Cardinal Robert Sarah: Desacralizing and Trivializing the Liturgy Causes a Serious Crisis of Faith

Church Pop recently summarized a talk given by African Cardinal Robert Sarah about the liturgy. This is particularly timely since my book club is discussing this month the Vatican II document on the liturgy. The Church is certainly in crisis and degrading the liturgy, which hit a zenith in the '80s, played a significant part. The uglification of churches, clown Masses, jazz Masses, polka Masses, butterfly vestments, silly songs, liturgical dancers, puppet processions, removing crucifixes and tabernacles from the sanctuary, and other idiotic variations have turned full churches into empty spaces in many places. And sadly things continue particularly where bishops are married to the world.
During the Extraordinary Synod on the Family, Cardinal Kasper insulted Africa with a statement reminiscent of the gospel question, "Can anything good come from Galilee (Africa)?" His statement that the African bishops "should not tell us too much what we have to do." was the arrogant kind of talk so typical of liberal dissenters who know better than God how to create a worldly Utopia. Those bishops have brought about a disaster for Holy Mother Church and, perhaps, it's time to turn to the "dark" continent where the light seems to shine more brightly than in the decadent West.

Here are some of the common sense statements from Cardinal Sarah:

“It is necessary to recognize that the serious, profound crisis that has affected the liturgy and the Church itself since the Council is due to the fact that its center is no longer God and the adoration of Him, but rather men and their alleged ability to ‘do’ something to keep themselves busy during the Eucharistic celebrations.”

“Even today, a significant number of Church leaders underestimate the serious crisis that the Church is going through: relativism in doctrinal, moral and disciplinary teaching, grave abuses, the desacralization and trivialization of the Sacred Liturgy, a merely social and horizontal view of the Church’s mission.”

“The serious crisis of faith, not only at the level of the Christian faithful but also and especially among many priests and bishops, has made us incapable of understanding the Eucharistic liturgy as a sacrifice, as identical to the act performed once and for all by Jesus Christ, making present the Sacrifice of the Cross in a non-bloody manner, throughout the Church, through different ages, places, peoples and nations.”

So how should Catholics respond to times of "profound crisis?" There is only one answer and it is An Easy Way to Become a Saint published by TAN books. (Also available at Amazon.) It's short and easy to read.  It talks about the BIG saints who did GREAT BIG THINGS, but also the little saints, those "who lead humble, simple lives performing their daily duties well and using the ordinary but abundant means of sanctity given by God to all Christians." The book is filled with stories about little saints, some canonized like St. Therese of Lisieux, but others known only to God.
always the same. Become saints. And how do we become saints? There are two simple ways. First love God. Second, do everything for love of God. Since we were made to love God how hard can that be? Our eyes were made to see. Do we have to think about seeing? Or hearing? Or breathing. God loves us so much that, if we know Him, we can't help but love Him. There's a great little book that can help us. It's called

So let us be busy about the work of transforming the Church and resolving the crisis of faith by our own holy lives. With the help of God, we can do it. Let us pray,

"Adorable Sacred Heart of Jesus which so greatly loved men and has not spared anything for them, unite with the Immaculate Heart of Your loving Mother, so full of merciful love, and together be my help, my comfort, and my salvation."