By FR. RICHARD D. BRETON
It’s the summer of 1804. Pope Pius VII is the Roman Pontiff and Thomas Jefferson is president of the United States. A young and beautiful Episcopalian widow of New York high society sits in St. Paul’s Chapel near Wall Street at the typical Sunday service. Yet, she finds herself staring out the window across the street at St. Peter’s Catholic Church and begins praying to the Blessed Sacrament.
You see, she has just returned from Italy and has been heavily influenced by the Eucharistic piety of her Italian Catholic friends. Their witness was the seedbed for this young widow’s gradual conversion to Catholicism and it all began with their deep devotion to the Mass and our Eucharistic Lord. If the Eucharistic piety of these Italian friends is enough to promote a total conversion in this high-class New York socialite, then it is enough to remind us of our own Eucharistic piety.
I share this story to remind us of the power that comes from the Eucharist. A power so strong that it transforms hearts and leads people home to the True Church; to the One, Holy Catholic, and Apostolic Church. Within this transformation arises a deep sense of reverence. This reverence takes root within us and is made stronger by our Faith. This high-class socialite woman, sitting in that Episcopalian church, knew there was something different across the street in that Catholic church. After her interaction with her Italian Catholic friends and their devotion to that mysterious man called “The Lamb of God,” her mind wandered across the street; her heart leapt for joy knowing that housed within that other building was the “true living” God Himself.
If the Eucharist can change hearts and pr omote a sense of reverence within us, then we must do all we can to maintain a sense of reverence and respect toward the Blessed Sacrament. We all strive for this in our lives, and as Catholics it is our obligation to respect and revere so great a sacrament. Unfortunately, within our time there are moments when this respect and reverence is not carried out.
There are stories of horrible inconceivable abuses done toward the Blessed Sacrament, things like Satanic black masses, desecration of sacred places and things, and robbery of religious articles and relics.
What is so disturbing about all this is the fact that this same level of desecration happened at St. Joseph Church in North Grosvenordale. While the church was being cleaned and the floors under the pews were being swept, two Sacred Hosts were found in two different locations of the church.
Our Lord on the floor, trampled upon, desecrated! This, my friends, is extremely disturbing. This, my friends, is like a dagger piercing once again into the heart of our Lord. This must not happen! This cannot happen!
Every priest is the guardian and protector of the Holy Eucharist, and all priests must take this responsibility very seriously. Seriously because it is within their consecrated hands that the bread and water are transformed into the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Although this responsibility is primarily that of the priest, we all play an important role in assisting the priest by being his eyes and ears while we are in the pews. The priest cannot see everything that happens during Communion; he needs you to help. If you’re sitting in church and you see someone come to communion and receive our Lord and go back to their seat with the Sacred Host, you have an obligation to ask that person to please consume the Sacred Host. We also must notify the priest immediately after Mass so that such abuse can be brought to his attention.
It breaks my heart to think that this would happen within our Catholic communities. Having been faced with this irreverent revelation, I think it’s time we are reminded of how to properly receive our Lord in Holy Communion. When we come forward we should do so reverently, not talking, preparing ourselves to receive Jesus, offering to Him all our pains, joys, suffering and happiness; our whole self. When we approach the priest, we do not take or grab Our Lord from the priest, we receive Him, letting the priest, deacon, or extraordinary minister of Holy Communion place the Sacred Host either on our tongue, which is still the preferred way to receive Holy Communion; or we put out our hands like a throne, our left hand over our right. Then after the Lord is in our hands, we take our right hand with our right thumb and index finger and take the Sacred Host and place it in our mouth.
If for some reason the Sacred Host falls to the floor, it is the priest or deacon who must pick up the Host, consume it, and then give a new host to the communicant. Immediately a purificator is to be put over the place where our Lord fell and touched the floor, and following Mass the priest or deacon must wash that area with water and then the water is poured into the sacrarium, or sacred sink. My friends, these norms for receiving Holy Communion are in place to ensure that proper reverence and respect is given to our Eucharistic Lord.
