The Validity of the Holy Mass

The Validity of the Holy Mass

This article is only a few pages of the second part of the article, “Only a Remnant of the MMP Will Remain” (http://spir-food.blogspot.com/2018/08/only-remnant-of-mmp-will-remain.html), with the title: “The Danger of Don Alessandro Minutella” (https://spir-food.blogspot.com/2019/08/the-danger-of-don-alessandro-minutella.html).

This article was a reply to a couple of emails from a woman “very torn” here in Italy who is part of the Marian Movement for Priests (MMP). The Subject of her email is: “The silence of the Marian Movement of Priests”. Since the MMP is so important to Our Lady, I spent some time in gathering information which regards the problems and the division in the MMP after the death of Don Stefano Gobbi. This woman, Assunta, who had the courage to open her eyes in this period of great confusion, was tempted to follow Don Minutella.

Don Alessandro Maria Minutella (Palermo, Italy, 1973) was a priest of the diocese of Palermo and pastor of the Parish of Pope Saint Gregory at Boccadifalco (Pa). He received his doctorate in dogmatic theology at the Pontifical Theological Faculty of Sicily with a theses on the relationship between the theology of purgatory and the mystical dark night in the writings of Saint Catherine of Genova. At the Pontifical Gregorian University he continued to complete a doctorate in the history of Christian dogma, with a theses on the Christological-Trinitarian eschatology of Hans Urs von Balthasar. Don Minutella became the head of a traditionalist Catholic group of Palermo, “The Little Nazareth”, which does not recognize the election of Pope Francis. He was notified with a decree of excommunication for “the heresy and crime of schism” on November 13, 2018.

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The following is only a part of the original article which speaks about the validity of the Holy Mass:

Satan is pushing many people off the Barque of Peter, the Church, on the “port side” (left side), who do not follow the laws of God infallibly interpreted by the Magisterium of the Catholic Church, including not obeying the Liturgical Books of how to celebrate the Holy Mass licitly and validly. But also on the “starboard side” (the right side) of the Barque of Church, Satan pushes many out of the Church, with the hidden attitude of pride to put oneself or ones group above the authentic Magisterium of the Church. These groups have arisen throughout the history of the Church, beginning with the Donatists, but more than ever after the Second Vatican Council, with groups who proclaim that the Novus Ordo Mass is invalid. More recently there are groups who acknowledge and adhere to the Second Vatican Council but have come to realize that the last conclave was not valid (“Pope Benedict XVI Forced To Resign”; http://spir-food.blogspot.it/2017/01/pope-benedict-xvi-force-to-resign.html), and thus believe and proclaim to others that if a priest says during the Canon of the Mass the words “Pope Francis”, the Mass is invalid!

This is the moment to remain with Jesus on the cross in this period of in the history of the Church and in this mysterious design of God of the purification of the Body of Christ, the Church (cf. CCC 675-677). It is the moment when true Christians have true humility with Mary at the foot of the cross and do not abandon the crucified Body of Christ by joining a “holy” or “perfect” group better than all the rest.

The following is a brief sketch of the theology of the Church regarding the validity of the Mass.

A Mass of the Roman Rite is invalid: 1) WHEN the celebrant of the Mass is not a validly ordained priest, 2) WHEN the priest does not have the proper intention (that is, the priest has the intention to do what the Church would do), 3) WHEN wheat bread or grape wine is not used, 4) or WHEN the words “This is my Body” or “This is … my Blood” are not SAID (not silently) by the Priest during the consecration of the Mass. (“Soon No More Eucharist!”; http://spir-food.blogspot.it/2017/03/soon-no-more-eucharist.html).

