Monthly Archives: July 2006

The Latin text of the Holy Father’s encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia (EdE) became a battlefield in the pro multis wars being waged in the halls of the Holy See.  You might remember what happened. In that encyclical the late Pope … Read More →

Here is the first entry for today in the Martyrologium Romanum: Beatae Mariae Viriginis de Monte Carmelo, quo Elias propheta populum Israel quondam ad colendum Deum vivum reduxerat et postae eremitae quidam solitudinem quaerentes secesserunt ac denique Ordinem constituerunt ad … Read More →

EXCERPT:
I find frequentatio mysterii quiet evocative. The layers of meaning in frequentatio summon to mind simultaneous superimposed images of the visible and invisible dimensions of Holy Mass, the Eucharistic sacrifice (mysterium). In the earthly building of the church where Holy Mass is being celebrated we have gathered around us many people. Ideally, the church should be virtually thronging (frequentatio) with convinced and participating Catholics properly disposed to participate in the highest mode of active participation by receiving Holy Communion. They are here often (frequentatio), each Sunday and often during the weekdays. Imagine now a superimposed layer of the invisible participants at that Mass: myriads of holy angels and other members of the Church who have died and gone before us. This is a fore glimpse of heaven. Even if, in this imperfect world, we approach this image more realistically and see in our mind’s eye that many at Mass are in fact not in the state of grace and may indeed be wicked, we also see in our two-fold visible invisible image the fallen angelic beings in all their intensely pain-filled fury. Though they suffer the increased agonies of being within a structure which is itself a sacramental, and though they have unimaginable agony in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, their malevolence against us and God is so great that they will endure this intense torture from holy things if, during Mass, they can spur just one person to weaken in his conscience and make a bad Holy Communion. Their pain is great but their malice is greater yet. By our frequent good Holy Communions we ask God to increase in us the effects of salvation which, in this world and our state of “already but not yet”, includes strengthening helps against the persistent and dire attacks of hell’s deadly minons. Read More →