I’m totally serious, by the way. Wherever there is a youth group, chances are there’s going to be a youth/teen centered mass somewhere nearby. At first it sounds like a good idea; I’ve been to many a teen mass in my youth group days. Why not bring youth closer to Christ in a setting designed specifically for them? What could possibly be wrong with that? Like I said, on a surfacey level it sounds alright, but after digging deeper it’s not something to be admired. The problem with the idea of focusing mass around a specific bracket is that it sets the stage to start believing and thinking that mass is about you, and about us. (It’s not.) The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is already universal; you literally cannot get any more universal than what it already is. We don’t need to set up masses specifically for a certain group of people, in this case for the youth. Of course we should always encourage our young people to go to mass, I’m not saying we shouldn’t. The problem with teen masses is that they tend to lose the sense of the sacred for the sake of appealing to the youth. For one example, the music will change. What ends up being played is cheesy (and heretical) Protestant songs, because they’re nice and they feel good to listen to. Nice, warm, and fuzzy for the teens. Not too intimidating and not too Catholic. Riddle me this; if we are Catholics at a Catholic mass, preparing to receive Christ in His True Presence as He instructed us to do as Catholics, then why oh why are Protestant worships jams being played to honor and recognize the sacrament? Especially when their teachings deny and reject His Church and His True Presence? It doesn’t and won’t make sense, because there is absolutely no reason for it, with or without youth. Highly emotional music doesn’t set up the proper foundation for firm faith. I know this because I experienced it as a teen. When the emotions faded and I longed for something more tangible and concrete, I was plunged into an existential meltdown, which was followed by a major crisis of faith. The emotional foundation I had set up came crumbling down, and I was ready to not be Catholic anymore. My skewed way of thinking was this, “I don’t feel good anymore, and if faith is about feeling good and high on the Spirit, then why I should keep being Catholic? What’s the point?” I did come out of it, but it was first by saying goodbye to youth masses. It usually doesn’t end there. More often than not teens will be encouraged to take up unnecessary roles in the mass. “Inclusion” and “community” are important, you know. This could be in the form of being Eucharistic ministers, or even taking part in skits during mass, I’ve seen it all. I personally think we’re having a vocation crisis to the diocesan priesthood because priests are not being allowed to do their jobs with all of these liturgical ministries and whatnot intercepting and trying to act like they’re the consecrated religious souls. My theory is that because boys and young men are not witnessing their parish priests be the priests these unnecessary ministries and committee’s are allowing them to be, the said boys and young men are not inspired to the priesthood. Why should they be when it’s usually a bunch of older women and their peers running the show? Sure it sounds harsh, but it makes sense. Leave it to the priests and (male) altar servers to prepare for mass, not anyone else who isn’t absolutely necessary. And be masculine while you’re at it, examples of masculinity inspires masculinity. You could read this and think I’m a crazy traditionalist who hates teens. The former might be slightly true, but I don’t hate teens, or bringing them closer to Christ. I’ve been a youth leader for years; I jumped at being a youth leader the first chance I got. Save your ad hominems for later, friends. The point is to encourage teens to attend mass, but let them inspired by the sacred, not the silly. I can guarantee you that a sacred mass will inspire teens to follow and live their lives for Christ in ways superior to any youth mass. There’s something just so inherently beautiful and inspirational about sacred masses, it touches your soul, not just the heart. If you haven’t figured it out, I’ve been referring to the Latin mass. Go ahead and try it if you haven’t yet, you’ve literally got nothing to lose.
