sábado, 4 de agosto de 2012

La Vergine Maria nell'insegnamento del Curato d'Ars .Curato D’Ars SCRITTI SCELTI .Catechetical Instructions-St John Vianney. VIDA DO SANTO CURA DE ARS.Spiritualité de la Sainte Messe .In Defense of Individual Celebration of the Holy Mass . The Beauty and Spirituality oh Holy Mass

DOVE CERCARE LA DOTTRINA MARIANA DEL CURATO D’ARS? - La vita del Curato d’Ars è essa stessa la migliore predica mariana che ci abbia data. Possiamo nondimeno cercare di cogliere l’essenziale dell’insegnamento che ricevevano i parrocchiani ed i pellegrini che lo sentivano parlare della Santa Vergine. Le fonti alle quali dobbiamo ricorrere per questo sono, è vero, poco abbondanti. Sono essenzialmente le note prese da diversi ascoltatori nel corso dei suoi famosi catechismi od al seguito delle sue predicazioni. La migliore di queste note figura nella raccolta manoscritta di Faure de la Bastie, che l’abate Monnin ha utilizzato, trasponendolo un poco e completandolo con l’aiuto di quaderni oggi scomparsi, nel suo prezioso opuscolo: Lo spirito del Curato d’Ars. Dalla mano stessa del Santo, noi non possediamo che i sermoni dei suoi primi dieci anni di ministero. Ve ne sono tre che sono consacrati alla Madonna: uno celebra la Natività della Vergine; ...

... un altro, le grandezze di Maria e la sua Assunzione; l’ultimo, il santo Rosario. Restano, i sermoni che trattano la misericordia di Dio, la speranza, la purezza, che costituiscono una fonte apprezzabile riguardo alla Madre di Cristo. Questi testi autografi costituiscono, a prima vista, delle fonti più sicure dei quaderni dei fedeli abitudinari del pellegrinaggio. Eppure all’esame, sembra che le pagine manoscritte del Curato d’Ars sono il più sovente le annotazioni di frammenti contrapposti delle raccolte di sermoni e delle opere religiose del tempo. Da questo fatto, non si saprebbe estrarre il succo di una dottrina originale. Ciò non significa affatto che si debbano considerare queste composizioni come prive d’interesse. Per importante che sia la parte presa e copiata da altri che vi si scopre, esse sono esattamente quello che, per degli anni, il santo pastore ha predicato. Egli le ha, per quanto poteva, fatte sue, dando loro qui e là l’impronta della sua maniera da curato di campagna, del suo stile scorretto e maldestro, riuscendo così a comunicare loro qualcosa del suo personale accento. Venne il giorno, del resto, in cui il predicatore, trattenuto quasi in maniera costante nel confessionale, non ebbe più il tempo di preparare i suoi sermoni. Egli parlò in abbondanza, e quello che si conosce delle sue improvvisazioni manifesta, senza dubbio, che s’ispirasse alle sue laboriose compilazioni anteriori. Le reminiscenze vi abbondano. Egli ha fatto delle sue concentrazioni la sua dottrinale riserva. Da quel momento, nulla è vietato nel cercare nei suoi poveri quaderni uno scorcio di quello che manca nelle troppo brevi relazioni che possediamo delle sue improvvisate lezioni di catechismo delle ore 11. I sermoni manoscritti del santo sono stati pubblicati, ma gli editori non hanno creduto poterli consegnare ai lettori nel loro stato originale. Li hanno emendati, messi in ordine, parzialmente ricomposti, togliendo loro con ciò stesso quello che già permette di riconoscervi il Curato d’Ars che ci è familiare.

MARIA E LA SANTA TRINITÁ

Il Curato d’Ars non si atteggiava da teologo. La sua devozione alla Madonna appare comunque fin dagli inizi ai suoi occhi in evidente riferimento alla Trinità.
- “Le tre Persone divine, egli diceva, contemplano la Santa Vergine. Ella è senza macchia, ornata di tutte le virtù che la rendono così bella e così piacevole alla Santissima Trinità”.
- “Il Padre, aggiungeva, si compiace nel guardarla come l’opera uscita dalle sue mani: si ama sempre la propria opera, soprattutto quando è ben fatta, il Figlio, come la sua Madre benamata, e lo Spirito Santo come proprio tempio”.
- Ed ancora, parlando del cuore della Vergine: “Questo cuore così puro, così bello, così buono, opera e delizia della Santissima Trinità”.
Vi sono là dei proponimenti registrati da testimoni. Se prendiamo il sermone manoscritto sulle “grandezze di Maria” – che deve taluni passaggi al sermone sull’Assunzione delle “Istruzioni familiari” dell’abate Bonnardel – noi vi troviamo questo linguaggio:
- “Solo Maria ha la gioia incomparabile di essere la figlia del Padre eterno ed è anche quello di essere la Madre del Figlio e la sposa dello Spirito Santo. Da queste incomparabili dignità, ella si vede associata alle tre Persone della Santa Trinità per formare il corpo adorabile di Gesù Cristo”.
- “Il Padre l’arricchisce coi doni del cielo in proporzione alla gradezza della dignità alla quale doveva innalzarla, forma in lei un tempio vivente delle Persone della Santissima Trinità”.
Si scorgeranno alcuni svarioni nelle espressioni del Curato d’Ars. Eppure per maldestro che sia quando vuol parlare dell’in-abitazione della Trinità in Maria, è con evidente gioia che si sforza di evocare l’ineffabile intimità con cui le tre Persone divine hanno favorito la Santa Vergine di Nazareth.

