UPDATE: The priest in question issued (unnecessarily IMO) a statement that is now (unnecessarily IMO) on the archdiocesan website. HERE So much fuss about this could have been avoided if Mass were ad orientem and if more priests (and therefore people along the way), knew about the phenomenon of the “gift of tears” which sometimes priests receive as they say Mass. It’s not that rare. But, have it happen versus populum and all sorts of people, who have been more than partially starved for the transcendent in liturgical worship, get all worked up.
Anyway, I know that parish and its pastor. I understand that the priest is a solid guy. Friends… these things happen. They just do. It should be cause for a consoled smile, and that is about it.
ORIGINAL POST…
Recently there was a nasty desecration of the Most Precious Blood at a parish I know well in my native place. I wrote about it HERE.
Today, I am informed that an assistant priest at that parish received the “gift of tears” during Mass for the Exaltation of the Cross. Video HERE
Some are circulating that it was a “Eucharistic miracle”.
NO. It wasn’t.
The “gift of tears” is a classic, spiritual locus for priests. There was a Votive Mass for the Gift of Tears. The title was changed to “for compunction of heart”. I wrote about that HERE.
There is more, but here is the Collect:
COLLECT
Omnipotens et mitissime Deus, qui sitienti populo fontem viventis aquae de petra produxisti: educ de cordis nostri duritia lacrimas compunctionis; ut peccata nostra plangere valeamus, remissionemque eorum, te miserante, mereamur accipere. Per Dominum.
O Almighty and most gentle God, who draw forth living water out of a rock for Thy thirsting people: draw now forth tears of compunction from the hardness of our hearts; so that we may be able to weep for our sins, and that we might merit, as Thou art merciful, their forgiveness.
Note the reference to God bringing forth water from the rock for the people in the wilderness. See Exodus 17 and 1 Cor 10.
In any event, I am glad that this young priest had this experience.
I regret that Mass was not ad orientem.
Pray for this priest. He’s been thrust into a bad situation. Such phenomena are not for public consumption. He would have been more protected if the Mass were ad Orientem.
The problems arise when people discuss their own spiritual experience wit others who are not their spiritual directors or confessors, for our interior lives are more God’s than ours and ought to be guarded with discretion and modesty. Discussing one’s own spiritual experience ought to be avoided just as married couples ought not discuss their relations – it’s no one else’s business. Just as our bodies do not belong to us, so too, our souls are not ours. What our Lord brings about there ought not be subjected such public spectacles or even conversation. Gregory the Great, Diadochus of Photike, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, et al. are all unanimous in their disapproval of exposure of such matters to otters who are not spiritual directors.
“Statement from Father Brent Bowman Regarding Eucharistic Experience During Mass”: https://www.archspm.org/statement-from-father-brent-bowman-regarding-eucharistic-experience-during-mass/
One of the servers with whom I serve at Mass, Carmelite Monastery, (traditional Roman Rite), always, as Fr. is reading the last Gospel, and the Sisters intone the Salve Regine, always begins to weep.
The gift of tears is pretty common and frequent in the pews, I would guess, but it is still profound for anyone experiencing it.
I think it is usually better not to notice… But every once in a while, I think God does want to draw attention to this gift. Especially since it does not get explicit mention in a lot of modern life.
So the statement says that the priest also felt the meaning of the words of the Eucharistic prayers, and had a physical feeling of the chalice’s weightiness and the attachment of the priest and the sacrament.
That is an interesting one, but yup, it does get classified as personal religious experience. Laypeople somewhat often have similar feelings of weighty kneeling, for instance.
Since the Eucharist is basically our routine Church experience of God’s Presence, it is normal for the Eucharist to be intertwined with God growing our souls, and with God giving us divine favors and consolations.
Any time God gives something to one of us, it helps all of us.
Heck, we sing the Salve Regina every Sunday right now and I weep every time. Gotta love the Salve…..
Well, the good God knew this priest would be facing the people, and that all this publicity would ensue. Maybe He did it for that reason.
The statement of Fr. Bowman reads just as one would hope it would, modest and faithful.
Question, though:
If the chalice became too heavy to lift, doesn’t that mean that something supernatural and miraculous *did* occur. According to physics (ordinary natural law) the chalice would have a fixed mass and, barring any changes to gravity, a fixed weight. Any changes to gravity or to mass would be unexplainable by ordinary physical processes, and thus supernatural.
I’m open to correction, but it would seem to me that if the levitation of a saint is a miracle, unexplained increase in weight is one as well.
If not “to otters”, then badgers, maybe?
He found it too heavy. It was not necessarily objectively heavier.
Thank you, Father Zuhlsdorf, for your sober response to this event. There is not a doubt in my mind as to the depth faith of the priest in question or of the sincerity of his soul, his tears. It was a gift of the Holy Spirit. To be observed publicly in such a state is humiliating, but simultaneously you know that it is a gift of the Holy Spirit, so there is gratitude for oh, so much.
It would have been best for Catholic media to handle this with far, far more prudence. I am surprised that it has received any attention beyond those who were present. It has been turned into a spectacle. Discretion, prudence, awe are in grave neglect, as is respect for the person and privacy of the priest in question.
Let’s observe adult behavior in the face of such a grace.
