Moses Standing in the Breach

But Moses implored the LORD his God, and said, “O LORD, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce wrath; change your mind and do not bring disaster on your people. (Exodus 32: 11-12)

Sandro Magister published a reflection/commentary by a Florentine theologian that, among other things, articulates an aspect of the frustration I, as well, feel these days in what amounts to a leadership vacuum, pointing certainly to the lack of a spirit of prayer in the lives of a goodly number of our priests and bishops. I think that prayerfulness after the manner of Jesus Christ, in the face of the present suspension of public worship and the administration of the sacraments, would fill us all with deadly anguish over the consequences, yes, of our sins, but moreover also of the lukewarmness which characterizes our living. 

Granted, Moses may not have shared with Israel worshiping the golden calf the details of this his exchange with God on behalf of a sinful people, but upon his descent from Sinai, he did read them the riot act, smashing the tablets of the law on the base of the mountain. We, in our day, tend to be convinced that scolding is counterproductive, but I guess I would like to point out that the best of what I have seen, during this quarantine, in online video from priests to their parishioners has been their teaching about what constitutes perfect contrition, how you make an act of spiritual communion, and the preparations given for going to confession in an open albeit discreet environment, respecting social distance. To say it negatively, what I am missing in these videos are the urgent admonitions to conversion of life, to turning away from sin with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.

In a sense, what I am saying is that I think priests are wasting their time video streaming their private masses, when EWTN and many others have very professional TV Masses or online Masses out there at various and convenient times. What is missing for people at home is what has been missing generally in the post-conciliar Church: good solid catechesis, especially regarding the Last Things and what constitutes sanctity of life and true sorrow and repentance for sins committed. Not enough is being said about the role of private prayer in the lives of all the baptized.

As I say, I think the problem is priests themselves who, different from Moses before God, fail to comprehend the deadly earnest of the consequences of living in sin and not renouncing sin and Satan. Think about it! Pray about it!

Be assured of my prayers and supplications before not a wrathful Lord, but a just Judge, Who in His great Love, calls us through His ministers to turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel. I wish you a blessed Lent of true sorrow for sin and conversion of life!

PROPERANTES ADVENTUM DIEI DEI

Laetare Sunday - Prepared but not Delivered Publicly

Laetare – 4. Fastensonntag - 22. März 2020

Gal. 4, 22-31

Joh 6, 1-15

Gelobt sei Jesus Christus!

Laetare, Jerusalem! Freue dich, Jerusalem! … Wieso? Heutzutage fragen sich nicht wenige, weshalb wir uns in diesem Leben freuen sollten – oder überhaupt freuen könnten. Was ist der Grund, weshalb ich mich als Katholik täglich freuen kann und muss? Wir wissen, dass wir nicht wie die weltlich gesinnten Menschen sind, ganz ohne Gott. Ein echter Katholik kann nicht leben, ohne seinen Herrn, Christus, den Gesalbten, zu kennen. Unser Leben muss geprägt sein von einer intimen Beziehung zu Gott in Christus. Dies geschieht durch den Gehorsam den Geboten Gottes und der Kirche gegenüber, durch den Empfang der Sakramente, unser Gebet und unsere Busse und dadurch, dass wir die unserer Berufung angemessenen Tugenden pflegen. Wenn wir nicht mit Christus in seiner Kirche verbunden sind bleibt unser Leben farblos und absolut sinnlos. Wir wissen, dass wir die wahre Freude nicht hier auf der Erde finden, nicht im materiellen Besitz und nicht in den Vergnügungen und Annehmlichkeiten welche ein gewisses persönliches Ansehen mit sich bringt. D.h. eines Ansehens, welches der trügerischen Popularität in der modernen Welt entspringt. Wahre Freude entspringt nicht einmal dem Bemühen, wahre und dauerhafte Freude in den vorübergehenden Erfolgen in Beruf, Sport oder Familie zu finden. Worin besteht denn nun die echte Freude des Christen?

