J.M.J. Much has been made of the widespread misunderstanding
regarding the Most Blessed Sacrament among Catholics in the United States. One poll after another indicates that
the majority (most polls suggest about 70 percent) of adult
Catholics in this county do not share the Church's conviction
that the Most Holy Eucharist is the real, true and substantial
Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of the God-Man under the mere
appearances of bread and wine.
The inevitable question
which arises from such data is: why? Dozens of reasons have
been given of which three seem to resurface again and again: 1. a
lack of catechesis outlining the nature and dignity of the Most Blessed Sacrament at every stage of Catholic life, from childhood
to adulthood; 2. a prevailing lack of reverence for any and all
supernatural realities; 3. a contemporary secularized climate that is not at all conducive to fostering manifestations of belief in
and piety towards God and respect for and obedience to the
age-old doctrines of the Church.
Before the Faithful will
once again accept the Church's teaching concerning the Most Holy
Eucharist, a concerted effort to dispel this woeful ignorance
is urgently required. It is vital that those in leadership
positions acknowledge and fulfill their duty to proclaim the
Church's understanding of the Sacrament of Sacraments.
Three
instances which promote the erroneous notion of the Holy
Eucharist are presented below. These must cease if the true
concept of the Most Blessed Sacrament is to hold sway again in the
minds of Catholics throughout our nation.
1. A
popular hymnal used in scores of Catholic churches throughout the
United States includes a hymn whose first line reads; "Precious
Body, precious Blood, here in bread and wine." This is, of
course, outright heresy. The Catholic Church has
never held that the Body and Blood of Christ are present in bread
and wine. Rather, by virtue of transubstantiation, the bread and
wine are transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ. Hence,
the Real Presence of Christ is on the Altar under the appearance
of bread and wine. Traditional Catholic theology attests
that the essence (i.e., the substance) is changed while the
accidents (i.e., taste, smell, shape, etc.) remain.
2. A
coordinator of religious education in a large urban parish
regularly holds court after Sunday mass just a few feet from the
sanctuary, evidently oblivious to the Real Presence of Christ in
the nearby tabernacle, speaking out loud to anyone who will
listen about sundry topics that have no relevance to anything
sacred. A visitor from another parish complained to the pastor, observing that he found it next to impossible to pray because of
the coordinator's loud conversations. The coordinator responded
by saying that Jesus would not care. Jesus does indeed care that
His Real Presence is adverted to and that His Body and Blood are
adored with fitting praise. The coordinator gives
poor witness to the grandeur of the Most Blessed Sacrament by such
inappropriate behavior and lamentable deportment that will
undoubtedly be mimicked by others, especially the religious
education students.
3. A newsletter designed to assist
Extraordinary Ministers of the Most Holy Eucharist contains an
article in which a nationally known author writes of the "bread and wine" (sic). This
language is disturbing, particularly coming from one who teaches
others about the beauty of the church's Sacred Liturgy. Bread and
wine exist during Mass only before the Consecration. Afterwards,
the real Body and Blood of Christ are present.
Clergy,
consecrated persons and laity alike share the daunting but
possible task of reeducating Catholics in our land as to the
inherent worth and meaning of the Holy Eucharist. There are
hopeful signs. Think, for example, of the explosion in different places of the opportunities of adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament.
With ardent prayer and constant
instruction, the glory of the Bread of Angels and the Chalice of
Salvation will once more be known and loved in the souls of Catholics from
one coast to the other.
Mary, Mother of the Most Blessed Sacrament, pray for us.
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