WHAT SAY YOU???

From a reader:

PriesI thought I had heard it all until—-

I attended a Mass tonight during which the priest said:

"Tonight, Lord, we offer You these people and these gifts… we ask you to bless them and make them holy…. so thatthey might become… the Body and Blood… of Our Lord Jesus Christ." He motioned towards the congregation with the words "these people" and towards the unconsecrated bread and wine with "and these gifts…"

I hope that the priest was not trying to "consecrate" the people… but from the logic of this sentence, that’s what it sounded like.

What do you make of this? Is this a liturgical abuse? What, if anything, can be done about it?ts don’t consecrate people at the consecration during Holy Mass. Priests consecrate the bread and the wine for the people, who in their turn are uniting themselves to what the priest is doing.

Yes, that strange interpolation is a liturgical abuse.

The priest had a text provided for him in the book. He chose instead to make something up on his own, at the most important part of Mass. He violated your right to have a Mass celebrated according to your rite. Furthermore, he created confusion by what he did.

If he regularly says this, I would have a discussion with the pastor of the parish, if that priest is not the pastor. Otherwise, I would write to the bishop.

Feed back from me : Doesn't this sound familiar?