The Happy Priest On The Mass: The Greatest Act on the Face of the Earth
1975 and later was chosen to be a cardinal. Only a few months after he became a bishop, he was arrested by the Vietnamese government and imprisoned for thirteen years. Nine of those thirteen years were spent in solitary confinement!
During the Jubilee Year 2000, Pope John Paul II invited the Cardinal Van Thuan to direct the annual Lenten spiritual exercises for himself and the Roman Curia. The collection of meditations that were delivered make up an amazing book entitled Testimony of Hope.
In one of the meditations, Cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan movingly describes what it was like not to have the Eucharist readily available and what he had to do to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
"When I was arrested, I had to leave immediately with empty hands. The next day, I was permitted to write to my people in order to ask for the most necessary things: clothes, toothpaste.I wrote, 'Please send me a little wine as medicine for my stomach ache.' The faithful understood right away.
"They sent me a small bottle of wine for Mass with a label that read, 'medicine for stomachaches.' They also sent some hosts, which they hid in a flashlight for protection against the humidity. The police asked me, 'You have stomach aches? Yes. Here's some medicine for you.'
"I never will be able to express my great joy! Every day, with three drops of wine and a drop of water in the palm of my hand, I would celebrate Mass. This was my altar, and this was my cathedral! It was true medicine for soul and body, 'Medicine of immortality, remedy so as not to die but to have life always in Jesus', as St. Ignatius of Antioch says."
-----
Father James Farfaglia is the Pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Corpus Christi, TX. Check out Father's updated website to learn more about his books, homilies and audio podcasts."
- - -
Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.
Keywords: Fr. James Farfaglia, Lent, spirituality, prayer, Liturgy, Get Serious, Lent, Holy Thursday, The Mass, The Eucharist
NEWSLETTERS »
Rate This Article
1 - 4 of 4 Comments
Leave a Comment
More Lent / Easter News
- The Power of the Resurrection in our Lives: Christ Is Risen; Indeed, He Is Risen!
- What a Day! What a Way, the Easter Way, Alleluia!
- The Surprise of Easter
- Easter Vigil Homily of Pope Francis: Let the Risen Jesus Enter Your Life
- HOLY SATURDAY: The Whole Earth Keeps Silence
- The Resurrecting Power of Mercy
- On the Friday We Call Good, the Whole World Stands Still
- Good Friday Reflection on the Logic of the Cross
- Reflection: Let us Apply the Splint of the Cross to our Fractured Freedom
Featured News
- Fr. Paul Schenck: Finding Living Faith on Catechetical Sunday
- The Movie Yellow: Incest as 'Normal' and Cassavates's Slides Into the World of Woes
- The Chicago School Teachers Strike Reveals the Need For School Choice
- The Sexual Barbarians and the Dissolution of Culture
- The Happy Priest Challenges Us to Ask: Who is Jesus to Me?
- Michael Coren on Canadian Public Schools: Teachers, leave those kids alone
- We Cannot Ignore Our Consciences: Cardinal Dolan On Religious Liberty
- In the Face of Danger, Successor of Peter Travels to Lebanon as a Messenger of Peace
- Reflections on the Dignity and Vocation of Women: Who or What?
