Tag Archives: eucharist

A Study in Contrasts

I'm fascinated by bias and slant in the media. Here are two opposing spins on the same story.

Vatican Has Not Denied Automatic Excommunication of John Kerry (LifeSiteNews)

"News which broke yesterday about a Vatican consultant's response to a question about canon law application to Catholic politicians who support abortion, has created a media uproar and contradictory statements about the Vatican's involvement in the response."

"Washington-based Rev. Basil Cole's response to California canon lawyer Mark Balestrieri indicated that Catholic politicians who advocate abortion are 'automatically excommunicated'. This pronouncement was understood by Balestrieri to indicate Vatican support for his lawsuit against Kerry. However, with the Presidential contest in question, Vatican authorities, with unusual haste for an institution that is typically very slow to respond to even the gravest matters, today fended off any suggestion of involvement in Balestrieri's lawsuit. Balestrieri has launched a church lawsuit against Kerry seeking to have him disciplined by Church authorities for his outspoken support for abortion"

Kerry "excommunication" scam exposed (CathNews)

"An official at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has claimed that a Californian canon lawyer seeking a formal decree of heresy against Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry of Massachusetts has misrepresented his contact with the Vatican office."

"The canon lawyer has claimed publicly that he received a communication from the Congregation implying that Kerry is excommunicated because any Catholic politician who says he is 'personally opposed to abortion, but supports a woman's right to choose,' incurs automatic excommunication. If credible, the claim could cause significant damage to Kerry's chances in an election that some pollsters say hinges on the Catholic vote."

"'The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has had no contact with Mr (Marc) Balestrieri,' said Congregation undersecretary Fr Augustine DiNoia."

Signs and Ceremonies: The Redemption

The following is from Teaching Truths by Signs and Ceremonies or The Church, Its Rites and Services Explained for the People by Rev. Jas. L. Meagher (1882, New York: Russel Brothers).

“[T]he Redemption was really and truly of infinite value, an infinite price,
not like the Pelagians and Socinians said, for these taught that Christ redeemed
us, not by paying the debt of our sins, but by resisting the temptations of the
evil one in the desert, or by being obedient to his Father; but the Catholic truth
teaches that Christ redeemed us from sin by wiping it completely out, pleasing God
in our place, and restoring us to heaven lost in Adam” (Ch. 7, pp. 117-118)

“He gave an equal return for the honor and respect and reverence due to God,
for sin is infinite because it is an injury done to an infinite God. But the reparation,
the satisfaction returned to God for that sin was infinite, for it was the prayers,
offerings, and the suffering and death of an infinite Person, Jesus Christ, the
Second Person of the Trinity; therefore his satisfaction was equal to the sin and
injury done to God.” (Ch. 7, p. 119)

“But he did not deliver us from the evils of temptation, of death, of sickness,
of suffering, or return to us the perfect and easy control which Adam and Eve had
before their fall, over the lower powers of our soul, or deliver us from all the
evils which fell on the human race from the sin of Adam, but only sanctifying grace,
which gives the right to enter heaven.” (Ch. 7, p. 120)

“And to say that Christ died for us all and that nothing more is required,
is to put the saint and the murderer, the good and the bad all on the same level,
all going to heaven, no matter what they do in this world. Our salvation then depends
on our own actions, the loss or the salvation of each one depends on their sins
or their good works; by these good works gaining the merits and graces of Christ
ready to be showered down upon us when we merit them. By His death he gained all
these, and these are to be given us when we show ourselves worthy by our good lives.”
(Ch. 7, pp. 120-121)

“Such then is the Mass; it is the applying of these merits of Christ to our
souls – the showering down of these graces into our hearts and the continuation
of the sacrifice of Calvary. A sacrifice is the great act of man offered to the
Divinity; here in the Mass we have the Victim only worthy of the Deity, the sacrifice
of the Son of God, there immolated to the God-head, the Offering only worthy of
the Deity of the Second Person of the Trinity is present there, and as the sublime
tragedy of Calvary is continued, there continued in remembrance of Him, the Victim
and the Sacrificer, as all is offered to the God-head, the face of the celebrant
is turned from the people toward God. The people are bowed down in prayer; it is
not necessary that they understand the words, for they are said not for them to
hear but for the ear of God. All may be in silence, still it is a sacrifice offered
to the Lord; not one besides the celebrant may understand these rites and ceremonies,
still they are for the eye of God and not of man
, and God accepts them from
the hands of the priest, for how can he reject the offering of His only begotten
Son?” (Ch. 7, pp. 121-122)

Signs and Ceremonies: The Real Presence

The following is from Teaching Truths by Signs and Ceremonies or The Church, Its Rites and Services Explained for the People by Rev. Jas. L. Meagher (1882, New York: Russel Brothers).

“In the Greek text [the expression of carnal nature of the Eucharist] is stronger
than in our English Bible. Those who do not wish to believe use all kinds of ways
in order to get out of believing the truth of Christ’s presence. But these words
are so clear, the universal belief of all antiquity, the writings of the fathers
of the Church, who give the belief of all ages up to the time of Christ, all these
are so strong on that even Luther himself says, ‘These words are so clear that no
angel from heaven, no man on earth could speak clearer.” (Ch. 5, p. 81)

“St. Ignatius, made Bishop of Antioch in the year 69, writing against the Gnostics
says: ‘They abstain from prayer, because they confess not that the Eucharist
is the flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ
.’ St. Justin, the Martyr, born in the
year 105, explaining the Mass to the Roman Emporer Antoninus, says: ‘He who is the
chief among the brethren, taking the bread and the vessel of wine and water, giving
glory to the Father of all, in the name of the Son and Holy Spirit, continues the
Eucharist…Then all the people say Amen…But we do not take this as communion
bread or drink, but as for our salvation, by the Word of God, Jesus Christ was made
flesh, thus by these prayers we receive the flesh and blood of the same incarnate
Jesus Christ
.'” (Ch. 5, p. 84)

“St. Ambrose, born in the year 340, says: ‘Of the bread the flesh of Christ
is made…But how can that which is bread become the Body of Christ? By consecration.
By whose words and by whose language does the consecration take place? Those of
our Lord Jesus Christ. For it was not the Body of Christ before the consecration,
but I say to thee, that after consecration it is now the Body of Christ. He said
and it was done, he commanded and it was made.'” (Ch.5, p. 85)

Of Rice and Men

I’m starting to grow weary of the “girl’s communion revoked” story, but it’s just hit secular press, so it’ll be around for a while yet. Any story that reflects badly on the Church, or could be twisted to do so, is likely to hold media attention for some time.

Anyhow, here’s an article about a response from Australia’s National Liturgical Commission to the stoppage of wheat-free host production.

Also, the net’s coolest Anglican, Pontificator, has tossed in his two cents about the first communion controversy.

Otay, Buckwheat

Here’s another about celiac disease and wheat hosts. The last time I blogged about this, it was just one
little girl
. This is about a whole facility mass producing wheat-free hosts without permission. Again I ask,
at what level of truth does the insistence on wheat stand? Was the Eucharist improperly confected at thousands of masses? Was the sacrament valid?