Sometimes you don’t know whether to laugh, cry, or flip a table in the temple. This week, Bishop Raúl Vera López of Saltillo gave Catholics a reason to groan when he allowed Canadian Anglican “priest” Emilie Teresa Smith—who lives openly in a same-sex “marriage”—to concelebrate Mass. Yes, you read that right: a Catholic bishop handed the altar to a non-Catholic in a public act of sacrilege.
What Happened at the Altar
During a liturgy at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Saltillo, Smith did everything that signals concelebration. She donned a stole, spoke the words of consecration, elevated the chalice, delivered the homily, and received Communion. That’s not just participation—that’s an illicit “concelebration” with a Catholic bishop (LifeSiteNews).
I’m reminded of Psalm 74:4, which says, “Life up thy feet, that thou mayest utterly destroy every enemy, which hath done evil in the thy sanctuary.”
Now I’m not advocating for God or anyone else to smite these individuals in the literal physical sense by sharing that verse. Instead, I pray that they be “smited” with God’s love, the Holy Spirit, in order to bring Smith to repentance for practicing what is forbidden in Scripture and the Church.
The other important part to pick up on in this verse is that the Israelites were guilty of doing evil in God’s sanctuary. Blaspheming God in the most sacred of places is not a new sin the Church is battling for the first time. It’s roots are ancient.
“Old gods” (demonic beings who try to pass themselves off as divine) are simply “dressing up” in new clothes. And that’s what Catholics have, are, and always will battle until Jesus returns. Satan and his minions want to destroy the Church as a means of punishing God. Concelebration is a powerful means of trying to accomplish that end.
They use weapons made of ideas, transforming them into spiritual parasites to infect believers and clergy, spreading disease and decay throughout the Body of Christ. What the foul creatures hope is to render the Church useless in its mission to spread the gospel and keep society in check.
Effective spiritual warfare involves tons of prayer, confession, forsaking of sin, and the use of spiritual weapons. The Catholic Church is in sore need of such weapons and wise, Christ-centered warriors to wield them.
Why This Matters
Catholics don’t need theology degrees to grasp the scandal. The Church teaches that only validly ordained Catholic priests may consecrate the Eucharist. A lesbian Anglican in a same-sex union has no authority, no sacramental power, and no place at the altar. This moment didn’t promote unity—it mocked it. It didn’t express Catholic hospitality—it spit in its face.
The Bigger Picture
This isn’t just a rogue bishop going off the rails. It’s a symptom of a crisis where clergy chase cultural approval instead of fidelity to Christ. Letting someone concelebrate who denies both Catholic teaching on marriage and the sacrament of Holy Orders tells the faithful one thing: truth no longer matters. That’s the loudest sermon of the day, and it wasn’t preached from the pulpit—it was enacted at the altar.
Where Do We Go from Here?
Catholics have every right to demand accountability. Rome cannot shrug this off as a “misunderstanding.” The Eucharist sits at the center of our faith. If bishops turn it into a stage for ecumenical theater, then the faithful have to call it what it is: sacrilege, plain and simple.
I pray for Bishop Vera and for Emilie Teresa Smith. But I pray harder for the confused faithful who walked away from that Mass wondering if their Church still believes in itself.
Leave a Reply