A Very Curious Letter

The latest edition of the Portsmouth People has a very curious letter from someone who had attended a meeting somewhere and at the meeting someone had had a row with the speaker. Apparently he contradicted the speaker on matters of the Catholic Faith. The person was so annoyed for she was one who had had difficulties with some of the Churchs teaching and was happy that Vatican II had given her this new Church where she could exercise `her consicience`. So she has the Church she wants but what she failed to grasp is that her Church was not the Church the dissenter wanted. It would be wonderful to go along with the idea that everyone loves` one another so there is not need to quarrel. The trouble is that we can only have one kind of Church, built on one Faith, which surpresses the Faith of other people. Call me a traditional then and let me practice my Faith in the Portsmouth Diocese. "But we give you your freedom" will come the cry, We are tolerant of all Faiths, we are ecumenical". Good, let Roman Catholics have Saturday morning Mass and Confession again. Sorry, I know it s a busy morning. Let me have Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament every week in my parish. "Sorry, not enough people attend" Then during the First Communion program teach the children about the Real Presence and how to adore Jesus in the Sacrament. "Sorry, they are too young to understand" But I do not understand either,it is a mystery. Can my child kneel and receive Communion on the tongue. "No, no, Communion is an act of the Community. And as for adoration even in the Cathedral until recently the Blessed Sacrament was reserved but there were no neelers nor chais to use. Standing is a sign of respect". Is it? "Yes, we all go in procession together in community and receive in the hand as the did in he early church as we know from St Justin" But he did not say that it was Bishop John and Arian quoting him as saying it, even the Orthodox retaied the practice of not holding Communion in the bare hands. "Now who do you think you are, we have it from Father and scholars and experts". And so do I, look all I ask is to be able to kneel comfortably for Holy Communion. "Look we appointed people who have moved forward to run the parishes, why do you not do what the other parishioers do and keep your mouth shut" I apologise, it is just that I am a Roman Catholic.

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