Dear Shepherds… Where Are You?

Dear Shepherds… Where Are You?
Posted on December 11, 2020 by Mark





WE are living through incredibly fast-changing and confusing times. The need for sound direction has never been greater… and neither has the sense of abandonment many of the faithful feel. Where, many are asking, is the voice of our shepherds? We are living through one of the most dramatic spiritual tests in the history of the Church, and yet, the hierarchy has remained mostly silent — and when they do speak these days, we often hear the voice of the Good Government rather than the Good Shepherd.

Those shepherds who do speak up, who address the “signs of the times” are frequently silenced or sidelined revealing a growing disparity among clergy on the seriousness of the dangers we face. Most are familiar now with the approved[1] prophecy from Japan and Our Lady of Akita:

The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops against bishops. The priests who venerate me will be scorned and opposed by their confreres… churches and altars sacked; the Church will be full of those who accept compromises and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord… —to Sr. Agnes Sasagawa of Akita, Japan, October 13th, 1973

In light of what is unfolding at this present hour, it is worth considering a new interpretation of this prophecy, as well as that of Fatima…



THE SPIRITUAL PANDEMIC

Our Lady has called the faithful to “Pray for the shepherds” for decades now through her apparitions. I think we can finally appreciate why. There is no one more in the cross-hairs of persecution than the bishops and priests who are increasingly faced with with restrictions on the Mass imposed by the State. I don’t think any of us can fully understand the complexity of the situation and the pressures they face at this hour. It’s easy to criticize from the pew.

At the same time, one cannot dismiss the incomprehensible actions of some shepherds who literally locked the doors and, in some cases, forbade any access to sacramental Communion, Baptism, Confession and even the “last rites.” The idea that the government would tell the Church that the Sacraments are “non-essential” is repugnant — but not surprising; that bishops would essentially agree in praxis, however, is stunning.

The deprivation of the sacraments jeopardizes the salvation of souls!

As I write this, packed airliners with over a hundred travelers sitting two feet apart are soaring above; they have permission to remove their masks while their meals are served in recirculated air… This, while large cathedrals that seat 1000 people are only permitted 3o or less people in some places, if any;[2] the congregation is forbidden to remove their masks or to sing, and protocols that “go beyond the requirements in most health unit orders and local by-laws” are strangely imposed on church-goers alone.[3]

Yes, we are told by politicians that churches are “superspreaders.” On the contrary, at least one Canadian diocese reported:

There has yet to be a single case of transmission in any of the Catholic parishes in our diocese. Even with the transmission that has occurred in other non-Catholic churches, the number of cases that pertain to churches is only at 2%, which is far lower than most other establishments. For example, nightclubs are at 5%, restaurants at 8%, and casinos and rinks at 25%. This means that you are twice as likely to get COVID in a nightclub than at a church, and 12 times more likely to get it from the rink than the church. —stats from a priest in the Diocese of Saskatoon, Canada
At what point do the shepherds take a stand and insist that their parishes will no longer be discriminated against and that Jesus Christ is “essential”? One bishop has not hesitated to rebuke his fellow prelates:
The unbelievable fact was, that in midst of this worldwide ban of the public Holy Mass, many bishops, even before the government banned public worship, issued decrees by which they not only forbade the public celebration of Holy Mass, but of any other sacraments as well… Those bishops revealed themselves to be imbued with a naturalistic view, to care only for the temporal and bodily life, forgetting their primary and irreplaceable task to care for the eternal and spiritual life… [they] behaved as fake shepherds, who seek their own advantage. —Bishop Anthony Schneider, May 22nd, 2020; catholiccitizens.org; lifesitenews.com
Here, Bishop Schneider appears to echo the reprimand of the prophet Ezekiel:
Woe to the shepherds of Israel who have been pasturing themselves! Should not shepherds pasture the flock? You consumed milk, wore wool, and slaughtered fatlings, but the flock you did not pasture. You did not strengthen the weak nor heal the sick nor bind up the injured. You did not bring back the stray or seek the lost but ruled them harshly and brutally. So they were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and became food for all the wild beasts. (Ezekiel 34:2-5)
French Bishop Marc Aillet also gave a powerful warning regarding those who “did not strengthen the weak nor heal the sick.”
Because man is “one in body and soul”, it is not right to turn physical health into an absolute value to the point of sacrificing the psychological and spiritual health of citizens, and in particular to deprive them of freely practicing their religion, which experience proves to be essential for their equilibrium… The Church is not obliged to align itself with reductionist and stuttering official pronouncements, much less to be the “conveyor belt” of the State, without this implying a lack of respect and dialogue or calls for civil disobedience. —December 2020, Notre Eglise; countdowntothekingdom.com
By cancelling the Easter Triduum and therefore the baptism of converts, many pastors did not “bring back the stray or seek the lost.” Others were denied the Anointing of the Sick, dying alone and without the assurance of Christ’s absolution.

