Church as Penance

It is Lent. And the abuse of the Faithful continues. I remembered a church only 45 minutes away that had a long tradition of having a noontime mass during Lent. After 2 weeks of wonderful rest I had some extra energy so I drove to my old haunts. I had forgotten the extent of liturgical undermining in this diocese.

Upon entering the beautiful, stately old Church I automatically reached towards the holy water font to bless myself--ROADBLOCK!!! NO HOLY WATER!


















Some misguided(giving the benefit of the doubt)Hall Monitor had removed the Holy Water and put a high-tone fan-folded dinner napkin in every font. I suppose I should appreciate that at least the napkin was purple (this same parish insists on using blue for Advent). I suppose I should be thankful that the trendy sand of some years ago was gone. But still.....I was illegally denied my right as a Catholic to the comfort and benefit of blessing myself with Holy Water.

http://wdtprs.com/blog/2008/03/empty-holy-water-fonts-during-lent-grrrrrr/

Perhaps the five week absence from the abuse of the local manifestation of the Catholic Church in this area had softened me up. I didn't feel anger--only extreme sadness. Perhaps I need to upgrade my full panoply so the vulnerable areas aren't so vulnerable. One grows weary of the continuous beating down of the faithful who put up with so much and ask so little.

Oh yes--this church doesn't have the lenten noontime mass anymore.

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In case you didn't read the entire article posted on the link above, here's the proper practice concerning sacramentals--and Holy Water is a sacramental--during Lent.

Prot. N. 569/00/L

March 14, 2000

Dear Father:

This Congregation for Divine Worship has received your letter sent by fax in which you ask whether it is in accord with liturgical law to remove the Holy Water from the fonts for the duration of the season of Lent.

This Dicastery is able to respond that the removing of Holy Water from the fonts during the season of Lent is not permitted, in particular, for two reasons:

1. The liturgical legislation in force does not foresee this innovation, which in addition to being praeter legem is contrary to a balanced understanding of the season of Lent, which though truly being a season of penance, is also a season rich in the symbolism of water and baptism, constantly evoked in liturgical texts.

2. The encouragement of the Church that the faithful avail themselves frequently of the [sic] of her sacraments and sacramentals is to be understood to apply also to the season of Lent. The "fast" and "abstinence" which the faithful embrace in this season does not extend to abstaining from the sacraments or sacramentals of the Church.

The practice of the Church has been to empty the Holy Water fonts on the days of the Sacred Triduum in preparation of the blessing of the water at the Easter Vigil, and it corresponds to those days on which the Eucharist is not celebrated (i.e., Good Friday and Holy Saturday).

Hoping that this resolves the question and with every good wish and kind regard, I am, Sincerely yours in Christ, [signed] Mons. Mario Marini [Now the Adjunct Secretary of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei] Undersecretary