Die an diesem Sonntag gepriesene Freude ist mehrdimensional. Auf einer ersten Stufe ist es das, was wir als Kinder über Laetare in der Fastenzeit und über Gaudete im Advent gelernt haben: Wir feiern die Tatsache, dass wir die Hälfte dieser Busszeit bereits hinter uns haben – oder bei Gaudete sogar zwei Drittel. In der Fastenzeit ist es eine Zeit ohne Halleluja, ohne Gloria und ohne Orgel in der Kirche. Heute stärken wir unseren Willen, unseren Vorsätzen für den Rest der 40 Tage treu zu bleiben mit den rosafarbenen Paramente und den für einen Sonntag zurückgekehrten Blumenschmuck am Altar. Diese Zeichen der Freude sollen uns ermutigen, den Rest der 40 Tage mit Christus in der Wüste zu fasten.

Auf einer etwas tieferen Ebene bringt das Tagesgebet der Messe einen weiteren Gedanken:

“Gewähre, so bitten wir, allmächtiger Gott, dass wir, die wir mit Recht für unsere Taten bedrängt werden, durch den Trost Deiner Gnade wieder aufatmen können.“

Ja, die Fastenzeit ist unser Busswerk, aber die Fastenzeit zeigt uns auch den Sinn der Gnade des allmächtigen Gottes auf, der uns rettet. An sich würde diese Motivation für diejenigen, welche die Liturgie und die asketischen Übungen der Kirche mitfeiern bereits ausreichen für die Veränderung der Stimmung in der heutigen Liturgie.

Ausgehend von den Lesungen der Heutigen Messe können wir diese theologischen Überlegungen aber noch weiter vertiefen. Wir erinnern uns mit dem Hl. Paulus daran, wie wir dank unserer Taufe mit Wasser im Heiligen Geist zu Kindern der göttlichen Verheissung wiedergeboren wurden. Wir sind befreit von den Folgen der Erbsünde und mit dieser Gnade gestärkt dürfen wir nie wieder mit unseren persönlichen Sünden zu Sklaven dieser Welt werden. In seinem Brief an die Galater verweist der Heilige Paulus auf die beiden Söhne unseres Patriarachen Abrahams, auf den Sohn der Sklavin und den Sohn der Verheissung. Im Auftrag Gottes musste Abraham das Urteil sprechen zugunsten des Sohnes der Verheissung und Ismael, den Sohn der Sklavin, zusammen mit seiner Mutter Hagar wegschicken. So sagt Paulus: “Deshalb, Brüder, sind wir nicht Kinder der Magd, sondern der Freien kraft der Freiheit, durch die Christus uns befreit hat.“

Ich frage mich, wie viele Katholiken sich ihrer ganz einfach durch die Taufe erfolgten Erwählung in Christus wirklich bewusst sind, sich also ihrer besonderen Würde als Kinder Gottes bewusst sind. Wie viele eingeschriebene Kirchenmitglieder haben keine Ahnung von unserem Glück, in der Gemeinschaft mit dem eingeborenen Sohn Gottes selber Kinder Gottes zu sein? Wenn wir von einem Skandal in der Kirche sprechen wollen, dann ist es gerade das, dass wir vergessen haben, welchen Vorteil wir gegenüber der Welt haben. Es gibt Menschen, die sich dank der Kontrolle über die sozialen Kommunikationsmittel darüber beklagen, dass sie Opfer von Ungerechtigkeit seien, weil ihnen die Kirche nicht „gleichberechtigte Arbeitsbedingungen“ anbiete, d.h. dass die Kirche das kirchliche Amt nicht allen anbiete, ohne Vorbedingungen. Sie behaupten dabei, dass sich die Kirche nicht unterscheiden dürfe von einem Club, einem wirtschaftlichen Unternehmen oder einer politischen Partei. Ehrlich gesagt, ich habe es satt, immer von angeblicher Diskriminierung in der Kirche zu hören, als ob die Kirche einfach ein weltlicher Verein wäre. In der Kirche zählt nicht das kirchliche Amt, sondern unsere Würde als Getaufte.  

