Sunday, January 06, 2008

Don't Touch!

The Tridentine Mass I attend is held in a "borrowed" Novus Ordo church, and today I arrived early enough to watch the altar boys transform the table-altar into a high altar. What struck me, is that the boy who set up the altar had a white glove on his right hand, which he used to handle the six gold-plated candlesticks, the gold plated crucifix, and the likewise gold-plated sacred vessels. Never did he touch them with his bare hand. Each of these items was packaged in a silvery-white, well padded casing, and the boy pulled the casing off with his left hand, and used his gloved hand to steady the item he was unpacking. Then he reverently placed each one on the altar, again, using only his gloved hand.

It was inspiring to see such a show of reverence for the sacred vessels of the Mass. If our hands are not worthy to touch these, they should not be allowed to touch the Body of Our Lord, either, and at this Mass, they don't.

12 comments:

Michele said...

true true true!!! wonderful post!!!!!!

VSO said...

It's a shame that they HAVE to convert that table to an altar for the Real Mass.

Michele said...

its a shame they don't have a REAL altar for the REAL Mass.

BobP said...

Those white gloves have a way of setting a very deep reverential tone (yes, even deeper than the normal reverence displayed at most TLMs) from the time one enters until he leaves the Church. Keep up the good work, pmg.

-BobP

paramedicgirl said...

Hey, Bob! Thanks for stopping by!

pam j said...

I couldn't agree more! After a spiritual reawakening 5 years ago, I began receiving the Eucharist on the tongue again. For me it makes me more acutely aware of the truth of the transubstantiation. I have had one priest hesitate to let me receive on the tongue, but I waited patiently, knowing he could not deny anyone such reception.
Even when the three children at Fatima received Communion during the apparitions, they received the consecrated Host from St. Michael, NOT the Blessed Mother. If She did not touch the Host, I am definitely
not worthy!

ignorant redneck said...

The last time I recieved communion in the hand, I was in the hospital with a broken arm, busted ribs, poped lung, concussion, lacerations contusions and a hang nail.

The priest did not give me the option, he put it in non-broken arm hand. Assuming I suppose, that it wouldn't hurt like hell to put it to my mouth.

And being shur not to let me take it on the tounge--I may have been the only person in that parish who didn't recieve in the hand. It ticked the EEMs off when I did it too.

Shirley said...

I wish I lived closer to a city where there is a TLM. If I want to go to the FSSP Mass in Edmonton, I have to leave home at 6 AM and drive for about 3 hours.It's do-able, but just barely. 5 AM is a little early to feed the horses!

VSO said...

If I did in my Church it'd be really messy; you see the bread and wine are given together simultaneously from the same chalice.

Venite, Missa est! said...

I was a sponsor for a young man about to make his confirmation and we were speaking with the local priest (Novus Ordo parish). There was a picture of a priest with a monstrance using a humeral veil. Out of my own sheer ignorance I asked father why the veil was used to carry the monstrance (since the priest would use his hands in Mass anyway) and he replied it was to avoid touching Our Lord. I was taken aback becuase the whole parish takes Our Lord in their "paws" like saltine crackers. I kept quiet though I was dumbfounded.

Dr. Bombay said...

I attended Benediction last night and the same question occured to me about the humeral veil. Prudence tells me this is not, however, the time nor the place to ask such a question. Don't want to make anyone's head explode.

Unitas said...

"It's a shame that they HAVE to convert that table to an altar for the Real Mass."

Check out Mediator Dei #62.