Blessed Are The Pure Of Heart
...For They Shall See God
Today, as I write this, is the Feast of Corpus Christi, the Most Modern Feast of Holy Mother Church but also the most solemnized, exceeded only by Easter and Pentecost. On this Feast, we are treated to the words of St Paul: "Therefore whosoever shall eat this Bread, or drink the Chalice of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the Body and of the Blood of the Lord. But let a man prove himself: and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of the chalice. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning the body of the Lord."
These words, of course, apply most emphatically to the man who would dare Communicate while in the State of Mortal Sin, or who has not gone to Confession even after reciting a Perfect Act of Contrition, because, even though we are confident of God's Mercy, we still do not presume upon the Most Blessed Sacrament.
The Mark of a True Christian can be seen in how he treats The Most Blessed Sacrament. The True Christian would never dream of entering the House of God in an unbecoming or immodest manner. While he does not scruple over the quality of his clothes, he does scruple over their essence. He might be dressed in rags and tatters, but dressed he is, and his nakedness is covered. The Worldling, on the contrary, thinks not of his nakedness, but is not embarrassed by lewd clothing. His standards are those of the New Sodom. He is totally heedless of the admonition of Our Lady of Fatima to Little St Jacinta: "New fashions will be introduced which will offend Our Lord very much."
Moreover, the True Christian would never dream of talking in church unless absolutely necessary. This includes Choir Directors and members who, if they must conduct practice in the choir loft, would still restrict conversation to what is necessary, and not engage in small talk or chatter, but rather retain a most prayerful attitude with respect to the sanctuary. And needless to say, nobody would take a dog or cat or any animal into a church, not that God has anything against His creatures, but out of a sense of order and propriety. "Terrible is This Place; It is the Gate of Heaven and the House of God!"
Does it have to be said that cameras are also out of place in church, even at weddings? Many a time this Wolf has said that were he a pastor, he would tell the bride: Bring the cameraman to the rehearsal. I will simulate any part of the Mass you wish, and you can simulate anything. But on Your Wedding Day give your Hearts and Minds totally to God, and be not mindful of what will go in the photo treasury. Needless to say, to the same end cell phones and recorders and etc are out of place, as well as "simulcast" broadcasts and streaming.
And yet over the years this Wolf has sadly seen many a priest leading the pack of bad examples. He has witnessed priests giving Holy Communion to women dressed in a manner that would make a French Harlot blush. He has witnessed priests pocketing Hosts from the Tabernacle and then just walking back to the sacristy while souls are present in the church. He has witnessed priests holding a conversation while they have the Blessed Sacrament in their pocket. (Whenever a priest has the Blessed Sacrament, he should be attended by a gentleman with a bell who rings it to announce the Holy Presence, so all may halt what they are doing and kneel in adoration.) This Wolf has heard bad language from priests many a time.
Meanwhile, Catholic Family News recently had an article whereby they lamented that, in these times, the Church must be subject to the Civil Authorities. Sorry, but Holy Mother Church is no more subject to the Civil Authorities than Our Lord Jesus Christ or Sts Peter and Paul were subject to Caesar. Sure, St Paul did admonish his flock that the King does not wield the Sword in vain, but has a certain authority even over Christians, but that authority does not extend into the Sanctuary, or even the Naive, but stops at the front gate. And every Pastor worthy of the name should have posted a copy of Unam Sanctum to the front door of his church, and told any "Covid Enforcer", as that brave Canadian Protestant Pastor did, to get the Hell out of his Church. And that EVEN IF the "Virus" was real.
And also to reiterate- Catholic Family News suggested that we cannot expect our priests to be saints, or even holy, but that we must expect some of our priests will be bad men, and that we must not be scandalized. Well, this Wolf for one DOES expect his pastor to be holy, and not tolerant of immodesty, impurity, sloth, or gluttony. While this Wolf certainly understands the attitude of Colonel Moscada during the siege of the Alcazar where a mediocre priest sympathetic to the Communists baptized the newborn infants and heard the confessions of men expecting to die in the next battle, that is not the norm. Were this Wolf in mortal sin, he would certainly seek and receive absolution from a mediocre priest, but he is not going to assist at Mass and receive Holy Communion from his hand week after week. Nor is he going to worship in an atmosphere where laxity and indifference prevail.
Sorry SSPX, but you have a Fr Rostand Problem. Sorry, FSSP, but you have a Fr Jackson problem. Sorry, SSPX Resistance, but you have a Bishop Williamson problem. Sorry Fr Pfeiffer, but you have a Pablo the Mexican problem. Sorry, Coffee Monks of Cody, but you have a Dire Wolf problem. And this Wolf could cite other chapels too varied and sundry to list here. But this Wolf is no longer going to hold his nose at priests who give Communion to the Immodest, at churches full of illclad women, at mothers who nurse in church, or at men perusing their gadgets or texting their fellow "Traditionalists". This Wolf wants a Church as pure as the Wind-Driven snows, and Pastors who will insist on nothing less, rather than catering to the Top Ten Donors.
Fr Pfeiffer used to say that the "A" Team had failed and now it was up to the "B" Team. Well, scratch the "B" Teams off too. Now, it appears that the Sandlot Boys are up at the plate. It appears as though us who populate the pews are going to have to hold the Pastors up to the standard. It is time to make our own the words of Pope Felix: "Not to Oppose Error is to Approve of It. Not to Speak the Truth is to Suppress It. And It is better that Scandals arise, than that Truth be Silenced."
God is Truth. And all Truth is one, from the Mysteries of the Incarnation and the Most Holy Trinity, down to how many inmates died at Auschwitz, all Truth is Holy and Sacred, and needs to be shouted from the Housetops. And the more Embarrassing and Upsetting a Truth might be, makes it all the more relevant, when touching upon the Most Sacred Sarcedotal Ministry.
Our Lady of Fatima, Pray for Us. You Are Our Only Hope!!