Yet others “ruled them harshly and brutally,” such as one pastor who threatened a mother of seven that he would call the police if she did not mask-up, even though there was no law requiring this in her State.[4] Other dioceses have demanded that parishioners submit their names when they attend Mass or Confession, lists which could then be handed over to public authorities. I am not aware of a single other entity requiring this of its patrons, including restaurants, casinos, or theaters. It’s alarming and Orwellian, to say the least. Nonetheless, one bishop in Canada has warned his priests that they may face “prosecution” if they fail to comply.[5] I personally read an online chat where two priests were advocating that people report their neighbours who violate COVID-19 restrictions. Suddenly, we are gaining a horrifying window into the psychosis that led to shattered trust and terrible betrayals between neighbours and friends in Germany and many Communist countries — a psychosis driven by fear.
Fear, which has taken hold of many, is maintained by the anxiety-inducing and alarmist discourse of the public authorities, constantly relayed by most of the principal media… Within the Church, we can see some unexpected reactions: those who once denounced the authoritarianism of the Hierarchy and systematically challenged its Magisterium, in particular in the area of morals, today submit to the State without batting an eyelid, seeming to lose all critical sense, and they set themselves up as moralists, blaming and categorically denouncing those who dare to ask questions about the official doxa or who defend fundamental freedoms. Fear is not a good counsellor: it leads to ill-advised attitudes, it sets people against one another, it generates a climate of tension and even violence. We may well be on the verge of an explosion! —Bishop Marc Aillet, December 2020, Notre Eglise; countdowntothekingdom.com

…I have experienced the signs of the politics of Death in my youth. I see them again now… —Holocaust survivor, Lori Kalner; wicatholicmusings.blogspot.com

The Church will be “full of those who accept compromises”, Our Lady of Akita warned.

 

WHAT ABOUT THE… OTHERS?

Just as baffling, but no less disturbing, is the hierarchy’s silence on the far more severe consequences that COVID-19 measures are bringing — catastrophic repercussions that will far surpass the relatively small number of deaths from the virus. The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) warned that, as a result of the coronavirus, the number of people facing food crises around the world could double to 265 million people by the end of this year.

In a worst-case scenario, we could be looking at famine in about three dozen countries, and in fact, in 10 of these countries we already have more than one million people per country who are on the verge of starvation. —David Beasley, Director WFP; April 22nd, 2020; cbsnews.com

Why? Because of lockdowns of the healthy, which are destroying businesses, jobs, and disrupting the production of food and crippling the supply chain. We don’t feel it much in North America, yet, but the accounts I hear from less developed countries are utterly chilling.

In Alberta, Canada, the Premiere just warned that a shocking 40 percent of businesses “may not be able to turn the lights back on” due to lockdowns.[6] A new study has found that a third of U.S. restaurants may permanently close.[7] In Japan, suicides surged to 2,153 in October alone, marking the fourth straight month of increase.[8] In America, four of every 10 people seeking food aid are now doing so for the first time.[9] And researchers at the University of Birmingham warned that over 28 million time-sensitive elective operations world-wide, such as cancer or transplant surgery, could lead to “deteriorating health, worsening quality of life, and unnecessary deaths.” [10]

And yet collectively, all the Church has to say to the world this week is: “Go ahead, take the vaccine.”

Why — why is the Church so readily parroting government officials on the latest restrictions… but silent on the lethal dangers that these very measures are bringing?

We in the World Health Organization do not advocate lockdowns as a primary means of control of this virus… We may well have a doubling of world poverty by early next year. We may well have at least a doubling of child malnutrition because children are not getting meals at school and their parents and poor families are not able to afford it. This is a terrible, ghastly global catastrophe, actually. And so we really do appeal to all world leaders: stop using lockdown as your primary control method. Develop better systems for doing it. Work together and learn from each other. But remember, lockdowns just have one consequence that you must never, ever belittle, and that is making poor people an awful lot poorer. —Dr. David Nabarro, World Health Organization (WHO) special envoy, October 10th, 2020; The Week in 60 Minutes #6 with Andrew Neil; gloria.tv

And none of this speaks of the silent untold mental anguish of seniors, the unemployed, and the young who are statistically unaffected by the virus, and yet, banned from their schools, friendships, sports events — in a word — their youth. It’s as if preventing death by COVID-19, which statistically is killing less then 0.5% of the infected,[11] must be prevented at any cost.