MARIA, MADRE DEL REDENTORE

E’ in vista della funzione che doveva compiere nella realizzazione dell’Incarnazione che la Vergine, in virtù dei meriti di Colui di cui lei sarebbe diventata la madre, è stata preservata dalla macchia originale.
“Ella nasce per essere la Madre di Dio”, leggiamo nella prima pagina del sermone del Curato d’Ars sulla Natività della Madonna. Così bene, questa maternità di Maria dovette avere un grande posto nell’insegnamento del Santo.
Questi intraprende a parlare della venuta in questo mondo della figlia di Anna e di Gioacchino, non è il fatto stesso in sé che trattiene lungamente la sua attenzione; già il suo spirito si porta su quello che sarà Maria. Egli la considera “come un bello specchio in cui noi vediamo un modello compiuto di ogni tipo di virtù”. Un momento, egli si sofferma per constatare che, conformemente al volere divino, “la nascita della Santa Vergine non ebbe nulla di straordinario; ella nasce in uno stato di debolezza, la sua culla è arrossata di lacrime come gli altri bambini che sembrano prevedere nascendo le miserie con cui saranno accasciati durante la loro vita”. Ma quello che, ben presto, fa l’oggetto della sua riflessione, è che la bambina ch’egli celebra è la figlia di Eva, tra tutte le altre scelta per dare alla terra il suo Redentore.
“Quando i nostri progenitori ebbero la disgrazia di cadere nel peccato che ha fatto una strage così spaventosa nel mondo, Dio (vide) nei nostri progenitori il loro pentimento ed il desiderio che avevano, se fosse stato possibile, di riparare il male che avevano fatto trasgredendo i suoi comandamenti; per consolarli, predisse loro e promise loro che sarebbe giunto un giorno in cui sarebbe nata una vergine che avrebbe dato alla luce un figlio che riparerebbe le loro disgrazie che il loro peccato aveva causate”.
I profeti, a loro volta, avevano parlato, annunciando, anch’essi, “che una Vergine avrebbe partorito un figlio che sarebbe stato il Figlio dell’Altissimo, che Dio Padre avrebbe inviato per riscattare il mondo che Adamo aveva perduto col suo peccato”.
Passando così, di colpo, dalla Natività di Maria alla sua maternità, il Curato d’Ars che, senza dubbio, utilizza in quel sermone spunti di diversi autori, si compiace molto particolarmente nel farci intravedere le ore dolorose della Passione. La Vergine di Betlemme e di Nazareth gli parla al cuore, ma non può impedirsi di contemplarla sognando che sarà più tardi la Vergine del Calvario.
“Se Gesù Cristo ha effuso il suo sangue prezioso per salvarci, chi ha prodotto quel sangue adorabile? Non è Maria? Purtroppo, se seguiamo le tracce della sua vita mortale, quanti rimpianti, quanti dolori, quante angosce, non ha passate… Come i profeti l’avevano designata sotto il nome di Madre di dolore, il suo divin Figlio, per compiere questa profezia, volle farle conoscere fin dall’inizio tutte le sofferenze, gli oltraggi, i tormenti che il suo divin Figlio doveva provare prima di morire. Tutte le volte che poggiava i suoi piedi e le sue mani adorabili, ella diceva in se stessa: purtroppo, questi piedi e queste mani che, per trentatre anni, non saranno occupati che a portare le grazie e le benedizioni, saranno un giorno coperti di sporchi sputi, il suo volto più bello del Cielo, verrà un giorno che sarà tutto martoriato dai colpi che gli si daranno. Tutto questo corpo dovrà essere flagellato con tanta crudeltà che sarà quasi impossibile riconoscerlo per un uomo. Questa testa così raggiante di gloria sarà forata da una crudele corona di spine”.
Il Curato d’Ars segue Maria passo passo in questa visione anticipata del dramma del venerdì santo. Egli la sente, che si parla a se stessa. “Quando lei passava attraverso le vie di Gerusalemme: verrà un giorno in cui io vedrò quest’asfalto tutto arrossato del suo sangue prezioso; si, sarà steso sull’albero della croce, sentirò inchiodare, anche senza poter dargli soccorso. Qual dolore inesprimibile!”.

MARIA MADRE DEGLI UOMINI

Il Curato d’Ars aveva una particolare devozione per l’Apostolo san Giovanni: “Io lo amo molto, egli diceva, perché ha avuto buona cura della Santa Vergine”. E’ al discepolo benamato che era stata rivolta, dall’alto della croce, da Cristo, la sconvolgente parola: “Figlio, ecco tua madre”. Egli si compiaceva nel citarla. San Giovanni gli insegnava la dottrina della maternità universale di Maria. Lui stesso si faceva una gioia nel ricordarla a tutti quelli che venivano a sentirlo. “Sì, esclamava, Gesù Cristo, dopo averci dato tutto quello che poteva darci, ossia il merito di tutti i suoi lavori, delle sue sofferenze, della sua morte dolorosa, che dire ancora, del suio corpo adorabile, del suo sangue prezioso, per servire da cibo alle nostre anime, volle ancora farci l’offerta di quanto aveva di più prezioso, qual è la sua Santa Madre. Non sembra dirle: Ah, madre mia, poiché occorre che io ritorni al Padre mio e che lasci i miei figli, prevedo che il demonio farà tutto quello che potrà per perderli, ma (quello che) mi consola, (è) che ve ne prenderete cura, che li difenderete, e che (li) consolerete nelle loro pene”.
Alle parole del Crocifisso, la Vergine risponde: “No, Figlio mio, non smetterò di averne cura finchè non siano giunti nel tuo Regno che hai acquisito loro con le tue sofferenze”.
A queste frasi imbarazzate, si preferirà senza dubbio il testo più denso, citato dall’abate Monnin: “La Santa Vergine vi ha generati due volte, nell’Incarnazione ed ai piedi della croce; ella è dunque due volte madre nostra”.
Questo punto della dottrina è evidentemente uno di quelli che il Curato d’Ars sviluppa con più fervore.
“Il cuore di Maria è così tenero che quelli di tutte le madri riunite non sono che un pezzo di ghiaccio vicino al suo”.
“Ella è ben migliore della migliore delle madri; poiché la migliore delle madri punisce talvolta il suo bambino che le fa rimpianto,anche se lei lo picchia; ella crede di far bene. Ma la Santa Vergine non fa così: ella è così buona che ci tratta sempre con amore e non ci punisce mai”.
“Più noi siamo peccatori, più lei ha tenerezza per noi e compassione. Il bambino che è costato più lacrime ad una madre è il più caro al suo cuore; non corre sempre verso il più debole? Un medico, in un ospedale, non ha più attenzione per i più malati?”.

