PF confirms ALL bishops will do the Consecration of Russia

Gives new meaning to washed in the Blood of Christ.

Sorry about that I shouldn’t joke but I couldn’t help it. ***slinks quietly back into the corner**

 

I’ve seen when the blood of Christ has spilled on ground as well. And as awful as that is, I also have seen it as an occasion of education. In the case I witnessed, the priest immediately stopped distribution and got the purificator to place on spill. He then continued distribution. Once this was over, he then went to spill, reverently used purificator to continue to take care of the spill. Finally, he explained to all what happened and why he did what he did - explaining use of purificator and how they are then cleaned. It was in a strange way, through an accident, able to remind that this truly is the blood of Christ- not just a spill where you use a rag or paper towel to clean. It was beautiful in some ways.

 

Brian, I have never received by intinction in our area. But I have also by choice never partaken of the Chalice. But I totally agree with your reasons,

 

It was terrible for that poor lady. I felt so very sorry for her because she must have been on tender hooks because the Papal Nuncio was there. She had probably been up and down those steps thousands of times without a problem and her first stumble was a triple whammy. I only posted about it to reassure you that there can be more humiliating mishaps than befell you. I hope that you made a full recovery from your injury.

Poor lady. I doubt the high heels made a difference unless they were new shoes. Aside from whether or not EMHC's should be used at Mass, I would be afraid to volunteer because I'm sure I would make a mess of it.

 

Here, here when I was young and foolish. Jesus always wins. .

 

A good question for us to ask is, "If a priest tripped and fell" in a similar situation, would our reaction be the same?" After all, no one chooses to trip.

However, in a recent video clip here on MOG, a priest turned and hugged an Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist who I think was about to accept a ciborium placed on the altar's edge from this priest? The choice of this priest to perform improper and careless decorum at Holy Mass led to the Sacred Hosts being partially spilled. In that case, I could see negligence on the part of the priest, but not in the case that Whatever mentioned.

Imprecise, but traditional translation of Tantum Ergo (for purposes of singing).

Down in adoration falling,
Lo! the Sacred Host we hail,
Lo! o'er ancient forms departing
Newer rites of grace prevail;
Faith for all defects supplying,
Where the feeble senses fail.

 

Yes, my reaction would be the same. My reactions above were out of horror for Christ's Body and Blood spilling to the ground, and how awful it must have felt to those poor people who tripped.

When I went to my first Novus Ordo Mass in several months after attending my FSSP parish where we receive at the altar rail with an altar server holding the paten under our chin, I walked up and received Communion on my tongue...and the Host didn't quite make it far enough back on my tongue. The Host fell out of my mouth and in sheer horror I fumbled with it all the way down my front, trying desperately to catch it, but I failed. Jesus ended up on the floor, the priest bent down quickly and swooped the Host up and into his own mouth, then gave me another. I was in tears the whole way back to the pew, both because Christ fell, and because the priest never cleaned the area which I know must have had particles of the Host left behind.

 

Years and years and years ago when I was just 19 (47 years ago!) I was doing Sacristan at Benediction. There was a very important senior Passionist priest from Rome doing the ceremony , one of the top guys of the Order, everybody was kissing his ring and so on.

Anyway I got everything set up..I thought perfectly....but when the Father went to open the Tabernacle..no key! Furious looks from many and I left the altar and headed at high speed for the sacristy.. I looked and looked for that dang key ,sweating bucket loads but no key anywhere. A team of furious priests turned up and ransacked the place while the top Rome guy was left flummoxed on the altar.

They found it eventually after considerable hunting.

My Spiritual Director told me afterwards that there was a big team of them so angry they wanted to throw me out on my ear right away.

But the way I look at it is an honest mistake is an honest mistake and let's face it we all make them.

 

But here is an example of a sinful mistake and a young man who went to Purgatory for a very long time for making it!

 

I still don't see how the heels were a factor unless the heels were extremely high or the shoes had leather soles with metal tips on the heels. Most high heels these days have rubber or something resembling rubber on the tips. High heels might appear precarious to you but women who wear them all the time get so used to the heels that hard surfaces aren't a problem. Soft surfaces like grass are entirely different. I don't recall what kind of shoes were worn by the lady I saw fall. She was holding the ciborium with both hands, being ultra careful and probably concentrating on it so much that she missed the step.

 

Oh boy that must have been awful, sheer panic. Seems as though these things happen when we are trying so hard to be perfect. We all have our humbling moments.

 

It is possible a demon pushed her. It happens.

 

I would feel equally sorry for the priest. Yes, I was shocked to see the sacred hosts spill out on the floor but I honestly don't believe that Jesus would have been offended. In fact, I think he would have thrown his arms around the lady and consoled her. That nutty priest in the video is a different matter. Were I his Bishop, I would send him back to seminary for a few years to learn what he missed during his priestly formation.

 

I read a lovely story about Saint Gerard Majella, the Remptorist lay brother. One time one of the Fathers was praying alone in the Church and St Gerard did not see him there, he thought he was alone. St Gerard was doing Sacristan and bustling about keeping things clean and neat. As he passed the Tabernacle Gerard knelt but appeared stuck there, staring. Then he cried out,

'Oh Jesus! Let me go !! I have work to do!'