More Easter / Lent
'So it is written that the Christ would suffer and on the third day rise from the dead' - Luke 24:46
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Season of Lent. It is a season of penance, reflection, and fasting which prepares us for Christ's Resurrection on Easter Sunday, through which we attain redemption. continue reading
Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter, commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in all four canonical Gospels. (Mark 11:1.11, Matthew 21:1.11, Luke 19:28.44, and John 12:12.19) ... continue reading
On Palm Sunday, we celebrate the first joy of the season, as we celebrate Our Lord's triumphant entrance into Jerusalem where he was welcomed by crowds worshiping him and laying down palm leaves before him. It also marks the beginning of Holy Week... continue reading
HOLY THURSDAY is the most complex and profound of all religious observances. It celebrates his last supper with the disciples, a celebration of Passover ... continue reading
On Good Friday, each member of the Church tries to understand at what cost Christ has won our redemption. In the solemn ceremonies of Holy Week we unite ourselves to our Savior, and we contemplate our own death to sin in the Death of our Lord ... continue reading
Easter is the principal feast of the ecclesiastical year. Leo I (Sermo xlvii in Exodum) calls it the greatest feast (festum festorum), and says that Christmas is celebrated only in preparation for Easter. It is the centre of the greater part of the ecclesiastical year ... continue reading
For most people the easiest practice to consistently fulfill will be the traditional one, to abstain from meat on all Fridays of the year. During Lent abstinence from meat on Fridays is obligatory in the United States as elsewhere. Christ Himself said that His disciples would fast once He had departed (Lk. 5:35). continue reading
Everything answered from when does lent end, ashes, giving something up, stations of the cross and blessed palms. The key to understanding the meaning of Lent is simple: Baptism... continue reading
Stations of the Cross refers to the depiction of the final hours (or Passion) of Jesus, and the devotion commemorating the Passion. First Station: Jesus is condemned to death... pray the stations now
What did you give up for Lent?
From the humorous to the bizarre, people have had interesting Lenten experiences. Tell us about what you are going to give up for this Lenten Year.
What others gave up »
Lent / Easter News
-
The Power of the Resurrection in our Lives: Christ Is Risen; Indeed, He Is Risen!
F. K. Bartels - Catholic Online, 4/6/2013There is great cause for belief in the Resurrection. One of the most wonderful tenets of Catholicism and the true Christian religion the Church transmits, is that the Resurrection is a historical ...Continue Reading
-
What a Day! What a Way, the Easter Way, Alleluia!
Deacon Keith Fournier - Catholic Online, 4/1/2013Have you have heard the old adage, used often in a disparaging way, Hes so heavenly he is no earthly good. I suggest again that it misses the mark completely. We are Easter people. We are called to ...Continue Reading
-
The Surprise of Easter
Fr. Randy Sly - Catholic Online, 3/31/2013To make sure that all mankind knows that it is not over but actually just beginning, God has an Easter bombshell. While we may have been able to anticipate the wondrous joy of a day of resurrection, ...Continue Reading
-
Easter Vigil Homily of Pope Francis: Let the Risen Jesus Enter Your Life
Pope Francis - Catholic Online, 3/31/2013Our daily problems and worries can wrap us up in ourselves, in sadness and bitterness... and that is where death is. That is not the place to look for the One who is alive! Let the risen Jesus enter ...Continue Reading
Good Friday
-
On Good Friday, the entire Church fixes her gaze on the Cross at Calvary. Each member of the Church tries to understand at what cost Christ has won our redemption.
The Cross
In the symbol of the Cross we can see the magnitude of the human tragedy, the ravages of original sin, and the infinite love of God. Learn More
Ash Wednesday
-
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Season of Lent. It is a season of penance, reflection, and fasting which prepares us for Christ's Resurrection on Easter Sunday, through which we attain redemption.
The Ashes
The ashes are made from the blessed palms used in the Palm Sunday celebration of the previous year. The ashes are christened with Holy Water and are scented by exposure to incense. Learn More
Stations of the Cross
-
Stations of the Cross refers to the depiction of the final hours (or Passion) of Jesus, and the devotion commemorating the Passion.
Opening Prayer
ACT OF CONTRITION. O my God, my Redeemer, behold me here at Thy feet. From the bottom of my heart... Pray the Stations
Fasting & Abstinence
-
'Christ Himself said that His disciples would fast once He had departed' Lk. 5:35
Abstinence. The law of abstinence requires a Catholic 14 years of age until death to abstain from eating meat on Fridays in honor of the Passion of Jesus on Good Friday. Salt and freshwater species of fish, amphibians, reptiles and shellfish are permitted.