MARIA MEDIATRICE

Nell’insegnamento del santo Curato, Maria, malgrado il privilegio della sua Immacolata Concezione, ci è mostrata sottomessa alla legge della morte.
Ma la morte non fu che una gioia per lei. “Oh, bella morte, oh morte beata, oh morte desiderabile. Quanto Maria è ben ripagata da questo torrente d’umiliazione e di dolore con cui la sua anima è stata inondata durante la sua vita mortale. Ella rivede il suo divin Figlio ben differente dal tempo in cui ella l’aveva visto durante la sua dolorosa Passione, tra le mani dei boia, recante la sua croce, coronato di spine, sentendolo inchiodare sulla croce senza poter dargli sollievo. No, no, non è più quel triste spettacolo… ma lei lo vede, dico io, tutto brillante di luce, rivestito d’una gloria che (costituisce) tutta la gioia e tutta la felicità del cielo”.
“Fu Gesù stesso che l’introdusse nel suo palazzo reale e la pose sul più alto trono del suo regno, e le tre Persone della Santa Trinità le misero una brillante corona sulla testa e le resero depositaria di tutti i tesori del cielo”.
Da quel momento, Maria compie la sua funzione di mediatrice.
La mediazione della Vergine, nel pensiero del Curato d’Ars, non si sostituisce per nulla alla mediazione di Cristo. Maria resta la serva del Signore, ma, con la sua intercessione, ella ottiene che la grazia ci sia donata. “Tutto quello che il Figlio chiede al Padre gli è accordato. Tutto quello che la Madre chiede al Figlio le è ugualmente accordato”.
Le immagini vengono, numerose, allo spirito del Santo, per esprimere il ruolo assegnato alla Vergine.
“Quando si chiede qualcosa ad un ricco, ci si rivolge al suo economo. Ve ne sono che dicono: “Amo di più rivolgermi a Dio che ai santi”; ma non è così: quando si vuole offrire qualcosa ad un grande personaggio, lo si fa presentare dalla persona a lui gradita.
“Quando si vuole entrare in una casa, ci si rivolge al portiere affinché ci apra. La Santa Vergine è la portinaia del Cielo, non possiamo entrarvi senza il suo soccorso”.
“Se il peccatore invoca questa buona Madre, ella lo fa entrare in qualche modo dalla finestra, come per imbrogliare il Figlio disarmato da un sì bel gesto di misericordia”.
“Occorre far passare tutte le nostre preghiere attraverso le mani di Maria, affinché siano più gradite al suo divin Figlio. e’ come se rimettessimo un bouquet di fiori ad una persona perché ella lo profumi, prima di presentarlo ad un’altra. Maria profuma le nostre preghiere”.
E’ stata fatta allusione prima all’immagine della scala che s’innalza fino al cielo, e di cui la Vergine protegge la sommità. Il Curato d’Ars riprende il paragone, riferendosi a fra Leone, il compagno di san Francesco d’Assisi. Questi “ebbe una visione in cui vi erano due scale, una rossa ed una bianca”. Il Signore rivelò al veggente: “la rossa sono io; la bianca è mia Madre”. Ora, “quelli che salivano attraverso la bianca salivano rapidamente”. In effetti, “è impossibile non salvarci se si ha devozione alla Santa Vergine, e ve ne sono pochi che si salvano senza questa”.
Il simbolo non deve essere evidentemente preso a detrimento della fede nel Signore. Ma il Santo illustrava più perfettamente il suo pensiero prestando un significato accomodante alla parabola dell’albero sterile al quale il padrone del giardino accorda un tempo di grazia su richiesta del giardiniere.
“Noi leggiamo nel Vangelo che un contadino aveva un albero piantato nel suo giardino: vi andò al momento dei frutti per vedere se quell’albero ne avesse; non ne trovò, e vi (andò una) seconda, (una) terza volta, senza trovarne. Egli disse al giardiniere: “Ecco sono tre volte che io vengo per cercare del frutto senza trovarne; perché lasciate quest’albero che occupa il posto di un altro che ne porterebbe? Strappalo e gettalo nel fuoco!”. E che fa il giardiniere? Si getta ai piedi del suo padrone per pregarlo di aspettare ancora qualche tempo, ch’egli raddoppierà le sue cure, che lavorerà la terra che è intorno, che la concimerà e che non dimenticherà nulla per fargli portar frutto”. Ma se, l’anno prossimo, quando verrete, non ve ne sarà affatto, lo si taglierà e lo si getterà nel fuoco”. Immagine sensibile di ciò che accade tra Dio e la Santa Vergine e noi.
“Il padrone del giardino è Dio stesso; il giardino è tutta la sua Chiesa, e noi stessi siamo quegli alberi piantati nel suo giardino”.
Giunge il giorno in cui Dio “comanda che si tagli quell’albero e che lo si getti nel fuoco”.
Ma che fa Maria? Purtroppo, ella fa quello che fece quel buon giardiniere. (Si) getta ai piedi del suo divin Figlio. “Figlio mio, gli dice, grazia ancora per qualche tempo a questo peccatore, forse si convertirà, forse farà meglio di quanto non abbia fatto… Figlio mio, gli dice ad ogni istante, ancora alcuni giorni, forse si pentirà”.
La credenza nella funzione mediatrice della Vergine essendo così solidamente fondata, il Curato d’Ars propone che la si metta avanti nel momento in cui si fa ricorso alla Madonna.
“Una preghiera ben gradita a Dio, è pregare la Santa Vergine di offrire al Padre eterno il suo divin Figlio tutto sanguinante, tutto umiliato, per chiedere la conversione dei peccatori. E’ la migliore preghiera che le si possa fare, perché infine, tutte le preghiere si fanno in nome e per i meriti di Gesù Cristo… Figli miei, ascoltate bene questo: tutte le volte che ho ottenuto una grazia, l’ho ottenuta in questa maniera: ed essa non mi ha mai deluso”.
Il Curato d’Ars viene dal consegnarci quello ch’egli considera come il segreto dell’efficacia della sua preghiera. Egli detta allora una formula di supplica, rivolta a Dio stesso, i cui termini sono ispirati dall’assicurazione che gli dona la mediazione mariana: “O mio buon Padre che sei nei cieli, io vi offro in questo momento il vostro caro Figlio, tale come lo si è preso, lo si è disceso dalla croce, lo si è deposto tra le braccia della Santa Vergine e Lei ve l’ha offerto in sacrificio per noi. Io vi offro il suo santissimo corpo e attraverso la bocca della sua santa Madre, vi chiedo la remissione dei miei peccati”.
Già si è notato, quello che preme nello spirito del Curato d’Ars, quando parla di Maria mediatrice, non sono favori materiali o d’ordine temporale come ad esempio guarigioni da malattie: quello che conta prima di tutto per lui, è che i peccatori ottengano la grazia della conversione e la salvezza eterna.
Se celebrava con tenerezza tutta filiale “il Sacro Cuore di Maria”, è che “nel cuore di questa buona Madre” egli non vedeva “che amore e misericordia”. Egli diceva: “Dio ci ha amati fino a morire per noi; ma nel cuore di Gesù, vi è la giustizia come attributo di Dio; in quello di Maria, null’altro che la misericordia. Suo Figlio è pronto a punire un peccatore; Maria si lancia, ferma la spada, chiede grazia per il peccatore. Madre mia, le dice Gesù, io non posso rifiutarvi nulla”.
La teologia del Sacro Cuore non si adatta forse che a metà di talune di queste espressioni, ma la purezza dello zelo mariano del Curato d’Ars ha reso finalmente queste capaci di toccare più di un peccatore e così di convertirlo.

Don Marcello Stanzione

Curato D’Ars SCRITTI SCELTI

Curato D’Ars
SCRITTI SCELTI

Essere amati da Dio!	L'uomo non è soltanto una bestia da lavoro
Amare Dio	Rimanete saldi
Preghiera sull'amore di Dio	Camminate sotto l'influsso dello Spirito
La volontà divina	La preghiera
La croce	Conducete una vita degna della vostra chiamata
L'essenziale	La comunione eucaristica
Vivete nell'amore	Maria
Non rattristate lo Spirito Santo	Florilegio

Catechetical Instructions-St John Vianney

CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTIONS

INSTRUCTIONS ON THE CATECHISM

Saint John Vianney (The Cure of Ars)

1. CHAPTER 1 : Catechism on Salvation2. CHAPTER 2 : Catechism on The Love of God3. CHAPTER 3 : Catechism on The Holy Spirit4. CHAPTER 4 : Catechism on the Blessed Virgin5. CHAPTER 5 : Catechism on The Word of God6. CHAPTER 6 : Catechism on the Prerogatives of the Pure Soul7. CHAPTER 7 : Catechism on the Sanctification of Sunday8. CHAPTER 8 : Catechism on Prayer9. CHAPTER 9 : Catechism on the Priesthood10. CHAPTER 10 : Catechism on the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass11. CHAPTER 11 : Catechism on the Real Presence12. CHAPTER 12 : Catechism on Communion13. CHAPTER 13 : Catechism on Frequent Communion14. CHAPTER 14 : Catechism on Sin15. CHAPTER 15 : Catechism on Pride16. CHAPTER 16 : Catechism on Impurity17. CHAPTER 17 : Catechism on Confession18. CHAPTER 18 : Catechism on Suffering19. CHAPTER 19 : Catechism on Hope20. CHAPTER 20 : Catechism on the Cardinal Virtues
EXPLANATIONS AND EXHORTATIONS