THAT WHICH DON MINUTELLA AND OTHERS ARE TRYING TO INSINUATE recently is that if “Pope Francis” does not believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ, as did many Arian bishops more than 1600 years ago, all the Masses celebrated by priests who say the phrase in the “Eucharistic Prayer”: “Remember, Lord, your Church, spread throughout the world, and bring her to the fullness of charity, together with Francis our Pope (“una cum” – in union with “Pope Francis”) and N. our Bishop and all the clergy” is not valid! It is true that if a priest (or a bishop) “manifests” his intentions openly to not believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ, then his mass is not valid because “the priest does not have the proper intention”. Regarding “2) WHEN the priest does not have the proper intention (that is, the priest has the intention to do what the Church would do), IF A PRIEST IS TOTALLY DISTRACTED OR EVEN IN MORTAL SIN, THE MASS IS VALID AND THERE IS THE EUCHARIST, even though the priest in mortal sin commits another mortal sin (sacrilege!) because he celebrated in the state of mortal sin. The Mass depends on God, expressed in the phrase in Latin, “Ex opera operato”, otherwise, the Church (and the Mass) would have ended centuries ago, because Jesus founded his Church on twelve sinful apostles, not twelve perfect angels from heaven. The fact that the Church is still here on the earth after more than 2000 years, is a great proof that the Church, the Body of Christ, is not only human but also divine, as Jesus has two natures: human and divine!

Up until a about year ago, Don Minutella limited himself to explaining clearly how “Pope Francis” has promoted many heretical and destructive things. But now he is saying to people that all the Masses are invalid when the priest who during the Mass names in the Canon the name “Pope Francis”!

“EX OPERE OPERATO” is a Latin expression of the Catholic doctrine about the sacraments.

It literally means “by the fact itself of having done it”. It refers to the fact that in the sacraments the sin of the minister cannot invalidate the result of the sacramental action. For example, sacramental absolution given by a priest in mortal sin maintains all of its validity, since the minister has the intention to do what the Church would do.

The use of the expression was developed in the Catholic Church on the occasion of the opposition with the protestant doctrine: Martin Luther held the idea in fact that a priest in mortal sin could not administer the sacraments.

There is contrasted with “ex opera operantis”, which to the contrary affirms the necessity of the holiness of the minister for the sacrament to be valid.

In a similar way, the same Council of Trent, defined the infallibility of the pope, which does not depend on the personal holiness of the pope, but on the promise of Christ.

THE TEACHING OF THE COUNCIL OF TRENT:

The Council of Trent defined on March 3 1547 against Luther that the sacraments confer grace “ex opera operato” (can. 8), and thus depend on God (can. 7):

“If anyone shall say, that by the said sacraments of the New Law grace is not conferred through the act performed (ex opera operato) but that faith alone in the divine promise suffices for obtaining grace; let him be anathema.” (Sess. VII, ca. 8; Denz 1611).

The phrase “ex opere operato”, as one can deduce from the discussions of the fathers of Trent, does not mean “automatically”, almost as if the sacraments might be magic rites, that act on a person independent of the person’s will, but rather means “independently from the intentions NOT MANIFESTED by the minister”, to which is asked to put exactly the sign “at least with the intention to do what the Church does” (can. 11), that is at least with the intention to carry out the sacred rite.

The purpose of this clarification, wanted by the council, was to take away from the faithful any doubt of conscience on the validity of a sacrament in the case of a minister who “fakes it” in administering the sacrament, but with the intention, non manifested, to not administer it. The Council says: if the minister has carried out correctly the rite (ex opera operato), God has worked and thus “ex parte Dei (= “for that which depends on God”) the sacrament is complete.

For the efficaciousness of the sacrament there can be lacking on the part that depends on the Christian, but regarding the possible bad dispositions that could render the sacrament non efficacious, he cannot not be conscious of, because the bad dispositions must be “manifested” by the minister of the sacrament.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC; ed. 1992, promulgated by Pope John Paul II; http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM) explains “ex opere operato”: CCC 1127-1128.

This above all does not mean that every priest who during the Mass names in the Canon the name “Pope Francis” believes as “Pope Francis” believes, that is, this does not mean that all the priests who had an Arian bishop more than 1600 years ago believed AS DID THEIR ARIAN BISHOPS!

