Lord, I Am Not Worthy...
Posted by: tony on 09/25/2008 01:19 PM
Updated by: tony on 09/25/2008 01:19 PM
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Expires: 10/26/2008 12:00 AM
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Patrick at Creative Minority Report writes regarding communion.
Sitting in my pew for a few minutes as the Priest gives out Communion to the 137 extraordinary ministers, readers in shorts and sandals, and altar girls I often have some time to reflect before the priest gets around giving out Communion to the rest of us.
Sometimes I even reflect upon the concept of "the rest of us." It really means all of us, every last dang one of us. Occasionally, the thought has popped into my head, I wonder if ALL these people have gone to confession? I mean when I go to confession, held once a week for 45 minutes, the lines are just not that long. How is it that all these people are prepared to receive Our Lord in the Eucharist?
It looks like Patrick is angry at the Mass he attends. It's frustrating, but if a certain parish is leading us to sin, we really need to reconsider going there.
Oh, heck. I was an angry traditionally minded Catholic for a few years. I put up with a lot of "singing a new church", EMs in the sanctuary, multiple priests sitting down for communion so the EMs could "ascend to their rightful place".
But over the years I've mellowed. I've learned to speak with the pastor about things that are on my mind that I believe are liturgical abuses. If I am rebuffed, I can write a letter to the bishop, and work my way up the chain until I exhause my resources. Then I can determine whether the current pastor / parish / "faith community" is leading me to sin, and if so, I can leave.
I have stopped being angry. I understand that even if the priest is in a clown suit, when wheat bread is concecrated with the proper intention and words with ordained hands, then Christ is real and present. I concern myself with my relationship with Christ.
What I don't do is anger myself by contemplating others' relationship with Christ. I don't know what their situation is. I don't know whether they are a modern day saint, they have confessed at another parish (as I do) because they prefer a different confessor than pastor, or they are ignorant as to the requirement to be free of mortal sin, or even what constitutes mortal sin.
This is between them and God.
Until they cause public scandal, that is where it should remain.
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