 

WHERE ARE THE SHEPHERDS?

And now, all of this is taking a very dark turn…

Bishops across the world have declared it morally licit to take the new vaccines that are derived from aborted fetal cells. The argument is that “the duty to avoid passive material cooperation [in the gravely immoral act of deriving vaccines from aborted fetal cells] is not obligatory if there is grave inconvenience.” [12] Not every bishop agrees, mind you.

The bottom line for me is, does it [the vaccine] actually contain the markers, the DNA, of aborted children? If it does, I’m not going to accept it. —Bishop Joseph Strickland, Tyler, Texas; December 2nd, 2020; lifesitenews.com

The question, however, is whether there is such a “grave inconvenience” requiring the faithful to take a new experimental vaccine at all?

On the contrary, a new study shows that there are 84% fewer hospitalizations for those treated with a “low-dose hydroxychloroquine combined with zinc and azithromycin.” [13] And on December 8th, 2020, Dr. Pierre Kory pleaded at a Senate hearing in the U.S. that the National Institutes of Health urgently review over 30 studies on the effectiveness of Ivermectin, an approved anti-parasitic drug.

Mountains of data have emerged from many centers and countries around the world, showing the miraculous effectiveness of Ivermection. It basically obliterates transmission of this virus. If you take it, you will not get sick. —December 8th, 2020; cnsnews.com

And, of course, there are nature’s gifts that are almost entirely ignored, such as the antiviral power of “Thieves Oil”, Vitamin D, and zinc that can boost and help protect our God-given and powerful immunity. In other words, there are effective alternatives to a vaccine for a virus that presently has a recovery rate of over 99.5% for those under 69 years and virtually a 100% rate for those under 20, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).[14]

There are other strategies against COVID-19 that would allow us to stop the delirium on the one hand and to stop the disease on the other hand, and they would keep the hospitals away from overload and strain. —Dr. Louis Fouché, an anesthetist and resuscitation specialist, Marseille, France; December 10th, 2020; lifesitenews.com

Instead, the ecclesial “conveyor belt” is essentially repeating the State narrative while confining themselves to an extremely narrow moral viewpoint, as if the entire ethical question of vaccination can be reduced to whether or not they are derived from an abortion. It’s a moral vacuum with incredible consequences.

The reason is twofold. The first is because of a basic assumption that vaccines are safe. As I have detailed in both The Pandemic of Control and The Caduceus Key, with over a hundred combined footnotes, the trail of vaccine injuries are not only real, but multiplying — especially among children; that, and the long-term affects of the new experimental RNA vaccines are completely unknown, with renowned scientists warning of potential catastrophic consequences.[15] If entire bishop’s conferences are going to back the science of billion dollar private corporations who are not even liable for the chemicals they are pushing to inject into the bodies of the faithful, where is the balance of risk-benefits?

Second, and this is most serious, is that vaccines are not only being presented as a medical intervention but medical necessity. Are the bishop’s unaware of the growing technocratic totalitarianism being intrinsically tied to vaccines? Bill Gates, the unofficial quarterback of all things-vaccine who is clearly calling many shots behind the scenes, says:

For the world at large, normalcy only returns when we’ve largely vaccinated the entire global population. —Bill Gates speaking to The Financial Times on April 8, 2020; 1:27 mark: youtube.com

…activities, like schools… mass gatherings… until you’re widely vaccinated, those may not come back at all. —Bill Gates, interview with CBS This Morning; April 2nd, 2020; lifesitenews.com

This is tantamount to chemical rape. Nonetheless, even Catholic ethicists are backing the new health technocracy:

It may seem acceptable to some people not to take the vaccine and say they will stay at home and never leave. But I don’t see how people could reasonably take a stance like that and then go out into society, as they must at some point and perhaps they are carriers. There’s very much the reality of an individual conscience decision, which should always be respected. But that person always has to be thinking too about her or his responsibility to everybody else. —Dr. Moira McQueen, executive director of the Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute; December 2nd, 2020; grandinmedia.ca

I find this statement incredibly reckless given the aforementioned and what is already openly discussed as future public policy.