1. CHAPTER 1 : On Salvation2. CHAPTER 2 : On Death3. CHAPTER 3 : On the Last Judgment4. CHAPTER 4 : On Sin5. CHAPTER 5 : On Temptations6. CHAPTER 6 : On Pride7. CHAPTER 7 : On Avarice8. CHAPTER 8 : On Lust9. CHAPTER 9 : On Envy10. CHAPTER 10 : On Gluttony11. CHAPTER 11 : On Anger12. CHAPTER 12 : On Sloth13. CHAPTER 13 : On Grace14. CHAPTER 14 : On Prayer15. CHAPTER 15 : On the Love of God16. CHAPTER 16 : On Paradise

HOJE É A FESTA DO SANTO CURA DE ARS

=ÍNDICE=

- OS PRIMEIROS ANOS (Um Pastorzinho durante o terror, A Escola, A Primeira Confissão e Comunhão, Trabalhos no Campo, Sua Vocação, Os Desertores de Noes, O Curso de Filosofia, No Seminário de Lion, Do Subdiaconato ao Sacerdócio, Coadjutor de Ecully).

- CHEGADA A ARS (Luta pela Conversão do Povo, Guerra contra a Ignorância, Luta contra o trabalho aos Domingos, contra as Tabernas e Contra as Blasfêmias, Luta contra as Danças, Restauração da Antiga Igreja, Calúnias e Tentações, Obras de Apostolado, A Casa da Providência, Imagens da época).

- O CURA D'ARS E O DEMÔNIO (Peregrinação a Ars, Culto a Santa Filomena, Confessor incansável, Grave Enfermidade, Supressão do Orfanato, Fundação da Escola, As Missões Decenais, Cônego da Catedral de Belley, Cavaleiro da Legião de Honra, Festa do Dogma da Imaculada Conceição, Ânsia de Solidão, Imagens da época).

- TESTEMUNHOS DA SANTIDADE (Humildade, Amor a Pobreza e aos Pobres, Paciência e Mortificação, Intuições e Predições, Alguns Milagres, Última Enfermidade, Morte).

PREGHIERE PER MONS. BRUNERO GHERARDINI

http://chiesaepostconcilio.blogspot.pt/

Era partito i primi di luglio per la montagna, suo consueto rifugio estivo, vivace e ben portante come un giovanotto, l'Amico e Maestro, con l'intenzione di proseguir in un clima più clemente di quello romano il suo lavoro di teologo. Ma le bizze di una stagione impazzita gli han riservato un gran freddo, con una conseguente grave bronchite che, pur curata, si è ripresentata in forma violenta e febbre alta al suo ritorno a Roma.

Stava riprendendosi dagl'inevitabili strascichi quando lunedì scorso, nello scender alcuni gradini, è caduto fratturandosi un braccio, ora ingessato. Per fortuna è il sinistro, cosicché la non breve convalescenza non impedirà qualche sia pur assai parziale attività.

Chiedo agli amici di unirsi a me nella preghiera perché il Signore si degni di render meno pesanti le sofferenze all'illustre prelato, che pur le accoglie in piena spirituale serenità, e ce lo renda il prima possibile in perfetta forma fisica così da consentirgli di continuar ad illuminarci coi suoi prestigiosi scritti lungo la via difficoltosa della fedeltà alla Chiesa Cattolica.

Spiritualité de la Sainte Messe

Spiritualité de la Sainte Messe :

Avec Jésus, vers le Père (par le R.P Gourbillon o.p)
Etre l'hostie avec l'hostie (par P. Philipon - Les sacrements dans la vie chrétienne)
L'offrande du Corps et du Sang du Christ (Monseigneur Chevrot - Notre Messe)
Le Trésor caché (par Saint Léonard de Port-Maurice)
Jésus dans la Sainte Eucharistie (par le Bienheureux Père Charles de Foucauld)

La Sainte Eucharistie

Le Saint Sacrifice de la Messe

La Présence réelle

L'adoration eucharistique

La Communion

Un seul Corps

Prières

Poésies

Normes et respect de la Liturgie

Sanctification du Dimanche

Textes de référence (liens)

L'assistance à la Messe, source de vie spirituelle

De Salve Regina.

Aller à : Navigation, rechercher


Spiritualité de la Messe
Auteur :	R. P. Réginald Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P.
Source :	Revue La vie Spirituelle, n° 187
Date de publication originale :	1er avril 1935
Difficulté de lecture :	♦♦ Moyen

Sommaire

[masquer]

1 L’assistance à la Messe, source de sanctification

The Eucharistic Dimension in St. Maximilian Kolbe

The Eucharistic Dimension in St. Maximilian Kolbe

Raffaele Di Muro , OFM Conv

Introduction

The Eucharistic mystery is a dimension of fundamental importance in the spiritual journey of the martyr of Auschwitz. This article will try to demonstrate this point and bring to light the connection between his adoration of the Eucharist and his mission and martyrdom. The first part treats the importance of the celebration of the Eucharist in the life of Father Kolbe. The second section tries to present him as one who tirelessly adored the Lord through his devotion to the Eucharist. The final part highlights the close rapport between St. Maximilian’s love for the Blessed Sacrament and his mission that became martyrdom in the final stage of his life.

The primary objective of this article is to examine the writings of the martyr of Auschwitz that contain the fundamental elements of his thought, the contents of the beatification process, and finally, studies treating his Eucharistic spirituality. There is also the hope that the reader will come to a clearer understanding of Eucharistic devotion in his own life, inasmuch as this article intends to stimulate reflection on this very topic.

Moreover, this article can be seen as polishing and completing the work of the late Fr. Antonio Di Mondo that was published in Miles Immaculatae in 2005 on the occasion of the “Year of the Eucharist” inaugurated by the Venerable Pope John Paul II.[1]read...

In Defense of Individual Celebration of the Holy Mass

Tridentine Community News

The 1983 Code of Canon Law urges priests to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass every day. Canon 276 §2 n. 2 states: “... priests are earnestly invited to offer the eucharistic sacrifice daily ...”. (Key point: It is not mandatory.)

Priests living in a religious community, such as at a monastery, often have a regularly scheduled daily Mass. If they follow the Ordinary Form, this Community Mass can be one in which some or all of the priests concelebrate the Mass.

If the religious community, or an individual priest, follows the Extraordinary Form, concelebration is not permitted. Each priest must celebrate his own individual Mass. The below historic photo shows priests celebrating private Masses at Orchard Lake’s Ss. Cyril & Methodius Seminary, pre-Vatican II.