Today’s society needs a visible sign of those willing to protect the Eucharist. History has shown there was such a group called the Knights Templar. These knights lived around the thirteenth century during the time of the Crusades. They were considered a monastic order of knights who were called upon to protect the pilgrims journeying to Jerusalem and other holy places. The Knights Templar were also protectors of the ancient holy churches. They fought off the desecration and destruction of these holy places. There is a book by Barbara Frale entitled: The Templars: The Secret History Revealed. Her book addresses the history and authenticity of the Templars today through her study of the ancient Chinon Parchment which describes the importance the image of the Shroud of Tourin has in the life of the Templars. Basically, Templars are called to see the face of Christ in the poor and oppressed.
The ancient times in which the Templars lived and fought, is not very different from today. We live in a time where the Faith needs protection from the onslaught of the power of relativism. The Faith needs to be protected today just as it was in the Middle Ages. As the Templars of old protected the pilgrims on their journey to the Holy Land and other religious sites, so too, the Templars today have the responsibility of protecting us, the faithful, on our journey to the Eternal Jerusalem. Today, however, the enemy is not as easily seen as an army attacking pilgrims or a sacred holy site, but the threat is still real.
The fight exists within the culture that has removed anything God-like. There is a battle raging that is trying to destroy the Faith. We see this in the many desecrations that occur so frequently around us. It may be the destruction of a statue, a cemetery, or the graffiti written on a church building. The battle between good and evil has even entered our schools where after-school activities now include satanic groups.
Yes, that is correct! School districts in our country allow satanic groups to meet and indoctrinate our children in these most evil ways. We need a way to fight this onslaught of evil in our times.
The presence of the Catholic Templars in today’s society is one way we can come together and fight to defend the Church and our faith. The Templars Today, have as their vision, the safety of Mass goers, the protection of church buildings and other Sacred sites. In addition, they also stand guard before our Eucharistic Lord, and vow to protect Him at all costs. Their ministry is one of presence, protection, and welcome. They can usually be seen standing outside on each side of the church doors. Then, when entering the church they process two by two down the main aisle and salute the Eucharistic Lord by placing their hand over their heart. Then they take up their positions along the front of the sanctuary or down the side aisles of the church.
While the Templars Today are mostly found in Italy, there is presently a growing number of people in the United States who are interested in this lay association of the faithful. Currently there are about 55 Templars in the United States who are dedicating themselves to this way of spiritual living. They live a simple spiritual life and promise to fast weekly, and promise to eat meat not more than three times per week and to always be ready to give their lives for the Faith. These actions of mortification are a means for them to offer sacrifice to the Lord. It is a visible sign that there are those fighting against the onslaught of religious persecution in our time.
One of the most moving aspects of the templar spirituality is their love and devotion to the Eucharist. When you are promoted to a higher rank you must stand before the Eucharistic Lord in adoration. This is called the night watch. The night watch consists of either three or six hours standing during the night in total adoration. It is fascinating to see men and woman standing in the middle of the night just looking at Jesus. You see, for them, this is so important because it is here that they receive their strength.
An International Retreat
This weekend, the Knights Templar will hold an International Retreat for the first time in New York City. It will consist of Knights and Dames gathering from around the world together as a visible sign of those who are willing to defend the Church and Eucharist. Our retreat will include a public procession of Templars through the streets of New York City as a witness of those who are willing to show their love and devotion for the Eucharist. Following the procession, Holy Mass will be celebrated at Holy Innocents Shrine and Parish.
Join me in prayer September 8, 9, and 10 as Knights Templar gather together and renew their love for the Church and Eucharist, as visible servants needed in today’s world.
The motto of the Templars Today is: Non nobis, Domine, non nobis, sed Nomini tuo da gloriam. This is translated in English as: Not for us, My Lord, not for us, but to your name give the glory. This should be the motto of every one of the faithful because everything we do is only for the glory of God. May we, like the Templars, defend the Church and the Eucharist with our lives!
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