Catholic mom pleads with bishops to act: Your children are spiritually starving, please feed us We cry out, 'Where is your courage? Where are the saints? Why is Jesus deemed ‘non-essential’ by both the state and the Church?' By Andrea Black Share on Facebook 282 Share on Twitter 16 Share via Email Print this Page June 2, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Dear bishops and priests: I think it is time for you to know how we are really feeling. It is time to hear the bleating of your flock. It is time to stop preaching at us about the merits of a “Eucharistic fast” and listen to your children, who are languishing from lack of leadership and from a deprivation of sacramental grace. We have read your letters, emails, and updates. We have spoken to you in person. We have begged you to find some way to bring us the sacraments in a manner that conforms to the current medical dictatorship. In reply, we have generally received either silence or defensive arguments. The excuses we have heard from you include but are not limited to: People used to receive the Eucharist only once a year. Frequent reception is a new phenomenon. Many in the world do not even have access to a weekly Mass. During times of persecution and war, Catholics could not attend Mass. A Eucharistic fast is good for you. You don’t need to receive Jesus in order to fully participate in the Mass. God’s grace is bigger than the sacraments. I have to be obedient to the bishop and/or “health authorities.” We must ask, how are any of these statements supposed to bring comfort? Instead of defending your actions by reverting to the past or referring to the situations in other countries, we need to hear you say, “My heart is breaking for you. I cannot imagine how difficult it is to be locked out of the churches you love. I cannot imagine what it is like to be subjected to a TV Mass and told that the graces are ‘the same’ as if you actually went to Mass. I cannot imagine what it must be like to go for months without confession and the Eucharist.” The truth is, most of you have not said this because most of you cannot imagine what it is like on this side of a locked church door. You, our spiritual fathers, are still being nourished by the sacramental graces offered by the Church. Meanwhile, your children starve and are being told that it is good for them. Let me be clear: this is not a fast. Fasts are voluntary. This is the spiritual starvation of your children. If you would walk with us as shepherds should, perhaps you might consider doing a voluntary “sacramental fast” for ten weeks. Then you would understand how the soul languishes without the lifeblood of Jesus in the Eucharist. SUBSCRIBE to LifeSite's daily headlines U.S. Canada World Catholic Of course, God’s grace is bigger than the sacraments, but that does not negate the ontological truth that Catholics are being deprived of the sacramental graces available through reception of Jesus and through confession. We keep hearing that the churches will open soon. We are told that the bishops despise this as much as everyone else does. We are told the bishops are desperate to move forward. But, are they? In some places, parking lot religious services have been permitted by the government, and it would appear the Protestants and Evangelicals are taking advantage of the freedom. Not the Catholics. Stores are allowed to open with limited customers. Are churches? Not where I live, though the bishop of my diocese is supposedly eager to get sacramental life back to normal. We are not even allowed to enter a church to pray in front of the Blessed Sacrament.
In some places, priests have been innovative and offered Eucharistic Adoration in the church parking lot. Yet, in at least one diocese, this practice was not endorsed and was deemed not “necessary at this time (nor) good liturgical practice.” Dear bishops, how can it be unnecessary to bring Jesus to the people? And when we consider the stories from Nazi concentration camps where imprisoned priests would pretend to be weeding but had placed a portable altar on the ground to offer Mass secretly, we must concede that sometimes it may be necessary to relax some liturgical norms to accommodate the needs of the times. Some of us are willing to risk being fined for attending a Mass or entering a church that has more than five people in it, but you will not stand beside us and also take that risk. Should Catholicism be outlawed and priests declared illegal, many of us would willingly hide you in our homes to keep you safe. We would risk the fines and the imprisonment. But you will not even let us into our own spiritual homes – the churches to which we belong – for fear of being fined by authorities. We cry out, “Where is your courage? Where are the saints? Why is Jesus deemed ‘non-essential’ by both the state and the Church?” Dear priests, we know you could be punished by authorities and by your bishops for feeding your flock and thereby doing what can only be right in the eyes of God. It is