The Harvard Controversy Wrap Up

In the end the atrocity planned for last night at Harvard didn't go on. The student organization that was to host the "Black Mass" thought better of it, or at least decided to move it off campus, but they couldn't find any one who would give them a room. Good for them, who ever they are. So, it was canceled. The New York "Satanist" group that was going to do the actual ritual sent out an email around 10:30pm saying that the ceremony was taking place at that very moment in a Chinese restaurant near by the campus. When a reporter called the place an employee identifying himself as Fred said that the principals involved were presently at the bar drinking and didn't appear to be performing any rituals (I'm not making this stuff up). Another report says that the ritual did go on on the second floor of the establishment, but without the consecrated host. 

My thoughts on all this.

johnnyc, who leaves comments now and again (something I strongly encourage, as long as they're not profane, and johnnyc's are always respectful, even if we may disagree), commented on an earlier post that we should be more concerned about dissent within the the Church as opposed to these "clowns." He points out the Leadership Confrence of Women Religious (LCWR), who have been under scrutiny by the Vatican and the USCCB for heterodox pronouncements, and a general disregard for Church doctrine and discipline. They are the ones, along with Catholic politicians who support abortion on demand, who should be the main focus of our concern, according to him. I agree that these satanist wannabees are clowns, but don't agree that we're misdirecting our fire upon them. Whatever the conflict between the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) and the LCWR, it should not be happening in the New York Times. These internecine battles played out in the public square are the very definition of the Church at her most self-referential, and irrelevant.

The outrage expressed at the Harvard affair is not a reflection of fear, but was a teaching moment in which the Church engaged the world and educated it anew about the centrality of the Eucharist in our life, the True Presence and the beauty of Eucharistic Adoration. All the LCWR battle comes off as is more Church politics that few outside of a small group within the community is paying attention to. For those in the main stream media who cover it, it's just an extension of the same old liberal-conservative battles, and to the world the Church just ends up looking like a political organization.  I have faith that the Spirit will sort that situation out, one way or another, and I don't see the need to air our family business in public. But if we are going to make a strong public stand let it be in these moments of engagement with the world when we are given these opportunities to show what what the Church really stands for.

My other thought is that as a Church we really do need to examine how Holy Communion is distributed, specifically if Communion in the hand while standing is the most reverent, and safest, way of distributing the Sacred Body of Christ. The problem is that this is usually broken down into a "progressive-traditionalist" battle, and that's wrong. In our parish we have had problems of non consecrated hosts being stolen, and of people having to be instructed to consume the host after they tried to walk away with it. A couple of our ushers had an altercation with someone on Easter who refused to consume the host and ran away with it.

Let me go on record: I don't speak Latin (mine was a social promotion out of the class) and, while I'm not opposed to it, I have no desire to celebrate the Extraordinary Form. I'm Novus Ordo born and bread, and proud of it. I am troubled though by the disrespect showed to the Blessed Sacrament and believe that in this time of increased occult activity certain aspects of our practice needs to be reexamined, free of prejudice and agenda. If we really believe the Eucharist is what we say it is; the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ under the appearance of bread; then we need to do all that we can to prevent such desecrations from happening.