It is Holy week and today being Maundy Thursday which commemorates Christ's Last Supper, the initiation of the Eucharist, and the institution of the priesthood. Its name of "Maundy" comes from the Latin word mandatum, meaning "command." This stems from Christ's words to the Apostles in John 13:34, "A new commandment I give unto you." After the Last Supper, Jesus went outside the Old City of Jerusalem, crossed the Kidron Valley, and came to the Garden of Gethsemani (the Garden of Olives), where His passion begins. Likewise at the end of the Mass the Holy Eucharist is carried in the Ciborium to the "Altar of Repose," also known as the "Holy Sepulchre," where it will remain "entombed" until the Mass of the Presanctified on Good Friday. While the Holy Eucharist is in the “Altar of Repose” Catholics usually spend some time here with Our Lord in adoration, meditating on His Passion, keeping Him company making up for what the Apostles didn’t do. So alternatively we shall do it in our homes. Sadly the majority of Catholics are unable to attend this solemn occasion as we are all locked down at home during this pandemic the world is going through. This Easter period of 2020 will be long remembered by all of us as we recognize that God has allowed this trial for us to be closer to Him despite not being able to be with Him at Mass. How this situation makes us value, no treasure the Mass even more as we have been deprived of it the whole of Holy week and Easter Sunday just around the corner. Nevertheless we are thankful that we are still able to participate digitally through the live streaming videos so kindly organized by the various S.S.P.X. centres around the world; and also the edifying sermons by priests of the Society. Below is one such sermon by Fr. Etienne Demornex which I feel should be shared for the benefit of all Catholics. Sermon about the Importance of the Mass (Maundy Thursday 2020) by Fr. Etienne Demornex Introduction We are celebrating Maundy Thursday this year under special circumstances. God has allowed that most of Catholics in the world are deprived of attending Holy Week ceremonies: instead of going to church, they have to stay at home. Probably lukewarm Catholics whose worldly spirit keeps at the borders of hell, are quite happy of having a good excuse for not going to church for several weeks; but Catholics who are true followers of Christ cannot not suffer of the current situation. In these days, God reminds us the vital importance of the Mass and gives us some hint of what would our spiritual situation be without it. 1. Redemption gained by the Sacrifice of the Cross Out of goodness, God decided to redeem mankind after Adam’s sin, and He decided that this redemption would be gained by the offering of the Sacrifice of the Cross: Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, offering his human life by dying voluntarily on a cross. Certainly, there were other ways of realizing the Redemption. God who had been offended could have just forgiven Adam and restored mankind in its original holiness. However, God decided that the Redemption would be through the Sacrifice of the Cross because it was the most appropriate way to reach the purposes which God had in view regarding us, regarding Christ and regarding Himself.
The Sacrifice of the Cross is of infinite value, because Christ, who is the victim and the priest thereof, is of infinite perfection, being God the Son. Therefore, the Sacrifice of the Cross is perfect and complete by itself, it is unique: it gives God full adoration and thanksgivings, it is a full satisfaction for all the sins of mankind, it merits all graces of sanctification for the whole mankind. As St Paul said: “Christ was offered once to exhaust the sins of many” (Heb 9;28) “By one oblation He has perfected for ever them that are sanctified” (Heb 10;14) “Christ rising again from the dead dies now no more. Death shall no more have dominion over Him. For in that He died to sin, He died once” (Rom 6;9). This being the situation, we can wonder: what is the Mass for? 1. Sacrifice of the Cross actualized by Holy Mass The Mass is the mysterious actualization of the Sacrifice of the cross in time, so that all people of all nations and of all times can unite themselves to it and benefit from it. But how is it possible to actualise something which happened 2000 years ago? When we consider the Mystery of the Holy Eucharist, we face a mystery pertaining to location: the same Jesus Christ is physically present and in the same time in Heaven and in all the places on earth where the Holy Eucharist is. This is made technically possible because Christ is present in the Holy Eucharist by way of substance and not by way of His physical dimensions and qualities. When we consider the Mystery of the Mass, we face a Mystery pertaining to time: the same Sacrifice which happened 2000 years ago is actualized every time a Mass is celebrated validly. And this is made technically possible because Christ is eternal, out of time. A sacrifice lasts as long as last together the victim