Before His Majesty the angels hide face
Date updated: 2013-10-14 4:11:00 p.m.
Fig. www.krasaliturgie.cz
A childhood spent in the Soviet Union learned in his youth a deep reverence for the Blessed Sacrament, a liturgical abuse scandal, the role of women in the Church of the Holy Priesthood says in an interview with bimonthly "Polish Christian" JE Athanasius Schneider, b iskup Auxiliary of the Archdiocese of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Astana (Kazakhstan) .
Bishop is a German-born, but born and brought up in the former Soviet republics. How did this happen?
- At the beginning of the nineteenth century (years 1809-1810) there was a great migration of farmers from the south-eastern Germany to the Black Sea region, which is located on the site of the former Russian Empire. Residents emigrated Baden, Alsace, Lorraine and the Palatinate. Czar of Russia gave them free land very fertile soil (humus). The newcomers have the right to set up the village, where it was said only in German and to retain religious autonomy (so villages were purely Catholic and Lutheran), and which bore German names, such as Strassburg, Elsass, Karlsruhe, Baden, Mannheim, Speyer, etc. .. . My ancestors were immigrants from the north of Alsace, in the vicinity of cities and Hagenau Seltz. They lived there (in the Black Sea region - ed. IP) until World War II. After the war, Stalin regime deported them to different places in the Soviet Union, where they were interned and sentenced to hard labor. My parents were deported to the Ural mountains. Once freed, they moved to Central Asia to Kyrgyzstan, where I was born.
Your Excellency's childhood certainly was marked by pervasive persecution of the Faith by Soviet terror. Under what conditions came Excellency and His Family practice the faith? How does the religious life flourished bishop and who played a major role in it?
- The aim was to establish a communist regime society without God. Every public gesture of religious or public worship was therefore denied. Faith had lived and passed through the family, through a Catholic family as the church, the home. I had the great privilege and good fortune to be born into a Catholic family and you can tell that sucked the Catholic faith in human milk. In times of persecution, and in the absence of priests (which sometimes lasted several years) my parents celebrate and sanctify Sunday by refusing us, children, common prayer in the morning. Later we moved to Estonia, where we had a priest and a church located about 100 km. Therefore, always overcame the distance in order to participate in the Mass. We thought that this is a very short distance and liked the Sunday trips to church, even though they required some sacrifices. Our family had the honor to personally know the two holy priests blessed Father Alexija Zaritzkiego, from Lvov Ukrainian priest who was martyred in the gulags in Karaganda in 1963, and who was beatified in 2001., And his father Andreas Pavlovsky'ego Janis, Latvia Capuchin, who suffered as a follower of the faith in the Gulag in the Karaganda. He was my pastor in Estonia and died a saint in Riga in 2000
In the seventies of the twentieth century, the then teenage Don Bishop and his family were allowed to return to Germany. Finally, it was possible to free exercise of faith. What were your first experiences of Your Excellency in this regard? We are talking about a time when already introduced many of the unfortunate, the post-conciliar liturgical reform.
- We who practiced the Catholic faith during the persecution imagined Germany and the Western world as "paradise". The persecuted church lived deep faith, while maintaining a great honor for all the holy reality, for the priest, liturgy, and especially for the Holy Communion.
What deeply shocked us was the lack of honor and the sacred in the liturgy of the Mass. For the first time in our lives we watched a scene unimaginable distribution of Holy Communion in the hand. It seemed to us something so trivial and so common as handing out cookies. When we got home, we felt in our souls silent pain. When my mother saw that similar scenes are taking place in almost all the churches we visited, deeply suffered and wept.
Excellency often emphasizes that Holy Communion should be taken only in the mouth and in the kneeling position. What are the greatest risks and consequences of the widespread practice of receiving Holy Communion in the hand (both in terms of objective and respect for the faith of the person)?
- The biggest and the most severe consequence of risk lending practices of Holy Communion in the hand is a huge loss of particles of the Eucharist and the fact that the particles are trodden by human foot in our churches. Another serious risk is enormous ease of theft of the Holy Eucharist. The practice of receiving Holy Communion in the hand for a long time clearly undermines faith in the Real Presence and Transubstantiation, as the Saints Blessed is treated as a regular diet, without convincing gestures of adoration.
