"Communion'. Why it failed.
About 40 years ago a strange thing happened in the Catholic Church. Some older Priests and Bishops started talking about community Young priests coming out of the seminaries where they were taught some kind of social insight by 'experts' started telling us that we were no longer a 'me Church but a we Church. And then instead of a parish we were a 'community I did not understand that there was a difference. All this was very puzzling indeed since I had worked most of my life with others for the Church that I loved. But all of this was not really important to me, a little annoying, yes, but nothing to really disturb me so I carried on living my Catholic Faith with other Catholics as best I could. It was the smashing down of the altar rails that made me wake up. The altar rails had a cloth which was put over the top of the railings to symbolise a table. We knelt and received Jesus in humility and adored his presence within us. We considered ourselves joined to him in a most perfect way and we adored and loved him. The reason given for the vandalism was that the altar rails were a barrier between the 'community ' and God. This made no sense to me and indeed I did not know at the time that it was part of a plan and the second step was to remove the God the altar rails were supposed to be separating the community from, . I have tried to find any Church document which instructed the removal of the altar rails. Thee were no documents in Vatican II, it had not be discussed by the Fathers of that Council. Nor could I find any subsequent document.
On the removal of the Tabernacle again I drew a blank. There was no instruction anywhere that told bishops to remove the Tabernacle from the Centre of the altar of ordinary parishes although in Cathedrals it had been the practice for a long time since prayer was interrupted by visitors, and indeed a document was issued after Vatican Ii recommending the continuation of this practice. So how was this justified. Well it seems that we do not need the presence of Jesus on the altar because we, the Community, are his Body. Now of course we are and have for many years called ourselves as a parish or congregatio the Mystical Body of Christ. Christ works through us in the world, we are his voice and his hands, we have many gifts which we receive in the sacraments to spread his word throughout the world, we may as St Paul tells us be part of his Spiritual Presence but it is absurd to call us his physical Body, and remove his Real physical Body from the altar
There were there little soundbites coming in at the same time to form this 'communion' . Since we are the Body then we should not adore and worship him when we receive because this for some reason is wrong. They have not quite explained that one yet. We must wait until we get back to our seats and what we do to feel 'communion' has not quite been explained but we are ONE with the rest of the Community despite the fact that the Church has never been more divided.
So let us sum this up and see where it leads.
The Altar rails removed to stop us kneeling to God.
The Tabernacle removed to stop us worshiping God.
Communion in the hands to stop us showing reverence to God
An admonish,rmy against thanking God in the Host on reception to stop us worshipping God
It is only when we get back to our seats that anything happens - it seems the community becomes God.
Satan could never have invented a better plan to separate us from the One True God.
And they wonder why young people are absent from the Church. It was Pope Paul VI who remarked that "the smoke of Satan is blowing through the Church" so his teaching did not come from him, this teaching that rather than bring you to God , actually takes you away from him. I have never heard it explained, just imposed, and driving young people out of the Church. Meanwhile in Traditional parishes or communities young people are noted for their presence and not their absence. and it is our hope for the future that with many of these young people becoming priests and even in the communion parishes where the priests are struggling to teach the Faith in the middle of chaos. Most of the young people who train for the priesthood have come from a background of love of the Blessed Sacrament and love of the Rosary of our Mother Mary.
Now I may have got all this wrong but one thing I am sure that no one, but no one, will be ever able to contradict me. O yes, I am a divisive figure and all that, but of that I am proud. The truth is still being heard. And on that I can hold my head high at my judgement if I fail in so many other things.
On the removal of the Tabernacle again I drew a blank. There was no instruction anywhere that told bishops to remove the Tabernacle from the Centre of the altar of ordinary parishes although in Cathedrals it had been the practice for a long time since prayer was interrupted by visitors, and indeed a document was issued after Vatican Ii recommending the continuation of this practice. So how was this justified. Well it seems that we do not need the presence of Jesus on the altar because we, the Community, are his Body. Now of course we are and have for many years called ourselves as a parish or congregatio the Mystical Body of Christ. Christ works through us in the world, we are his voice and his hands, we have many gifts which we receive in the sacraments to spread his word throughout the world, we may as St Paul tells us be part of his Spiritual Presence but it is absurd to call us his physical Body, and remove his Real physical Body from the altar
There were there little soundbites coming in at the same time to form this 'communion' . Since we are the Body then we should not adore and worship him when we receive because this for some reason is wrong. They have not quite explained that one yet. We must wait until we get back to our seats and what we do to feel 'communion' has not quite been explained but we are ONE with the rest of the Community despite the fact that the Church has never been more divided.
So let us sum this up and see where it leads.
The Altar rails removed to stop us kneeling to God.
The Tabernacle removed to stop us worshiping God.
Communion in the hands to stop us showing reverence to God
An admonish,rmy against thanking God in the Host on reception to stop us worshipping God
It is only when we get back to our seats that anything happens - it seems the community becomes God.
Satan could never have invented a better plan to separate us from the One True God.
And they wonder why young people are absent from the Church. It was Pope Paul VI who remarked that "the smoke of Satan is blowing through the Church" so his teaching did not come from him, this teaching that rather than bring you to God , actually takes you away from him. I have never heard it explained, just imposed, and driving young people out of the Church. Meanwhile in Traditional parishes or communities young people are noted for their presence and not their absence. and it is our hope for the future that with many of these young people becoming priests and even in the communion parishes where the priests are struggling to teach the Faith in the middle of chaos. Most of the young people who train for the priesthood have come from a background of love of the Blessed Sacrament and love of the Rosary of our Mother Mary.
Now I may have got all this wrong but one thing I am sure that no one, but no one, will be ever able to contradict me. O yes, I am a divisive figure and all that, but of that I am proud. The truth is still being heard. And on that I can hold my head high at my judgement if I fail in so many other things.
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