By David Carollo –
We hear the term “a new normal” lately. What does this mean? The coronavirus has brought both a rational consciousness of the need for caution and increased sanitation, but also may be bringing about a call for the abandonment of sacred traditions out of fear, perhaps even paranoia. A new normal? Never! Christ established a new and eternal covenant, promising to be with us always. He gave us food for our souls, the Eucharist. He called us to be one with Him and partake. Civil authorities can never understand the bond that breaks, when we are separated from the bread of life.
It is now two months since public Mass was offered in most dioceses around the world. We are fortunate to have the technology to keep us connected to the Holy Sacrifice through video and television broadcasts during this time. We broadcast our 12pm ET Mass daily from the Blue Army Shrine, and we welcome those who tune in at bluearmy.com. We have done this for several years now. It cannot however become a substitute for attending in person under normal circumstances. Cardinal Sarah, Prefect for the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, stated, “Mass that is streaming is misleading also for priests: They must look at God not at a camera.”
Life is not devoid of risk. Many brave missionary priests and others have, and continue to, risk their lives and liberty ministering to the faithful around the world. Many have won the crown of sainthood by these actions. We need to be inspired by those who trust in Divine Providence.
The words “essential” and “non-essential” are designations bantered about these days. Not being able to attend a sporting event is disappointing. Not having access to the Holy Mass is a tragedy. Nothing is more essential to our overall well-being than our spiritual health.
Only time will tell what we will return to. “I will be with you until the end of time,” our Lord told His disciples before ascending into heaven. He is only with us fully in the Eucharist. Hopefully, we will return to full access to the sacraments soon. Hopefully, this period of deprivation will enliven in us a resolve to never put off availing ourselves of this life in us. The Eucharist is our life.
Before Our Lady appeared to the seers of Fatima, they were visited by the Angel of Peace who brought the Blessed Sacrament.
The damage of this period devoid of the Bread of Life will endure for a long time. Let us commit ourselves to the new normal given to us on Holy Thursday. “Take and eat, for this is My Body which will be given up for you.”
David M. Carollo is the Executive Director of the World Apostolate of Fatima, USA/Our Lady’s Blue Army.
2 Responses
YEAR OF THE EUCHARIST 2008
“I AM THE LIVING BREAD” JOHN 6:51 – COMMUNION THANKSGIVING: THE DIVINE PRAISES
Blessed be God.
Blessed be His holy name.
Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true man.
Blessed be the holy name of Jesus Christ.
Blessed be His loving and sacred Heart.
Blessed be His Body and Blood.
Blessed be His passion and resurrection.
Blessed be Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Giver of life.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Comforter.
Blessed be Holy Mary, the Virgin Mother of God.
Blessed be her Immaculate Conception.
Blessed be her glorious Assumption.
Blessed be God in His angels and in His saints.
Blessed be our God, always now and for ever and ever. Amen.
•This Thanksgiving prayer takes 1-2 minutes and fills in a glaring omission, that of thanking God for the great gift of the Holy Communion. There are prayers after Communion now, but they are still a ‘give us’ not a ‘thank you’ – eucharistia. What guest with what manners would rush out after a dinner without complimenting/thanking their host? The exposition of the Blessed Sacrament takes place par excellence at every Holy Communion. Can the Body and Blood of Our Lord be ever more exposed in this life than at Holy Communion?
•More important still, is to receive Holy Communion, the Body and Blood of Christ, worthily (1 Corinthians 11:28-29, Matthew 5:23, 6:15) – to be free, beforehand, from serious sin, to pray at least the biblical act of contrition, “O God, be merciful to me a sinner. Remember me, O Lord, in Thy kingdom”, and to go to Confession when necessary.
•Rightly we complain about disrespect shown to the Blessed Sacrament. But what does shunting the tabernacle from its front-and-center location to the sidelines tell the Faithful? Towards what do we genuflect? Restoring the tabernacle with its perpetual candle to the middle of the altar area –its universal location for many centuries and still its location in some churches– would rectify the schism between the altar and the tabernacle and would showcase the Eucharist as the center of Church life. Also, an image of the Last Supper by the altar, such as the one at Saint Maximilian Kolbe church in Mississauga, the Consolata Missionaries’ chapel in Toronto and in many other Orthodox and Catholic churches, from Rio de Janeiro to Jerusalem, would call to mind the roots of the Eucharist.
Slavic Christian Society / Société Chrétienne Slave / Slăviansko Xristianskoe Sŏbranie, Mississauga, http://slavxrist.org 2000, 2004, 2008.
Few have had the courage of speaking about this topic for fear of being out of the boundaries of the thinking articulated via the mainstream communication mediums
Blessings for you Mr. David Carollo and for your family for speaking out and most importantly gratitude to the Holy Spirit – the Paraclete promised by our Lord Jesus – for giving wisdom, illuminating your thinking and giving you the bravery to post this article.