Some Catholics who support Holy Communion on the hand (or simply are accustomed to this practice), argue that the human hand sinning less than the mouth. They say the gesture of holding our Savior in their hands gives them a nice opportunity to adore him for a moment. They also argue that the kneeling position uwłaczałaby their human dignity, and that the standing position is more appropriate and equally respectful. As Bishop would respond to these arguments?
- The authorities of the body (hands, language, etc.) are not guilty of sin. Sin is assigned to the human person. Authorities used the human person to commit sin always remain innocent. Therefore, it is nonsense to opposing palms lips. Adoration of our Lord by the laity by holding the consecrated Host in his hands denies the whole tradition of the universal Church. This practice is subiektywistycznym, though pious, abuse. The Church has always reserved the right to touch the sacramental Body of Christ to the ordained priesthood. Exceptions were made for objective reasons in times of persecution or higher can absolutely necessary, but never in order to meet the individual piety. Even in the early centuries of Holy Communion has never been touched by lay fingers, but they immediately took her mouth with his hand, and the women were covered his hands with white cloth. Standing position is valuable and your time. This is a typical Christian position, as a Christian is a person who has been redeemed, living a new life and believe in the resurrection of the body. But the kneeling position is the position typically Christian and is used in times of worship and acts of God, Christ, God incarnate. It is also used to express a pleading prayer, penance and repentance. Sam our Lord prayed on his knees, so too did the apostles and the women on the morning of the Resurrection. Kneeling posture is seen in the heavenly Jerusalem, where angels and redeemed humanity from falling down on his knees, and even face to adore Christ, the Lamb of God. That's why most biblical, the most appropriate and the most logical gesture at a time when the faithful welcomes and accepts the Lamb of God in the form of bread, a kneeling position.
We say we believe in God, but we can not show him reverence, trying to do it on their own, often miserably. What are, according Excellency, causes loss of reverence for our Lord Jesus Christ? What pastoral and catechetical solutions could, according to Bishop, to restore the honor?
- Human nature consists of the visible and the invisible, the spiritual union of the soul and the material body. As a result, a person must act according to its nature, which in our case, this means that he must worship God while in the act of internal and external act. Act is the most important internal and external act revives it, but because of this external act can not be neglected. Exclusive emphasis on internal act while neglecting the external act leads us to the inhuman attitude of Platonism and Gnosticism. Emphasizing only the external act while forgetting and neglecting the internal act leads us to a dead formalism and hypocrisy. Our Lord said: "This in turn ought to have done, and then do not leave" (Matthew 23:23). To restore the honor, it is necessary to teach and preach faithfully and fully the truth of the sacrament of the Eucharist, especially the Real Presence and Transubstantiation; must be accompanied by the introduction of external gestures of worship.
Although the possibility of receiving Holy Communion in the hand was introduced in Poland in 2005, still does not make it, thank God, a common practice. Are being introduced, but other, troubling news: the celebrant's chair is placed centrally between the tabernacle and the altar, which makes the priest sits with his back to the Lord Jesus, ministers passed from one to the other side of the chancel bow reverently (although rather mindlessly) in the empty table altar , simultaneously thrusting towards the Blessed Sacrament , the King of Kings. We observe the phenomenon of "fraternization" faithful, especially young people, with Jesus Christ. That "fraternization" accompanied by trivializing and infantile manner in which we give worship to God, and it is often approved of, or even promoted by priests. When you try to talk about their pastors, they often hide behind the latest tips liturgical or pastoral needs and generally do not want to take the relevant discussion of "naprzykrzającymi the" faithful. What arguments should we use to convince our pastors that lex orandi substantially affect the lex credendi ? Is the laity in general, we must exhort our priests (in the way that Jesus commanded us in the Gospel) each time when respect for the Lord Jesus exposed is at risk?