The above photo and the below historic one from St. Charles Senior Living Community, the former seminary of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood in Ohio, show an orderly, detailed atmosphere.
Detroit’s Sacred Heart Seminary has similar side altars lining the walls of its chapel. Older churches such as our own were constructed with side altars for the same reason, to allow the assisting priests in residence at the parish to offer their own Masses each day. In an interesting sign of the times, at the Fraternity of St. Peter’s seminary in Nebraska, priests celebrate their individual Masses in a room cluttered with mismatched side altars salvaged from various churches.

A little-known fact is that there is one time that a priest may concelebrate at a Tridentine Mass, and that is at a Mass of Ordination. Each ordinand concelebrates the Mass with the bishop. Each new priest is assisted by an experienced priest at his side, as pictured in this photo from an Institute of Christ the King ordination.

Practical Considerations

On the surface, concelebration seems to be a sensible solution in a world of too few priests having too many responsibilities. Why force every priest to take the time for his own Mass, especially in an assembly line-like atmosphere? The principal opposing argument maintains that additional graces flow from multiple individual Masses that do not comparably flow from one concelebrated Mass. We will leave it to theologians to debate this point, but we do note that more Masses allow for more Mass Intentions to be offered.

More concretely, when priests celebrate individual Masses, they can better concentrate on the Holy Sacrifice and the day’s Mass Intention. Human nature tells us that the reduced involvement of concelebrants opens up a greater possibility of mental distractions on their part. This is less likely to be the case with individual celebration, especially if each priest knows that he is under the watchful eye of a server. It is ironic that the option of concelebration arguably de-emphasizes “active participation” for priests, just as it is emphasized for the laity. Therefore, just as concelebration may offer a practical benefit in today’s world, so does individual celebration: That of improved focus on the Mass.

We also suggest that it is spiritually beneficial for priests to be in the habit of celebrating the entire Holy Mass. Just as it can be all too easy for laypeople to get out of the habit of praying a daily Rosary, we suspect that there is a slippery slope aspect to priests relying too often on concelebration. The discipline of the Extraordinary Form requiring priests following it to celebrate their own Masses provides a spiritual safety belt: A priest cannot help but grow in holiness as he develops a more intimate knowledge of the liturgical year and its Propers, and by having the opportunity to offer more Mass Intentions at those additional Holy Sacrifices.
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The Beauty and Spirituality

The Beauty and Spirituality
of the Traditional Latin Mass

by David Joyce

(The Holy Mass as referred to in this essay is the traditional Latin Mass of the ancient Roman rite, as celebrated until 1965 in the Latin Church)

It is the Mass that Cardinal Newman, the leader of the Oxford movement into the Church, said that he could attend forever, and not be tired. Father Faber, priest of the Brompton Oratory in the last century, described the Mass as the "most beautiful thing this side of heaven", and he continued:

It came forth out of the grand mind of the Church, and lifted us out of earth and out of self, and wrapped us round in a cloud of mystical sweetness and the sublimities of a more than angelic liturgy, and purified us almost without ourselves, and charmed us with the celestial charming, so that our very senses seemed to find vision, hearing, fragrance, taste, and touch beyond what earth can give.

Father Adrian Fortescue, a great English liturgical historian, has said that the Mass of the Roman rite is the most venerable rite in Christendom.

Pious Popes, too, have often wondered at the majesty of the Mass. Pope Clement VII said in 1604:

Since the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist by means of which Christ Our Lord has made us partakers of His sacred Body, and ordained to stay with us unto the consummation of the world, is the greatest of all the Sacraments, and it is accomplished in the Holy Mass and offered to God the Father for the sins of the people, it is highly fitting that we who are in one body which is the Church, and who share of the one Body of Christ, would use in this ineffable and awe- inspiring Sacrifice the same manner of celebration and the same ceremonial observance and rite.

and Pope Urban VII in 1634 said:

If there is anything divine among man's possessions which might excite the envy of the citizens of heaven (could they ever be swayed by such a passion), this is undoubtedly the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, by means of which men, having before their eyes, and taking into their hands the very Creator of heaven and earth, experience, while still on earth, a certain anticipation of heaven.

How keenly, then, must mortals strive to preserve and protect this inestimable privilege with all due worship and reverence, and be ever on their guard lest their negligence offend the angels who vie with them in eager adoration!

The Mass! What a treasure! Christ's very own sacrifice on the cross left for us wrapped in an act seeping with beauty and divine celebration. Below I describe a few of its important qualities that set it apart in this day and age, that truly make it "the most beautiful thing this side of heaven".

St. Mary Catholic Church, Kalamazoo, MI

1. The Silence of the Canon

The entire Canon of the Mass is devoid of any vocal sounds, other than one phrase "Nobis quoque peccatoribus" where the priest strikes his breast, emphasising his own sinfulness and unworthiness of celebrating such an unspeakably divine action. The only other sound is when the bell is rung, initially at the "Hanc igitur" as a warning bell to inform the faithful of the impending consecration, and then three times at each consecration: when the priest genuflects before the divine oblation, when he raises the divine victim in an elevation of worship and adoration, and finally when he genuflects again. Otherwise, complete silence.

Why this silence, when the canon is the most important part of the Mass? Simply because of that fact. The canon of the Mass joins the earthy sphere to the heavenly sphere. Christ's sacrifice was performed once and for all; it can never be repeated as it was the eternal and perfect sacrifice to end all sacrifices. However, since the victim and the priest was God, the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, the effects are infinite: the entire human race was redeemed wherever they lived, regardless of time or space. But an important fact is that the act that Christ performed was placed within His creation, and at a particular point in time. Therefore, for the sacrifice of the cross to become effective universally over all time, it needed to be perpetuated through the ages by a priesthood acting in the person of our Lord and presenting His sacrifice anew to a new generation. This is why Christ built His Church: to bring forth the graces of the incarnation, to prolong it and "make present" its effects to all people. The sacrifice of the cross, and the consecration in the Mass, are timeless entities in a temporal world.

The silence, therefore, enables us to transcend our present existence and become present at the foot of the cross itself. Our senses, so active in the outside world, are suppressed so that our soul can touch the divine presence of God on the altar, so that we may be lifted up with the oblation to the altar of God Himself in heaven, surrounded by all the Hosts and angels in constant prayer and adoration. We, in effect, dip our toes into the pool of eternity, no longer limited by our earthly existence in time and space, but instead become one with our Lord in offering ourselves to God the Father in the one perfect act of self-giving, love and adoration.

Our senses are not totally silenced though. Through our eyes, we see the Holy Victim raises up to the Father in the form of bread and wine; closing our eyes we see the cross above us and the angelic party beyond. In our ears, we hear the ringing of bells, confirming what we see and what we feel in our hearts. In our nostrils, we smell the sweet odour of incense, floating up to heaven accompanying the Victim to the altar of God. It is truly an entire experience of Body and Soul where the carpet of life is swept from underneath us revealing the eternal reality of the cross and the truth of God's love for each and everyone of us.

