A little humility when dealing with the Episcopacy goes
a lot further. Bishops and priests are part of a brotherhood.
The chancery receives a lot complaints from folks on all
sides of the spectrum. If you come across combative, their
first impulse is to get defensive.
I'm not, for one moment, scolding you for your zeal.
We need more people like you that care about their faith.
All I'm saying is, it
would benefit the Church and the cause of orthodox obedience,
if you tempered
your approach.
May God richly bless you,
John DiMascio
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