- Supernatural knowledge of the faith the size of the Eucharistic mystery must first increase among the clergy. Also Rule authentic Catholic Christian worship and need to be better understood, according to the eternal unchanging tradition and teaching of the Magisterium ( sensus Ecclesiae perennis ). The fundamental right to worship God as follows: God, Christ, eternity, is the center and all the aspects and details of worship must be continually subordinated to him and set him (as taught by the Second Vatican Council in "Sacrosanctum Concilium", Article 2). When the celebrant takes his seat in the center, in a visible way, it points out that the center of the liturgy is the man. This is contrary to the teaching of the Church, especially with the aforementioned teachings of Vatican II. In contrast, when the tabernacle and a large cross with the image of Christ is in the center, and the chair celebrant stands on the side, is clearly underlined the truth that Christ is the president, the leader and the head of every liturgy
Eucharist. Christ is the Head of His Mystical Body, and therefore Christ is the Head of His "liturgical body." Because Christ is the incarnate, and the liturgy is sacramental, visible and brings the characters, the truth that Christ is the center and head, also must be visible, that is, His Real Presence in the tabernacle, and His visible image of the Cross must be at the heart the church and the center of the Eucharistic liturgy.
The Second Vatican Council and the Code of Canon Law encourages the faithful to ensure that they communicated their concern about spiritual spiritual good of the Church ("Lumen Gentium," 37 of the Penal Code, canon 212 and canon 213 CIC). Therefore everyone has the right to ask the secular clergy to corrected scandals and abuses which are contrary to the good of souls and the spiritual laws of God. The Church has a faithful following law: "Any Catholic, whether Priest or Deacon or true light has the right to complain about liturgical abuse against diocesan bishop or his equal rights to the competent Ordinary, or before the Holy See under the primacy of the Bishop of Rome." ( Redemptoris Sacramentum, 184).
Blessed John Paul II said in 1980 that "touching the consecrated particles and distributing their own hands is a privilege of priests." What Excellency think of lay stewards of distributing Holy Communion? Despite the fact that (at least in Poland) appointed ministers are generally carefully selected, respectable men, husbands and fathers, their ambiguous, the growing role raises some concerns.
- Separation of Holy Communion during the lay Eucharistic Sacrifice is contrary to the whole tradition of the universal Church (East and West) and has never been practiced. It is an absolute novelty and a real break with tradition. In times of persecution [secular and] hermits in the desert can distribute Holy Communion to the faithful, but it was always a place outside the Holy Mass. The introduction of lay ministers, justified by the desire to save time and relieve the priests in the distribution of Holy Communion to crowds of people. When we realize the unparalleled size and the sanctity of the Holy Communion and the fact that the timing of the Eucharistic Lord is really the highlight of Catholic life, then no one - neither the priest nor the faithful - not looking at the clock counting the minutes, it will also lamented the circumstances that cause fatigue. Contemporary reality is as follows: in the churches, in which lay ministers are involved in the distribution of Holy Communion, the priest at Mass wasting time chatting with people or the internet and watching TV. In such cases, the priest often wasted more time than the Mass zużyłby him to separate himself Holy Communion and without the participation of lay ministers. Another excuse to involve lay ministers, as follows: to express the active participation of the laity in the liturgy. It is a misconception of active participation, contrary to the teaching of the Magisterium and the Tradition of the Church. Separation of Holy Communion is an essential part of the ministry of ordained priests, and never was in the Church means the active participation of the laity. The Second Vatican Council teaches: "In liturgical celebrations each its function, whether spiritual or secular, should do just that, and everything that belongs to the very nature of things and liturgical norms." (Sacrosanctum Concilium, KL 28) and "promoting active participation should be encouraged to take acclamations, responses, psalms, antiphons, hymns as well as actions, gestures and bodily attitudes.At the appropriate time, you should observe a reverent silence "(ibid., KL 30). There is no mention of the lay stewards of Holy Communion as a center of active participation, because such understanding and such a measure is contrary to the age-old tradition of the Church and deny the following principle, which the Second Vatican Council teaches:
"Finally, the news should be made only when required by the true and undoubted good of the Church, subject, however, to form a new kind of grew organically from forms already existing." (Ibid., KL 23).
