Stella BorealisArchbishop John C. Nienstedt of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, leading a student mass at St. John's Abbey recently, [in the Diocese of St. Cloud], refused to give communion to members of a gay and lesbian college student group who were wearing rainbow buttons in a sign of solidarity.
Saint John's Abbey Church, Collegeville, Minnesota
The conflict between the archbishop and students from the Roman Catholic St. John's University and the College of St. Benedict occurred during Sunday night mass in Collegeville, Minn., on Sept. 26.
The action came as Catholics throughout Minnesota have been sent hundreds of thousands of DVDs from the state's bishops in support of a ban on gay marriage.
During the mass, members of PRiSM (People Representing the Sexual Minority) positioned themselves to be in the line for receiving communion from Nienstedt. Some of them reached out for the communion wafer but were denied it.
"We did this because we needed to address the DVDs and make a statement, and we wanted to do that by participating in the mass," St. Benedict senior Ana Seivert, a PRiSM member, told the Record student newspaper. "We were just coming off our Coming Out Week, where we felt so supported by our community. Nienstedt came in and denied us of our community."
One student at the mass, senior Andrew Grausam, said he was sitting behind the PRiSM members and saw some of them give a "fist in the air similar to the black power sign" before they sat up from their pew and "basically jogged to the other side to get communion" from the archbishop.
"It was sad to see the mass politicized like that," Grausam said. "And even though I whole-heartedly disagree with the archbishop on this issue, I was hurt to see my worship become a place of demonstration." [Better get used to it.]
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), which describes itself as the nation's largest civil rights organization on behalf of gays, lesbians and bisexual and transgender people, expressed outrage at Nienstedt's refusal to serve communion.[... What a ridiculous inclusion by the Star Tribune]
"Jesus didn't play politics with communion," Harry Knox, the HRC's religion and faith program director, said Tuesday in a statement from his office in Washington, D.C. "He offered his body and blood for everyone." [What does Harry Knox have to do with the Roman Catholic liturgy?]
The archdiocese long has for years denied communion to members of the Rainbow Sash Movement, who wear the colors to mass in protest of the church's stance in opposition to homosexuality. [I think you mean the Churches belief in Natural Law]
"We don't permit that at the communion rail," Archdiocese spokesman Dennis McGrath said Monday. "We have told them for years you cannot receive communion if you wear the rainbow sash, because it's a political statement, a sign of protest. Going to the communion rail is the most sacred part of our faith, the Eucharist. We don't allow anybody to make political statements or any kind of protest." Star Tribune
HT Greg
1 comment:
Receive only if you believe.
The statement made by a member of the congregation attending Mass who approaches an ordinary or extraordinary minister during the Liturgy of the Eucharist to receive Holy Communion is, "I believe that this is the body, blood, soul and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ and I believe all that His church here on earth teaches."
A Catholic communicant is instructed to be ready to receive in having observed the fast and in being free of mortal sin before receiving. Those matters are left to the conscience of the indvidual and their access to their confessor.
Political statement in the form of receiving communion places the recipient in jeopardy that is grave in the perception of the ordinary or extraordinary minister.
The public expression is further made manifest when the ordinary or extraordinary minister of the Eucharist holds up the host and says, "The Body of Christ" and the recipient replies aloud accord, agreement, belief and communion, "Amen."
An ordinary or extraordinary minister distributes the eucharist to the faithful, yet bears a burden in that if they become aware that the recipient is ill prepared to receive or unaware of the meaning and effect of the sacrament, they should decline to distribute the sacrament to that person.
Distribution and reception of the sacrament is a grace and gift within the Church. Willful public abuse of the sacrament is scandal.
The person making the political statement may get a little face time in the press, but has inflicted a personal wound on the ordinary or extraordinary minister and has wounded the community who have expressed their faith as well.
I pray that such a button or banner wearing recipient reflect and repent. If they are Catholics they likely are aware of their remedies available within the teaching and sacraments of the Church.
Thank you.
DM
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