This
Sunday we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of
Christ, otherwise known as Corpus Christi. This is
a solemnity that is transferred from Thursday (the day on which the Holy
Eucharist was instituted) to Sunday in the United States and other
countries. In Rome and various places throughout the world, however, it was
celebrated this past Thursday.
As
Catholics we are called to look at and adore the great gift that we possess in
the Holy Eucharist. We believe in the Real Presence of
Christ in the Holy Eucharist. Let me be very direct and clear: not
all Christian faiths believe the same thing about the Holy Eucharist. Some
believe that the Eucharist is merely a symbol or blessed
bread. Other denominations believe that the bread and wine become
Christ while the service is going on but return to bread and
wine after the service is ended. Some hold that the Eucharist is a sacrament,
while others do not. There are many varying points of view.
The
Catholic Church believes and teaches that the bread and wine truly become
the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ. It is truly Christ present
on our altars and in our tabernacles. We take Christ at His word when the
words of consecration are spoken: “This is my Body . . . This is my
Blood.”
That’s
why it’s frustrating to me that some people can be so cavalier about this
essential belief of the Catholic faith. For some to say things like: “It’s
all the same” or “One religion is as good as another” or “I’ll just go over to
the nearby Protestant church” misses the point about what we have held as a
core belief in the Catholic Church: We possess the Real Presence of
Christ in the Holy Eucharist.
Yes,
it’s good for us to get down on our knees to adore and worship Christ truly
present at every Mass and in our tabernacles. He promised to remain with
us always: “And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (Mt.
28:20) We
believe that he kept this promise in the Holy Eucharist.
We read in the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
The Mass
is at the same time, and inseparably, the sacrificial memorial in which the
sacrifice of the cross is perpetuated and the sacred banquet of communion with
the Lord's body and blood. But the celebration of the Eucharistic sacrifice is
wholly directed toward the intimate union of the faithful with Christ through
communion. To receive communion is to receive Christ himself who has offered
himself for us. (Catechism
of the Catholic Church, # 1382)
I suggest that we all make
an effort to be more intentional in the following matters when receiving our
Lord in Holy Communion:
- Receiving Our Lord in the state of grace (not conscious of any serious or mortal sin, including deliberately missing Sunday Mass or Holy Days). The Sacrament of Penance is necessary when mortal sin is involved.
- Fasting from food and drink for a minimum of an hour beforehand (no gum chewing, etc.)
- Receiving Our Lord with utmost reverence and respect (no talking or other distracting behavior).
- Making a proper thanksgiving afterward (adoration, contrition, thanksgiving, supplication or acts).
May we always
realize Who we have before us on our altars and in our
tabernacles and Who we are privileged to receive in Holy
Communion: Jesus, the Son of God.
Fr. Ed Namiotka
Pastor
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