In his beautiful book on Holy Communion entitled "Dominus Est", Bishop described as a "Eucharistic woman" in the Soviet underground, which in the absence of priests managed to keep the flame of the Faith by the adoration of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, and by accepting the Lord Jesus, even in a spiritual way . Excellency described the moving story of his Mother, Maria Schneider, the priest hiding exceptionally allowed himself to give Holy Communion her seriously ill mother, provided that it does so it is with the greatest possible respect. Bishop's mother founded the hands new, white gloves and use tweezers gave Holy Communion to her mother. Then burned the envelope, which was kept consecrated Host. In contrast to the above described, the highest honor the full behavior of women working in a state of necessity, today raises a number of questions related to the increasing activity of women in all areas of the liturgical service (as altar girls, dispensers of Holy Communion, or even as "pastoral assistants"). What should be the limits of women's activism liturgical and what arguments should be used to discourage women from excessive involvement in the service of the altar?
- The role of women in the Church was established by God and is consistent with the laws that God in His wisdom and love enrolled in the unique nature and deeds women. The order of creation of human nature in the two sexes reflects the beauty and complementarity rather than competition. In the supernatural order of the Church's life and the most beautiful master model Christian woman is Mary, the Mother of God. The deepest and most beautiful feature of a woman is motherhood. Christ, the Incarnate God and eternal High Priest took human nature in males and His Wisdom inextricably connected nature of the official priesthood in all its stages and in all forms of the ministry of the male sex, because it symbolizes the spiritual fatherhood of Christ. The degrees of the priesthood of Christ is the presbyterate and episcopate and the quality they provide the highest level of service of the altar. You could say the bishop and the priest are acolytes, altar servers and lectors well. Diaconate in his service of the altar and the word symbolizes the ministry of the episcopate and the priesthood in particular and sacramental form. All other forms of ministry and was ordained a deacon below (subdeacon, acolyte, lector, acolyte) are exercises in the form of a deacon niesakramentalnej and serve to develop the role of the deacon, and ultimately to the priesthood and the episcopate. In accordance with the true universal and timeless tradition of the Church never did not allow women to serve at the altar, and the words of the Eucharistic Sacrifice, which is itself the official liturgy of the priesthood. During the Liturgy of the Hours, which is not the priesthood and the sacrificial liturgy in terms of strictly official, lay people, including women, may, however, act as a teacher. The highest model in the sense of the sacrificial liturgy is strictly official liturgy Last Supper, which was attended by only twelve apostles, and it was not even Mary, the Mother of God. Wieczernikowi Last Supper corresponds to the altar space or "sanctuary" in today's churches. Therefore, during the Liturgy of the Eucharist women have never been active in the altar, but in the nave of the church, because it symbolizes the common priesthood of the nave and the altar together with the space, "sanctuary", creates the whole Church and the whole priesthood of Christ, made up of the ministerial priesthood and the common priesthood of the one body, but essentially performing different roles (Vatican II, Lumen Gentium, 10).
I would like to inquire about the hygienic aspect of receiving Holy Communion in the mouth. I believe that it is impossible that any disease could be transmitted by the Lord Jesus, who is substantially present in the consecrated Host, and to my knowledge, never in the history of the Church has been accused of causing or spread of any outbreak. Although recently it happened that Holy Communion in the mouth has been temporarily banned, and distribution of Holy Communion in the hand was imposed (sic) by one of the Bishops' Conference of fear of swine flu. As might be expected, the effect of this decision was rapid, drastic loss of respect for the Blessed Sacrament, and even after the ban was lifted above, no longer taking the country's Holy Communion in the mouth due to "concerns about hygiene," which unfortunately dominated by faith in the Real Presence. I would like to ask the bishop if such an epidemic can in general be regarded as a legitimate reason for the introduction of the Holy Communion in the hand? Is the recommendation of the Bishops to take Holy Communion spiritual, it would be an acceptable alternative in case of an epidemic?
- In fact, over two thousand years of Christian liturgy had never heard that the Holy Communion were transmitted diseases or epidemics. It has been proven that the hand contains more bacteria than the language. Everyone uses saliva to make your first disinfecting wounds, but no one is using for this purpose the finger. Hand of the person who takes Holy Communion on the hand, usually many items previously touched upon which is full of bacteria or even dirt: door handles in public transport and in the church, but most of all coins and banknotes. Such unwashed fingers they touch the consecrated Host, Host leaving a huge amount of bacteria and the bacteria Host full quietly put into the mouth. Indeed receiving Holy Communion in the hand is highly unsanitary. If you truly diocesan authorities are guided by "concern about hygiene", should primarily prohibit Holy Communion on the hand. In some rare cases, extremely dangerous epidemics recommendation of receiving Holy Communion spiritual could be an acceptable alternative. Indeed, we need to rediscover and appreciate the fruitful spiritual practice of Holy Communion.
