Within the Beatific Vision, the Angles and Saints of Heaven intercede for those on earth. God gives them their knowledge of the state of souls, for their intercession on behalf of the Church Suffering and the Church Militant. A discussion is about to begin. Let us listen.
Saint Joseph: To our dear readers we send you God's Blessing. Today, joining our on-going discussions on behalf of the Church Militant, who are in the grip of a terrible crisis in Holy Mother Church are:
- Saint John Chrysostom, the holy bishop and Doctor of the Church who lived between 347-407 and who Pope Saint Pius X declared "Patron of Preachers." St. John was a gifted speaker and suffered much in fighting off heresies and abuses by standing up and speaking out for the Truths and Traditions of Holy Mother Church.
- Saint Peter of Alcantara, the Patron Saint of Brazil who lived from 1499-1562 and dealt headon with the Protestant Reformation and wrote The Treatise on Prayer and Meditation and founded the Alcanterines, a Franciscan Order of monks dedicated to prayer and meditation. He was also the confessor and advisor to Saint Teresa of Avila who also worked closely with
- Saint John of the Cross, the mystical Doctor of the Church and author of Dark Night of the Soul who lived between 1542 to 1591 and saw the fulfillment of the counter-reformation of Trent. He fought, as an example to faithful Catholics today, to purify the Faith and bring Orders back to the disciplines expected of men and women devoted to God.
Welcome my dear saints. Our topic today will be "The Nature and Fruits of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass", and how the Holy Mass had changed in the last forty years.
Saint Peter of Alcantara: I am fully aware of the crisis of Faith, dear Saint Joseph. All of us pray ceaselessly for the souls on earth and in purgatory. However, there have occurred serious defects in the Novus Ordo Missae which alarms all of us.
Saint John Chrysostom: The Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the central heart of Holy Mother Church. It must always be guarded against any encroachment by lucifer and his legion.
Saint John of the Cross: Indeed, I would say that this is truly a "dark night of the soul" for Holy Mother Church and the Church Militant.
Saint Joseph: That a crisis exists in the One True Faith given to men by Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself is evident, and a point upon which all in Heaven agree. As priests, my dear saints, would you share with us your understanding of what change has been made in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass over the last four decades?
Saint John of the Cross: For the sake of expediency in an attempt at a full reconciliation among separated brethren, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass has now become an 'Eucharistic meal.'
Saint Peter of Alcantara: I would say that what the 'new' Mass is today is so sadly out of balance, has turned 180 degrees from the tradition and teaching of the perennial Magisterium of Holy Mother Church.
Saint John Chrysostom: A priest myself, I see the sweeping changes in the Mass, and the lack of personal holiness through obedience to Truth, as affecting the Mass, which is 'new' and supposedly enlightened.
Saint Joseph: Let us then broaden our topic. We agree that the Mass has changed. Would you address specific points that constitute this 'change', and whether or not these changes have borne good fruit or not?
Saint John of the Cross: Personally, I believe that the entire 'mess' that Holy Mother Church finds herself in today is the direct result of liberal, progressivists within the hierarchy of the Church, who place human fraternity as more pleasing to the Triune Divinity than the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
Saint Peter of Alcantara: I agree with you whole-heartedly, and would add that a true revolt against the Sacred Deposit of Faith took place at Vatican Council II up to this present day.
Saint John Chrysostom: The 'change' we are speaking of is no less than the Protestantism of the Roman Catholic Faith.
Saint Joseph: Tell our readers in your own words why these changes took place? Can you tell our readers how the 'new' Mass differs from that which had been honored and ordered to be said in perpetuity?
Saint Peter of Alcantara: First, the 'new' Mass is said in the vernacular. The priest is no longer called 'priest' but rather a 'presider'. This takes away all sacredness for Holy Orders, and he becomes nothing more than the presiding president of an assembly. These changes are the direct result of the ambiguous documents of Vatican Council II, and the leaders of this council knew what they wanted - a revolution.
Saint John of the Cross: It's not just the vernacular. It's the fact that Latin has a beauty all it's own. It is unchanging. In addition, the Latin does not translate into the vernacular with any exactness. Another problem, which arose from Vatican Council II, was the deliberate view of collegiality, which empowered each bishop to do what he wanted in his own see, and the Synod of Bishops within a country make decisions without awaiting approval from the Holy See. Disobedience breeds contempt, which leads to schism, and unto indifferentism.
Saint John Chrysostom: The 'liturgical reform' of the Council was really done after the Council closed, and a set Commission was established by the Pope to make changes in the liturgy, particularly the Mass. The Holy Father himself approved the people who were to sit on the commission: liberals with dangerous thoughts, thoughts of Protestantising the worship that was the source of all graces for the faithful. I cannot state this strongly enough. The Council itself, voted repeatedly for ambiguous documents, while only a few Council Fathers really understood what the called for reforms would do.
Saint Joseph: Our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ is well aware of what has befallen the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The reforms of the Council slowly but surely denied the sacrificial nature of the Mass. Why do you think this particular reform was placed before the Council Fathers, and why do you think that these measures passed so they could be promulgated?
Saint Peter of Alcantara: How greatly was Holy Mother Church persecuted in my time. Much reform was needed but it was the other way around. By this I mean that the reform was to re-define the Sacred Deposit of Faith, and to restore for all time and ages yet to come the dignity and awe of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. It was the time of the Inquisition. Many there were who spoke heresy. The Holy Father through the Inquisition put down these heresies. It was a time of making the Dogma, Doctrine, Tradition, and Teaching of the Church pure again. Now, it is the Church herself who has imploded her foundation from within.
