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Repentance Makes us Consolers, Sin Makes Us Butchers of Jesus the Lord

Homily
Good Friday, Apri1 6, 2007, Year C

St. Joseph Parish, Detroit

            A couple weekends ago, we all enjoyed the parish movie, “Padre Pio.” On April 7, 1913, St. Pio narrates a vision he had of Our Lord. Some of the features of this vision will help us appreciate the mystery of Good Friday, so I wish now to quote some parts of this letter, and then highlight those features which will help us enter into the sufferings of the Sacred Heart, to shed tears for our many sins, and to inspire us to finally, once and for all, make an end to sin and Satan in our lives so we can live with the freedom of the sons of God.

            Fr. Pio writes, “On Friday morning,[1] … Jesus appeared to me. He was in a sorry state and quite disfigured. He showed me a great multitude of priest, regular and secular, among whom were several high ecclesiastical dignities…

            “The sight of Jesus in distress was very painful to me, so I asked him why he was suffering so much. There was no reply, but his gaze turned on those priests. Shortly afterwards, as if terrified and weary of looking at them, he withdrew his gaze. Then he raised his eyes and looked at me and to my great horror I observed two tears coursing down his cheeks. He drew back from that crow of priests with an expression of great disgust on his face and cried out, ‘Butchers!’ Then turning to me, he said: ‘My son, do not think that my agony lasted three hours. No, on account of the souls who have received most from me, I shall be in agony until the end of the world…

            “Alas, how little they correspond to my love! What afflicts me most is that they add contempt and unbelief to their indifference…

“Unfortunately Jesus has reason to complain of our ingratitude! How many wretched brothers of ours respond to Jesus’ love by casting themselves with open arms into the infamous sect of Freemasonry! let us pray for them tat the Lord may enlighten their minds and touch their hearts.”[2]

So, Padre Pio.

Indeed, the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ did not last only three hours. St. Paul himself says, “No I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the Church.”[3] For just as the chief priests and scribes handed Jesus up to slaughter, so to this continues in the Church to this day. They hand up the Eucharist to sacrilege, by celebrating the Mass in mortal sin. They hand up the faithful to abuse, by countless abominable scandals, which we all know. They hand up those brothers of theirs who are faithful to Rome, by ostracizing and slandering. They hand up the liturgy to demons by abuse. They hand up the Gospel to be sacrificed on the altar of heresy and false doctrine, or even lacking doctrine. They hand up the laity by teaching them once and again to stop adoring, stop kneeling, stop genuflecting before the real presence in the Holy Eucharist. And so the passion of Christ goes on and on and on.

Do you want to know why Jesus calls them “butchers!” I will tell you, for the meaning is clear. For on the altar the priest truly separates the body and blood of Jesus. It is a true sacrifice, that of Jesus to the Father, a bloody sacrifice in an unbloody way, a sacrifice which Jesus himself executes through the ministry of the ordained priests. Some priests offer the sacrifice with tears for their sins and the sins of the world, with reverence, with a deep persuasion of how unworthy they are to approach the altar. Other priests offer the Mass desirous of the stipend, the money, they will get for the Mass. More offer the Mass with no awareness of their sins, or the sins of their spiritual children. Some feel no sorrow at Mass, many don’t believe. I even know priests who call Eucharistic adoration “cookie worship”! And as a butcher puts an animal on the cutting board, and strips its life from its flesh, and offers the flesh to be eaten in exchange for money, so too many priests slap Jesus on the altar of the cross, they crucify him on the altar, and pass out divine food in exchange for money, or for fame, or because they have a livelihood which they perform in the most lazy fashion serving all their passions. Butchers, butchers and thrice butchers. May God have mercy on me and never call me a butcher, for which I beg your prayers!

But maybe some think that such a criticism of our Lord applies only to priests. No, this criticism applies to all those who receive communion without having confessed any number of mortal sins. Butchers are those who receive the Eucharist on their tongue, then use the same tongue to sin and slander their neighbor. Butchers are those who have no faith in the real presence. Butchers are those who separate the material goods of the Church, such as the beautiful building and liturgical music, from the spirit of charity and holiness which these exterior things tend to manifest. Butchers are those public persons who support abortion and then approach the communion rail. Butchers are those who use contraception, betraying the covenant of their marriage, then come to receive communion with the covenant in the blood of Christ.

How many wish to join with the Church in the feast, but resent the fast. How many say they love God with their words, but love sin in their actions. Butchers, all, who butcher Christ upon the cross. And how many souls damn themselves to hell because they were too proud to repent and convert.

On this Good Friday of 2007, let this be my petition to you all, and my challenge: let us today make an end of sin and Satan in our lives. Sin has nothing to offer us, and sin torments our Lord upon the Cross. I think of the words of the Angel of Fatima, “Take and eat the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, so grossly outraged by ungrateful men. Come and console your God!” Let these be our sentiments, and in humble examination let us admit our faults, and trusting in divine mercy, confess our many sins. Renounce sin, and venerate the holy cross, the instrument God chose to reveal to us his love and mercy. Amen.