Armand de Malleray

Near Missed Masses Armand de Malleray

"Can priests miss Mass? This little book light-heartedly depicts ten Holy Masses nearly missed by priests due to some opposition from within Holy Church, not from without. From Kilimanjaro to Loch Ness, from Burma to Paris and more, the ten humorous short stories describe hindrances to the celebration of Holy Mass inflicted on innocent priests by sacristans, shrine rectors or even bishops. Those failed to recognise that, given a suitable time frame and with permission requested in Christian courtesy, Holy Mass offered in conformity with the rubrics takes precedence over any other activity and any other consideration. Hindering the celebration of Holy Mass affects: 1) God, whose extrinsic glory increases each time the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is offered; 2) souls, deprived of the temporal application of Christ's saving merits that Holy Mass effectuates; 3) priests, whose ontological raison d'être is to offer the divine Victim. This short book pleasantly illustrates these truths through fiction, not through theological arguments. The depictions are based on actual events."