country angel

country angel, originally uploaded by earthpages.

taken inside an old church in Canada’s smallest city.

Back to Church…

I was getting that dull feeling that comes if I’ve been away from Mass for too long and going to St. Michael’s Cathedral in downtown Toronto to receive the Eucharist helped to make me feel spiritually well again (so much for all those materialists, skeptics and New Age pundits who say there’s nothing to organized religion…).

But going to church is not always entirely uplifting. There have been irritating things about some churchgoers. Like those who gave me funny looks (before the H1N1 scare) when I didn’t want to risk picking up germs by shaking hands during the Mass.

Now that they’ve been told by the Church not to shake hands with strangers for hygienic reasons, there’s suddenly no more hostile looks or, as happened one time, almost aggressive gestures of disapproval.

Before all the H1N1 hype I was thinking for myself, as I often do. And thank God I was. It might have saved my life, even if I did have to endure a few unruly stares.

I guess the thing is, people are just people. None of us are perfect. And so it goes with organized religion. If we were all perfect, would there be any need for church?

Just some thoughts on a late Sunday night after Mass…

Pope Benedict XVI setting up exorcism squads…

Pope Benedict XVI setting up exorcism squads to fight rising

From… The Life of St. Teresa of Avila

Last night I was finishing up The Life of St. Teresa of Avila by Herself and came across this rather striking passage: 

29. Once, when I was going to Communion, I saw with the eyes of the soul, more distinctly than with those of the body, two devils of most hideous shape; their horns seemed to encompass the throat of the poor priest; and I beheld my Lord, in that great majesty of which I have spoken, held in the hands of that priest, in the Host he was about to give me. It was plain that those hands were those of a sinner, and I felt that the soul of that priest was in mortal sin. What must it be, O my Lord, to look upon Thy beauty amid shapes so hideous! The two devils were so frightened and cowed in Thy presence, that they seemed as if they would have willingly run away, hadst Thou but given them leave. So troubled was I by the vision, that I knew not how I could go to Communion. I was also in great fear, for I thought, if the vision was from God, that His Majesty would not have allowed me to see the evil state of that soul.

30. Our Lord Himself told me to pray for that priest; that He had allowed this in order that I might understand the power of the words of consecration, and how God failed not to be present, however wicked the priest might be who uttered them; and that I might see His great goodness in that He left Himself in the very hands of His enemy, for my good and for the good of all. I understood clearly how the priests are under greater obligations to be holy than other persons; and what a horrible thing it is to receive this most Holy Sacrament unworthily, and how great is the devil’s dominion over a soul in mortal sin. It did me a great service, and made me fully understand what I owe to God. May He be blessed for evermore!

Source: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/teresa/life.viii.xxxix.html