Using vocal words in the canon would defy this divine reality, it would seemingly bring the events down to a level of speech and thought, rather than action and sacrifice. We must feel with our heart and soul the event taking place, not hear with our ears the words which enact the event. Only silence can penetrate this mystery, with our spirit lifting us above that temporal actions of the priest into the divine and eternal reality of the High Priest: our Lord on the Cross.

2. The Orientation of the Priest

Traditionally, the priest has always faced east, standing before the altar leading the people in worship and sacrifice with Christ our Lord to our Father in heaven. The east is where the sun rises, a symbol of the rising of the Son of God, His glorious resurrection and the direction of His eventual second coming. Standing before the altar, the symbol of the offering of the sacrifice is clear to all, elevated slightly above the nave and the rest of the sanctuary, lifting the sacrifice heavenward in an act of worship and atonement.

St. Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Church, Michigan City, IN

Please note that I do not use the terminology "facing the altar" or "facing the people", because this inevitably confuses why the priest is standing before the altar and not behind it. The people who are there are following the priest along the path to eternal life. Holy Mass is not merely a meeting or an act of praise with the presider guiding the people: it is an act of sacrificial worship and a step to eternal life. We join the priest, who acts in "persona Christi", in offering the sacrifice, Christ Himself, to God the Father. The entire proceedings are a spiritual affair: we leave our worldly worries behind at the doorway and enter a place of dimmed lights, hushed tones and reverence towards the divine presence within. The priest leads the people in prayer and worship, we follow as his obedient flock, as a shepherd leads his sheep to green pastures and lush grass. It allows for intense prayer: the priest concentrates on the offering of the sacrifice, the people concentrate on following him and lifting their hearts up to the Father with their Lord on the cross. The interaction between priest and the faithful is minimised so that the interaction between the soul of each person and God is emphasised through the sacred liturgy.

3. The Prayers at the Foot of the Altar

The job of a priest is awesome indeed. Offering any sacrifice to God is a heavy responsibility. When the offering is also God, with God acting through your ordained ministry, the responsibility is beyond human comprehension. Suppose that when walking you turned a corner and met a priest talking to an angel, who would you greet first? The angel would be constantly in the presence of God, sinless and perfect in his praise and worship of God. However, you should greet the priest before the angel, due to the dignity of his vocation: in his capacity, he acts in "persona Christi" bringing forth the graces of God's sacraments, whilst an angel merely carries messages from God, he does not act in His place.

St. Patrick Catholic Church, South Bend, IN

Due to this immense responsibility, in the traditional Latin Mass the priest approaches the altar with extreme care and awareness of his own unworthiness. Once the altar pieces are in place, he positions himself at the level of the surrounding sanctuary (normally two or three steps down from the altar itself) and starts the prayers at the foot of the altar. These include psalm 42, which pleads for God's grace, preparing the priest for his actions on the altar. He then, without moving forwards, bows down low and prays the Confiteor confessing to God - thrice - that through his own fault he has sinned exceedingly in thought, word and deed. The server pleads to God: "May almighty God have mercy on thee and, having forgiven thee thy sins, bring thee to life everlasting" - asking God for his forgiveness for the poor and frail priest! The Confiteor is then repeated, this time for the server and the faithful present, thus signifying a deep divide between priesthood and laity. The priest continues, with the server, in asking for God's help, and finally - after all this - ascends the steps to the altar with the prayer:

Take away from us our iniquities, we beseech Thee, O Lord; that, being made pure in heart we may be worthy to enter into the Holy of Holies. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

These proceedings reflect the theology of the Old Testament priesthood, thus providing us with a continuation and fulfilment of that priesthood in the person of Christ Himself, and the priests He has since ordained.

Once the Mass is over, the priest again bows low and offers up the following prayer:

May the lowly homage of my service be pleasing to Thee, O most holy Trinity: and do Thou grant that the sacrifice which I, all unworthy, have offered up in the sight of Thy majesty, may be acceptable to Thee, and, because of Thy loving-kindness, may avail to atone to Thee for myself and for those for whom I have offered it up. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Thus the priest further emphasises his inadequacy in offering the divine victim, recognising his human frailty before God and all those present. For me, this is a great expression of humility before Almighty God, who in His own infinite humility in the incarnation, instituted the Catholic priesthood in offering up the Eucharist until the end of the age.

4. The Use of Latin

The use of Latin in the Mass is very important. Firstly, it is the language of the Roman Catholic Church. It symbolises a real and true unity across the many countries in which the Mass is celebrated. Wherever you may enter a church in the Latin rite, the whole proceedings will be instantly familiar to you, bringing home an immediate feeling of the universality of the Church. The Catholic Church is truly universal, not fixed to one country or culture, but transcends national boundaries by simply using the same language, symbolising its unity in faith, authority and sources of revelation.

Secondly, Latin is a dead language. It is no longer used as a language in the streets, therefore it has stopped evolving as vernacular languages constantly do. Due to this, the meaning of the words has set in stone, and the liturgy does not need to be revised to avoid offending certain people for whom the words have taken on a different meaning. The dead language has, then, been turned into a "liturgical language" used for the liturgical celebration of the Church. This is not specific to the Latin rite either. The Russian Orthodox Church (although separate from Rome) uses Church Slavonic and the Greek Orthodox Church uses ancient Greek. When the Church was setting up in China, the missionaries there appealed to Rome that the locals truly could not use Latin as a language since it was so foreign to them. Subsequently, the Vatican decreed that the Church there could use ancient Chinese that was no longer in use, thus retaining its liturgical usage.

Thirdly, Latin exhibits a beauty and elegance that seemingly no vernacular tongue can match. Dietrich von Hildebrand, described by Pope Pius XII as a doctor of the 20th century Church, describes this feature as follows:

Latin is in a unique position here. First, Latin grammar has an uncommon clarity, and to know it, is an incomparable training for our thinking. Secondly, Latin has a great beauty, a spiritual nobility of quite a special sort. This is also true of medieval Latin, which moreover produced works of highest poetical art and religious depth. One need only think of the Dies irae, which is ascribed to Thomas of Celano, of Jacapone da Todi's Stabat mater, of the magnificent hymns of St. Thomas Aquinas, of the sequences of Venantius Fortunatus, and many others. The role which Latin has played in history, especially in the liturgy, and the universality which it possesses, gives the learning of Latin quite a special place ("The Devastated Vineyard" by Dietrich von Hildebrand, page 90).

Latin is not a barrier, but an invitation into the treasures of the Church, both in liturgy and music. It cannot be seen as an obstacle to potential converts, or to the laity in general, as the personal piety of the laity, and conversions to the Church and also to the priesthood, were flourishing when the Latin Mass was the jewel in the Church's crown.

