Holy Thursday

Washing feet didn't make Holy Thursday holy, the Eucharist did.



In Christ,


Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner

Is Pope Francis a bad example to Catholics?

Holy Thursday foot washing in the Catholic Church according to the “rules” – (that is the rubrics of Christ’s Holy Catholic Church) state that only the feet of MEN are to be washed.

For years people in the Church (clergy and laity) seem to be baffled by this concept and need to be reminded every year. (The Vatican says one thing and the United States Bishops say the opposite.)

The confusion was made worse when Pope Francis in 2013 did the very thing the Church had publicly been battling against for years.  He washed the feet of women... and non-Catholics.  He broke "the rules" of the Holy Catholic Church and left more people (clergy and laity) baffled as to what to believe and trust.  

Do we have to trust and keep the Rubrics?
If the Pope breaks them can we all do the same?
What's the point of Rubrics if they don't need to be followed?

Here is an episode of Michael Voris’ The Vortex from March 2012 about the abuse in the Church when Catholic clergy ignore the rubrics of washing the feet of MEN ONLY on Holy Thursday…

Since Voris has made it clear he will NOT now or ever publicly ridicule a Pope we can only assume from his views clearly stated here in 2012 what he thinks of the current pope washing the feet of women and non-Catholics.

Youtube Video notes:Published on Mar 30, 2012As we prepare for the remembrance of Our Blessed Lord's Passion and Death, there could hardly be a more insulting way to begin this, than with a major liturgical abuse. But unfortunately, such an abuse has become extremely common.

As we all know, last year when Pope Francis “broke the rules”, chaos spread among the Church with everyone wondering just when (if at all) anyone has to listen to the rubrics of the Church.  

This year, he’s done it again.

From Rome Reports:  “On Holy Thursday, Pope Francis washed the feet of 12 patients with special needs at the St. Mary of Providence Center, for the Don Gnocchi Foundation.  It's a center for the elderly and people with several disabilities located in the outskirts of Rome.  Their ages ranged from 16 to 86. Among them were four women and a Muslim.” –end quote-

So if a Pope has no regard for the rules of the Church why should anyone else?

What’s the point in making any rules if they don’t need to be followed?

What example is the Pope setting by publicly "breaking the rules"? 

Are his actions telling the Catholic world that rules CAN be broken and you are still a "good" Catholic if you break them?

Can we all pick which 'rules' (rubrics or not) we want to break now?

Don’t like the rule “No birth control”?  Ignore it! 

Don’t like the rule “Confess mortal sins before Holy Communion”?  Ignore it!  

Don’t like the rule “Catholics cannot support gay marriage”?  Ignore it! 

Don’t like the rule “Catholics cannot support or participate in abortion”?  Ignore it!

And the list goes on…anything you don’t like, just ignore it because that is what we’ve learned from our Pope.

After all, who are we to judge?

But the question remains... does anyone have to follow the Rubrics of the Catholic Church?

Are they rules or merely suggestions?

Perhaps the rules don't apply to the Pope only to everyone else?

Who will clarify this for us now? 

Just who and what to do we listen to?

Do we believe, trust and listen to the Rubrics or the clergy who ignore them?  

Can anyone answer that any more?

In Christ,

Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner

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Links:

http://www.romereports.com/pg156474-pope-francis-washes-feet-of-12-elderly-and-disabled-people-en

EWTN on Foot washing: https://www.ewtn.com/library/Liturgy/ZLITUR26.HTM


Document image from: http://skellmeyer.blogspot.com/2009/03/holy-thursday-washing-feet.html

Reflections of Holy Thursday & Good Friday

Last night was Holy Thursday…one of my favorite days of the entire year and also one of the saddest. It remains a favorite of mine because of what Christ was doing and was about to do for love of mankind. I can’t help but think it must have been a moment of His life on earth that he most looked forward to and most dreaded. He knew soon his work on earth would be complete “It is finished” and he’d return to the Father in Heaven. That must have caused him great joy and happiness. Yet first he would have to suffer in all ways. He was to be humiliated, spat upon, mocked, ridiculed, betrayed, abandoned, whipped, beaten, tortured and nailed to wood suspended into the air for all to watch him slowly give up his life. The horror of that must have been overwhelming...but not more overwhelming than Christ's love for us.

It saddens me to see Holy Thursday parishes with empty seats. Christ went through ALL of that for love of us and some people can’t be bothered to even show up to reflect, celebrate and worship Him. How that must wound Him- again. Has he not suffered enough for us all already?

At the end of Holy Thursday mass Christ in the Eucharist is placed in the Repository (side altar). There the Eucharist is reposed “at rest” until the Easter Vigil. The altar is now stripped bare, during this time people are asked to remain completely silent in honor of Christ (don’t get me started on those who ignore this request), while we adore Him and pray. I love this time- perhaps it is my favorite time of the entire year within the Church as the silence after such a moving and emotional mass gives me great depth in reflection. I am an easily distracted person, so the silence is particularly helpful to me in my worship and prayer time.

Soon parish volunteers silently begin to finish the stripping of the altar until the lights dim and we are left with flickering candles around the Repository and people on their knees adoring, worshiping and praying to Christ. 'What a wonderful time to be Catholic!' my heart is singing as I kneel and thank Jesus for his tremendous suffering! To have Holy Thursday in the Catholic Church is truly an awe inspiring event to look forward to each year.

Reflections on Good Friday

I had never participated in a Way of the Cross walk until I became a Catholic. I could have, it’s certainly not limited to Catholics alone. As a matter of fact in my town we have an Ecumenical Way of the Cross walk at noon each Good Friday. The walk is open to our town and surrounding towns with several churches and Catholic parishes working together to make our way of the Cross starting from one church and ending at another, reading scriptures, praying and singing along the way. My two favorite songs for this are “Lord of the Dance “(which we begin with) and “Were you there when they crucified my Lord?” which we end with.


These photos are from the noon Ecumenical Way of the Cross walk today in the town of Durham, Ct. The walk began at Notre Dame Catholic Parish, stopped in front of the United Churches of Durham and ended at The Church of the Epiphany (Episcopal) in Durham. Middlefield churches also participated in the walk.






But Good Friday is more than cross walking…it’s the day Christ gave up his life, becoming our sacrifice. He took up his cross for us…we must ask ourselves…are we taking up our own crosses for Him?
[ The Way of the Cross ] Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." [Mark 8:34]