As I noted deep into the text, here,<\/a><\/strong> there remains in my mind some question as to whether the \u201cRe-enactment\u201d hosted by the Harvard Extension would involve the use of a Consecrated Host, as first confirmed by The Satanist Temple \u2014 who is performing their first-ever Black Mass \u2014 and then walked back.<\/p>\n My reservation stemmed from what seemed like ambiguous language from Lucien Greaves. After the emphatic walk-back by spokesperson Priya Dua \u2014 who stated firmly that no Consecrated Host would be used \u2014 Greaves\u2019 remarks to Kaitlyn Schallhorn at Campus Reform seemed squirrely, and too clever by half<\/a>:<\/p>\n Greaves confirmed the ritual will use a \u201chost\u201d although as the group doesn\u2019t believe in the \u201csupernatural elements,\u201d he couldn\u2019t call it a \u201cconsecrated host\u201d as Catholics do. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n This is not quite<\/em> what he had said to me, earlier<\/strong>, and it seems to me to be word-parsing that cannot be overlooked. Did he mean that while he, Lucien Greaves would not call the host consecrated, others<\/em> would? <\/p>\n I have called Greaves asking that question, specifically. If I want finessing and word games, I\u2019d cover politicians. Meanwhile Dua has contacted me again insisting that the \u201cstunt host\u201d is not consecrated and would not be considered consecrated by anyone. I emphasized that distinction to her and she confirmed it. I believe there will be a press release issued covering this<\/a>, sometime today.<\/p>\n So\u2026<\/p>\n In other news, after issuing a deplorably Pilate-esque statement<\/a><\/strong> on the issue, it seems the Harvard Exchange \u201cCultural Studies Club\u201d has expanded on that, and their statement landed in Billy Kangas\u2019<\/a> email. <\/p>\n We are hosting a reenactment of a historical event known as a Black Mass. The performance is designed to be educational and is preceded by a lecture that provides the history, context, and origin of the Black Mass. While a piece of bread is used in the reenactment, the performance unequivocally does not include a consecrated host. Our purpose is not to denigrate any religion or faith, which would be repugnant to our educational purposes, but instead to learn and experience the history of different cultural practices. This performance is part of a larger effort to explore religious facets that continue to influence contemporary culture.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n I\u2019m not sure how any performance of a Black Mass would not be an ipso facto denigration of the Catholic religion. \u201cTolerance\u201d and \u201cSensitivity\u201d have become such tricky things.<\/p>\n Lots of obfuscation about<\/strong> \u2014 the Father of Lies likes to sow confusion. The bottom line to it all remains this: The Holy Eucharist is a source of real power. People who desecrate the Consecrated Host are attempting to feel powerful, themselves, but this is always an illusion<\/a>:<\/p>\n Sometimes the desecration involves tearing it up and stomping on it, or doing disgusting things to it. And sometimes the Host is even abused sexually. Just as sexual abuse is about power and control and domination, someone who sexually abuses a Host, sees it as controlling and dominating Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut, it\u2019s a Gift,\u201d Buster said, \u201cSo they only cheat and hurt themselves. . .Christ gave himself to us, feely, of his own free will. A Gift freely given. If someone takes the Gift and spits on it or whatever \u2014 they\u2019re only destroying what was given to them, they are destroying what is \u201ctheirs.\u201d They don\u2019t in any way destroy the Giver of the Gift, or lessen the Giver, or the Gift. So they have no power over it, they can\u2019t dominate it. All they can do is destroy themselves within themselves.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Indeed.<\/strong> When the Strange God Wins, You Kill Yourself<\/a>, and while I don\u2019t write of Satanism explicitely in my book, idolatry is it\u2019s begetting sin<\/a>. It is an idolatry often borne of an illusory self-love that is actually self-hate.<\/p>\n Every evil screams out only one message: \u201cI am good!\u201d And not only does it scream, but it demands that the people cry out tirelessly in response: \u201cYou are good, you are freedom, you are happiness!\u201d As I have said earlier,<\/strong> I don\u2019t think any of the principles involved in this endeavor fully appreciate what they are getting involved in. I think it would be a very good thing if Harvard \u2014 which is being sullied by association in this exercise hosted by the Harvard Extension \u2014 suggested that this particular \u201ceducational\u201d performance find another, ahem, host<\/em>.<\/p>\n At the very least \u2014 particularly as we only know as much as we are told \u2014 praying for all involved, and fasting for the sake of Christ\u2019s passion is something everyone concerned about this story should undertake. If this thing does go forward, I hope Boston Catholics will surround the event and pray continually \u2014 in a peaceful, Christ-like manner \u2014 during the \u201cperformance.\u201d Jen Fitz:<\/strong> Religion is about Reality, and so is the Black Mass<\/a><\/p>\n Calah Alexander:<\/strong> Let\u2019s have a black mass, because Education!<\/a> As I noted deep into the text, here, there remains in my mind some question as to whether the \u201cRe-enactment\u201d hosted by the Harvard Extension would involve the use of a Consecrated Host, as first confirmed by The Satanist Temple \u2014 who is performing their first-ever Black Mass \u2014 and then walked back. My reservation […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":112,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-50336","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
\n\u2014Alexander Schmemann\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
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\nRelated:
\nTom McDonald:<\/strong> Real Satanists Don\u2019t Send Press Releases<\/a><\/p>\n
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\nPascal-Emmanuel Gobry:<\/strong> A few words about that Harvard Black Mass<\/a><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"