5. The Gregorian Chant

As many popular music charts have indicated recently, the Gregorian chant appeals to the soul now as much as ever. Its sublime effect on the proceedings of the Mass is never to be underestimated; it truly seems to be music from heaven. St. Gregory the Great, a Pope in the 6th/7th centuries, organised the Church music and formally defined the Gregorian chant as it has been sung in the Church ever since. St. Pope Pius X further reformed the music of the Church, making a revision "not of the text but of the music. The Vatican Gradual of 1906 contains new, or rather restored, forms of the chants sung by the celebrant, therefore to be printed in the Missal" (according to Adrian Fortescue). Furthermore, the Second Vatican Council stated that the Gregorian chant "should be given pride of place in liturgical services" (Sacrosanctum concilium, 116). Mozart himself said that "he would gladly exchange all his music for the fame of having composed the Gregorian Preface", and Berlioz, who himself wrote a grandiose Requiem, said that "nothing in music could be compared with the effect of the Gregorian Dies Irae" (Latin Mass Society, newsletter no. 111, page 23).

The University of Notre Dame, IN

The Gregorian chant connects with the soul, not the mind of the believer (and non- believer alike). Without any knowledge of the traditional Mass, people are somehow drawn towards the divine mysteries of the Church through the treasure of the Gregorian chant. I personally was at a loss in the first Latin Mass I ever attended - a Low Mass - but subsequently I attended a Sung Mass with the Gregorian chant and to term a present day saying: "I was blown away"! It has a mysterious quality that silences the senses and speaks directly to the spirit within, connects with that ever- present desire - however suppressed - that yearns for the "unmoved mover" Who answers all our questions and aspirations. The chant, an expression of most religions, has seemingly found its perfect setting in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass - not the concert hall or opera house - but praising the merits of our Saviour before the Holy of Holies.

6. The Reception of Communion

The reception of Communion within the rubrics of the traditional Mass takes place within a sublime and prayerful world, separated from the rushed and physical world in which we live. Again, in the traditional Mass the physical actions of the faith are downplayed so that the spiritual aspect of our existence can revel and take precedence.

Firstly, the priest receives Holy Communion at a distinctly separate time apart from the servers and laity. He recites many beautiful prayers whilst consuming the Host and Chalice, before turning his attention to the servers and faithful present. He does, for instance, have a separate "Lord, I am not worthy..." prayer, said three times with the bell ringing. When he turns to the faithful, holding a piece of the Sacred Host towards them, he says "Behold the lamb of God...", and the faithful then recite their own "Lord, I am not worthy...", further emphasising the different roles of priest and laity.

Secondly, when the faithful themselves receive Communion, they receive It kneeling at the altar rail, and directly onto their tongue. This is very significant. Receiving Communion whilst kneeling means that the faithful line up in a row before the sanctuary, and thus have time to prepare themselves for this most sacred of events: coming into spiritual and substantial union with Christ Himself. The communicant kneels down, and whilst he waits for the priest to make his way around, he can settle himself, concentrate on the upcoming Communion with our Lord praying intensely. When it is his turn, the priest says the prayer: "May the body of Our Lord Jesus Christ keep your soul until life everlasting. Amen". This means, besides the beauty and the significance of the words themselves, that the priest says the word "Amen" so that the communicant need not invoke his voice to receive the King of Kings, allowing a constant stream of prayer and thanksgiving to flow from soul to Saviour. The communicant simply needs to expose his tongue, and his side of the proceedings is complete. Upon receiving Christ, he can continue praying for a little while, and only then does he need to return to his seat, leaving room for the next communicant. Moreover, having the priest come over to the communicant signifies that Christ comes to us, feeds us with His own divine life, whilst we wait kneeling and unmoving like little children totally dependent on His love, mercy and compassion. This is the message of the Gospel: to become like little children, submitting our wills to His and depending totally on Him for everything. We cannot even feed ourselves without Christ's help, and the action of Communion in the traditional manner demonstrates this in a very vivid manner.

Finally, receiving Communion directly on the tongue further increases the spiritual tranquility of the whole act. The priest, as above, performs the entire action in dealing with the sacred Host Itself. The danger of leaving particles of the Host on one's own hands is then avoided, as well as more worrying sacrileges such as the Host being taken away, uneaten, dropped on the floor, or even taken to Satanic gatherings. If a particle is left on the communicant's hand, however small and invisible to the eye, It is still our Lord entire, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. He remains fully present in the species of the Host until the Host looses the accidents of bread. Moreover, if we are allowed to directly touch the Blessed Sacrament, we may become casual or careless in our Lord's presence, thus giving rise to irreverence before the great Sacrament Itself. Only allowing the priest to touch the Host also increases our respect and reverence, not only of the Blessed Sacrament, but of the priesthood itself and all who take it upon themselves to enter it. The sacred Host is, after all, the very substance of God incarnate: something that demands our extreme reverence and holy fear. To restrict touching It to the priesthood alone can only increase these virtues.
__________

I have covered six main qualities of the traditional Latin Mass above which are certainly not the only ones. The whole ethos of the Mass exhibits a profound belief in the doctrines of the one true Church of Christ, especially in the Holy Sacrifice and the substantial presence of our Lord, Jesus Christ. The beauty and Catholicism of the offertory prayers confirm the doctrine of the Catholic faith in the upcoming consecration, unambiguously. The rubrics of the Mass are very strict; when we attend a Latin Mass we know what to expect - it depends on the Mass itself, not the personalities that surround it. The repeated genuflections of the priest before the sacred species confirm this most divine presence, as well as his repeated signs of the cross over It, before and after the consecration. Before the consecration these actions serve to bless and set the offering apart, after the consecration to signify the reality of the cross before us and its redemptive quality. The genuflections within the creed and the last gospel emphasise our belief in the profound doctrine of the incarnation, the centre of the Christian faith. The striking of the breast, during the Confiteor and the "Lord I am not worthy..." bring in all aspects of our existence to increase our realisation of own unworthiness and the infinite love and mercy of God.

The traditional Mass is not something heard or listened to. It is a divine experience seeping with the beauty of the faith, that touches the heart and soul of all who participate, giving a boost to the spirituality of those who immerse themselves in its mysteries. The secular world is the battleground; the Mass is the place that charges us up, puts us in touch with our divine mission and motivates us to face the prince of this world with great courage and faith.

I conclude by completing the quote by Cardinal Newman, who composed the following glowing praise for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, speaking by the mouth of his hero in his book "Loss and Gain":

I declare, to me nothing is so consoling, so piercing, so thrilling, so overcoming, as the Mass, said as it is among us. I could attend Masses forever and not be tired. It is not a mere form of words, it is a great ACTION - the greatest action that can be on earth. It is not the invocation merely, but, if I dare use the word, the evocation of the Eternal. He becomes present on the altar in flesh and blood, before Whom the angels bow and devils tremble. This is that awful event which is the end and is the interpretation of every part of the solemnity. Words are necessary, but as means, not as ends; they are not mere addresses to the throne of grace, they are instruments of what is far higher, of consecration, of sacrifice. They hurry on, as if impatient to fulfil their mission. Quickly they go - the whole is quick; for they are all parts of one integral action. Quickly they pass, for the Lord Jesus goes with them, as He passed along the lake in the days of His flesh, quickly calling first one and then another. Quickly they pass, because as the lightning which shineth from one part of the heaven unto the other, so is the coming of the Son of man. Quickly they pass; for they are as the words of Moses, when the Lord came down in the cloud, calling on the name of the Lord as He passed by: 'The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth.' And as Moses on the mountain, so we, too, 'make haste and bow our heads to the earth, and adore.' So we, all around, each in his place, looking out for the great Advent, 'waiting for the moving of the water,' each in his place, with his own heart, with his own wants, with his own thoughts, with his own intentions, with his own prayers, separate but concordant, watching what is going on, watching its progress, uniting in its consummation; not painfully and hopelessly following a hard form of prayer from beginning to end, but like a concert of musical instruments, each differing but concurring in a sweet harmony, we take our part with God's priest, supporting him, yet guided by him. There are little children there, and old men, and simple laborers, and students in seminaries, priests preparing for Mass, priests making their thanksgiving; there are innocent maidens, and there are penitent sinners; but out of these many minds rises one eucharistic hymn, and the great Action is the measure and the scope of it.