terrible that we have come to a point in the history of the Church, likely not for the first time, that some in the hierarchy are not true shepherds. They seem more concerned about losing charitable tax status than they are about losing souls. They seem more concerned about media reports and lawsuits than about preaching the Gospel to the world. Let us remember, though, that every profession has its punishing overlord, whether it be a power-hungry employer, a society that demeans women who wish to be homemakers, or a screaming infant in the middle of the night. Suffering is part of life. I know you will be punished and I am deeply sorry for it. But real fathers go out and slay dragons to protect their families. They do everything in their power to ensure their families are loved and fed. If my children were starving, my husband would risk his life to bring food to them. Can the same be said of you? Do you see that your children are suffering a worse fate than physical starvation? Our souls are wilting. Will you not feed us? Jesus admonished Peter to “Feed my sheep!” If enough of you decided together that it was time to open the churches, could the bishop punish all of you? No bishop can risk losing 15 priests from his diocese. There are not 15 “outpost” parishes to which he could send you as punishment. Yes, you pledged your obedience to him on the day of ordination, but are you not also to be obedient to a higher power, namely Christ, who made you a priest to feed His flock? When you receive orders, either from health authorities or a bishop, that deprive your children of sacramental grace, would God hold you accountable if you refuse to obey such directives that are based on pure human law, not on the supreme law of the Church which is the salvation of souls? Priests ran out onto the battlefields to administer the Last Rites to dying soldiers during the great wars. St. Thomas More lost his head because he would not approve the king’s marriage. St. Tarcisius died protecting the Blessed Sacrament from sacrilege. St. Maximillian Kolbe offered his life in place of another in a concentration camp. We cry out again, “Where is your courage?” We are not exactly asking you to dodge bullets or risk imprisonment. Even if we were, Catholics believe that eternal glory is reserved for those who have fought the good fight and finished the race. People around us are saying they do not know whether they will be able to look you in the eye and call you “Father” after this is over. The sheep have been abandoned. The shepherds are cowering behind locked doors. Some are saying they can never give a dime to a church that has left them out in the cold. These statements are not coming from nominal Catholics or those who only attend on high holy days. These are the words of those who deeply love the Church and who have been wounded to the heart by the Church’s ministers. A growing number of us no longer buy the ivory-tower arguments we are hearing from the dioceses. When it is permissible to walk through a Costco with two hundred other customers, but we cannot gather in groups of five to pray in our Catholic churches, we sense that you are not truly concerned about our immortal souls. I urge you to listen to the pleas of those who love the Church. When this is all over, they are likely the only ones who will be left in the pews. Many elderly will be too scared to attend Mass. The nominal Catholics are accustomed to a televised Mass. And all the rest will no longer care, for they have received the message loud and clear: “Christ is not essential.” Dear bishops and priests: Will you be remembered as shepherds of your flocks, or as servants of the government? Andrea Black is a Catholic wife, and homeschooling mother. She has a Master of Theological Studies (MTS) degree from St. Augustine's Seminary. She is the author of In Case I Don’t Make It from Justin Press and has an upcoming book this fall, Light in the Darkness: A 21st Century Guide for Catholic Families. https://www.lifesitenews.com/opinio...ldren-are-spiritually-starving-please-feed-us
I certainly do not mean to sound flippant, nor to discourage anyone, but my response to this is: Feed yourself. I went five years without any church attendance between last Protestant church and stepping into a Roman Catholic parish. Why? Because during those five years I'd already endured 30+ years of basically no spiritual feeding (a succession of lazy pastors or gossipy "leaders" or my husband's indecisiveness). I had to feed myself. Now it's been inability to attend due to COVID. I really have never known being spiritually fed as an adult. Sad, huh? I nearly have forgotten I'm to expect it.
The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Spiritual Life rather than a bolt on extra. The problem is that our Bishops are agreeing with Governments that is non essential. It is in fact totally essential, I believe this is the point the writer was making. When Jesus said, 'I am the bread of Life', He meant every single word.
