“SACRAMENTUM caritatis,” Latin for the sacrament of charity, referring to the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, is the title of the latest document issued by Pope Benedict, released last February 22.
It’s a beautiful summary and in-depth comment of the Pope on the observations, suggestions and resolutions made by the bishops and cardinals in their synod on the sacrament in October 2005 in Rome.
Reading it, I was immediately impressed by the amount of wisdom contained in that document that skillfully described the sacrament as a mystery to be believed, to be celebrated and to be lived.
I consider that plan of developing the topic very timely and clever, since it gives a comprehensive coverage, unified and organic, of how the sacrament, and the mystery it involves, should be treated.
The sacrament should not only be believed, it has to be celebrated, and properly. And it should not just be celebrated, it has to be lived to its last consequences.
The Holy Mass, after all, has been described as the source and summit of Church life and mission, the vital link between heaven and earth now. It has to infuse its substance in our entire being—from our minutest pore to our grandest dimension.
Often, we get stuck in one stage or another. We need to go all the way. This is a requirement of our human condition, to be consciously pursued and fulfilled since our tendency is to reduce what is proper for us.
There is a beautiful and incisive description, for example, of what active participation in the Mass ought to be. It’s not just muttering prayers and joining in the singing. One has to go through a continuing conversion as he immerses himself in the mystery celebrated.
Also there is a wonderful discussion about the social and other practical implications of the sacrament. This should greatly help in correcting the tendency to consider the Mass as purely Church or spiritual affair with hardly any effect on the other aspects of our lives.
With all these, I was just a little dismayed when it came out. The media only gave scant consideration to it, giving a line or two to highlight a minor but, to them, curious detail, like the Mass can be celebrated in Latin in international gatherings.
In the meantime, the press was busy following every lurid detail about the latest perversion of Paris Hilton, the latest aberration of Britney Spears, and the latest love life hitch of our Kris Aquino.
For these items, a river of ink was spent, rolls and rolls of footages were used. It seems there’s a big industry out there involved in spreading every twist and turn in the lives of these unfortunately irresistible celebrities.
It’s not for me to say what should appear in the papers. But I just find it funny that an important event in religion and Church life does not stand a chance, not a rat’s chance, to compete with celebrity gossips in terms of media space.
I get the impression the media wants us only to be peeping toms and backbiters, rather than contemplatives and thinking and sensible people. It simply wants to titillate our curiosity, imagination and adrenalin.
It’s contented with playing to the gallery. Hardly leading the crowd, it rather follows the mob. I wonder what its understanding of its nature and role in society is. Does religion have a prominent place in it?
It starves our finer senses and higher faculties. The rationalization is that to be fair and objective, it has to be morally undefined and genderless. The law of the market is its main guide.
Often quick to question everybody, it is slow to evaluate itself and its performance. Its judgments and opinions are often given a tinge of infallibility.
Well, no one is perfect in this life. That’s why we should just help one another, by making timely reminders, constructive suggestions and corrections.
I wish the media invest more seriously in the area of faith and religion, developing talents through time. I believe the future we all want is there.
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