For example, it is no secret that the United Nations is developing ID2020 “to provide digital ID with vaccines.”[16] It is no secret that MIT developed a vaccine patch that delivers “fluorescent quantum dots” that can only be read with a “special device”[17] and which could negate the need for current approved COVID vaccines from requiring deep refrigeration.[18] And it is certainly no secret that governments are quickly proceeding to make participation in society contingent upon vaccination. New York State just introduced legislation to make vaccines mandatory.[19] The Chief Medical Officer in Ontario, Canada suggested that people won’t be able to access “certain settings” without a vaccine.[20] In Denmark, proposed legislation could grant power to the Danish authority for “coercing people who refuse to have the vaccine in certain circumstances ‘through physical detainment, with police allowed to assist’.[21] And in the United Kingdom, Conservative Tom Tugendhat said,

 

I can certainly see the day when businesses say: “Look, you’ve got to return to the office and if you’re not vaccinated you’re not coming in.” ‘And I can certainly see social venues asking for vaccination certificates.’ —November 13th, 2020; metro.co.uk

In summary, people will likely be required to take a literal vaccine “stamp” in order to “buy and sell.” Set aside the clear apocalyptic implications (Rev 13:16-17), never before possible until now… where is the voice of the Church warning the State that no vaccine can ever take away basic human rights? Are we waiting until it is upon us like a thief in the night? Or is it the sleepiness of Gethsemane, the fruit of a Church so numbed by the spirit of rationalism, her discernment so deadened by modernism, that she has fallen asleep?

It’s our very sleepiness to the presence of God that renders us insensitive to evil: we don’t hear God because we don’t want to be disturbed, and so we remain indifferent to evil… the disciples’ sleepiness is not problem of that one moment, rather of the whole of history, ‘the sleepiness’ is ours, of those of us who do not want to see the full force of evil and do not want to enter into His Passion. —POPE BENEDICT XVI, Catholic News Agency, Vatican City, Apr 20, 2011, General Audience

Fortunately, thousands of doctors and scientists around the world are awake and warning of a technocratic revolution that is beginning to hold the entire global population hostage to a handful of billionaires who stand to make trillions, along with their partners in choice federal positions.

Caution invites you to refuse any totalitarian drift that would be linked with the vaccine idea itself: social credit, vaccination certificates under the skin, etc. All this should shock you to the highest degree, and you should refuse it at the risk of going toward a totalitarian dystopia. We have to stick together, we have to act, we have to write, we have to talk, we have to explain to people what I have just told you. You will see, the government and its medical and pharmaceutical acolytes, the political, economic, medical, and technocratic power behind it, will recoil, because that is the only thing they can do when confronted with common sense and peace. Maintain the balance of power. Refuse this vaccination. —Dr. Louis Fouché; lifesitenews.com




Thus says the Lord GOD: Look! I am coming against these shepherds. I will take my sheep out of their hand and put a stop to their shepherding my flock, so that these shepherds will no longer pasture them.. I will deliver them from every place where they were scattered on the day of dark clouds… In good pastures I will pasture them; on the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down on good grazing ground; in rich pastures they will be pastured on the mountains of Israel. I myself will pasture my sheep; I myself will give them rest… (Ezekiel 34:10-15)

FATIMA… A NEW LIGHT?

About three weeks ago, there was a single “now word” on my heart:

Betrayed.

I began to write about it… but something stopped me. A few days later, I came across newly published remarks from a book by Pope Francis in collaboration with Austin Ivereigh called Let Us Dream. His words were directed toward those who are raising grave concerns over everything from the lack of sound science behind forced mask mandates[22] to the dangerous and unprecedented mass lockdowns of the healthy:

Some of the protests during the coronavirus crisis have brought to the fore an angry spirit of victimhood, but this time among people who are victims only in their own imagination: those who claim, for example, that being forced to wear a mask is an unwarranted imposition by the state, yet who forget or do not care about those who cannot rely, for example, on social security or who have lost their jobs. With some exceptions, governments have made great efforts to put the well-being of their people first, acting decisively to protect health and to save lives… most governments acted responsibly, imposing strict measures to contain the outbreak. Yet some groups protested, refusing to keep their distance, marching against travel restrictions—as if measures that governments must impose for the good of their people constitute some kind of political assault on autonomy or personal freedom!… We spoke earlier of narcissism, of armor-plated selves, of people who live off grievance, thinking only of themselves… they are incapable of moving outside of their own little world of interests. —POPE FRANCIS, Let Us Dream: The Path to a Better Future (pp. 26-28), Simon & Schuster (Kindle Edition)

