Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Work of American Hands? - or of No Hands at All

My recently-solemnly-professed friend, Br Luke, O.C.S.O., has for one of his tasks at Tarrawarra Abbey the sale and distribution of Eucharistic breads; however, they are not made there, but rather imported from a factory in the United States; hence, the wheat transsubstantiated on Australian altars is not harvested beneath the Southern Cross, but grown in North America; our farmers profit not, but subsidized Yankees do.

Even worse, the website of the company that prepares these hosts informs us that: "Cavanagh breads are produced in the United States in an exceptionally clean and modern automated facility. The breads are sealed minutes after baking and are untouched by human hands." [My bold italics.]

It would seem therefore that, when celebrating Mass in the Ordinary Form, in offering up the gifts to be consecrated, the priest is uttering a falsity: for, instead of "the bread we offer" being the "work of human hands" as the prayer states, it is made by robots!

It is dreadful to think that such a situation has come to pass: we are a wheat-exporting nation, and yet import the wafer-breads used at Mass; worst of all, it appears that they are prepared in a manner that is, if not uncanonical, at least grossly contradictory to the prayer of oblation approved by Paul VI.

I do hope the Bishops of Australia urgently debate this issue and mandate that our own hosts be made here, and by human hands, not overseas by machines.  Lex orandi, lex ferendi!

3 comments:

  1. Indeed. Perhaps you might ask your friend just why it was that the indolent monks of Tarrawarra closed down their own host making activities some yers back in favour of imports....

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  2. Kate - the monks NEVER made hosts; rather, when a group of religious sisters had to give up (importing and) selling hosts, the monks (themselves having to cease keeping dairy cattle owing to lack of manpower to do the milking) took on their business.

    Blame not the monks, but the sisters - as ever since Adam, cherchez la femme.

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  3. You really ought to take this to the top! How about a Quaeritur to Cardinal Pell?

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