I don't know if there are 'Muslim' Satanists - there most probably are. Do they worship the same devil as their 'Christian' Satanist counter-parts?
Satanism is about negation, the Harvard 'Black Mass' - I wonder if it would have been old rite or new - would be primarily a negation of the Mass. Such acts at least in 17th/18th century France were about mocking the Mass. There doesn't seem to have been a stable rite, sometimes it took the form of using something like decomposing blakened slice of turnip in place of a host, sometimes reading the Missal backwards, sometimes taking the form of a 'Mass of the Presanctified' using a stolen consecrated host in which instead of praise of God, he is cursed, and Communion takes place with as much sacrilege as possible. The ideal, of course, was to have real live priest or bishop to act as impiously as possible.
'Black Masses' are an attack on the Mass, I have never heard of a 'black' Book of Common Prayer Communion Service or Methodist 'Breaking of Bread' Service, nor have I heard of, or do I think it likely someone would parody the parodies of the Mass we occasionally see on Youtube: the clown Mass, the balloon Mass, Mass from Lintz etc.
Here in Brighton before I introduced Communion 'at the rail' it wasn't unusual for someone, at least once a month, to run off with the host. The last person to do so was wearing a pentangle and got to the Church door before I retrieved the host. Brighton has several rather strange shops that cater to New Age movement, some at its extremes. In fact I have a rather chatty relationship with a lady who works in local supermarket who tells me she is 'white witch', that seems to be all about herbs gathered with dew still on them, a bit of chanting on the solstice and probably some unconventional attitudes, by Christian standards but not by Brighton standards, to sex and whole foods.
The obvious signs of the diabolic like the Harvard example are more the action of publicity seeking adolescent school children, they are a distraction, straw demons, the real concern should be those things which bring about confusion and moral division within the Church and society, the more subtle bending of morality and truth.
In fact the Harvard 'Black Mass' as far as the devil is concerned is pretty much an own goal, it reminds the Faithful that Christ's enemies are alive and well but if one is really looking for the truly diabolic look within the Church to the places where confusion and relativism, and ultimately the denial of Christ creep in.
18 comments:
Priests in my former parish cancelled a mid-week Adoration, Benediction and Mass to give way to a primary school Christmas Concert. They also cancelled a 10:00 Sunday Mass simply because the London marathon passed in front of the Church.
When the temporal is held over the Sacred, a Black Mass pales in comparison because one does not have to go through the ritual of negation. Surely, the Devil lurks in the Parish.
Lola's church's decision to cancel the morning Mass because of the Marathon is quite understandable - regrettable yes but understandable.
Such events whether sporting, 'pride' or political demos usually take place on a Sunday and tend to completely disrupt traffic and the bus routes and make it very difficult to get from one side of the town to the other. If it actually passed in front of a church then the congregation would have found it nigh impossible to get there.
I once set off for Mass on foot on a Marathon day thinking that it would be an easy matter to cut through the runners. Big mistake! They just kept on coming in their thousands with no let up!
I was pleased to learn that the US university 'black mass' has been cancelled and that 60,000 of us signed the petition. The internet is a boon letting us contribute our disgust in this way.
Regarding 'unconventional attitudes ... but not by Brighton standards' made me smile and reminded me of a conversation I once had on a bus here with a chap who lived not far from us. Out of the blue he told me he was a warlock. I no longer remember what I said after that piece of information but when I returned home and told my husband he just said 'Well it is Brighton - what do you expect!'
Muslims call the devil "Iblis" and the story of his "fall" differs a great deal from our own and is alot nearer to Gnosticism (Iblis fell through questioning God's creation of the material world according to a muslim school RE book I once owned).1
You have nailed it again, Father. Sadly, I find it hard to believe that are those in the Church that do not know what is going on.
The H/F spoke to the seminarians of Rome this week. I watched him closely. He appeared as humble as one could be, eyes wide open with a childish bemused gaze. His right hand almost constantly rubbing the corpus of the crucifix around his neck. In honesty, it seemed contrived, deliberate, thought through. He is supposed to stand as the diametric opposite to the 'Black Masses'; but I cannot help wondering which is the most damaging to the Faith?
Personally, I think this was primarily experienced from a purely secular perspective.
A bunch of elitist kids wanted to give an "up-yours" to the Catholic Church--since that is what they are trained to do. The Catholics responded generally as an victim group, in terms of freedom of religion and a lack of sensitivity.
I don't think anyone was reminded of the reality or working of the devil in this situation. It was more of a reminder that no one really takes religion seriously enough to worry about invoking the prince of demons. But people do take diversity and inclusiviness seriously.
Dear Father Blake,
You said: "...if one is really looking for the truly diabolic look within the Church to the places where confusion and relativism, and ultimately the denial of Christ creep in."
