FROM THE beginning, I have always felt dislike for the pseudo part of the Mass wherein the priest obliges people to look at the person seated here and there and declare to them this or that. Or that peace offering part that has evolved into disruptive beso-beso among family members, especially after one stranger on my left stepped on my toes to kiss another on my right while I was in spiritual contemplation.
It would seem my disfavor for such practices is not without basis. The Mystic Maria Simma (1915-2004) now being pushed for sainthood had lots of things to say about what should not be during the “modern’ Mass as she had gathered from the souls from Purgatory with whom she had frequently interacted during her earthly lifetime.
Quoting some of the souls on the issue, Maria Simma said as follows, verbatim as translated into English (She was Austrian):
“The so-called sign of peace and the holding of hands during the Lord’s Prayer are just two such things. They come right after the Consecration and precisely while we ought to be concentrating on the Lord and on Him ONLY. It is just then that He is closest to us and there people go, looking around and searching for hands to grasp rather than being uninterrupted in the deepest prayer possible WITH HIM, and NOT with one’s often unfamiliar neighbor.
“This again is bringing social ritual into the church, rather than bringing Jesus more deeply to the people. I say ‘often unfamiliar neighbor’ because let us never put our guard down! It is precisely the most holy of places that are infiltrated the MOST by Satan worshippers. And physical contact greatly strengthens the curses they spread around. How happy it makes them to hold hands or even hug people just when they’ve been distracted from Jesus! Danger often lurks behind false familiarity or a forced unity.
“This then combined with the lack of confession makes Masses today a successful hunt for those among us who have chosen to torment Christ’s people. Pray the Lord’s Prayer ONLY with the One who gave us that GREATEST of all prayers. And go shake and hold hands outside later when you have the time and choice as well as the discernment with whom to do it. Being truly prayerful and cautious does not mean being unsociable or judgmental.
“And then there is, of course, clapping which is the worst by far. Churches are for praying. Jesus is there in the tabernacle and we take time off for applauding just another man for saying or doing something that happens to be popular, correct or strong? No! This endangers the priest or whoever said the popular thing, by lifting his ego rather than assisting him in his humbling mission of bringing Jesus to us. This is so wrong.
“Again, very much against the devotion that we MUST teach everyone and especially the young today. They all hold hands and clap at school, and we must show them that churches are only for them to meet with God the Father, God the Holy Spirit, God the Son, Jesus, and Mary and for NOTHING else. Was it the souls themselves who said that the sign of peace and the holding of hands were problems? Yes, it was.
“Have the souls said anything about Eucharistic ministers? Yes. Under normal conditions, only the consecrated hands of priests may distribute Communion. The Law of the Church states that this must be held to unless there are ‘extraordinary circumstances’ such as the priest being bedridden. ‘Extraordinary’ does not mean the difference between the congregation waiting two minutes to receive or waiting ten minutes. We must always prepare in prayer to receive Jesus, and people who insist on getting everything over as quickly as possible have no idea how enormous a privilege and source of graces and protection receiving our Jesus is for us. If anybody needs evidence that Eucharistic ministers, the way they are pushed today, are not within God’s wishes.
“I can tell the following story about something that happened near here recently. A woman who distributed Communion, and who led many other women to do the same, died recently. I knew her briefly and heard a lot about her. Before the funeral, the casket was open for family and friends to say their goodbyes. Then at a certain prearranged time it was closed. But within less than an hour a close relative arrived late and begged the priest in charge to please open it again briefly so that the loved one could also see the deceased as the others had. The priest agreed and with one or two other witnesses on hand lifted the cover and looked in. The small group saw something that was not the case just a very short time before. The woman’s hands had turned pitch black. This was to me, as well as to others, God confirming to us that unconsecrated hands may not distribute Jesus at Communion.
Then there’s the so-called ‘People’s Altar’ the inception of which also delighted Satan. Jesus is in the tabernacle that should AT ALL TIMES be in the center of the church. By turning the altar around it caused a series of things to happen. To begin with the congregation’s concentration upon Jesus was badly broken by now having the face of the priest in between and the face is, of course, as anybody knows the strongest point of communication between people.
“It is ONLY during the homily that the people should concentrate upon the priest, his words and his face. In turning the altar around Jesus was given a back seat which in turn led to his being pushed off to the side and then finally, as it is already in many modern churches, off into a separate wing if not an entirely separate room. And it is precisely this that Satan had in mind all along — to get rid of Jesus!”