Laetare, Jerusalem! Ja, Freue dich! Unsere Taufberufung in Christus entspricht es, dass wir die der Kirche geschenkten Heilmittel nutzen, die Sakramente insbesondere, aber auch die Lehre der Kirche. Wir haben die Kirche als Schule des Gebetes und der Busse, als Ort der Vergebung aber auch zu Wiedergutmachung der durch unsere Sünden und durch die Sünden anderer entstandenen Schäden, sowohl zum Wohl unseres Lebens als auch zum Wohl dieser alles andere als heiler Welt.

Es ist richtig und mehr als angemessen, dass wir unsere Freude inmitten der Fastenzeitlichen Wüste feiern. Es wäre tatsächlich ein Irrtum, zu meinen, dass ein echter Katholik nur ganz nüchtern und kühl feiern könnte und dass unser Leben allein bestimmt sein müsse von Busse und Sühne für die Sünden der Welt. Die Hl. Katharina von Genua beschreibt in ihrem Traktat über das Fegfeuer den Sinn der Freude der Seelen, welche die Qualen des Fegfeuers erleiden. Wenn für diese Seelen vor allem der Schmerz bestimmend ist, den die leidende Kirche hat, weil sie nicht die Gegenwart Christi, der Mutter Gottes und der Heiligen geniessen kann, so haben sie doch gleichzeitig die Freude, die aus der Hoffnung kommt, dass diese Qualen vorübergehen. Das Leiden ist die Konsequenz unserer kleinen und grösseren Sünden, die Freude entstammt der Tatsache, dass diese Sünden schon in diesem Leben von Gott durch den Dienst der Kirche vergeben wurden und auch die schmerzhaften Folgen dieser Sünden geheilt werden.   

Es ist würdig und recht, heute ein wenig das Kind zu spielen, welches sich darüber freut, dass es einmal mehr zwei Drittel dieser schweren Zeit hinter sich gebracht hat. Aber wie die Kinder in ihrer Einfalt, so müssen auch wir akzeptieren, dass unsere Situation als Büsser in der Wüste dieser Welt die Vorbedingung ist für die unbeschreibliche Freude, die uns zuteilwird im Himmel beim ewigen Gott. Wir müssen uns losreissen von dieser vergänglichen Welt, welche uns nichts Dauerhaftes zu bieten hat. Jesus allein kann unser Herz erfüllen, wie er auch den Hunger der 5000 mit wenigen Broten und etwas Fisch gestillt hat. Nach dem „rosa“ des heutigen Tages gehen wir ihm entgegen in der Wüste, damit wir gesättigt werden nicht mit irgendeinem beliebigen Brot, sondern mit ihm selbst, der Weg, Wahrheit und Leben ist.

Gelobt sei Jesus Christus!

PROPERANTES ADVENTUM DIEI DEI

Worship in Spirit and in Truth

This article by Fr. Jerry Pokorsky, Pondering the Pandemic, unleashed all sorts of thoughts for me. I cannot fully espouse Father's position vis-à-vis the civil authorities, because I find our position as Catholic Church rather weak, because it is less than free of ambiguity. What has happened in these days of church closings and other "verbotens" is that we have been challenged by the forces of order, who find no evidence of our holding to any "pearl of great price", be it Holy Mass or what. That sounds cynical on my part, but civil authorities seemed confident they could make the demands they did and the highest authorities in the Church most everywhere in the world corresponded fully to their expectations and demands. We were tested and time and again in these days found wanting. The "social distancing" strategy of whomever won out over any potential competing values.

I hear stories of lay people wringing their hands and wanting to stand up to their bishops and priests, insisting that the leadership is selling the Mass and the Sacraments short, that a pandemic requires other of us as believers. Lots of questions or issues come to mind. The big question is always: "When do I as a private citizen have enough of the facts to be able to oppose public authority?" In point of fact,  however, that is probably not the key issue. Watching some of the video offerings on the internet, which are supposed to be good liturgy, I rather suspect that our day of reckoning for having sold out the Sacred Liturgy seems to have come.

