Bishop of London: My only interest is for the church.
King Henry II: Oh, come, Bishop.
We’re alone, and the church is empty.
Bishop of London: The church is never empty.
The little red lamp
burns in the chapel
signifying God’s presence
in the tabernacle.
Hemry II: (laughs)
Do you take me for one of
your sheep, Holy Pastor?
I like playing games,
but only with boys of my own age.
The one for whom
that little red lamp burns
has seen into your innermost heart
and mine a long time ago.
Of my hatred of Thomas Becket
and your envy of him,
he knows all there is to know.
Screenplay Becket (1964)
Go here to read the story. Most anti-Catholic administration ever.
I realize that this is purely an assertion of power, so any good faith alternatives are out of the question. Because if we lived in a sane society, any fire hazard concerns could be addressed with a smoke detector right above the candle and a fire extinguisher near by. Or a taller candle holder. Or realizing it is a candle.
But then I suppose there’d be much less need for bureaucrats to create and enforce endless codes, and we certainly can’t have that.
They made the small mission church in our town do it years ago bc of insurance – wouldn’t write policy if didn’t. Since in 100% wooden over 125 yo, the Diocese would not back the parishioners. I just said then consume all before you leave to which they said “no”. There is no priest who takes communion from that tabernacle nor Eucharistic adoration.
🤷🏻♀️
What is Bishop saying?
“What is Bishop saying?”
As best I can tell from local news and the Diocesan website (Tulsa), not a word. This is the same bishop who expelled Fr. Chad Ripperger and Mother Miriam’s order of nuns from the diocese for being “divisive” (which of course is Francis-ese for “too traditional.”) And yet the website landing page features a huge headline touting “Eucharistic revival.” Well, unless some gubmint agency says otherwise, I guess. Pray for the people of the Tulsa diocese and for St. Francis Hospital.
Frank, that’s so sad bc in a place where tragedy is guaranteed, you would like to think one could find solace in chapel w our Lord.
I’m not gonna be surprised if he says nothing.
I don’t get it. The Bishop here would approve an electric lamp bc not allowed when clearly, having the Eucharist in tabernacle wo a lamp is? I don’t think so.
Would not approve electric lamp
🙄
A very secular hospital in New Brunswick, N.J. put an electric sanctuary lamp in the chapel where the Blessed Sacrament was kept.
Obama threw the priests out of the militay bases for the lockdown depriving the military man his last rites and the freedom to practice his religion. In other words the sovereign person serving in the armed forces had nothing but tyranny. Politics and the police state reigned supreme.
Time to sue the reigning politicians if your loved one died without freedom of religion and his last rites. Sue, sue, sue.
They always start with something that would be easy to go along with. “They just want you to get rid of a candle, no one is saying that the Eucharist has to go.” But if you bow to this demand, another will follow. And the later demands will be more difficult to resist. Perhaps legally, but definitely in terms of your character.
Once you have met one unjust demand for the sake of convenience, it’s incredibly difficult to justify to yourself why you shouldn’t agree to the next one. “I’ve went this far, what’s one more step?”
the HHS has backed down on the candle order, according to a late bulletin. No reason given, no comment.. We’ll see what comes next from our Chief Executive Officer’s war against Catholic teaching, or should I say his ignorance of that war.
Crux Sacra Sit Mihi Lux.
The government, any government, is not welcome to stick its nose where it doesn’t belong. Especially in the matter of the Altar where the Sanctuary candle is placed.
We take the family downtown occasionally on a Sunday to attend Mass at a Cathedral which has a large votive stand with proper candles (not those electronic ones where every second one doesn’t work and hasn’t been changed in years). The hilight for the kids after mass is lighting candles for out intentions. No body thinks to themselves, God forbid, “oh my this could start a fire”.
The Church staff at that chapel need to defy defy defy. Wear the bureaucrats down with disobedience.
Prof. Kurland, good to hear that HHS has backed down…..at least for now. I cannot see why a light bulb in a red votive glass is unexceptionable to either the government and the church. After all the churches are required to have red exit signs over the exterior doors.
The 2d tier issue here is why a federal agency would have any authority to insist on that of any party.
That’s what I was wondering, Art … Why are the feds involved at all? Wouldn’t this be a local fire marshal concern?
Why did the CDC have authority to set rent policy? They of course didn’t, as the supreme court all but confirmed. But they were able to get there way anyway because local authorities went along with it.
I doubt whether the question of “do we have the authority to do this” ever entered the mind of anyone working in the HHS. The only thing they were concerned about was whether they could destroy a Catholic hospital.