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Yes, the abbey has fallen victim to coronavirus hysteria. I had hoped, as proceedings at Mass there last Friday in regard to Communion and the Sign of Peace were as usual, and because this community is regulated by the Order of Cistercians, and not the bishop whom we don't have any more, or Cardinal Dew for that matter, I had hoped they like the rest of New Zealand would ignore the Wellington Archdiocesan shenanigans.
But no. Communion on the tongue - a right which must not be denied by any priest, bishop or abbot (but the abbey doesn't have an abbot now, any more than Palmerston North has a bishop, and for the same root cause, Modernism) - that right is now not to be had at the abbey.
Neither is the chalice permitted, or the Sign of Peace (but that's all to the good). My two elderly friends, members of the community who sit in front of me at the abbey, bade each other and then me 'Peace be with you', keeping their hands to themselves, rather sheepishly, and I went up to Father as he held the paten ciborium, knelt, adored, made Spiritual Communion and returned to my pew, just as I had at my parish Mass on Sunday.
I'm sure the good monks are acting out of humility. But true humility consists in knowing one's place, and one's place in regard to the Eucharist at Holy Mass - providing one is in a state of grace - is as a communicant, receiving on the tongue as prescribed by the GIRM and as permitted throughout the rest of New Zealand.
I ask once more - not having received a reply from Cardinal Dew or anyone else at the Archdiocesan office to my email of yesterday morning - why are the faithful Catholics of Palmerston North being persecuted?
This week's edition of CathNews has this to say:
The position follows current literature and expert medical advice that concludes sipping the communion chalice and sharing a handshake represents minimal risk of transmission of COVID-19.
It is also advice provided to members of the Anglican Church in New Zealand.
However, Hilary Babcock, an infectious disease specialist at Washington University, suggests people do not share food utensils, glasses and cups.
“I think that’s higher-risk than if there is a way to allow people to have individual cups or individual containers that they are using and either disposing of or having cleaned afterwards.”
Caitlin Rivers, an infectious disease specialist with the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, says that although communion wine does contain alcohol, it’s probably not enough to kill the coronavirus that causes COVID-19."
https://cathnews.co.nz/2020/03/09/sharing-chalice/
Nothing in CathNews - NOTHING - about proscribing Communion on the tongue.
As a reader of this blog observes:
"We need to listen to the experts and take their advice at this time. Priests are required to follow the Bishop's guidelines." Exactly. The NZ Bishops' guideline is to continue with Communion on the tongue and the Precious Blood in the chalice, as per "current standard procedures".
Our reader continues, "Is really important as long as we receive God's grace? Jesus Christ was known to break taboos - the woman at the well, the eating of bread on the Sabbath, and criticise phylacteries, fringes and shows of piety. Knowing that it is the what's in the heart that is important.
"The Director-General of WHO has said we are now in uncharted territory. We all have a responsibility to look after ourselves and therefore others and that means following the advice handed out by those who know what they are talking about."
Exactly. We should "follow the Bishops' guidelines" and continue giving Communion on the tongue until advised otherwise.
But I wouldn't take a blind bit of notice of that sex-ed, abortion and LGBTQ+ peddling outfit, WHO, or any other organisation sheltering under the umbrella of the clapped-out UN, either.
We receive God's grace best when we follow the law of His Church, which lays down Communion on the tongue as the norm and Communion in the hand merely as "permitted".
Jesus broke 'taboos' when there was good reason to do so. There is no good reason to break what used to be - but sadly is no longer - the taboo on Communion in the hand.
As for 'phylacteries, fringes and shows of piety', Jesus knows "what's in the heart". We cannot know what is the heart of another, only what is in our own, and so we can never judge others for 'shows of piety', or anything else.
Sharon Crooks says:
"It is an abuse of their priestly office for a priest to deny Holy Communion on the tongue to those properly disposed. It is a weakness of character (not an example of ‘obedience’) to allege they ‘cannot’ offer it.
They should be MOST inspired in difficult times to defend Church teaching and thus defend Our Lord, and those who worship Him and adore Him in Holy Communion, rather than use the Lord as a weapon!
If ever I have seen clericalism in practice, it is now. It will take heroic virtue in the ‘age of Coronavirus’, just like in Swine flu, as a priest to be willing to stand up to the hierarchy, defend his priestly ministry, defend Church teaching and defend the laity by equipping them with the power to serve Our Lord.
But that will be entirely lacking if the priest has not lived out their priesthood ministry rightly ordered up to this point.
The saints of old like St Charles Borromeo did not run from illness, they ran to it! They went to the dying and the sick, just as Jesus did.
Are our priests going to remain in Eucharistic ‘lockdown’ if/when this or any other virus takes hold, or are they going to be there on the front line?