While I am tempted to argue the point at length, I will not. There is too much blindness and emotion involved here. I say that because of a case I saw of where a diocese chose for their official video Mass a church with a totally stark grey/black concrete back wall and no proper focus. Try and tell these folks they could have chosen a brighter, a prettier church? 

These days there are lots of lovely offerings on the internet of Vetus Ordo Masses. My hope and prayer would be that people will see them and once freed from social restrictions, they might go seeking such beauty and order. As brutal as it may sound, I am inclined to believe that civil authorities asked us to give up all we had and bishops and priests rushed to do their bidding, because what we had to offer was no pearl at all...

PROPERANTES ADVENTUM DIEI DEI

"Solemn High Communion Rail with Cloth"

Strange as it may seem, at the moment what I find most suggestive or edifying about the Vetus Ordo is the distribution of Holy Communion to the faithful, especially when it is possible at a real Communion or Altar Rail, covered from end to end with a clean linen cloth, underneath which the kneeling communicants reverently place their folded hands. There is probably no other moment at Holy Mass which speaks to me so eloquently of the awe-filled reverence with which we come to receive our Eucharistic Lord. I am well aware of what such an arrangement costs in fine linen, talent and effort to prepare and maintain, thinking especially of the hours for washing, starching and ironing. It was and is done for Jesus, obviously, but very much so for the sake of the faithful who come to receive the Lord Who gives Himself as food for the journey through life toward eternity. 

One of the general developments of the last years which I have witnessed in Novus Ordo parishes and chapels of retreat and religious houses of the healthier kind has been a growing care for altar linens, corporals, palls, purificators and finger towels. Chalice veils and burses are even reappearing in some places. Ciboria and veils for ciboria, I am sure, must be just around the corner. The cloths for the restored communion rails will take further effort. Mentioning these things, I wish to point to a new or rediscovered consciousness, sustained by good order and beauty, of the Lord here present. It is among the first fruits of the mutual enrichment willed by Pope Benedict in Summorum Pontificum.

Apart from what I, as the minister of Holy Communion, find here edifying, there are chapters here to be written about what should be active participation and what a source and summit (fons et culmen) should really look like in Catholic life. Please God, I will find time to make a small contribution in this matter.

Meantime, whether your own favorite point or aspect of the celebration of the Vetus Ordo be here or elsewhere, I ask you to say a prayer for the work of restoration and the softening of hardened hearts who will hardly spare a decent altar cloth or more than one candle, let alone the preparation of a "solemn high communion rail with cloth" for the Lord of Life, Who come in glory to His people eager to receive Him.

PROPERANTES ADVENTUM DIEI DEI

Confess Your Sins to the Priest!

1^st Sunday of Lent - 01 March 2020 
English Mass at Bruder Klaus

Gn 2:7-9; 3:1-7

Rom 5:12-19

Mt 4:1-11

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Repentance from sin is something we clearly associate with the observance of the season of Lent in preparation for Easter. The Ash Wednesday admonition, “Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel!” is just that: a call to repentance. We must be clear in our own minds and hearts, however, that sin is one thing, temptation is another and human weakness something else entirely. The word “temptation” seems to be at the center of much confusion. Odd as it may seem, I get the impression that the word “temptation” in contemporary usage has been neutralized or, if you can say such a thing, almost sanitized. Despite what comes across on TV, temptation is not entertainment; it cannot be a good or indifferent thing, even if in the strict sense we are not obliged to confess being tempted. Our first reading from the Book of Genesis recounts the temptation by the serpent and the fall in the garden of Adam and Eve. Our Gospel from Matthew tells of Jesus being tempted by Satan in the desert and winning by His whole-hearted obedience to the will of God the Father.

From our Catholic upbringing, we make the distinction between sin and temptation. We understand that a temptation comes from outside us and can only lead to sin by our consent. Even our fallen nature, our proneness to sin, is not sin itself but classes us as fragile and in need of God’s gracious assistance. We need His strength to resist those temptations that come from the devil and the world. Sin which involves giving in to temptation is something bad; it falls on our account, because with a greater or lesser measure of freedom, we are effectively choosing to sin. That sin may be a thought, or a word, either an act or an omission. It may or may not be a grave matter; sins can be mortal or they can be venial.

