From the Pastor - Corpus Christi

We have had three consecutive weeks of significant Solemnities—Pentecost, Trinity Sunday, and now the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, better known by the name of Corpus Christi which translates from the Latin as the “Body of Christ.”

Clearly this is a celebration which brings our focus on the Eucharist, which is at the absolute center of our liturgy, and at the core of our Catholic faith. We have mentioned many times that all revolves around the Eucharist when we receive the real Body and Blood of the Lord.

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (#1324), “The Eucharist is ‘the source and summit of the Christian life.’ The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself.”

The Eucharist should be the high point of our week, or even of our day. The author J.R.R. Tolkien (author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy), who was a devout Catholic, once stated, “The only cure for sagging or fainting faith is Communion. Though always Itself, perfect and complete and inviolate, the Blessed Sacrament does not operate completely and once for all in any of us. Like the act of Faith, it must be continuous and grow by exercise. Frequency is of the highest effect. Seven times a week is more nourishing than seven times at intervals.”

Pastoral Pondering – The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ is the perfect Sunday to begin our discussion of what it means to be a practicing or practical Catholic. The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Church’s life, and all that we do as Church takes its meaning from the Eucharist and draws us back to the Eucharistic Heart of Our Lord. Hence, as Catholics, our words, actions, and everything about how we live should be impacted by our faith in the Most Holy Eucharist of the Altar. This particular topic has come up quite frequently lately as the US Bishops prepare to discuss Eucharistic coherence and the reception of Communion by those in public life who act contrary to the faith and morals of the Church while at the same time identifying themselves as Catholic.

The Church’s teaching is both consistent and clear that when a communicant is conscious of mortal sin, he should abstain from receiving Communion until receiving sacramental confession and absolution. Moreover, as canon 915 of the Code of Canon Law points out:

Those upon whom the penalty of excommunication or interdict has been imposed or declared, and others who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin, are not to be admitted to Holy Communion.

In their pastoral letter, Worthy to Receive the Lamb, Bishop Jugis, along with some of his brother bishops in the Ecclesiastical Province of Atlanta wrote:

Catholics in political life have the responsibility to exemplify in their public service this teaching of the Church, and to work for the protection of all innocent life. There can be no contradiction between the values bestowed by Baptism and the Catholic Faith, and the public expression of those values. Catholic public officials who consistently support abortion on demand are cooperating with evil in a public manner. By supporting pro-abortion legislation, they participate in manifest grave sin, a condition which excludes them from admission to Holy Communion as long as they persist in the pro-abortion stance (cf. Canon 915).

They continue:

Holy Communion is where Catholics meet as a family in Christ, united by a common faith. Every Catholic is responsible for being properly prepared for this profound union with Christ. Participation in Holy Communion requires certain dispositions on the part of the communicant, namely, perseverance in the life of grace, and communion in the faith of the Church, in the sacraments, and in the hierarchical order of the Church (Pope John Paul II, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, 35-38).

The Church also recognizes that there is a manifest lack of a proper disposition for Holy Communion in those whose outward conduct is "seriously, clearly, and steadfastly contrary" to the Church's moral teaching (Ecclesia de Eucharistia, 37b). A manifest lack of proper disposition for Holy Communion is found to be present in those who consistently support pro-abortion legislation. Because support for pro-abortion legislation is gravely sinful, such persons should not be admitted to Holy Communion.

We also take this opportunity to address all Catholics whose beliefs and conduct do not correspond to the Gospel and to Church teaching. To receive the great gift of God - the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ - we must approach Holy Communion free from mortal sin. Those who are conscious of being in a state of grave sin should avail themselves of the Sacrament of Reconciliation before coming to Holy Communion. To partake of the Eucharist is to partake of Christ Himself, and to enter into sacramental communion with our Lord we must all be properly disposed. (Worthy to Receive the Lamb: Catholics in Political Life and the Reception of Holy Communion, August 4, 2004)

Some have argued, including, sadly, some bishops and priests, that that the Communion rail is no place to settle political differences. However, the Church’s teaching has nothing to do with politics. As the recent pastoral letter of the Archbishop of San Francisco points out:

“Sadly, though, in today’s ‘throw-away culture’— as Pope Francis so vividly refers to it — the dignity of each and every human person is not accorded the value inherent to it. In a culture that values profit, power, prestige, and pleasure over all else, many people end up being victims of this throw-away culture, from struggling immigrants and working poor to the elderly and physically challenged. This throw-away mindset also fuels the serious damage inflicted on the environment, which especially adversely impacts the poor. But when it is an innocent human being’s very existence — a moral absolute — that is thrown away, it is a sign that a society has truly become severely disordered. Such is the plight of the unborn and the state of our society” (Salvatore Cordileone: Before I Formed You…, May 1, 2021).

God is ever-merciful, but He is also just. He desires our salvation, but our cooperation with His grace and His teaching is required in the process. As Jesus points out, if you love me, keep my commandments (see John 14:15). Even though, as human beings we do not do it perfectly, we are certainly to aspire to do so and conform our words and conduct to His teachings and those of His Church.