What to Do When Sacraments are Not Available

[Jacafamala]

Over the coarse of the past several years, many good priests and bishops have been cancelled. Among those are Fr Pavone, Bishop Strickland and many others. Given the recent Vatican approval of the blessing of same sex couples, it's easy to see that, unless God somehow intervenes, many more good priests will likely follow. 

No matter how prepared we are, this is going to be extraordinarily painful.  No Mass, no sacraments; couple that with some other physical chastisement that hits and whatever charity there currently still is in the world will likely go out the window.

Fr Ripperger talks about what to do to prepare.The talk was originally on Sensus Fedelium, but it's since vansihed. But I found it here below.   

[LausTibiChriste]

I listened to it the other day - it was fantastic. His call to stay in the state of grace is really a wake up call.

I wish I could have been there, because I would have asked him about Orthodoxy....if we can receive their sacraments in a state of emergency (ie. danger of death) can we thus receive them if Catholicism virtually doesn't exist where we live, but Orthodoxy does? I think the answer has always been yes, but I would have liked to have heard his take on it.

Side note, it's been so refreshing hearing Father get back to the spiritual topics - he spent a lot of time on the exorcism train, which is great but after a while, you've heard it all. I just listened to a new talk of his today about the Eucharist and it was incredibly uplifting.

[ChairmanJoeAintMyPrez]

can we thus receive them if Catholicism virtually doesn't exist where we live, but Orthodoxy does? I think the answer has always been yes, but I would have liked to have heard his take on it.

No amount of waiting is equivalent to the danger of death, so the situations aren't similar enough to draw that conclusion.

[diaduit]

He said that marriages can't be performed but I thought it was a unique sacrament that the couple and God in the presence of witnesses can do it themselves.  Japan didn't have Catholic priests for something like 300 years and survived on the Rosary, so how did they do the marriages?

Otherwise a very worthwhile listen, its almost like he is prepping us.

[ChairmanJoeAintMyPrez]

He said that marriages can't be performed but I thought it was a unique sacrament that the couple and God in the presence of witnesses can do it themselves.

The spouses are the ministers of the sacrament.  The priest is a witness.

Canon law prevents us from marrying without a priest where one is available.

But if one is indefinitely unavailable, two baptized people can effect a sacramental marriage without a priest.

[Miriam_M]

Just point of information:  I don't know why the video would be "not available."  Like others, I also listened to it fully about a week ago. And I can re-view it, too.

Yes, obviously staying in the state of grace is the single most important priority.  However, if one finds oneself in mortal sin, I somewhat disagree with Fr. R. regarding his position on a Perfect Act of Contrition.  Yes, it is a bad idea to rely on that, and that might be a tendency of those who fall into a mortal sin out of rationalized weakness. ("I'll just make a Perfect Act of Contrition later." Presumption is also sinful, of course.) 

But for those who weren't engaged in presumption before they made the choice and were surprised by their weakness and/or alarmed once they became aware of their sin, it certainly doesn't hurt to pray the Act as sincerely as one knows how, and to ask for true compunction.  The idea of refusing to try merely because a priest who is not one's confessor or spiritual director is making an objective, general statement about a behavior in principle is dangerous, i.m.o. 

I interpret Fr. R as referring to the casual way that many modern Catholics, especially those who haven't studied traditional spirituality much, diminish the importance of true sorrow for sin.  (Fr. Phil Wolfe has excellent talks on this; I posted at least one last year on the 4 Kinds of Sorrow.)  Fr. R is much more interested in doctrine, and when we listen to published talks, we have to be careful not to interpret doctrine (and general principles of traditional spirituality) as personalized spiritual advice.

[Jacafamala]

@Miriam_M yeah, sorry about the video. If you go to YouTube and put the title in search, it'll come right up. So it's still available.

But anyway..

If we're not in a state of grace, it means that we already knowingly and willingly, seriously offended God. So the ability to make a perfect act of contrition--purely for the love of God--is going to be unlikely because we already proved we don't love Him enough. Otherwise we wouldn't have sinned gravely in the first place.

Without some extraordinary grace (which can happen, but is rare), I think it's more fear of hell than love of God that motivates us.

And as Father points out, we wouldn't need confession if we could just turn to God and say we're sorry.

@diaduit, about marriage, we're supposed to be getting married in the Church if we're Catholic. But that's a good question about what they did  with regard to marriage in Japan and other places. 

[Mazzuchelli]

Great video, thanks for posting!

[lauermar]

There is such a thing as streaming mass from Sedevacantist chapels.St. Gertrude the Great in Ohio has their own channel. And one can find a Sedevacantist or SSPX still open. There's nothing Pope Francis can do to them unless he gets government authorities to force closure. If he does, he will be sued.

[Miriam_M]

@Miriam_M yeah, sorry about the video. If you go to YouTube and put the title in search, it'll come right up. So it's still available.

Yes.  I was never the one who had a problem finding the video.  It has never been "unavailable" to me, so no need to apologize.

[Miriam_M]

Lent is a really good opportunity for us to get into the discipline of an intentional spiritual life.  We have in this season the most essential elements of the Christian life outside of the sacraments:  prayer, spiritual reading, fasting, good works/almsgiving -- none of that meant to be occasional, but regular.  In addition -- and whether we are inside a church or not -- nothing prevents any Catholic from doing a spiritual communion. 

Spiritual communion is an underutilized practice that is good for all of us to do every once in a while, even when we do have access to sacramental communion.  It benefits other aspects of our prayer life, for one.  Second, it keeps us away from Presumption and a general careless attitude toward the sacrament. Third, it increases in us a hunger for it and encourages gratitude when we later receive. Fourth, the deliberate occasional self-deprivation is a meritorious way of making reparation for our own sins. 

https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/act-of-spiritual-communion-11891

When I have done a spiritual communion properly, it provides the same sacramental graces as a sacramental one. (My spiritual director had promised me that, and he was correct.)

[Lynne]

Thank you, @Miriam_M !

[drummerboy]

This video has me disturbed.  It seems I'm subconsciously preparing for this chastisement, perhaps by God's inspiration.  I've been doing thorough spiritual "house cleaning" lately, confessing old sins or sins I thought not worth confessing earlier.  I'm doing fasting and abstinence for Lent (the full vegan fast).  And due to health issues, I've cut out all caffeine, spices, and most fats.  I'm responding really well to a bland vegetarian diet.  Father Ripperger said people won't get to eat the foods they like, and here I've already dulled my diet down. Other little things besides, too many to mention, come to mind.  And most of us have had a foretaste of no sacraments due to 'rona.  I'm already prepared mentally for the Mass to disappear, since with everything come from the Vatican one never knows if tomorrow the TLM will be abrogated. 
 Is anyone else experiencing this?

[diaduit]

No where near the disciplines you are doing Drummer but the last couple of years I realised I have been in bootcamp for the soul.  I have always felt my nosedive in health was for reparation of sins particular to me. E.g. For 9 months now I have had severe jaw pain and had prepare mentally for the pain of eating everytime, this to me was for my sins of the tongue, well I offered it up for such.  I have lost friends since the rona which at the time struck me that God was cleaning my house of friendships not necessary for me and only served as a distraction. Many more examples but  recently it has really hit me that I have been in bootcamp and it was badly needed, Deo Gratias.
My final battle is that of the taste of comfort and discipline in fasting.....might have to wait till we are in it to master that.

[Jacafamala]

Although I'm trying to prepare, there's no way I'm ready for what's probably coming.

We pray the rosary most nights, go to Mass Sunday and regular confession, but I know I don't love God nearly enough because I'm spiritually lazy in many ways.