Lots going on — lots of pronouncements, lots of calls to penance and prayer from the Church leadership, for instance. We layfolk have been keyed into the need for that for weeks, now, and are willing, although we’d like to see some real action on the part of our Bishops and Cardinals, and from the Holy Father in Rome, whose letter today…well, I was underwhelmed; perhaps your mileage varied.
More on that tomorrow. For tonight, I was at Adoration and recalling when Pope Benedict XVI used part of his visit to the United Kingdom to invite 80,000 of his close personal friends to participate in an outdoor Holy Hour and Benediction. I’ll never forget it. The stillness, the silence, the nearly palpable sense of prayer coming over the airwaves…
Well, if Pope Francis wants prayer and penance from the whole church, what’s better than an Holy Hour of Reparation? At first I was thinking, “Tri-State area” but then…hey…why not a national Holy Hour, with Benediction? A simultaneous Holy Hour, throughout the nation?
Think of it! At the same hour every diocese in the United States gathering outdoors — lots of College campuses and sports stadiums to be used; lots of high school fields — to pray a concentrated hour of reparation.
Even better, perhaps our bishops will prostrate themselves before the Blessed Sacrament as an expression of penitence visible to the entire Church. Parishes too distant from the outdoor gathering can participate in their own churches, with video feeds.
I mean, this the 21st century. We have the technology. We could use a few signs and wonders.
I’m all for this. I know it can be done, and if the Holy Spirit wants it, it can happen quickly. What do you say, bishops? Prayer has power. Prayer offered by the Bride of Christ before the Living Reality of the Bridegroom is most powerful.
And, “it is a fearsome thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Let the besmirched, injured Bride fall into the Bridegroom’s arms to receive his cleansing and his healing!
Friends, if you like this idea, forward it to the USCCB; forward it to your bishop. The layfolk in the flesh are willing; let not the Church’s spirit be weak!
I mean…realistically, we could make this worldwide…but I’ll let someone else suggest that.
Image mine.
U.S. Rosary Coast to Coast is becoming a world-wide event. October 7 Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary:
http://rosarycoasttocoast.com
And then every bishop of a diocese where the record of abuse and hierarchical response hasn’t yet been made public should have a thorough review of the files and make a report to the faithful. It does no good to wait and let secular authorities do our work of transparency and accountability.
For the same reason , they should investigate complains about violations of celibacy among the clergy — and if they have seminaries, unchaste behavior there.
They need to know the facts before they can clean up the mess.
[…] ashes. Yes, literally. My sense is that the All Patient is losing patience. Their time to declare a Holy Hour of Reparation, A Year of Penance, to donate their ornate robes to make First Communion clothes for children in […]
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I know longer share the presumption that most of our bishops believe in the Real Presence.
[…] and pastors are absolutely needed. I’ll repeat myself and say a Holy Hour of Reparation, involving the bishops and simultaneously observed by the whole US Church would be a very good thing, indeed. But absent that, why not ask our own pastors and bishops to […]