Showing posts with label eucharist. Show all posts
There are extraordinary circumstances that a Mass is offered to people where they have no access to a Mass. This Mass at the abortion clinic is not bringing the Mass to those who are unable to attend, but for a different purpose, I think. I am not saying the Mass at the abortion clinic does not have cause, but is it proper. That said, my trust in the Church trumps my uneasiness. If this Mass has the Ordinary's approval, which I have no reason to doubt, then I can't judge.
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DENVER, CO, April 23, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Prayerbooks, rosaries, and pro-life pamphlets are a common sight outside Planned Parenthood’s massive facility in downtown Denver, but this year, local organizers of this spring’s Forty Days for Life campaign decided that one last piece was missing to bring the light of Christ to the country’s second largest abortion facility: the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
The idea to celebrate the Catholic Mass in front of Planned Parenthood came from Fr. Joseph Hearty, Assistant Pastor at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in nearby Littleton, who felt that it was time to “pull out the big guns.” It was, he told LifeSiteNews, an inspiration from the Holy Spirit.
“If we can pray the rosary, why not offer the Mass, why not use the Mass and the Eucharist as a means of fighting this tragedy,” he said. “Why not use the most powerful means that we have?”
As it turned out, the idea energized the local pro-life community far beyond what organizers had expected. Fr. Hearty planned for thirty attendees at his first Mass on March 3rd, and got a hundred.
Providentially, an empty parking lot right across the street from the Planned Parenthood owned by a pro-life couple was big enough to accommodate the crowd.
As a member of the traditional Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, Fr. Hearty celebrated the traditional Latin Mass, known as the Tridentine Mass. Diocesan priests have also gotten in on the action, though, with six different Masses offered in the parking lot during the Forty Day campaign in English and Spanish. All six Masses were well attended, averaging between fifty and a hundred persons.
A March 31st closing rally kicked off with a Spanish Mass, followed by a rosary led by Bishop James Conley, apostolic administrator for the Denver Archdiocese. In comments at the rally, Bishop Conley urged pro-lifers to vigilance as Planned Parenthood continues to build “megaplex death mills” across the country, the Denver Catholic Register reports.
According to the Register, over 300 people attended the rally, which ended with a second Latin Mass celebrated by Fr. Hearty. There were so many at the final Mass that the priest returned to the altar four times to break up the hosts for distribution before finally running out.
The popularity of the idea, says Fr. Hearty, is a sign that “people really want to do something.” He hopes the idea will spread, and in particular that clergy in other parts of the country will be inspired to become more involved in pro-life work.
“That’s our vocation,” he said. “We’re there to mediate, and we’re there to lead, and we’re there to encourage.”
As for the effort in Denver, organizers are hoping to build on the momentum and establish a regular schedule of Masses in front of the clinic, continuing to wage spiritual warfare against the nation’s largest abortion provider.
“Our fight is not against the world, it’s against principalities and darkness, it’s against evil, it is against the devil,” says Fr. Hearty. “Why not make a few demons quake?”
As with previous posts, we can first look to the Old Testament for a prefiguring of the Eucharist.
Let's begin with the very first Passover meal. This meal was the key to the deliverance of the chosen people from their bondage. As the story goes, an un-blemished male lamb was chosen to be slaughtered for the Passover meal. The blood of the lamb was applied to the doorpost. All who participated in the Passover meal were required to eat the flesh of the lamb. Only this way would the firstborn of the family be spared from the angel of death.Now we come to the New Testament. The key reference we want to start with begins at John 6:48. Before He is done at verse 71, Christ mentions not once but four times that we must eat His flesh and drink His blood in order to obtain eternal life. Many disciples decide to leave Christ at this point because they could not accept His teaching. Does our Lord call them all back and say to them that He really didn't mean what He said? No! He lets them go their way.
Jesus then goes on to challenge the Apostles. Simon Peter is the only one to speak saying "Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God." Did the Apostles understand the discourse that Jesus just finished giving? Probably not; but they accepted the teaching and believed in Him.
The fulfillment of Christ's command in John 6 to eat His body and drink His blood comes at the last supper (Passover) when He institutes the Eucharist with the words "this IS my body ..." and "this IS my blood ...". Here is where the first imperfect Passover from the Old Testament is perfectly fulfilled in the New Testament. The spotless male lamb is to be offered as a sacrifice to obtain our redemption from the bondage of sin. The flesh and blood of the lamb is consumed.
The words of our Lord are clear and the parallels with the Old Testament are undeniable. The Eucharist is truly the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Don't make the mistake of walking away from this teaching as many did in John's Gospel.