Now to put in a difficult situation the simple faithful, TO DEPRIVE TODAY, in a very perverse world, the faithful of the traditional Mass because it is celebrated naming in the Canon the name of “Pope Francis” IS A GREAT IMPRUDENCE AND ERROR, which exposes the conscientious faithful to the proximate risk of not being able to live in the state of habitual grace, depriving them of all the Sacraments administered “una cum”. Holy Mother Church, in the Council of Trent, did the exact opposite, that is, to dispel from the faithful every doubt of conscience on the validity of a sacrament in the case of a minister who “fakes it” in administering the sacrament, but with the intention, non manifested, to not administer it. If there was not this “SILENCE OF THE MARIAN MOVEMENT OF PRIESTS”, there would be much less temptation for the members of the MMP to be deceived by Don Minutella or by other groups or by schismatic traditionalist groups, as Professor Don Ivan Pojavnik wrote: “In addition, by virtue of its ambiguity, the circular letter has led a number of members away from the Movement of Our Lady to another movement. … Don Stefano said, "We must be intelligent children, that is, children with open eyes, and not stupid children, that is, with eyes closed”." The devil wants those few people who have not followed the easy way of “ignorance is bliss” and have struggled to keep their eyes open to the hidden and dangerous pitfalls of the devil, and thus Satan offers subtle temptations that can deprive these people in the state of grace the sacraments or to at least to lead them outside of the true Church which is undergoing the crucifixion with Jesus in the period!

As written above, let us repeat for clarity in this case.

The key phrases which confect the Eucharist are "THIS IS MY BODY" and "THIS IS ... MY BLOOD," which when SAID (not silently) by a priest with the proper intention and matter, truly show the priest acts in the Person of Christ. The other parts of the Eucharistic prayer are, according to St. Ambrose (also quoted in Summa Theologica), ESSENTIALLY PREPARATORY; "by all the other words spoken, praise is rendered to God, prayer is put up for the people, for kings, for others, but when the time comes for perfecting the Sacrament, the priest no longer uses his own words but the words of Christ." St. Thomas Aquinas explains this requirement in great detail in the Summa Theologica (Third Part, Question 78, Articles 1 through 6). Changing the words of the preparatory parts of the Eucharistic prayer is illicit and gravely sinful for the priest, but would not invalidate the Eucharist as long as "This is My Body" and "This is ... My Blood" are SAID (not silently).

This means that if the priest says (not silently) during the Mass, "This is My Body" and "This is ... My Blood," with the proper matter (bread and wine) and intention (what the Church intends to do), the Mass is valid. Thus as St. Ambrose and St. Augustine and St. Thomas tell us, all the other words outside of the words of the consecration, "This is My Body" and "This is ... My Blood," are “ESSENTIALLY PREPARATORY” and thus do not change the validity of the Mass, even if a priest says the words, as he has said since the time of his ordination to the priesthood, in the “Eucharistic Prayer”: “Remember, Lord, your Church, spread throughout the world, and bring her to the fullness of charity, together with N. (name of present pope) our Pope and N. our Bishop and all the clergy”! This phrase does not at all alter the validity of the Mass as the Church has always taught since the time of St. Augustine!

Thus, totally contrary to what Don Alessandro Minutella says to his followers and to his YouTube viewers, ALL the MASSES celebrated by priests who say the phrase in the “Eucharistic Prayer”: “Remember, Lord, your Church, spread throughout the world, and bring her to the fullness of charity, together with N. (name of present pope, “Francis”) our Pope and N. our Bishop and all the clergy” are VALID!

To repeat this concept a little more clearly and simply, Jesus is the primary minister of the sacraments, and thus the individual who is administering the sacrament does not have to be in the state of grace to confect the sacrament validly. As an example, a non baptized person and not in the state of grace can baptize validly. But this also holds with regard even to the priesthood and going to Mass. So if you go to Mass and the priest is in the state of mortal sin, the Mass is valid. The Donatists in the time of St. Augustine held that the priest had to be in the state of sanctifying grace in order for the sacrament to be valid. Saint Augustine said no to the Donatists, because it is Jesus Himself who is the primary minister of the Mass, not the priest. And thus even if the priest is in the state of mortal sin, the Mass would still be valid provided that he had the right intention, the right words and the right matter of bread and wine.