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Holy Mass: Heaven Is a Place on Earth

For some time now, I have been reading The Priest In Union With Christ written by the late Father Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P., described by some as “probably the 20^th century’s greatest theologian” and “one of the Church’s all-time greatest authorities on the spiritual life.”
Given the on-going attack on the nature of the priesthood, our priests and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, this is a book you should read and give to any priest you treasure.
The wonderful Father Garrigou-Lagrange urges all of his readers to always remember “that the principal Priest in the sacrifice of the Mass is Christ, and that the celebrant must be striving for an actual and closer union with Him.” Does this truth come as a surprise to you?
He then goes on to describe the different ways of celebrating Mass: the sacrilegious Mass, the Mass which is said hurriedly, the Mass which is outwardly correct but lacks the spirit of faith, the Mass which is faithfully and worthily celebrated, and the Mass of the Saints.
We would all do well to read, reflect and ponder these various descriptions. But I want to focus today on the Mass which is faithfully and worthily celebrated. – “a Mass offered in a spirit of faith, of confidence in God and of love for God and one’s neighbor”.

“In such a sacrifice, we witness the impulse and guidance of the Theological Virtues which inspire the virtue of religion. The Kyrie Eleison is a genuine prayer of petition; the Gloria in Excelsis Deo is an act of adoration of God on high; the Gospel of the day is read with keen belief in what it contains; the words of Consecration are pronounced by a minister in actual union with Christ the principal Offerer, by one who realizes to some extent the wide diffusion of the spiritual effects of his offering and sacramental immolation to the souls in this world and to those in Purgatory. The Agnus Dei is a sincere request for the forgiveness of sin; the priest’s Communion leaves nothing to be desired – it is always more fervent and more fruitful than the day before because of the daily growth in charity produced by the Sacrament of the Eucharist. The distribution of Holy Communion is not approached in any perfunctory spirit, but is treated as the means of bestowing on the faithful, superabundant life, of giving them an even greater share in the divine life…Afterwards the priest will make his private thanksgiving, which, if time permits, will be prolonged on certain feast days in the form of mental prayer. There is no more suitable time for intimate prayer than when Christ is sacramentally present within us, and when our soul, if recollected, is under His actual influence.”

But Michael, but Michael (imitating with great respect the literary style of Father Z): Father Garrigou-Lagrange wrote those words prior to the Mass changes implemented by Vatican II, so they have no relevance to us today. An expert I am not, but I do know this: Vatican II never mandated the removal of Latin from the Mass and never, and could never, change its supernatural nature or the reverence with which it must be celebrated. Man did this and we are now paying dearly for those errors.
To my simple layman’s mind, and with the aid of Father Peter Girard, O.P., I have come to understand that when we participate in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, we are really being spiritually transported beyond the realm of earthly time and space and entering into the on-going heavenly liturgy which someday we hope to enjoy.
Is this how you experience Mass?
How blessed you are!

http://catholiclane.com/holy-mass-heaven-is-a-place-on-earth/

THE INFINITE VALUE OF THE HOLY MASS

The Holy Mass is the highest form of worship. It is the sacrifice of Calvary renewed. One Mass gives God more praise and thanksgiving and makes more atonement for sin and pleads more eloquently than does the combined eternal worship of all the souls in heaven, on earth and in purgatory. In the Holy Mass, it is Jesus Christ, God, as well as Man, who is our Intercessor, our Priest and our Victim. Being God -as well as Man - His prayers, merits and His offerings are infinite in value.

The Mass is the best means we have:

1. To render God the highest form of worship.
2. To thank Him for all His blessings.
3. To obtain reparation for all our sins.
4. To obtain all the blessings we desire.
5. To release souls from purgatory and to shorten our own time there.
6. To preserve us from all dangers to soul and body.
7. To be consoled at the hour of death, for at that moment their memory will be our greatest consolation.
8. To intercede for us at the Judgment Seat of God.
9. To bring down God's blessings; therefore try to assist at Mass every day, or as often as possible, and twice on Sundays.
10. To better understand the sublimity of the Passion of Christ, and therefore, to increase our love for Him.

METHOD OF ASSISTING AT HOLY MASS
It is a common practice to limit our prayers to petition. This is a mistake. We owe God, first of all, adoration; secondly, gratitude. We can never thank Him sufficiently, though we were to employ eternity in so doing, for the innumerable gifts, material and spiritual, temporal and eternal, which He has bestowed upon us. Life, redemption, our Catholic Faith, preservation from grave sin, the grace of conversion, health, relatives and friends - these are but a few of God's gifts. Let us rejoice, therefore, to thank God by means of the Holy Mass. After adoration and thanksgiving comes atonement. Prostrate at the foot of Calvary's cross, down which the most precious blood of Jesus Christ flows from His gaping wounds, we should beg pardon for our sins which have thus nailed Christ to the cross. Let us as Him to pour His precious blood over our souls that they may be cleansed from their polluting stains. Prayer of petition should not be forgotten. In it we beg of God for the favors of which we stand in need.

SAY THE FOLLOWING PRAYERS DAILY:
MORINING OFFERING
O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer Thee my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day for all the intentions of Thy Sacred Heart, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, for the intentions of all our associates, for vocations to the priesthood and religious life and for the poor souls in purgatory.
Glory be to the Father, etc. (three times).

DAILY OFFERING
O My Jesus, I include myself in all the Holy Masses which are celebrated this day throughout the world, and offering them to Thee in union with the intentions of Thy Sacred Heart. I implore Thee to reserve for me, from each Holy Mass, one drop of Thy most precious blood to atone for my sins and their punishment. Grant me also the grace of obtaining through the merits of every holy sacrifice, the release of one poor soul from the pains of Purgatory, the conversion of one sinner, and also that one soul in the agony of death may obtain mercy, and that one mortal sin, which is so painful to Thy Sacred Heart, may be prevented. Amen

OFFERING TO THE ETERNAL FATHER
Eternal Father, we offer Thee the blood, the passion and the death of Jesus Christ: the sorrows of Mary most holy, and of St. Joseph, in satisfaction for our sins, in aid of the holy souls in Purgatory, for the needs of holy Mother Church and for the conversion of sinners.

after "Wonders of the Holy Mass" by Fr. Paul O'Sullivan O.P.

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