The Apostles/Bishops and Consecrated Hands

[scylla]

I think I’m fortunate in that the priest in my parish, although fairly young and not pushy, has a good understanding that he is the pastor. He follows the rubrics. Although we do have two ministers of the cup, if the deacon and another priest are present they do it. He doesn’t do blessings at communion time because, as he told us, he isn’t supposed to. He blesses children and objects after mass. He even gave very specific instructions in a homily as to how to respectfully receive in the hand. That made a real impression on the children especially.

Having a sister or lay person as parish administrator is the bishop’s option. But the visiting priest is the priest and he should assert himself. What you described is terrible. Unfortunately, I also am acquainted with a couple sisters who are upset that women are not ordained (yet, as they would say). And there were some glaring abuses at mass at their monastery until the new chaplain got there. So now I understand why you and others in your situation are very sensitive to anything which would appear to diminish the priesthood.

You are right you are very fortunate and unfortunately some like me can become over sensitive.
I know that there are some people who are innocently receiving in the hand who have no such desire to destroy the male Priesthood, who love what Christ set up in His Church and just have become used to these new options available to them.

Unfortunately in places like my parish these type actions are intentionally encouraged to promote an attack on the Priesthood as they hate the exclusiveness of the Priesthood. They do not want what Christ instituted, but a freedom to do what they want rather than what they should do.

Priests are made fun of, insulted and diminished so that they wont stand up for themselves and it feeds itself.

There are two perspectives to this issue in faithful Catholics,… there is the innocent perspective which probably comes from parishes with little abuse and people reverently receive without very many problems and there is the perspective of those in actively dissenting parishes where they see the reasons behind the active promotion of such practices.

Now in my parish I try to just promote devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, Christ’s Priesthood and a love for one another to seek more holiness for each other. I try to counter the attacks on Christ with joy, lightheartedness and a diffusion of anger.

In Christ
Scylla