If they resist stepping up to being the fully-fledged priest they were ordained to be right now, then where will their strength come later on if needed?
Nothing in CathNews - NOTHING - about proscribing Communion on the tongue.
As a reader of this blog observes:
"We need to listen to the experts and take their advice at this time. Priests are required to follow the Bishop's guidelines." Exactly. The NZ Bishops' guideline is to continue with Communion on the tongue and the Precious Blood in the chalice, as per "current standard procedures".
Our reader continues, "Is really important as long as we receive God's grace? Jesus Christ was known to break taboos - the woman at the well, the eating of bread on the Sabbath, and criticise phylacteries, fringes and shows of piety. Knowing that it is the what's in the heart that is important.
"The Director-General of WHO has said we are now in uncharted territory. We all have a responsibility to look after ourselves and therefore others and that means following the advice handed out by those who know what they are talking about."
Exactly. We should "follow the Bishops' guidelines" and continue giving Communion on the tongue until advised otherwise.
But I wouldn't take a blind bit of notice of that sex-ed, abortion and LGBTQ+ peddling outfit, WHO, or any other organisation sheltering under the umbrella of the clapped-out UN, either.
We receive God's grace best when we follow the law of His Church, which lays down Communion on the tongue as the norm and Communion in the hand merely as "permitted".
Jesus broke 'taboos' when there was good reason to do so. There is no good reason to break what used to be - but sadly is no longer - the taboo on Communion in the hand.
As for 'phylacteries, fringes and shows of piety', Jesus knows "what's in the heart". We cannot know what is the heart of another, only what is in our own, and so we can never judge others for 'shows of piety', or anything else.
Sharon Crooks says:
"It is an abuse of their priestly office for a priest to deny Holy Communion on the tongue to those properly disposed. It is a weakness of character (not an example of ‘obedience’) to allege they ‘cannot’ offer it.
They should be MOST inspired in difficult times to defend Church teaching and thus defend Our Lord, and those who worship Him and adore Him in Holy Communion, rather than use the Lord as a weapon!
If ever I have seen clericalism in practice, it is now. It will take heroic virtue in the ‘age of Coronavirus’, just like in Swine flu, as a priest to be willing to stand up to the hierarchy, defend his priestly ministry, defend Church teaching and defend the laity by equipping them with the power to serve Our Lord.
But that will be entirely lacking if the priest has not lived out their priesthood ministry rightly ordered up to this point.
The saints of old like St Charles Borromeo did not run from illness, they ran to it! They went to the dying and the sick, just as Jesus did.
Are our priests going to remain in Eucharistic ‘lockdown’ if/when this or any other virus takes hold, or are they going to be there on the front line?
If they resist stepping up to being the fully-fledged priest they were ordained to be right now, then where will their strength come later on if needed?
Helen Carver says:
ReplyDeleteSouthern Star Abbey does have an abbot Father Steele - he is at the Cistercian monastery at Tarrawarra near Melbourne. Father Nicho is the superior ad nutum i.e. in charge of the day-to-day running of the monastery.
As someone who lived at the Abbey for 7 years, I can assure people that the monks are the least 'hysterical' people I have ever known. As the whole of Italy is now in quarantine I think it's best to follow the guidelines of the Bishop and the advice of those who know what they are talking about.
It is unfair to accuse the monks of succumbing to 'coronavirus hysteria'. As always they are being responsible members of society who are doing their bit, as we all should be, to prevent what could become another global pandemic which could kill millions- we just don't know what is going to happen.
Re the 'clapped-out UN': as someone who spent two years working in refugee camps in Thailand for World Vision during the 80's, alongside the United Nations High Commission For Refugees, I want to assure people that WHO and the UNHCR work tirelessly to improve the health of millions of people and to reunite families separated and traumatised by the consequences of man's ignorance, the willful stupidity of corrupt governments and man's inhumanity to man.
Bob Gill says:
We have a divided country, unfortunately. Not all bishops are following the advice of health professionals. The guidelines we have been given include ensuring the hands are clean BEFORE handing out Communion – basic hygiene which hasn’t been followed by most ministers, probably since soon after Vatican II.
It’s taken the Coronavirus issue to bring about something we should have been doing all along – God only knows what viruses have been passed on over the years. Will this basic hygiene continue to be followed after the Coronavirus has gone, I wonder?
Not all the basic recommendations are being followed, however. I noticed at my church last Sunday that the collection plate was passed around the congregation as per normal. Hopefully the single lay minister we had that day didn’t handle the plate before handing out Communion. Was the collection plate handed around in your church last Sunday, thus paying lip-service to the basics being asked and concentrating mainly instead on not giving Communion on the tongue?
And what about the people who are dying and who would be seeking Communion on the tongue? Must they die deprived?