A few days ago I went to adoration, wearing my veil like I always do, when I don’t forget to switch it from my backpack to purse or vice versa. The struggles we Catholic college students undergo are trying. The next day as I was thinking about the last visit, I questioned myself, “Why do I really wear a veil?” I’ve been asked this before, and it seemed like a simple question with the usual answers: Out of respect for the True Presence. As an inner and outer act of humility before God. It’s scriptural. As a reminder that mass is sacred. It helps to focus on mass and prayer. Simply because I want to. So on and so forth. Some time ago I wrote a post about why I veil. Two actually. This third post is making the topic into a trifecta, it’ll probably be the last time I talk about it. The reasons listed above are all legitimate and valid reasons to wear a veil, but I felt there had to be more to this habit of mine. I’m pesky like that, I always think there has to be more than what’s already on the surface. I remembered what my friend once said to me; approaching Christ to receive Him in Holy Communion is like a bride approaching her spouse at the altar. What do brides wear? Veils. The Catholic Church is referred to as the Bride of Christ, with Christ as the Bridegroom. In his letter to the Ephesians, St. Paul wrote, “Let women be subject to their husbands, as to the Lord: because the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is the head of the church. He is the savior of his body. Therefore as the church is subject to Christ, so also let the wives be to their husbands in all things. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ also loved the church, and delivered himself up for it: that he might sanctify it, cleansing it by the laver of water in the word of life: that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy, and without blemish.” (5:22-28)
This passage is a beautiful example of what a true marriage should look like; reflecting the relationship between Christ and us, his bride the Church. Especially now that Lent has passed, we were and are reminded just how perfectly Christ delivered Himself up for the Church, by His Passion and death. Allowing Himself to be utterly destroyed, shedding every last drop of His Precious Blood, for the sake of sanctifying and cleansing us, His bride. In the same way, husbands are called to die to themselves in order to sanctify their wives and make them holy, while wives must imitate the Church by being subject to their husbands, in order to bring each other to Heaven. That being said, marriage definitely is not for the weak. Neither is Catholicism, since practicing sacrificial love is always part of the package, wed or not. The formula of love is pretty important, and like Matt Fradd said, if we don’t get love right, we won’t get life right. Simple as that.
Where does the veil come in? Though I’m not sacramentally married, it doesn’t matter because when I go up to receive Christ in Communion, in a way I become a bride to Him, as all women do. I am His and He is mine. It’s only fitting that brides wear veils as they approach their spouses at the altar, as they prepare to give themselves, and vice versa. We give our imperfect selves to Christ, and He in turn, gives us His perfect self. In a sense, women are representing the union of Christ and His bride, the Church, who we all are. Within the Church we see, hear, taste, smell and touch. It’s all very sensual, not allowing our faith to just be some fantastical idea that’s up in the clouds, cold, unseen and untouchable. So we have instruments like the rosary, incense, scapular, candles, vestments, holy water, and the veil, that bridge the link between Heaven and earth. The Eucharist is the most precious of all, Christ’s perfect gift of Himself to us.
I don’t veil to be better than anyone, or to draw attention to myself, or even for some personal agenda. At the end of it all, I wear my veil without shame because I love Christ, imperfect as that love may be. It will only be through humility, constant purification and aid from the Blessed Mother, that not only myself, but all of us, can come to love Christ perfectly, as He loved us… His bride the Church.
Praise be to baby Jesus, I'm done with high school. With that part of my life now being over, it's time to let the blogging juices start flowing once more. St. Teresa of Avila, pray for me. In the meantime, enjoy the cluster of my personal favorite saint quotes. We have much to learn from the saints, and we can't learn from them unless we know them. Without further ado, I present to you my most beloved quotes from our friends in Heaven. "Foolish is he who follows the pleasures of this world, because these are always fleeting and bring much pain. The only true pleasure is that which comes to us through faith." -Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati "Until we have a passionate love for our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament, we shall accomplish nothing." -St. Julian Peter Eymard "Love that cannot suffer is not worthy of that name." -St. Clare of Assisi "The life of a Christian is nothing but a perpetual struggle against itself; there is no flowering of the soul to the beauty of its perfection except at the price of pain." -St. Padre Pio "I adore You, Lord and Creator, hidden in the Most Blessed Sacrament, would that I be transformed into a hymn of adoration of You." -St. Faustina "God would never inspire me with desires which cannot be realized; so in spite of my littleness, I can hope to be a saint." -St. Therese of Lisieux "Our perfection does not consist in doing extraordinary things, but to do the ordinary well." -St. Gabriel Possenti of Our Lady of Sorrows "Oh Jesus, how are you doing in my heart? In the narrow cell of my chest in love with You, tell me, oh Jesus, how are you doing there? Oh fire always burning, without ever dying down, if only you would let all of me go up in flames? Would You let this fire perfect me? Oh Jesus, oh Love! My life, my sustenance, my strength!" -St. Gemma Galgani "If you have devotion to Mary, Help of Christians, you will see what miracles are." -St. John Bosco "As mariners are guided into port by the shining of a star, so Christians are guided to Heaven by Mary." -St. Thomas Aquinas
Since I like quotes, and I like Church teachings even more, let's begin this post with a very important one. The Council of Trent, Canon I: "If anyone denieth, that, in the sacrament of the most holy Eucharist, are contained, truly, really and substantially, the Body and Blood together with the Soul and Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and consequently the whole Christ; but saith that He is only therein as a sign, or in figure, or virtue; let him be anathema."