In the future let us be still.
While part of me wished privacy for this priest, I’m thankful for the reminder for more reverence, sorrow for sins and gratitude whenever I go to Mass now. Pray for your priests.
Transubstantiation is a miracle.
His soul was deeply touched. A wonderful priestly grace. It is a sad world when priests cannot experience such graces in their ministry.
Georgemartyrfan, well said.
There were years I attended weekly Mass and went through the motions. It was like “well it’s Sunday I go to Church.” An event like a priest shedding a tear during the consecration should remind us that the Eucharist is not bread, it’s Jesus.
Years ago I was on a retreat and a deacon was giving what looked like a communion service. One guy had enough cojunos to ask “are these consecrated hosts?” What transpired was a 15-minute education (in the form of an argument) on the Real Presence. That was helpful to me in becoming more than a clock in clock out Catholic.
I was not going to watch this, but it was all over YouTube- I have to admit I cried when I saw the video. I did notice how steady the altar boy next to the priest was throughout the whole event. Yes, a gift of the Holy Spirit-
I appreciate that you brought up the connection to the recent desecration, Fr. Z. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that this happened exactly at the words of consecration of the Precious Blood.
It was not a miracle, however, when on a very special occasion as I was to distribute the cup I was praying as I waited for people to approach. When I peered in to the cup there was a heart beating there That Christ allowed me to understand his Great Love for us I was humbled. As being anonyomous I share it. God loves us so much and we fail to see little signs of His love.
I for one found the occurrence very beautiful, and was very moved. I was so edified to see this. Obviously the priest was overcome by emotion, and the duration and the depth of his compassionating with Our Lord surprised me, and moved me.
And this is a beautiful witness to the reality of what we are doing at the Mass. That it happened at a Novus Ordo Mass is even more edifying, and is testimony from the Holy Spirit that indeed God accepts that rite as an authentic expression of worship (contrary to what some traditional Catholics say), and that He is truly present on the altar in the form of Bread and Wine after the Consecration.
I’m happy this went viral. Everyone needs to see this, even non-believers. Perhaps many Catholics who doubt the Real Presence, when they see this, will have second thoughts.
Thank you Fr Z for your thoughtful clarification of what took place. This was just a priest that was momentarily overcome with emotion, nothing more. As Catholics if we use the word “miracle” every time a priest cries, not only does it make us look ridiculous, it also makes us loose the ability to attest to a real miracle should it happen. We become collectively just the boy who cried wolf.
Speaking as a weepy, emotional sort of Catholic, and as a woman who does not get dinged as much for it as a man does – there is a clear internal distinction between normal emotion (even strong emotion), and getting a spiritual gift of tears, compunction, joy, infused knowledge, etc.
And very often, if the gift is put out to be noticed by other people, other people also observe something different about it. We all remember how Pope John Paul II’s funeral was different in its feel; everyone paying attention could feel it. God was at work in many who attended, or watched and listened.
Of course, God is often at work in our souls when we do not notice, but I think that means we are supposed to pay some attention, whenever we are allowed to notice. It is a sign of God’s love and care for us.
This was just a priest that was momentarily overcome with emotion, nothing more.
I wouldn’t say that. I’m not calling it a miracle, but it’s clearly more than “being overcome with emotion”. Traditional spiritual theology is clear that people can and do receive singular graces through no merit of their own. Tanquery and Aumann’s writings on this are fairly clear. Not every supernatural and spiritual occurrence that happens is called a miracle.
I find this incident timely. I was considering asking about becoming a sacristan at my parish, but wasn’t entirely sure what it all involved. Doing a bit of research online brought me to what other parishes are doing. I had to stop because the amount of times I came across sacristans being instructed to “pour the remaining consecrated wine/Precious Blood down the sacrarium and then run water down it” left me feeling sick and disturbed. A part of me died inside when I watched a YouTube instructional video for sacristans and the inside of the chalice was washed out with one of those green heavy duty pot scrubbers that are super abrasive.
I’m with Fr. Z. on this one. I have seen this in the pews in the past. I am sure it has happened to those in the sanctuary. I attend mostly TLM so I have never SEEN it happen in the santuary.
The only time I can remember anything like it was when I was in grade school. We had one boy who would serve Mass who must have been the most nervous person I ever knew. He would vomit EVERY time he served Mass. IDK why, but it had to be stage fright. About half way through Mass he would run off the side of the sanctuary, down a hallway and promptly throw up. Why he was allowed to keep serving Mass was beyond me. It happened EVERY time.
I think ALL of us have had this experience at least once in our lives. It really should NOT be out there as a public spectacle.
Another anecdote: I was serving Mass as a 12 year old. Father had finished ablutions and was praying in the middle of the altar. The church was quiet. I saw his hand slowly move to the side of the altar and grab a stack of bulletins. He would keep the bulletins there with the intentions page facing up.
Anywho, he slowly rolled the bulletins and then with a loud crack he slammed the rolled bulletins onto the altar. The whole church looked up and he slow looked up and said “Spider”. He then finished the Mass without ANY emotion. That event is VERY clear in my mind as it was so out of the ordinary and he had ZERO emotion about it. I don’t think it was miraculous in the least, but it sure was memorable.