Protection of the Most Blessed Sacrament
When Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris was on fire a few years back, a holy priest ran back into the inferno, not to grab the collection, not to save an historic piece of art, but to protect the Blessed Sacrament. He risked his life to save those consecrated Hosts. And he is a hero for it.
A consequence of what God has revealed about the Real Presence is that we must act in accordance with what we believe. Either the Eucharist actually is the Lord Jesus Christ, as the Church has believed since the beginning, or it is not. We can’t have it both ways. And as for us at All Saints, we choose the faith of the Church over and against the laxidasical and uninformed opinions of the masses.
We have had several instances in the last year of people refusing to consume the Sacred Host. Some of them even ran out of the church, with Our Lord in their hands, or even worse, shoved into a hand bag or pocket. This simply is intolerable and inexcusable. It is a crime and desecration of the Most Blessed Sacrament, to which the Church assigns the penalty of automatic excommunication.
If you have a special circumstance where Holy Communion needs to be brought to a loved one at home or something of the sort, you MUST speak to the priest, deacon, or seminarian and we WILL help you! But if you take it upon yourself to walk away with the Eucharist without consuming it, you will be followed, and we will insist that you immediately consume it or give it back to the minister. And if you see something strange happening with someone’s reception of the Eucharist, please inform the priest, deacon, or seminarian immediately.
This is not to embarrass anyone, but to protect the Blessed Sacrament from desecration. It matters that much. He matters that much. You matter so much, that you deserve to know the truth.
Praised be Jesus Christ, now and forever!
All you holy saints of God, pray for us!
Peace in Christ,
Fr. Michael Silloway
Pastor