Friday, June 14, 2013

CARDINAL PUJATS ON THE TABERNACLE, CONFESSION AND COMMUNION PROCESSION

FREE TRANSLATION FROM CORDIALITER BLOG

Ufortunately, i have been in a number of situations in Novus ordo parishes where one searches in vain for the tabernacle, where confessions are unheard of (and therefore no one goes) and where everyone goes en masse to holy communion pew by pew at the bidding of an usher in procession....



THURSDAY, JUNE 6, 2013


Place the tabernacle on the main altar


[Excerpt from the speech delivered on 12-10-2005 by Cardinal Janis Pujats
 the Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist]

In parish churches, a particularly suitable location of the Blessed Sacrament
 (in the sanctuary) is the high altar which houses the tabernacle. 
In this case, the high altar with its reredos is truly the throne of Christ the King 
and draws to itself the eyes of all those who are in the church.
The presence of the Blessed Sacrament in the main area of ​​the church gives 
the faithful an opportunity to worship God even outside of the Sacrifice 
of the Mass (such as the time between the divine offices). 

They are in fact in the church to pray, not for conversation. 
Before Communion, it is the task of the priests to invite the faithful to
 individual confession of sins. The best place for the confession of the faithful
 is the confessional, placed in the church and built with a fixed grille 
between the penitent and the confessor. Insofar as possible, 
the priests must promote conditions so that the faithful have access to Penance: 
if men live and die in sin, it is vain to try any other pastoral effort.

It is appropriate to have every day a time for confession, at specific times, 
especially before Holy Mass. If we are to truly to renew the spiritual life of the people,
 we are only allowed to leave the confessional after the last penitent 
has received pardon. [...] 

In general, it is necessary to eliminate the abuse of receiving holy communion
 without the Sacrament of Penance.

 In the past, there was the habit, during Mass, to go in procession 
to the Communion, but over time this practice was rightly dismissed for
 a reason pastoral. As we know, the people in the church 
have a collective behavior: all respond to the words of the priest,
 everyone sat, listening to the readings of Sacred Scripture,
 all stand for the Gospel, and all kneel at the consecration, 
(which saddens us !), all rise to participate in a procession to the Communion
 - among them also the Pharisee and the publican, not the penitent 
and the penitent. The individual faithful are afraid to refrain from 
this procession (en masse), as this makes them appear publicly as unworthy. 
This is the reason why this abuse prevails so often.  
What should we do? We must renew the practice of individualized
 access to Holy Communion to preserve the freedom of conscience. 
The Mass is a common action, but we receive communion as an individual. 

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