My next question is about how to avoid the risk of sacrilege during Masses celebrated for large gatherings of human and where you can also find people who have not been baptized in the Catholic faith (or even non-Christians) who come to Mass. out of curiosity, and who still receive Holy Communion. Certainly the practice of distributing Holy Communion in the mouth that has restored our beloved Pope Benedict XVI and senior which upheld the Holy Father Francis, is a natural "filter" that can prevent non-Catholics from taking the Body of Christ. What other precautions can be introduced by the priests in situations where the risk of committing sacrilege is too high?
- The Church from the beginning of its historical pilgrimage of the Sacred always keep the Saints, Blessed Sacrament , the Body of Christ in the sacrament of the Eucharist, according to our Lord's admonition: "Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before swine" (Matthew 7:6) . In the Liturgy of the Eucharist in the early centuries, the liturgy of the word and we all baptized catechumens were sent. Deacon announced: "The catechumens, depart. No catechumen can not stay. " These words are used in the Byzantine liturgy today. In the Church there
Special liturgical ministry "gatekeeper" (ostiariusza), who had to watch carefully that no unbaptized person took Holy Communion and that no person with bad intentions does not distort or profanowała liturgy and sacred place. Common restoration functions and services such doorman is a real need in the whole Church ministry. In the Byzantine liturgy, the person who takes Holy Communion must give your name, you must identify yourself to the priest, who distributes Holy Communion. This method makes the rite of Holy Communion more personal, gives it a family atmosphere and, thus, help prevent profanacjom. [This practice] could also be adapted by the Church of the Latin rite.
Catholics who go to church in Western Europe and wish to receive Holy Communion on the knees and the mouth are sometimes treated by the priests of aversion. It happened to me that, with tears in his eyes had begged the priest to give me Holy Communion in the mouth, as the stubbornly refused. Finally agreed to my request, but it did express disgust. What attitude is, by Your Excellency, more appropriate: always insist and be prepared to reprimand or even a verbal conflict with the priest at the point where we should focus only on our already inside, not the outside (seemingly obvious) available to accept the Lord Jesus? Should we rather decide to adopt similar situations spiritual Holy Communion to avoid situations hurtful breaking our hearts and conscience? Is there any other possible solution?
- The law of the Church is very clear: no priest or bishop has no right to deny Holy Communion to the faithful only because the faithful would take it in a kneeling position and the mouth. This law was written in the "Redemptoris Sacramentum", No. 91 Violation of this standard Church as a "serious offense", see Instruction said, No. 173 Church exhorts his ministers following, serious words: "Every saint minister should also seriously ask if respected law lay faithful who entrust him with trust each other and their children with the belief that all of them for the good of the faithful properly perform the tasks that the Church with the mandate of Christ wants to fill in celebration of the sacred liturgy. Every one should remember that it is a servant of the Sacred Liturgy. "(Redemptoris Sacramentum, No. 186). To deny Holy Communion to the faithful only because he wants to take it on your lap or on the tongue, is a manifestation of the arrogant clericalism and clerical despotism.
For about fifteen years Excellency full priestly and episcopal in Kazakhstan. For many decades, the faithful in the former Soviet Union was not allowed to hear Mass, they were deprived of the benefit of the priests and the sacraments. Missionary priests who came to the area in the nineties of the twentieth century, necessarily Masses celebrated by the new missal, and introduced a number of new, previously unknown liturgical and pastoral practices that were not marked by the old respect for the Blessed Sacrament . As Catholics, who still remember the Old Mass and the religious formation was much more traditional, have adopted these new products?
