Dear Friends,
At the end of last week’s bulletin column, I approached the topic of preparing ourselves for fully receiving the Blessed Sacrament. Some may wonder why they can’t go to Holy Communion if they are in a state or mortal sin. “Didn’t Pope Francis say that the Eucharist is medicine for the sick?”, some will say. Indeed and most definitely, the Eucharist is medicinal and heals us. However, we also know that medicine can be harmful if used improperly. St Paul says in the First Letter to the Corinthians, “Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord. A person should examine himself, and so eat the bread and drink the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are ill and infirm, and a considerable number are dying (11:27-30).” We don’t have to be perfect to receive the Blessed Sacrament, but if we are in a state of mortal sin, the Eucharist can be like poison, as we eat and drink judgment and condemnation on ourselves.
Continuing to think about the Eucharist as medicine and healing for our souls, we turn to the 1200s. St. Thomas Aquinas, one of the great theologians, wrote the Eucharist hymns for Corpus Christ: Tantum Ergo, Pange Lingua, and O Salutaris Hostia. He was deeply devoted to the Blessed Sacrament and wrote about the healing and medicinal aspects of the Eucharist, and as he often did, he made a distinction: medicine only works for the living. Mortal sins destroy the life of grace within us and in our souls, and therefore, medicine is ineffective.
Thinking about the need to go to Confession if one is in a state of mortal sin, I want to say this clearly: missing Mass is a violation of the Third Commandment to keep holy the Lord’s Day and is a mortal sin. This has always been the teaching of the Church and still remains the teaching of the Church, and the Church has been given authority by our Lord Jesus Christ to teach in matters of faith and morals. There are some exceptions to missing the Sunday obligation for Mass: illness, being homebound, being without a ride. If one is traveling, he should make every effort to find somewhere to go to Mass.
Another sticky subject regarding the reception of Holy Communion is whether non-Catholics can receive the Blessed Sacrament. In his encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia (The Church of the Eucharist), Pope St. John II reiterates what has been the constant teaching regarding the Eucharist, namely, that it is truly, really, actually, and substantially the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ and that it is a vehicle for more intense union with Christ and with the Church. He reiterates that the Eucharist is a sign and symbol of communion; by receiving the Eucharist, someone is implicitly stating that they are in union with the Church in terms of teaching, sacraments, and governance. In other words, if a person does not believe what the Church teaches in the realm of faith and morals, does not regard the Church’s sacraments as valid and as channels of grace, and is not under the authority of the Pope and bishops, that person is not in union with the Church and should not receive the Blessed Sacrament. It is also for this reason that Catholics do not go to communion at non-Catholic (and non-Orthodox) churches. Firstly, it is not the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist at other churches, but also, we are not in communion (intense union) with those other churches in terms of teaching, worship, and governance.
Perhaps some of this seems harsh. It is important to remember that the Eucharist is not a right; it is a gift. We receive the Blessed Sacrament, we don’t take it. Because of this, we need to place ourselves in the right spiritual space to receive this gift, a gift that God truly wants to give to all people. Only if we are ready to receive this beautiful, grace-filled, and fruitful gift do we then come forward to receive our Lord Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. While priests have to say Mass for the people, all that I’ve said about preparation applies to them as well.
We are saints under construction, daily preparing to receive the gift of God. Have a great week!
In Christ,
Fr. Matt