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Background: Some
liturgical purists don’t like this feast. It is medieval in origin and arose
when people thought that the Eucharist as sacrament could be separated
completely from the Eucharist as ceremony. The Mass as continuation of the
Last Supper was thought to be almost completely distinct from the Body and
Blood of Jesus. Thus today’s feast with its great processions and its
marvelous hymns really ought to be phased out because it is not liturgically
correct. However, it is the genius of Catholicism at its best to say “both
. . .and” instead of “either . . .or.” We should say both the mass as
our central worship and devotion to the Body and Blood of Christ as part of
that central worship. There is no reason in principle why the feast cannot
be integrated into our new understanding of the liturgy, no reason other
than that some people find it very hard to say “both . . .and.” |
read the padre |
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Story: Once
upon a time in a summer resort parish there was a deacon from the seminary
who was assigned to help out during the summer rush. He was a nice enough
young man, though a little shy and kind of conservative. On a very hot
Sunday he lost his temper with the way people dressed. None of the men wore
a coat and tie. None of the women wore dresses and stockings the adults came
in shorts and polo shirts, the women even in sleeveless dresses. The kids
appear in swim trucks and t shirts and bare feet, some of the teenage girls
even wore t shirts over their binkinis.
The young man shouted at them, have you no respect for the Body and Blood of Christ? How
dare you desecrate the Eucharist with such inappropriate clothes? If you go out for dinner
tonight, won’t you dress up for your hosts? If people should come to your house for
dinner, wouldn’t you be deeply offended if they came in swim suits? Why
shouldn’t God be offended by your lack of reverence? What makes you think that
God’s house is a cabana on the beach? The people were a little surprised but they
figured he didn’t really understand. Besides, they thought they had a lot of respect
for the Body of Christ? They had come to receive it, had they not? At supper that
night the wise old monsignor (who appears frequently in these stories) said to him, you
have a good point but have you ever gone to Mass in a church near a European resort?
There’s hardly anyone there. At least our people come. They may look a little sloppy
sometimes. Yet I believe that God loves them no matter how they’re dressed.
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