- The new rite was introduced in the former Soviet Union at the beginning of the seventies. But it was exercised in the spirit of the Old Rite, with deep faith and reverence. In my own parish, to which I belonged in the years 1969-1973 in Tartu, Estonia, Holy Mass was celebrated by the Novus Ordo , but versus Deum , at the main altar, in Latin, Holy Communion was adopted by
balaskach kneeling and on the tongue. So for my parents and for me the difference between the two " ordo "was almost imperceptible. The celebration versus populum was introduced in Kazakhstan in the days of the Soviet Union, but the way the celebration was very pious. It was introduced with profound obedience to the instructions of the Holy See. After the collapse and disintegration of the Soviet Union came there many missionary priests from different countries. Some of these priests introduced liturgical practices contrary to the piety of the faithful and characterizes life inherited from the times of persecution. Such practices were, for example, receiving Holy Communion standing, using guitars and clapping during Mass, sentimental songs and secular songs in melody sung during the liturgy. But, thank God, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Kazakhstan has established a standard to which the only acceptable way of receiving Holy Communion is received in Holy Communion kneeling and on the tongue, except for those whose physical condition makes it impossible to kneel.
Could you describe the faith of the Bishop of their flock? Do the faithful in Kazakhstan continues to show greater reverence for the Blessed Sacrament than Catholics in the West? Is their devotion was perhaps too strongly marked by the effects of the atheist regime?
- Catholics in Kazakhstan preserve the precious heritage from the times of persecution, that is, deep faith, great reverence for the liturgy, especially the Holy Eucharist kept clear awareness of sin, because the faithful often make use of the Sacrament of Penance, the great love of prayer, especially Eucharistic adoration , the love and reverence for priests and bishops and a deep sense of reverence for the sacred.
In the Eastern Churches in the twentieth century there have been no drastic ushered liturgical reform. Do you, by observing Bishop, in the churches of these has been preserved reverence for the Eucharistic Christ, it has been eradicated under the influence of Soviet atheism?
- The Eastern Churches, both Catholic and Orthodox, still retain a great honor for the liturgical tradition. Change the liturgy is for them something equivalent to the change of faith. They are deeply rooted in faith and fidelity to the liturgical tradition. They see the liturgy as a sacred treasure that the Church must carefully preserve and pass on to future generations. This attitude of the Eastern Churches, the Orthodox Churches, in particular, is a value that can and should enrich the Latin Church in these days of the Great Depression of the doctrinal and liturgical. It is my experience of the contacts with the clergy and faithful of the Orthodox Church. Learning and adoption of the liturgical spirit and loyalty of the Orthodox churches would be one of the best ecumenical gestures on the part of Catholics.
Hey, we show the Lord Jesus, it's never perfect. How can we train ourselves to constantly increase our devotion to Christ? Is the bishop could give us in this regard, a number of practical suggestions?
- First of all, we need to better understand the fullness of the Catholic faith in the Eucharist, in particular the extremely rich documents of the Magisterium. This will be a reading of the lives and examples of the Eucharistic life of the saints and martyrs. We express our faith with clear gestures of reverence, adoration and devotion to the Eucharistic Lord. Very helpful practice
generating spiritual fruit is Eucharistic Adoration. We need to promote Eucharistic adoration in our communities, and even set up a group or guild of worshipers the Eucharist. We also need to comfort our Lord because of the huge and numerous acts of sacrilege and a lack of respect and sacrifice in the spirit of penance through the hands of Blessed Virgin Mary, Woman of the Eucharist, acts of penance and reparation for example the angel who appeared to the children at Fatima.
In conclusion, I would like to ask the bishop is, it is, according to Your Excellency, the definition of the holy priest.
- Holy priest is a priest who is aware of the fact that objectively and ontologically is another Christ, alter Christus , and that the grace of God more each day trying to become an alter Christus , also in your mind, in your intentions, in their words and deeds, in accordance with the spirit and example of Christ, the Eternal High Priest, the Good Shepherd, who lays down his life for the eternal salvation of immortal souls of men, who do not care for their own profit, but only for the glory of God and the spiritual good of souls. And the biggest help in this process will gain if daily exercise will ever deeper faith and a deeper love of the Mass sacrifice.
Interviewed by Izabella Parowicz
+ Athanasius Schneider, Titular Bishop of Celeriny and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Astana (Kazakhstan) .
Translation of the Holy Scriptures for http://www.nonpossumus.pl/ps/
Read more: http://www.pch24.pl/przed-jego-majestatem-aniolowie-kryja-twarz,18087,i.html#ixzz2iy0bzlwk
No comments:
Post a Comment