Saint John of the Cross: Our lives touched, Peter. We both drew much grace from knowing St. Teresa of Avila. You were her confessor for some years, Peter. You reformed your order, and saw revolt in the faces of your brothers in religion. Yet, you did not cave in to the finite wants and ease of body and mind that many in religion sought. Unfortunately, Vatican Council II, from its inception until today, has undermined all that had gone before it. Vatican Council II created its own concept of a 'modern church' with a 'modern faith', that all could find agreeable.
Saint John Chrysostom: You see, the faithful do not know of these things, for they have not felt compelled to do any study of the original council documents, or to follow closely the ever-changing manner of the liturgy. If they would read and study, they would see the schism that resulted from the Council. They would then be able to see how the Mass has been reduced to a 'meal" as if it were a social gathering. They would understand just who these reformers were, why they were such a threat to the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Faith. Then they would crusade for the True Faith to be brought back. Those who liked the awe and majesty of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass would weep for its loss.
Saint Joseph: Your viewpoints are excellent. I am sure our readers appreciate the simplicity you employ for their understanding. Now, would you comment on the main change in the Mass that has led to it being a Eucharistic meal?
Saint John Chrysostom: They have taken away the sacrificial nature of the Mass.
Saint Peter of Alcantara: The Council removed the sacredness of the Mass, and replaced it with a 'common' mentality which leads only towards self, and not toward God.
Saint John of the Cross: The 'new' Mass emphasizes the 'banquet' or Supper of the Lord. However, the faithful no longer realize that the Last Supper and the Crucifixion of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ are intrinsically connected. You cannot have the Last Supper without the Crucifixion, nor can you have the Crucifixion without the Last Supper.
Saint John Chrysostom: Exactly. At the Last Supper the Lord instituted a visible sacrifice, the Mass, in order to renew the bloody sacrifice which He consummated on the cross. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is no mere remembrance of memorial of Calvary; it actually renews, in the separate consecration of bread and wine, the death of the Lord, the separation of His Body and Blood.
Saint Joseph: Would you expound upon this change from the "sacrificial" nature to "banquet or meal" mindset of today's Church?
Saint John of the Cross: What has become a mere protestant meal was once the sublime privilege of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Faith. What has been lost is the doctrinal and dogmatic nature of the Mass. For example, as Christ offered Himself up on Calvary, so as the Victim He is offered in the Mass. As on the cross His body was mangled and torn, so at the Consecration He places Himself as the Victim on the altar, with His body and blood under the separate form of bread and wine.
Saint Peter of Alcantara: Saint John Chrysostom wrote in his Treatise "The Priesthood", the ministry of the Priest is essential for the Holy Sacrifice. It is through the ministry of the Priest that the Lord speaks the same words of the Last Supper over the visible bread and wine. The Priest is the voice that says: "This is My Body; This is My Blood." But it is truly Christ Himself Who pronounces and continues the miracle of Holy Communion.
Saint John Chrysostom: So strong was my belief in the sacredness of the Priesthood, I did write a Treatise upon the subject. My points were drawn from Sacred Scripture, from the defined doctrine and dogma of the Church, and upon its Traditions. The faithful must be reminded again that in both the Sacrifice of the Cross and the Mass, the same officiating High-Priest offers up the same Sacrificial Victim, Jesus Christ Our Lord.
Saint Joseph: How far from the True Nature and Concept of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass do you feel Holy Mother Church has come?
Saint John of the Cross: As pastors and bishops are giving no teaching, the faithful have developed a sense of 'ease' in body, in mind, and certainly in soul when attending any weekday or Sunday mass. The people are no longer reminded of the sacrifice…only of the glory of the Ascension.
Saint Peter of Alcantara: The faithful no longer remember or understand that the sacrifice on Calvary was offered up by Christ Himself to the Eternal Father; the sacrifice of the Mass is offered up by Him united with us, as by our Baptism we become members of His Mystical Body.
Saint John Chrysostom: It should also be said to the faithful that on the Cross Christ gained merit and satisfied for us. In the Mass He applies to us the merits and satisfaction of His death on the Cross. They should especially remember this on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
Saint Joseph: No amount of human words could ever describe the awesome Nature of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. If the faithful only knew how one Holy Sacrifice of the Mass worthily attended gained for them so many graces, they would die of Love. They do not even comprehend these days the solemnity of the Sacrifice of the Mass. My dear saints, thank you for the words you have shared with our readers for this discussion.
Saint Peter of Alcantara: We have barely touched the surface of the Nature of the Mass and what it has become in this day and age.
Saint John of the Cross: The people no longer desire to learn about their faith. They are more interested in debating different philosophies, and calling these theological discussions. Never have there been so many dissenting opinions within the bosom of Holy Mother Church.
Saint John Chrysostom: If the faithful could see all the angels and saints present at every valid Consecration, their hearts would burst with joy and love. We must intercede for the Church Militant. These aberrations cannot continue unchecked. Our Lord Jesus Christ will Himself, renew the One True Faith in the proper manner. The Council may have ended, but its results, not fruits, are still mounting.
Saint Joseph: Beloved readers, thank you being with us in our discussion today. I pray that you take these words to heart and meditate on what my foster Son desires of you and what my chaste spouse Mary called you to do at Fatima. We will meet again soon to discuss another topic, and you may be assured that in the future we will return to this subject. May Our Dear Lord and Savior grant you every grace to open your eyes to the Truth, which is unchanging.
All: Amen.