IF ONLY... WE WONDER...

IF ONLY… WE WONDER…
Back to basics
Key to New Evangelization

Many Catholics are falling away from assisting at Mass, and many, too, are no longer practicing the Faith altogether. Of the many that we see at Mass on Sundays there are many more baptized Catholics who no longer attend Mass. And of those who do go to Mass, how many truly understand the Mass, and are spiritually nourished by it? Anyone can make a survey on this. And alas– the revelation– that many have only a vague knowledge and therefore less appreciation of the Mass.

Ah, there's the problem. Perhaps that's because very few priests preach on the Mass. Too many good preaching, but not good enough, because of a serious lack of preaching on the ‘SOURCE and SUMMIT of all Christian life’- the Eucharist. Either our priests wrongly presume that all Catholics are already well catechised, or many of them (Priests) really need to renew their appreciation of the Mass; so that they will offer every Mass as though it were their first, last, and only Mass. This fervent offering of the Eucharist will surely be contagious to the Faithful in attendance. As it is said, a well celebrated, reverently offered Mass is itself a very powerful homily.

Now we wonder… IF ONLY Catholics heard solid preaching on the Eucharist as “the Sacrament “that perpetuates the sacrifice of the Cross, in which Christ's immolated and glorified body and blood are really, truly, and substantially offered, present, contained, and received under the appearances of bread and wine” (CT… on the Eucharist); that Christ instituted the Mass to extend His perfect sacrifice throughout time and space until the end of the World (cf. CREDO, by Bp Schneider).

IF ONLY there are more homilies explaining the significance of a sacrifice as essential to religion, being an act of worship honoring God and signifying our total subjection to and dependence on Him. IF ONLY every Catholic truly understood that the Mass is the very sacrifice of the Cross, now really and truly made present and offered to God in an unbloody manner, under the appearances of bread and wine, an extension of the infinitely valuable sacrifice of Calvary, enabling us to give due worship to God, and the fruits of redemption applied to us, as much as we are disposed to receive; that we can PLUG into this Wondrous Sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary, made ACTUALLY PRESENT in every Mass.

IF ONLY we, the Faithful, are effectively led to unite ourselves to the sacrifice of Christ, offering ourselves– our cares, joys, sorrows, our whole being in union with our Divine Savior upon the Cross– (especially during the Consecration, on to the great doxology “through Him, with Him… to which we respond ‘AMEN’). IF ONLY every Catholic had the lively sense that in every Mass we are united with the Heavenly Liturgy, and that each Mass is heaven on earth. And there's more to meditate on regarding this wonderful gift of Christ to us that ideally we should hear preached in the pulpit throughout the year, alongside preachings on the Sunday Readings.

[Now we realize that we may be among the many cradle Catholics who grew up looking at Mass as simply an external ritual, albeit the highest prayer, but not the very sacrifice of Calvary to which we join our interior spiritual offering…, and ask, “how come no one explained it to me?, or, why don't I hear it in homilies?, or, the Mass I attended didn't seem to be a sacrifice, but simply a celebration. Or, I went to Mass, but it seems like I didn't… and so on– to so many questions and regrets.]

Thanks be to God we now have YouTube videos and other sources coming out on this; but it will be most effective if it was preached at Mass with a ready captured congregation. Surely the Parish community will grow spiritually from Mass to Mass, increasing the worship level of the Faithful's daily life. [And perhaps the same thing is true with the Sacrament of Penance, not preached very well, and many priests having less and less time devoted to hearing Confessions. There is also the lack of preaching on the very basic doctrine of “Sanctifying Grace”-- our DEIFICATION, which is at the root of the GOOD NEWS]

IF ONLY Catholics truly learn to participate in the Mass, interiorly offering themselves with Jesus to the Father, ever amazed at Jesus’ self giving and moved little by little into being more and more self-giving to God and neighbor; that we are to strive to make a week-long act of self-emptying love, offering our lives with perfect submission to God's will in preparation for assistance at Sunday Mass,THEN the Mass will truly be for us THE SOURCE AND SUMMIT OF ALL CHRISTIAN LIFE. (This might be the key to the NEW EVANGELIZATION.) After all isn't Christ's work of redemption made present at Mass the Good News par excellence?

Now WE WONDER, do we really need a ‘synod on synodality’ to solve the problems in the Church? Does the Vatican really have to be so concerned with the highly debatable Climate change (hoax?), exploited by the globalists to control the world, and other less important, if not totally unnecessary (no-brainer) issues, e.g., women ordination, abolishing Priestly Celibacy, suppressing the Traditional Latin Mass, which is now attracting more and more young people? Or, shouldn't our Shepherds focus more on the salvation of souls, endeavoring to effectively make the Eucharist truly the source and summit of all Christian life for every Catholic?

Now again WE WONDER, do we really need that (recent) controversial “Fiducia Supplicans”, which only caused a lot of confusion among the Faithful? WE WONDER, wouldn't it be better if the Vatican instead released one clear document affirming the clear Moral Teaching of the Church on the controversial issues of our day, like HOMOSEXUALITY [distinguishing the orientation (not a sin) from the act (gravely sinful), ABORTION, DIVORCE, SAME-SEX MARRIAGE, GENDER IDEOLOGY IVF, etc.] with loving admonition, calling for Repentance and Conversion, then preaching God's Mercy for the repentant? Is this not the genuine pastoral approach (‘fortiter et suaviter’, firmly but gently– and CLEARLY)?, leaving no room to be suspected of weaponising ambiguity? (Courageous in proclaiming the truth, especially moral truth, uncompromisingly, even if it might offend). If St. Paul, the Apostle, were here today, we would have received an epistle on these issues with clear teaching and loving admonition)

Perhaps for the average Catholic there seems to be so much complicating and sophisticating things today. The problems are there in PLAIN SIGHT, and so is the solution, [back to basics]. And today we have the communications technology to facilitate clear preaching of the TRUTH.

May we pray, really pray for the Church and our Shepherds. And may the Laity be truly a
powerful force in this New Evangelization, by witness, and by words if necessary.