Fasting. The law of fasting requires a Catholic from the 18th Birthday (Canon 97) to the 59th Birthday (i.e. the beginning of the 60th year, a year which will be completed on the 60th birthday) to reduce the amount of food eaten from normal. The Church defines this as one meal a day, and two smaller meals which if added together would not exceed the main meal.
Learn More »




























In Canada we've been praying for over forty years for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, for a revival in religious practice, an end to abortion, etc. but nothing has happened. And nothing is going to happen until we start teaching the people to respect Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist. ...............................
In the 1967 ecclesial document Memorial Domini, the majority of bishops (64%) were opposed to communion in the hand. So what happened to that wisdom? Although not sacrilegious in and of itself, communion in the hand is not a fitting discipline for our times - for a society which has become exceedingly proud, complacent and casual in their attitude towards Almighty God. In her visions, Blessed Emmerich saw how Holy Communion was administered in the early Church and how these disciplines changed overtime, (May 30, 1820) "Jesus placed the morsels on a flat plate like a patena and, taking them one by one in His right hand, He communicated all present…in course of time whiter bread was used for the Blessed Sacrament, and the morsels were smaller. Even in the time of the Apostles, I saw St. Peter, at Jerusalem, giving only a morsel to communicants; at first it was square, but at a later period it was round…When men communicated, they received the Sacred Host in their hand and then swallowed It; but the women made use of a small linen cloth…In the early ages and afterwards at certain periods, I saw the faithful very enlightened, full of faith and simplicity; but later, I beheld them straying, misled, and persecuted. I saw the Church inspired by the Holy Spirit, introducing various changes in her discipline when devotion and veneration toward the Blessed Sacrament had grown weak." According to one German mystic, Maria Simma, this issue is so serious that the bishops who introduced Communion in the hand are condemned to remain in Purgatory until the day that it is forbidden in their dioceses. ...................................
As Jesus told Luisa, (Libro di Cielo) "My daughter, how offended I am by priests! The superiors do not watch over my sacramental lot, and expose Me to enormous sacrileges." ....................................
What sacrileges is Jesus speaking of? Here at home, I have seen people going up to receive Holy Communion who don’t have the slightest clue what they are doing. Some of them are talking, giggling and chewing gum - possibly even mingling it with the body of Christ. Others unknowingly trample their Eucharistic Lord underfoot - because of the small particles which have fallen from the hands of those who preceded them. Let’s be clear. These are not regrettable inevitabilities, these are total outrages which the angels would avenge, if given permission. Jesus is the most precious treasure we have in our churches and yet people treat Him as though He were less important than the garbage lying on the floor on the church. I know of cases where sacristans have found consecrated hosts inside hymnals and under kneelers. I’ve had to stop people who were carrying off Jesus in their hands - bound for goodness knows where. I've continue to see women showing up for Mass dressed inappropriately - flaunting their cleavage, legs and posterior for all to see. Such persons attempt to steal from God - and within His own sanctuary - the worship and attention which is reserved for Him alone. .........................................
Other sacrileges are not so obvious. Like those who present themselves for communion in a state of mortal sin: blasphemers, practitioners of the occult, defectors of the faith, Sabbath breakers, revilers of parents, abusers of alcohol and drugs, promulgators of evil laws, defrauders of wages, murderers of the unborn, self-abusers, fornicators, users of pornography and contraception, adulterers, sodomites, thieves, pernicious liars and slanderers. Many show up week after week expecting to receive Holy Communion - entering the church with their own preconceived ideas on religion and morality - and whenever they hear something from the priest that they don’t agree with they simply bracket it. Others reluctantly file into the Communion line and receive simply to avoid the scrutinizing eyes of family or parishioners. How do these people hope to escape eternal damnation? (Hebrews 10:28) "A man making void the law of Moses dieth without any mercy under two or three witnesses: How much more, do you think he deserveth worse punishments, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God and have esteemed the blood of the testament unclean?" These dangerous pretenders are destroying the Church and their souls with their sacrilegious Communions. This is not behavior consistent with the children of God. This is behavior consistent with the children of Satan. If we have a serious fall we need to swallow our pride and go confession. Period. If we are not prepared to do that then we shouldn’t be going up to receive Holy Communion. ....................................
