Weird! It's the Madhatter's Tea Party!

I visited my spiritual director today and we agreed that the times are weird. Very weird! I've
described them as "surreal." Some days I feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone. Other days it's more like the Madhatter's tea party. Frankly, I'd like to join the dormouse and go to sleep until it's all over!

The other day I described opening a can of worms by putting a brief comment on my Facebook wall about attending an SSPX Mass at the Warren County Fairgrounds. You'd think I'd announced that I just poisoned my mother! Sadly the madness continues. Now I'm in a debate on my parish's Facebook page after our bishop's statement was posted. I defended the right of faithful Catholics to attend the SSPX Masses since they are the only Masses in the country at present! I also disputed the suggestion that those in my diocese who go to the Mass are disobeying our bishop.

The bishop said two things in his statement. 1. He said he suspended Masses to follow the state guidelines issued by the governor, and,  2. The SSPX didn't request his permission for the Masses in Front Royal. 

He did not say one word about whether the faithful could attend the Masses!

When Lifesite News contacted the diocese about the bishop's statement,  Amber Roseboom, Director of Media Relations for the diocese responded:

The aim of the diocesan statement regarding the celebration of Mass by priests of the Society of St. Pius X within the Diocese of Arlington was to clarify for members of the Catholic Diocese of Arlington that SSPX does not have canonical standing in the Catholic Church and is not in full communion with the Catholic Church. 

Fair enough. I imagine most of those who attended the Mass know that. They also know that the Mass, while illicit since it wasn't approved by the bishop, is valid, i.e., Jesus, through the action of the priest, becomes really present on the altar under the appearance of bread and wine. 

Drive-in Mass in St. Paul, MN

[N.B. Let me point out here that the SSPX priests followed ALL state guidelines. Never were more than ten people out of their cars to approach for Communion or go over to the priest hearing confession. The priest hearing confessions wore a mask and gloves and the penitents were at least six feet away. People received Communion from a masked priest who sanitized his fingers between each group. Communion took over an hour because the usher invited people up car by car and waited until each group returned to the car before the next car was invited.]

Back to Roseboom's statement:

Another aim of the statement regarding the celebration of Mass by priests of this society was to make clear to the faithful that this liturgy was not associated with the Diocese of Arlington, especially because the celebration contradicts the directives currently in place for the Diocese.

That made me shake my head, because it sounds like letters I get from politicians. Keep in mind that the diocesan "directives" are aimed, not at the faithful, but at the priests. The priests may not offer public Masses. I would never encourage one of our priests to disobey the bishop in matters that are NOT sinful, although I think one can make a case that most bishops have overstepped their bounds. But there are no directives that forbid the laity, much less forbid them under pain of sin, from attending an SSPX Mass when it is the only Mass available.

So, no, the laity going to the SSPX Masses in Front Royal are not disobedient. Perhaps we are the ones who, because of our faults and failings, are most in need of the bread of life. Those who are holier can survive watching Mass on TV. I'll be honest. I can't! I need the sacraments. I'm thankful that our bishop is keeping our churches open unlike some dioceses that have locked up tight and told their priests not even to offer the Last Sacrament to the dying. That is a truly evil order and those bishops will have to answer for it. As for the priests...I can't imagine a real priest refusing to go the bedside of a dying person. If anyone goes to hell because he dies in the state of mortal sin, the priest is likely to go with him!

Now I'm going to point out several ironic items. 

IRONY #1: Who are acting more like Catholics -- the U.S. bishops or Governor Northam or the SSPX? 

Governor Northam, who supports the murder of children, even under his latest directive, is allowing drive-in religious services. A "frequently asked questions" handout posted on his website reads:

"Virginians are strongly encouraged to seek alternative means of attending religious services, such as virtually or via 'drive-through' worship. Places of worship that do conduct in-person services must limit gatherings to 10 people, to comply with the statewide 10-person ban."

A protestant minister contacting the governor's office about the situation, received this email from a Northam staffer: "Congregants sitting in the parking lot in cars with adequate social distancing is allowed. Any gathering on stage needs must be limited to 10 people or less."

So the governor makes it clear that religious services may continue even under his guidelines. And the SSPX has found a way to make that possible when many bishops in the United States have run for the catacombs and blocked all the entrances. They and their clerics can have Mass, the flocks they serve can watch it on TV. Unfortunately, as my spiritual director pointed out, some people are telling him how much they "enjoy" it. They can walk on the treadmill and drink coffee while they go to Mass. How many poorly catechized Catholics think it's the same thing?

IRONY #2: My parish is advertising a parking lot food basket blessing on Holy Saturday where people can exit their cars, put the baskets on the hood to be blessed and then retrieve them. So we can have drive-in food blessings, but no drive-in Mass. Apparently Easter dinner is more important than Easter Mass. 

And that, friends, is when I got really angry! I haven't decided whether I will go to the blessing, but since I want to have some candles in my basket to be blessed (in case we're alive for the three days of darkness) I probably will.

The Madhatter seems to be running the show these days setting the table with places six feet apart and limited to ten. Party favors are face masks and gloves. He's serving stones and snakes in lieu of bread and eggs and every now and then he passes out the Purell and calls, "Clean cups, clean cups, move down!" 

Oh, and at every place there's a decorated treat basket filled with fresh worms. 

Please sign the open letter begging the bishops to restore Masses in ways that follow safety guidelines. If this virus acts like others, it will be around for a long time. The Spanish influenza lasted THREE YEARS! Are you content to be without the Mass until there are no more cases of coronavirus?

Please Bishops, GIVE US BACK THE MASS!