The irony is utterly tragic. I literally cried over these words. For once, Pope Francis has left me speechless. To say to those who are warning that the restrictions are hurting the most vulnerable (the very poor that Pope Francis calls us to serve) and raising the alarm that lockdowns are destroying the economic sector, destabilizing nations, impoverishing billions, and pushing people to suicide, starvation, if not war… to frame this as somehow having given in to “an angry spirit of victimhood”, to “narcissism… armor-plated selves… thinking only of themselves… incapable of moving outside of their own little world of interests” has been the most painful abandonment of all. As Pope Francis now joins the chorus of voices in the world who are using “COVID-19” and “climate change” as the opportunity to “build back better”[23] a world according to Marxist principles, the words of Ezekiel have taken on their most sorrowful realization in our time:

So they were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and became food for all the wild beasts. (Ezekiel 34:5)

Perhaps there is another meaning to the vision of the “third secret” that was given to the three children of Fatima regarding the “Bishop in white”:

 

The Angel cried out in a loud voice: ‘Penance, Penance, Penance!’. And we saw in an immense light that is God: ‘something similar to how people appear in a mirror when they pass in front of it’ a Bishop dressed in White ‘we had the impression that it was the Holy Father’. Other Bishops, Priests, men and women Religious going up a steep mountain, at the top of which there was a big Cross of rough-hewn trunks as of a cork-tree with the bark; before reaching there the Holy Father passed through a big city half in ruins and half trembling with halting step, afflicted with pain and sorrow, he prayed for the souls of the corpses he met on his way; having reached the top of the mountain, on his knees at the foot of the big Cross he was killed by a group of soldiers who fired bullets and arrows at him, and in the same way there died one after another the other Bishops, Priests, men and women Religious, and various lay people of different ranks and positions. Beneath the two arms of the Cross there were two Angels each with a crystal aspersorium in his hand, in which they gathered up the blood of the Martyrs and with it sprinkled the souls that were making their way to God. —The Message of Fatima, July 13th, 1917; vatican.va

Perhaps this is a vision of a pope who, having realized his error — an error that unintentionally led to the enslavement and death of his flock — is forced to walk past the “corpses he met on his way.” A vision of a pope who naively placed trust in a “Global Reset” that would exclude the very Christians he thought it would serve. A vision of a pope who would recognize his mistake far too late and “half trembling with halting step, afflicted with pain and sorrow,” would then lead the Church through her passion, death, and eventual resurrection.

…there is the need for the Passion of the Church, which naturally reflects itself on the person of the Pope, but the Pope is in the Church and therefore what is announced is the suffering for the Church… —POPE BENEDICT XVI, interview with reporters on his flight to Portugal; translated from Italian, Corriere della Sera, May 11, 2010

And perhaps this is why, when Our Lady asked that this third secret be read aloud, that pope after pope did not disclose the secret for fear of shaking the faith of the flock.

I don’t know. I just continue to pray each day for our Pope and our shepherds, for their strength, wisdom and protection. But I cannot remain silent while I watch my brothers and sisters being led into the jaws of a dragon and the clutches of a Beast….



Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on Your flock, scattered and abandoned to the wolves… Come and lead us through the Valley of the Culture of Death until we reach the green pastures of the Kingdom of Your Divine Will where, at last, Your sheep may enjoy their “sabbath rest.” [24]

In our time more than ever before the greatest asset of the evilly disposed is the cowardice and weakness of good men, and all the vigor of Satan’s reign is due to the easygoing weakness of Catholics. O, if I might ask the Divine Redeemer, as the prophet Zachary did in spirit, ‘What are these wounds in your hands?’ the answer would not be doubtful. ‘With these I was wounded in the house of those who loved Me. I was wounded by My friends who did nothing to defend Me and who, on every occasion, made themselves the accomplices of My adversaries.’ This reproach can be leveled at the weak and timid Catholics of all countries. —POPE ST. PIUS X, Publication of the Decree of the Heroic Virtues of St. Joan of Arc, etc., December 13th, 1908; vatican.va

 

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/v...ing-communion-on-tongue-during-covid-outbreak

Though I wish Cardinal Sarah would be more vocal, I was pleased to see his signature was not on this document. The wheels of Apostasy continue to accelerate.