So very true! In these times of diabolical disorientation one person's 'mercy' is another person's 'relativism'. It is the Tower of Babel revisited, I believe.
I wonder if I may ask you a question not too far off topic?
Would Judas have been present at the institution of the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper and would he have received the Holy Eucharist from Our Lord's Own Hands before 'Satan entered into him'?
I was just pondering the unworthy reception of Holy Communion.
I have heard more about Satan in the last two or three years than all the years prior and it is quite... alarming. The Black Mass business of course, and the statue of Satan supposedly being planned in Oklahoma. On television a few months ago I saw a young woman, maybe 14-15, declare that she was a Satanist because Satanism is the only religion that "accepts everyone," especially "gay people." More recently at another blog I frequent a regular leftie/atheist interlocutor publicized his admiration for Satan (fictional figure though he thought he was) as the first rebel and free thinker against cruel and arbitrary tyranny (in this case God).
There has always been a certain demonic element to leftism, "non serviam" and all that. It seems to be becoming especially manifest lately.
"Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do."
I found the childrens' novels by Philip Pullman disturbing on account of the deliberate reversal of God and satan. God is enfeebled, powerless and his minions 'controlling', and the devil is the good guy. It's insidious - and totally skewed from our way of thinking. Naturally the Church is portrayed terribly. If people call evil good and good evil, then how on earth are the young to receive the faith?
This post is an example of why I love you so much, Father! You get to the heart of things - Thank you for being such an inspiration.
A consecrated Host was placed in each corner of the Eiffel Tower to show man's triumph over God; the obelisk of Satanism is in the heart of the American Capital, Washington, D.C., Hollywood actors, singers, and entertainers spew Satanism across American airwaves, schoolchildren are taught Satanism by and through Harry Potter classes, pagan rituals are taught and implemented in schools and so on.
Anyone that thinks America or much of the world are Christian Nations is daft.
The Harvard black mass is a mild thing compared to the everyday gruesome satanic garbage that spews forth in the public and the media.
The Harvard thing was just Satan's way of mocking people that should stand up but don't.
There was outcry from Christians only because it was a safe thing to do.
Look at the new Hollywood movie 'Noah' that was just released.
One of the most blasphemous, sacrilegious movies to come around.
No outcry.
I think the word is Hypocrites.
White magic, black magic, Satan doesn't care; those souls are his for hell for having a strange god.
When Satan looks upon us, sometimes I think he is reminded of a puppy chasing its tail
*
I once knew of a priest who was a 'nietzschean' and, upon reading his book, was a not so closeted satanist (he used a pseudonym of course). he sold his booklets through new age outlets. he hated, absolutely hated Christ. How he came to be a priest and hate Christ, who can say, but it put me off nietzche for life. it would seem he would be the sort to be only too 'happy' to be the lord of misrule at a satanic rite. If Bella Dodd is to be believed the mid twentieth century permitted many such people into the seminaries - marxists seeking to destroy the integrity of the Rock. this might explain the ethos of abuse surrounding the New rite of the mass. if the 'new rite' in levay's 'satanic bible' is what satanists are practicing these days, it beggars belief what Christ must continue to suffer - the 'black mass' must bring down the anger of God on those who promulgate it or are indifferent, which is why the outrage against the intended sacrilige at Harvard was absolutely RIGHT!
Cosmos said...The Catholics responded generally as an victim group, in terms of freedom of religion and a lack of sensitivity.
Actually, the response was a Eucharistic procession from MIT to Harvard. It worked.
I always enjoy your views expressed about the world us. You have the ability to observe what the rest of us fail to see!
Well and courageously said, and I resonate above all to your last two paragraphs: apostasy within Christendom itself, sometimes overt but oftentimes covert, is the major contemporary threat to the Mystical Body: not so much Caiaphas and Pilate without, but rather Judas within.
@Liam Ronan.
At the Consecration each priest says the words:-
"After the supper was over, in a similar manner...etc,etc"
Those words show that Jesus did not transubstantiate the bread and the wine until the supper was over so Judas did NOT receive Holy Communion from the hands of Jesus nor did he receive the priesthood either because he was NOT present "after the supper was over". Judas left during the supper.
That was an interesting comment, JARay, thank you.
@JAYRay,
I echo Damask Rose and thank you for your interesting comment.
It appears to me; however (owing to the differing chronology of events related in the four Gospels), that it is not entirely clear whether Judas was present during the institution of the Holy Eucharist and whether or not he would have received the Eucharist from Our Lord.
From what I have read, the Church has never made an authoritative pronouncement on this specific subject.
Peace and thank you.
Pablo, That is folklore, not Catholic teaching, the only place I think you might find this coming from is a nineteenth century Greek Orthodox monk.
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