Dear DesertStar7. I can understand where you are coming from; because although a cradle Catholic, I also had two LONG spells of illness when I was unable to attend Holy Mass. I just had to man up and get on with it. Yes I missed attending Holy Mass at the time, and miss attending now. Not all souls have had the same grace as you and I. And yes our past struggles were a blessing in disguise when we look back. This is why we are not feeling the loss other Catholics are only now having to learn to live with. You and I tasted spiritual famine, for others it is the first taste of it. When all this locked Churches malarkey started, I felt God had allowed me TWO practice runs in life, being those two extended periods I was unable to practise the Faith primarily attending Holy Mass at least once a week, along with Holy Days of obligation, and no sacramental confession or Holy Communion Because those times were outside of my control, I felt no guilt; and indeed grew more internally in my relationship with Almighty God. If fact, in the months leading up to all this, looking back I realised God had been putting in place coincidences which only He could know would speak volumes to me in convincing me He was with me every step of the way in this lockdown. I am convinced anyone who reads this and thinks back in all sincerity, will discover they are not and never were alone for one instant, in all this ghastly desertion by our Shepherds. We have to pray for them, they know not what they do. For me the frightening thing is, I feel forced to view our Shepherds as possible HIRELINGS. I have not yet come to terms with this aspect of what we are being subjected to by the Hierarchy who are using/abusing their God given authority over us. I just don't know the answer YET; but it is a very scary thought. Because if we are dealing with HIRELINGS, we have been deceived for only God knows how long. We believed we had Shepherds. Enough said.
Julia, Your fear is not unfounded. In a June 3 letter to priests and laity of the Archdiocese of Washington, Abp Vigano wrote: “Unfortunately, the Catholic Church is led by many false pastors”. https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/a...ps-visit-to-catholic-shrine-is-false-shepherd +
Julia I agree. Sadly. I have to say you've put your finger on it. But you also identify the goodness of God upholding us through this famine. "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
It well may be that unmaskings are coming that will shock many. To quote Malachi Martin yet once more on this subject "they (bishops/hierarchy) have lost their faith. It is as simple as that..."
Did anyone read about the Archbishop in Glasgow who said he will not open the Church until a vaccine is available. And then only parishioners who are vaccinated will be allowed to attend. Truly, you could not make this stuff up...And I do hope what I read was fake news. If true, who does this Archbishop represent. Your Lordship Archbishop; Heaven requires us to be willing to give our lives in the service of the Most High. Hell on the other hand, well I don't know what is required other than unrepented sin, because I was never interested in what hell has to offer. Can't speak for you though, Your Grace.
I haven't read that and I have my doubts that it's accurate. According to the website of Glasgow Archdiocese, Scotland's Bishops have submitted to the Government their guidelines for re-opening churches: http://www.rcag.org.uk/index.php/item/942-bishops-guidelines-for-church-re-openings
I find it difficult to accept that the consecrated men lost their faith. A man who gives up his life for Christ to become a priest, would by the very Sacraments he celebrates/ administers be strengthened by so much Grace. It is much easier to believe that the false shepherds were never Catholic in the first place; merely implants of the enemy who seek to destroy the Church from within. +
People lose their faith all the time. Hell is probably populated with them. The Church is two thousand years old. I doubt seriously that there have been implants for all these centuries. Our Lord warned us to enter by the narrow gate. Were the Pharisees and Sadducees implants? Remember that the devil had the audacity to tempt Our Lord in the desert. I’m not saying that there hasn’t been infiltration, but that does not account totally for the widespread apostasy. It has been foretold. It has to happen.
I did read that and thought it was true, but when I tried to find the source I never could, so as Dolours said it must be false. At least I hope so. I was at least kind of heartened by Cardinal Nichols of Westminster saying the Churches should restart. At least that's something. I won't even bother criticising the Bishops, I haven't the heart. What is, is. We have such a huge, huge anchor in our Faith, it gives us great roots into the reality which is God. It keeps us sane. I can''t help thinking that the world around me is going insane at the moment. Not being afraid of death is a huge good. I think fear is helping driving many, many people off balance. Not only fear of death but fear of so many things. But as St John points out, perfect love drives out fear. Love gives meaning and purpose. Love prevents madness.
Malachi Martin explains how this happens in that same interview. It is a result of sin primarily. Over time sin indulged in can weaken one's faith. A heterodox idea is not rejected and bit by bit the faith erodes. Unrepented sin--over time can diminish and then snuff out faith. There have been infiltrators without doubt but sadly some of this apostasy is "home grown". St Paul speaks of "itching ears" and others who began with them who have fallen away. Consecrated souls are specifically targeted by the evil one.
Yes. Consecrated souls are especially targeted. But the same process occurs when lay people lose the Faith. Sin is indulged and over time, the Faith erodes. Unrepented sin and continual sinful choices are all that is needed. Our Lady is always telling us to pray for priests.
Another thing. I was listening to a talk on ewtn this morning about cooperating with God’s grace. It is possible that God will give the grace but the individual soul will not cooperate with it.