I've been spending less time on the forum, but can not help but post the above. A relentless path toward the Abomination of Desolation proceeds. I predict that the above banning of Holy Communion on the tongue will be extended to all the dioceses throughout the USA by the Episcopal Conference. We must continue to fast and pray. I will continue to take the personal stand of receiving on the tongue, and am prayerfully considering: if a TLM is not available, to refuse Holy Communion if "on the hand is the only option." For the Precious Gift is just that, a gift, not a right. A priceless Gift that must be honored with humility and Adoration!

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.

 

I hope sincerely that your prediction is wrong. But I feel as you do about Communion on the tongue only.

 

Our Bishop has said we cannot even use a pyx to take the host in or gloves or anything else. Hands only. We were going to Mass and just like in restaurants, taking off our masks once seated. He has said we can no longer do that and that we will be flagged so the ushers know who we are and we'll be asked to leave and then banned from Mass...

 

This is just wrong. Seriously deeply offensively wrong.

 

This photo breaks my heart. And there are so many victims... Lord hear your children's cry out!

 

Amen to that prayer. This scene has haunted me from the start of all of this. How could the leaders of the church have forgotten the poor, who always suffer the most?

 

This morning at Mass the Priest told us that for the first 1000 years of the Catholic Church everyone received communion in the hand. The left hand on top of the right hand, the right hand being the reverent altar holding the left hand. I'm not a history professor, so that I don't know. Just saying. His homily was about being reverent at communion. And ironically, because of covid, I sit in the parking lot, have the Mass on my tablet, then get out of the car, go to the side door to receive communion. Because I am over 70 and health issues. But while I was in the car . . .attending Mass . . .a woman exited the church just before communion, walked over to her car, got a water and looked like she took a pill. Sadly, I thought, she must have a migraine or something going on and needs some meds. Then she pulled out a cigarette and started puffing away. Soon, another woman exited, and they stood by her car just chatting away and ignoring Mass. Just as communion began, they went back into church. Not being judgemental, but where has all the reverence gone.

 

I can’t like this post! So sorry.

 

Sadly at the church I attend there is now a sign posted outside stating...."no masks, no service".

 

Like a shop, and not the House of Our King and Lord. I'm so sorry Mary's Child. Heartbreaking.

 

Found one! A shepherd, that is.

 

The description of enthroning the Eucharist comes from St. John Chrysostom who lived in the 4th century. The host was placed on the palm of the right hand, but picked up with the tongue. Fingers weren't used to pick it up. Archbishop Athanasius says receiving on the hand was basically gone by the 7th-8th centuries. Even with the indult to receive on the hand, Paul VI, John Paul II, and Benedict XVI stated: on the tongue is preferable. And so does the Roman Missal. Certainly, reception on the tongue exhibits more humility in my book.

Safe in the Refuge of the Immaculate Heart!

 

I knew someone on here would have the answer! We are not allowed to receive on the tongue here, MUST be in the hand.

 

I want to add the following. Sometimes I sound like a warrior, as in my highlight above, but I still feel that charity trumps all. Something came up which caused our Pastor to not be able to celebrate any Holy Masses here this weekend. It must have been last minute, for the only substitute priest he could find was an elderly priest from Oswego and this priest could only celebrate one Holy Mass at 4pm today. Well, because of the last moment notice, most parishioners must have gone to other parishes because only 20 people showed up in a Church that could, even with restrictions, hold 50.

This priest was a good homilist, but very elderly and "flexible on the rubrics." Well, protocol at our parish is that those who wish to receive on the tongue come up last. There were about 10 of us. I was near the front with my wife and youngest son. When the priest came down from the altar to distribute Holy Communion, no announcement was made and we parishioners were unsure of his expectations. No one moved, so I broke the ice by going up, receiving on the hand. When the others who received on the hand were done this priest was shocked to see parishioners wanting to receive on the tongue. Though there was sanitizer available, he obviously had not dealt with this situation before and acted nervously. Eileen, who is a very holy Third Order Carmelite, who normally veils herself and receives only on the tongue, went up and received on her hand. The remaining parishioners received on the tongue. The priest was so nervous, almost fearful.

My conclusion is that Eileen set aside her deeply held preference and acted with great charity; the Lord's Heart burst for love of her.

Charity trumps all!