Next are the heretics, the pagans and freemasons who either out of curiosity or malice slip into our communion lines in an attempt to steal that which does not belong to them. Of these our Lord said, (Matthew 7:6) “Give not that which is holy to dogs.” ...........................
Lastly, are the late-comers who think they’re doing God a favor by showing up half way through the Mass (being more punctual and respectful for weddings and court appearances than with Divine appointments); the back standers who position themselves close to the exit so that they can bolt for the door as soon as the recessional hymn starts; many go to Sunday Mass only because they’re scared that something bad is going to happen to them if they don’t. O foolish people! How long do you think God is going to put up with your nonsense? ....................................
And what are our leaders doing about this? In some cases, absolutely nothing. They have lots of time for unimportant things but for the most important things they have no time, (Libro di Cielo) "Ah! my sweet Jesus, instead of telling these things to me, go to the leaders, to the bishops; and they who have authority can manage to content You on this point...{Jesus:} My daughter...to the leaders, to the bishops? The poison of interest has invaded everyone, and since almost all of them are taken by this pestilential fever, they lack the courage to correct and to check those who depend on them. And then, I am not understood by those who are not stripped of everything and of everyone. My voice resounds very badly {harsh} to their hearing; even more, it seems an absurdity to them - something that is not appropriate for the human condition." .............................................
Some leaders even reach the point where they try and hinder attempts to curbs these abuses. These are not true shepherds, they are hired hands who are simply presiding over the destruction of their churches, (John 10:11) "...the hireling...seeth the wolf coming and leaveth the sheep and flieth: and the wolf catcheth and scattereth the sheep." The prophet Isaiah calls them, (Isaiah 56:10) "dumb dogs not able to bark." They savor dignities and loathe confrontations. When informed of problems they simply turn a blind eye - yielding to human respect and to mammon (money). In them are to be found no deeds, only excuses. Of one thing I am absolutely certain: none of them would put up with the kind of abuse which they expect Jesus to receive in the Holy Eucharist. ...............................
The Faith is almost extinguished among the peoples. The role of the Priest is to help the good to become better, the weak to become good and to kick out the wicked - telling them to come back when they’re ready to follow Christ. Anything else is from the evil one. ................................
(Libro di Cielo) "when I allow that churches remain deserted, ministers dispersed, Masses reduced, it means that the sacrifices are offenses to Me, the prayers insults, the adorations irreverences, the confessions amusements, and without fruits. Therefore, no longer finding my glory, but rather, offenses, nor any good for them, since they are of no use to Me any more, I remove them."
One of the surest way of knowing whether one is a marker of Christ is that he becomes hated & accused, but to his innocence, true to the words of Jesus "They will hate you for my sake" 'cause the world hates the Truth, in the ignorance/arrogance of a Pilate who stands before the truth to ask "What is truth". If one wants to hear about Faith go among the pastors & if one wants to see Faith go among the poor, in the communion of the Holy Mass, to receive it, for that is where & how the Saints come, in the Faith that was once delivered unto them, to the continuation, a faith that is become rarer & dearer by the day.
Father Farfaglia, thank you for your always inspiring and lovely, heartfelt writings so desperately needed in our world today. God is beaming! God bless you.
I have often thought about this fact, though it may be unecumenical. If you were to put together all the prayers (5x daily) and all the pilgrimages to Mecca of every Muslim from Muhammad to the present, and bundle these all up and offer them God, they would be of less value than one mass offered by a Catholic priest in the most ramshackle of churches.