In simpler terms, this means that whoever denies that Jesus Christ is truly present in the Holy Eucharist, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, is to put it quite frankly, a heretic. One of the first to deny the Real Presence in the Eucharist was Martin Luther, the founder of Protestantism. However, this post is not about the Reformation or Martin Luther, so we will leave that behind for another day. This post is about Holy Communion, and how it is received. However, before I begin I must say this: this post is not about liturgical snobbery or having a hoity-toity, "I'm holier than thou" attitude. This is a sensitive topic for some, but I will do my best to go at it as charitably and honestly as possible. Disclaimer over, let the list-making begin! Through my own personal decision, I never touch the Eucharist. This means that I don't receive Holy Communion in the hand, nor will I ever be a Eucharistic minister, even if my diocese allows both. But why not?
1) I am not worthy to touch the Sacred Host. I'm only a layperson, not a priest. Therefore, my hands are unconsecrated and unworthy of ever touching the Blessed Sacrament. Also, because the Holy Eucharist comes from God, which makes it incredibly holy, hence it being the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, it is all the more another reason to not touch or receive it in the hand. 2)Philippians 2:9-11 "Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." As the priest (or in other cases, Eucharistic ministers, which are unnecessary by the way) says to the Communicant, "Body of Christ" it isn't very reverent to simply continue standing and only answer, "Amen" while taking the Host with their own hands and consuming it. In contrast, by kneeling to receive the Sacred Host and not taking Him into your own hands, not only are you honoring the name of Jesus, but also acknowledging His Divinity before you. This brings us to the next reason. 3) To kneel before receiving Christ in the Eucharist is to first adore and worship Him. What do we do when we pass a Tabernacle or a monstrance containing Christ? We kneel (or genuflect) to honor Him and give Him His due worship. Why is receiving Him in Communion any different? It should not be, even more so because this time He is fully exposed and right in front of our noses. He is the King of kings and kings are showed honor, reverence, respect and humility when approached. Does the Divine King of kings deserve anything less, especially when He's right in front you? (no!) 4) Receiving Communion on the tongue diminishes chances of desecration. Let's be honest. As unfortunate as it is, desecration of the Holy Eucharist happens. Sometimes it is by accident, sometimes it is not. I find it very risky to take Holy Communion in the hand, because there's always the possibility of dropping Him on the floor or fragments of the Host remaining on the hands... which results in desecration. Or even worse: the Host being stolen, followed by more desecration. This is why I am a firm advocate of altar rails and only allowing priests to distribute Holy Communion. Through these means, desecrations would nearly cease to exist. By the Eucharist being in the responsible (and consecrated) hands of only the priest, with a paten underneath the Communicant, Holy Communion would be restored to its sacred entirety. However, even though most parishes no longer have altar rails, do not let that stop or hinder you from receiving Christ in the Eucharist with all of the honor and reverence He fully deserves. 5) Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI greatly encouraged receiving Holy Communion on the tongue while kneeling. During his pontificate, Pope Emeritus Benedict only distributed Holy Communion to the faithful, on the tongue as they were kneeling. Our former Holy Father realized the importance and need to return to this traditional way of receiving Christ, otherwise he would not have made it a necessity. So there you have it. In no particular order, those are some of my reasons for receiving Holy Communion the traditional way. Not everyone will agree with these reasons, but oh well. Before I leave you, I ask of one thing; look deep into your relationship with Christ in the Eucharist, and meditate on that.
While you're at it, listen to this. It's beautiful! Mater Dolorosa, ora pro nobis, -Yvonne Gemma