Charismatic gifts are given for the sake of someone else. These gifts have nothing to do with the holiness of the individual who has the gift, even though in our humanness we tend to get caught up in that if someone is speaking in tongues or if someone has the gift of healing or whatever, and we think that they must really be holy. This is not necessarily true at all! It is just the person to whom God chose to give that gift. The priesthood is a charismatic gift and thus this gift is given not because of the holiness of the individual, but rather it is given for the sake of other people. Thus if God can use any of the charismatic gifts, even if the person is in the state of mortal sin, and the priesthood is a charismatic gift, that too can be exercised even if the priest is in the state of mortal sin.

What the Donatists said is that both orthodoxy as well as being in the state of grace are necessary for the validity of the sacraments. It was St. Augustine who was the opponent of the Donatists in this case, and he said that since Christ is the primary minister of the sacraments, their objective efficacy and validity do not depend on the subjective state of the minister. What is necessary is that the individual who is performing the sacramental rite confers the sacramental sign through the proper matter and form while having the proper intention. Having said that, the person who is actually performing the sacrament is bound by conscious to administer the sacrament in the state of grace. So the sacrament is still valid even if the minister is in the state of mortal sin, but he is bound by conscience to be in the state of grace when he is saying Mass or hearing confessions or whatever the case may be. To do otherwise would be a sacrilege. So if a priest is in the state of mortal sin when he says Mass, he commits a sacrilege. At the same time however, we need to be clear, that the Church actually says that if the priest, let’s say that a priest goes out on Saturday night and does something really idiotic and now is in the state of mortal sin, what is he supposed to do on Sunday morning? The Church says you say Mass for the people. The priest could come out and say that I’m in the state of mortal sin and so I cannot say Mass. That will not fly too well. The people are there; they have a right to have Mass and the Church says at that point, for the good of the people, the greater good is the good of the people, even though it is a sacrilege on the part of the priest. For the sake of the people of God it is a necessity to have their confessions heard or as the case may be.

Another reason for removing the sacraments from the subjective state of the minister is to provide certainty and peace of mind for the faithful. Think about this for a second. What would happen if every Sunday you came to church and you had to wonder if the priest was in the state of grace or not. Another words, if as the Donatists said that the sacraments are valid only if the priest is in the state of grace, and if he is not, then it is an invalid sacrament, and you did not receive Communion, you did not receive Jesus, according to the Donatists. So what the Church says, you should not have to wonder about whether or not the priest is in the state of grace or in the state of mortal sin, when you come to Mass. The Church tells us that it is the Lord who is going to do this; yes He is going to work through the human person, it is the Lord who is doing it. And therefore we do not have to worry about the subjective state of the priest. The priest has to worry about his own subjective state just as each one of us need to worry about our own subjective state. But it is not our concern whether the priest is in the state of mortal sin or not when it comes to the validity of the sacraments.

Yes, I do believe we will soon lose the Eucharist in all the public churches of the world with a new Roman Missal for the whole world in which the consecration of the Mass will be deleted or there will no longer be the words, "THIS IS MY BODY" and "THIS IS ... MY BLOOD," SAID (not silently). This will happen “before the manifestation of the Antichrist, “the continual burnt offering” (Dan 8:11; 12:11), will be taken away, and the “sacrifice and offering” will cease (Dan 9:27), which Jesus foretold (Mt 24:15). This sacrilege is the ultimate “ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION” (Mt 24:15; Mk 13:14; 2Thess 2:3-4; Dan 9:27; 11:31; 12:11)!” (“The Abomination of Desolation”; http://spir-food.blogspot.it/2018/04/the-abomination-of-desolation.html). I personally believe that this will happen around Easter 2021 and will last for three and a half years until the end of the period of the “great tribulation” (Mt 24:21) (“Signs of God vs. Signs of Satan”; http://spir-food.blogspot.it/2016/12/signs-god-vs-satan.html). “And from the time that the continual burnt offering is taken away, and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he who waits and comes to the thousand three hundred and thirty-five days” (Dan 12:11-12; 7:25; 9:27). PERHAPS “comes to the thousand three hundred and thirty-five days”, which is 45 days after the end of the “abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days”, will correspond to the feast day of Christ the King, November 24, 2024, which PERHAPS will be the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, the King of the universe!?!

Father Joseph Dwight

http://josephdwight.blogspot.com