Exposing ourselves to occasions of sin or seeking out temptation is completely different from being tempted; if you seek out temptation or welcome it; you are indeed stepping over the line and sinning. Sin and temptation are two different things; by the grace of God we can resist, we can win out over temptation, as did Jesus. By the grace of God, sin is not an inevitability in our lives. Holding to these distinctions can bring us peace of mind and conscience. Clear and distinct Catholic ideas are something wonderful and something that can set us free to love and live for God.

The Catholic Encyclopedia teaches: “Christ by His death redeemed mankind from sin and its bondage. In baptism, the guilt of original sin is wiped out and the soul is cleansed and justified again by the infusion of sanctifying grace. But freedom from concupiscence is not restored to man, any more than immortality; abundant grace, however, is given him, by which he may obtain the victory over rebellious sense and deserve life everlasting.”

We suffer from concupiscence, and yes, spiritual combat is our lot in this life. We can and really must identify with Jesus, in His forty-day struggle in the desert. Passivity, going with the flow, is not an option for us as Catholics. Love of God and love of neighbor demands of us our very best.

We heard in St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans today:

“For if by the transgression of the one, the many died, how much more did the grace of God and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ overflow for the many… just as through one transgression condemnation came upon all, so, through one righteous act, acquittal and life came to all… through the obedience of the one, the many will be made righteous.”

The obedience of Jesus restores lost innocence to us, who are the descendants of Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve found their downfall in the luxurious Garden of Eden and Jesus, the Son of Man, claimed His victory over Satan in the barren desert. From the passage from Matthew’s Gospel, we can list three temptations of Jesus: 1. the temptation to seek consolation in bread (in satisfying physical hunger albeit for the wrong reason), 2. the temptation to test God (cast yourself down from here, said the devil), and 3. the temptation to trade  God for the passing splendors of this world, pleasures or joys seemingly to be had in exchange for worshiping Satan (Here, incidentally, we find out what is wrong with sorcery or black magic). Adam and Eve were not starved like Jesus by 40 days of fasting, but rather were quite comfortable in the Garden. In order to taste forbidden fruit, our first parents abandoned confidence in their loving Maker to provide for them and their needs. They took the serpent’s word over God’s; they tested God. On the serpent’s word, they challenged God’s word to them; they chose the serpent over God.

Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Different from us, both the first Adam in the Garden of Eden and the new Adam, Jesus in the desert, were sinless. Satan, though in different ways, tempted both Adams. Jesus, in His obedience, did not fall, as did the first Adam. The new Adam won for us life and grace.

Maybe we are not big sinners, but maybe we are.  Regardless of our virtue big or small, we are certainly not sinless; we have things to confess and for which we must seek forgiveness. Many people have a tough time examining their conscience and identifying sin or failings in their lives. Others have pride and shame issues that keep them away from sacramental confession. They find it humbling or uncomfortable to confess to the priest.

Regardless of whether it has been a long or a short time since your last confession, plan on making your confession now before Easter. Most Sundays the priest here hears confessions for a half hour before Mass. When you go, start by telling Father how long it has been since your last worthy confession. List your mortal sins, such as the times you have purposely missed Sunday Mass, do so as carefully, as simply and directly as you can. Talk briefly to the priest about your major struggles or failings, especially your lack of charity, your heartlessness toward your spouse, children or parents, neighbors or coworkers. Go through the 10 Commandments in examining your conscience, as well as the 5 Precepts of the Church. How do you measure up in terms of the 2 greatest Commandments of love of God and neighbor?

Why? Out of obedience to the God Who loves us without reserve! The devil would have us believe, as he succeeded with Adam and Eve, that we know better or can presume to sort through God’s law and judge things at our own discretion. The simple message of this Sunday is that if we so presume then like Adam and Eve we are lost. We have turned our backs on Him, the Father Who loves us and spared not His only Son Jesus, that we might have life and have it more abundantly.   

Praised be Jesus Christ!

PROPERANTES ADVENTUM DIEI DEI