Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
There’s was a certain phrase I was introduced to in seminary that I still employ from time to time today. I find it helpful to illustrate a deeper point, though in the initial hearing or reading of it, you might not quite pick up on it. But this phrase relates to what I want to talk about in this letter. And so, here it is: “You can’t be holier than the Church.”
Allow me to clarify what that actually means before using it to address the other point. In seminary, there were guys that would occasionally feel as if the way the Catholic Church did things was in some ways missing the mark. Now, they weren’t accusing Church officials of heresy nor were these individuals going against Church teaching themselves; typically it had to do with some kind of liturgical practice or standard discipline that they considered as not being enough. “I wish we would do…” or “I think it should be like this…” are examples of what they would say. Some of it was really kind of silly; such as the Pope wearing red shoes or not. But sometimes, it was a little more serious and might have some real impact if not corrected. And so, one of faculty offered as a rebuttal to some instance of such thinking, “You can’t be holier than the Church.” We trust that the Church is actively guided by the Holy Spirit and while there are changes or differences in how things are done, we must have trust that God is operating in the life of the Church, and he’s a bit smarter and wiser than you or me.
Which brings me to my other point. This year, the Immaculate Conception, which is typically celebrated on December 8 th will be transferred to December 9 th . It’s because 12/8 falls on a Sunday. And in Advent, Sundays are stronger than other holy days and solemnities. So far, this is all pretty standard, even if it doesn’t happen all the time. The Immaculate Conception is usually also a Holy Day of Obligation. However, with it being transferred to a different day, the general principle is that the celebration transfers to 12/9 but the obligation does not. That’s how it was the last time this occurred back in 2019. But in 2024, the Holy See has promulgated that now the obligation transfers along with the celebration. Therefore, Monday 12/9/24 will be the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception and it is a Holy Day of Obligation.
Practically speaking, we will be offering two Masses that will fulfill the obligation. On Sunday, 12/8 at 5PM, we will be having our final night of Simbang Gabi and that will fulfill the obligation (though it is still a Sunday Mass for Advent). There will also be the usual 9AM Mass on 12/9. I apologize for any confusion this may cause, but “You can’t be holier than the Church.”
Peace and Goodness,
Fr. Dan
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