Cardinal Sarah, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments has embarrassed himself and the Church and written another book.
Yet again, His Eminence makes the case for his removal from that Dicastery.
In The Force of Silence, the Cardinal voices an urgent concern as he decries Masses which are celebrating for and with large crowds, sometimes numbering in the thousands.
The Cardinal writes: “Men and women in adultery and unbaptized tourists who participate in Eucharistic celebrations of anonymous crowds can receive without distinction the Body and Blood of Christ.”
The Cardinal voices an urgent need for the Church to study “the ecclesial and pastoral opportunity of these multitudinous Eucharistic celebrations with thousands of attendees.”
According to Cardinal Sarah, there is an immense danger of converting the Eucharist “into a vulgar verbena” and of desecrating the Body and Blood of Christ.
By the way, I had to look up a definition of “verbena” and found that it is a species of plant which is very showy but can cause sickness, sometimes fatal illness.
If for no other reason than the arrogance of the Cardinal so plainly displayed in these tirades, he needs to be removed from office and immediately so.
But, the Cardinal continues: “The Priests who distribute the Sacred Species without knowing anyone and give the body of Jesus to anyone, without distinguishing Christians from non-Christians, participate in the profanation of the Holy Eucharistic Sacrifice.”
This denunciation coming from a person who travels the world on the dollar of every conservative fringe group within the Church which invites him, and celebrates Mass with people not only whom he does not know but whom he will likely never again see in his lifetime!
What hypocrisy! Shocking and shameful!
Still, the Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship warns that “with some voluntary complicity,” those who exercise authority in the Church are guilty of permitting the sacrilege and desecration of the Body of Christ “in those gigantic and ridiculous self-celebrations, where there are very few who realize that the death of the Lord is announced until he comes. ”
"Self-celebrations"? I think the Cardinal is telling us more about his attitude in offering Mass than about Mass being offered for the multitudes.
Sarah also regrets that some “unfaithful Priests in the memory of Jesus” insist more on the festive aspect of the Mass than on the bloody sacrifice of Christ on the Cross. “The importance of the interior dispositions and the necessity to reconcile with God accepting to allow us to be purified by the sacrament of the confession are no longer in fashion.”
So, according to Cardinal Sarah (Prefect of the Dicastery which oversees and instructs the Church regarding the dispensation of the Sacraments and the celebration of the Sacred Liturgy), before one is to be permitted to receive Holy Communion it should be necessary that he or she be personally known by the Priest or the Extraordinary Minister.
If not, the communicant should provide proof (I presume by way of his or her Baptismal Certificate that they are Catholics and that they are not divorced and living in an adulterous union.
Further, communicants must provide some evidence (I can’t think how) that they are rightfully disposed and present themselves for Holy Communion intending to receive the Body and Blood of Christ with the full understanding of the Sacrament according to the Catholic Faith.
Excuse me, but does not Canon Law (which is really the only ruling authority in such matters) stipulate that the mind and will of the recipient ARE PRESUMED to be in union with the external words and actions of that person?
If Cardinal Sarah does not understand or accept that fundamental principle of law and the rights of the faithful, then he should not be allowed to continue in his office.
Ever since the self-inflicted wound which Cardinal Burke (and his co-conspirators) suffered for the arrogant and very public attack upon Pope Francis regarding Amoris Laetitia, conservative zealots within the Church have turned their collective attention upon Cardinal Sarah in the hope that he will emerge from the next Conclave as the Vicar of Christ who will nullify any legacy which Pope Francis might have wished to establish for the future of the Church.
Cardinal Sarah has lapped up that attention with the fervor of a thirsty dog lapping water from a bowl.
If Sarah is the future hope of the Church, the Church has no hope!
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