which is offered and the priest who offers and the act of oblation by which the priest offers the victim. Now, Christ the Victim of the sacrifice of the Cross lives for ever; Christ the Priest of the sacrifice of the Cross lives for ever; and the act of oblation by which Christ offered Himself to His Father on the Cross goes on constantly in His Heart. And so, the Sacrifice of the Cross which was done historically 2000 years ago goes on for ever, not the same as to its bloody aspect but the same in its constitutive elements. Holy Mass is the actualisation down in time for us now, of the everlasting Sacrifice of the Cross. This actualisation is not done in a bloody way, as it was 2000 years ago. It is done in a sacramental way. The word “sacrament” has two meanings which are “mystery” and “sign”. The actualisation of the Sacrifice of the Cross in time is done by way of signs, gestures, prayers and every time a priest performs them, the mystery happens: the priest and all the faithful united to him penetrate for a short while in the eternity of God to join Christ in His everlasting reparatory adoration to the Father, and through this supernatural contact they are applied the merits of Christ for the forgiveness of their sins and the obtention of all the graces which they need. Now comes the question: was it necessary to have such actualization of the Sacrifice of the Cross by the Mass? Was it not enough for us to join in spirit, in commemoration, the Sacrifice of the Cross made 2000 years ago? Theorically speaking, it would have been enough. But practically speaking, not enough. Our Lord Jesus, so good and merciful to us, knew perfectly that we would have been in practice unable to unite ourselves to the Sacrifice of the Cross just in spirit. We human beings we forget the past and distort it too easily and quickly: how would we have been able to keep a proper understanding and commemoration of the Sacrifice of the Cross? Our intelligence is so blind, our will is so weak: how would we have been able to maintain our union of mind and will to the Sacrifice of the Cross until the end of the world? We would have miserably failed. Very wisely and mercifully, Our Lord Jesus has instituted the Mass to make present to us the Sacrifice of the Cross and to apply to us the merits which He gained 2000 years ago. Conclusion: Importance of the Mass As the Sacrifice of the Cross is the necessary means by which Redemption is gained, so the Mass is the necessary means by which this same Redemption is applied to each one of us. Without the Mass, we can still offer in spirit Our Lord crucified to God, but how more difficult it is to be recollected and to pray with devotion! Without the Mass and sacramental Communion, we can still do a spiritual communion, but how more difficult it is to produce the acts of Faith and Love which are necessary to realize such spiritual Communion! In this period of confinement, when Holy Mass has been taken away for a while from many Catholics all over the world, one lesson should appear to us clearly: the importance of having the Mass. The disarray and spiritual difficulty which Catholics are experiencing in the current situation should give them a hint of what would happen to them if Holy Mass would disappear. So, it is time for an examination of conscience: which place do we give to Holy Mass in my life? How much are we ready to sacrifice in order to attend a Mass? Mass is a gift from God: we should not take is for granted. If we don’t value it properly and neglect it, God will rightly take it away from us, because Our Lord said: “Give not that which is holy to dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine” (Mt 7;6). There is a second point which we can consider: for the faithful to attend the Mass and to benefit from it, Mass must be celebrated; but to have Mass celebrated, it is necessary to have a priest. No priest, no Mass. What Catholics are experiencing in the current situation of the corona virus, being deprived of Mass and Sacraments, it is what will happen to them if the number of Priests continue decreasing. Priests are lacking. Is it because Christ is not calling anymore? No, it is because the ears of too many Catholics are blocked with worldly earwax, that is to say the enchantress and vain promises of the world promising a happiness which actually cannot be found but in God. If young men have no generosity to make the voluntary sacrifice of their natural desire to found a family in order to give themselves to Christ the Priest, then there will be no more Mass, the spiritual desertification of the world will continue and the damnation of souls increase. So tonight, let us especially be thankful to Our Lord Jesus for the gift of the Mass, and let us pray for more vocations.
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AuthorAn artist, entrepreneur, a loving family man, 30 years a Catholic traditionalist upholding traditions for the love of God. Shop for Catholic giftsArchives
January 2024
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