The ancients and holy ones trembled to approach the Holy of Holies – the Ark of the Covenant for fear of offending God. The Ark held the the most sacred of artifacts: the two stone tablets of the Ten Commandments, a jar of Manna from Israeli desert wanderings, and the Staff of Aaron which had miraculously blossomed to confirm his priesthood in front of the people. All of these were inanimate objects which nevertheless drew forth the deepest and most profound reverence from the Jewish nation.
- The Ten Commandments were the Law as revealed by God Himself for the Israelites, and for us, to live by.
- Manna, the bread of life that fell from the heavens to sustain the Israelites on their journey through the wilderness.
- The staff of Aaron which represented his leadership of the priesthood, for the moral guidance and wellbeing of the Jewish faithful on their journey.
It is important to understand that God had given very specific commands to the Israelites for approaching, dealing with and transporting the Ark of the Covenant. God was instructing them in the infinite worthiness of God and the deep respect that are due to the things of God!
So it was that Uzzah, son of Abinadab, was suddenly struck dead by God for merely reaching out to steady the Ark when the transporting ox cart hit a rut. Grave disobedience and disrespect number one! The Ark was ONLY to be carried on the prescribed poles on the shoulders of chosen men, the Levites and specifically the Kohathites. And no one was to even touch the Ark.
King David, in his great impatience, did not wait for the Levites to bring the Ark, but rather went with his own men to collect it. Grave disobedience and disrespect number two! His men ignorantly put the Ark on an oxen cart. Pearls should never be cast before swine … much less oxen!
God was severe in His judgements against those who abused the privilege of caring for the Ark of the Covenant. To this day, great and terrible otherworldly powers are attributed to the Ark and to those who might possess and control the Ark, were it ever to be found again! Even Indiana Jones raced to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis did in his Hollywood adventure film Raiders of the Lost Ark!
It is with this back-history in mind that I am grieved at the current lack of reverence and respect in our approach to Jesus Christ, truly and physically present in the Blessed Sacrament, as infallibly proclaimed by our Holy Catholic Church. The dogma of the Real Presence as it is referred to.
At the Low Mass or the High, tennis shoes and tennis shorts are not uncommon. Immodest dress and tee shirts with vulgar messages and images on them can often be seen. Chewing gum, cell phones ringing and idle chatter are annoying intrusions on what should be sacred time and space as we prepare our hearts and souls for Holy Mass. Very few are the faithful who could tell you just what the dogma of the Real Presence means or Who they are receiving in Holy Communion.
There are those who mindlessly chew the Sacred Species like a desert camel chews its cud. And in the last several months I’ve personally witnessed folks holding the Sacred Host in their hands, giggling as they shoved our Blessed Lord into one of their pockets or playing with the Sacred Host in their pew. In the spirit of the young Roman martyr St Tarsisius, I intervened each time and then informed the priest. But it shocks me, this cavalier ignorance among the faithful.
There are the many Eucharistic Miracles to deepen our faith, such as the one that occurred in the town of Seefeld, Austria in 1384 where God immediately and directly intervened to punish a prince for his grave irreverence toward Holy Communion and to encourage the peasant faithful who were present in their reverence. Google it, read it and be amazed!
The sad irony is that our Blessed Lord has made Himself so available to us, so vulnerable and so easily received that He opens Himself up to grave irreverence inflicted on Him in the Blessed Sacrament around the world! Satanists are relentless in their efforts to obtain any Consecrated Host for their blasphemous Black Masses and other diabolical rituals. They scorn a wafer they know to be unconsecrated.
So, Satanists, ironically, recognise the Real Presence of Jesus in the Sacred Host, while countless Catholics with vague understandings receive our Lord in Holy Communion on a weekly basis, not hearing or understanding the words of Jesus to the woman at the well, and I paraphrase: “If you knew Who it was that offered Himself to you … you would not be so blasé, so irreverent!”
Uzzah was struck dead for touching the Ark to steady it, yet we have the audacity to receive the King of Kings when we’re disgruntled, distracted, disengaged, judgmental … and often in serious sin, separated from the very God-Man we dare to receive into our bodies.
So, my friends, I encourage you to begin your preparations for Holy Mass while still at home, no tv or radio, and in holy reflections pertinent to the Mass. The Church teaches infallibly that Jesus is truly present in the Blessed Sacrament while reserved in the tabernacle, but also wonderfully present within us – Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity – for about 30 minutes after we receive Him in Holy Communion. Focus on Jesus Christ then, in prayers of petition, praise and thanksgiving during that precious moment in time!
Jesus, truly present in the most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, I praise, honor and worship you with my whole body, mind, heart and soul, amen!
Oh God, be merciful to me a sinner; Oh God, cleanse me of my sins and have mercy on me; Oh Lord, forgive me for I have sinned without number!
Written Christmas Day 2024 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Tombstone AZ