Eucharist

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Catholic test drive

While meandering through the rabbit hole of YouTube, the algorithm served up two suggestions for me that were intriguing. Can faith, and the expression of it through a particular religion, be tried on or tested out?

Our world is very secular and every denomination claims to have open doors to those who are interested. The Catholic Church has a whole process around the entrance for converts: Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA). However, in the two videos I watched, these individuals weren’t necessarily interested in converting. They were more interested in having a better understanding of Catholicism and what it means to be a Catholic. The first person I watched took a very studious approach to his experience, while the second person’s perspective was one of a challenge. It was the second one, in particular, that made me think that the approach to religion was being equated to testing-driving a car. I know God calls people in many ways, and perhaps even if neither person converts, could these 30-day challenge videos encourage others to “try” Catholicism? 

Protestant Goes to Mass for 30 Days Straight

YouTuber Nash Georgiev posted his video a few days prior to when I watched it. I was impressed that he read several books in preparation for attending Mass. His goal was to understand Catholicism better, and, potentially, to be able to argue against the teachings based on his experience. In his thirst for knowledge of the faith, he seemed to be getting tired of the trite and repetitive brush-offs Protestants use to dismiss anything Catholic. Through his Bulgarian heritage, he was familiar with Orthodox Churches, and took time to appreciate and explain the symbolic details of the architecture in the Catholic Church he attended. Even with all the preparation Nash did — including reading parts of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, he was still confused as to what was happening at Mass. While he noticed that the congregation participated and responded to the priest, he wasn’t quite sure how to follow it. He also mentioned, of course, the amount of movement required during a Mass; the standing, the sitting, and the kneeling. If he was taking this “adventure” on by himself, it made sense that he was confused. While every Mass is open to anyone to attend, having a basic understanding of the actual actions, or someone who can explain in real time, is needed in order to see the fruits of attending. 

There were three main impacts that Nash indicated in his video. First, he was surprised to hear that Catholics pray for unity for all Christians. He had never heard another denomination do that. I think he expressed it well when he said he felt as if “Mother Church [was] waiting for her rebellious children to come home.” He also expressed how the Bible came to life within the act of worship, since so many prayers are based on, or directly from, Scriptures. What seems to have touched his heart is the reverence he saw Catholics giving to the Eucharist. As he was summarizing his experience, he expressed hesitation in participating in the symbolic communion service at his Protestant Church because of the depth of belief Catholics have in The Real Presence.

I thought Nash did a wonderful and respectful review of his 30 days attending Mass. Not even all Catholics attend daily! Perhaps with his newly open and receptive heart, his faith journey may lead him home to becoming Catholic.  

I Lived Like A Catholic For 30 Days

YouTuber Jacob Giron started his video by giving the count of how many Christian denominations there are. He posted his video about a month ago, and while he claims to be Christian, he didn’t seem to have any particular way to practice his faith. He mentioned his Catholic friends being disciplined in their prayers and Mass attendance and was using this 30-day challenge to see if Catholicism was right for him. There were three things he felt makes someone a Catholic: Mass, prayer, and confession. He was very eager to try all three, including confession!

Jacob began by talking with a priest, which I thought was an appropriate way to start. However, I think he was a bit disappointed that he didn’t receive a checklist of what to do and in what order. The first few days were focused on prayer. He pulled out his Bible and looked up the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew’s Gospel, and while he explained that he knew it, he also admitted that he never used “recited prayers.” Rather than going to Mass every day, Jacob’s attendance was limited to Sundays. It was rather humorous to hear him try to explain the kneelers. While I admit I did cringe when I saw him chewing gum when he entered the Church, he was cognizant to feel he was underdressed for Mass. He did talk with one of the parishioners who helped give him a bit more understanding of the Mass. Jacob seemed impressed with the unity of the Catholic Mass, in that all the Catholic Churches use the same Scripture readings around the world for any given Sunday. 

I wasn’t surprised at Jacob’s reflection on confession. Since he isn’t a Catholic, he really wasn’t prepared for the sacrament. His expectation was to just talk with the priest and seemed to be surprised at the ritual of it. While priests often do give pastoral counsel during confession, it’s usually when a person is prepared to confess specific sins, because they have reflected on what they have, or have not done. Without this approach, as well as proper remorse for one’s sins, one can’t fully receive the graces from the sacrament. In his summary, Jacob indicated he was not ready to make a commitment to becoming Catholic and still had many more questions. 

While the approaches and the intentions seemed to be different for each man, I’m not convinced a 30-day challenge is a good idea for faith and religion. Faith is a journey and it’s also a relationship; both with God as well as each person we meet. Our chosen religion is how we express and practice what we believe. I don’t think you can try-on a denomination to see if it fits you. The Catholic faith and its practice is for you to be molded into the likeness of Jesus, imitating Him and having a relationship with Him. Faith changes us into the best version of ourselves. To look for faith and a religious expression to be anything else, is wanting to play at being God. 

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Finding God’s presence

In a recent Bible study session, we reviewed Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist by Dr. Brad Pitre, and I found more than just the topic, I found a correlation with the Mass.

In part of Dr. Pitre’s presentation, he talks about the Bread of the Presence in the first tabernacle that the Israelites had in the Temple. As he outlined the importance of the Bread of the Presence, he also illustrated that God was present in the Tabernacle in three ways. First was the Ark of the Covenant, which was the Throne of the Invisible God. This is for God, the Father. Second was the Bread of the Presence, which was set on the Golden Table. This Presence is Jesus, the Bread of Life. Finally, there was the Golden Lampstand, or Menorah, that held seven tongues of fire, which is the Holy Spirit. While the scriptures may not call out that this is the Triune God by those exact words, one can find the Trinity in the Bible, if you are looking.

What struck me as we were learning about this Tabernacle is that it looks just like the Mass. When you think about what was in the Ark of the Covenant, it was the Word of God: the Ten Commandments. Then there is the Bread of Presence. We’ve already established that this represents Jesus, so this would be the Eucharist. And just like in ancient times, before any filled tabernacle in today’s Catholic Churches, there is the sanctuary lamp that burns, illustrating the presence of Divinity. Mass is the worship of God, through Jesus and in the unity of the Holy Spirit (Doxology). As all three were present in the old Jewish covenant, so too are all three present in the new covenant established by Jesus at the Last Supper. The Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist are the two parts that make up the Mass, and they were in physical form in the Temple in Jerusalem.

While our finite minds cannot expect to comprehend or understand the Infinite Creator God, in all things He left signs of who He is. What sounds like exacting commands, perhaps a bit bizarre in Exodus, Numbers, and Leviticus — which is where the Bread of the Presence and the placement of the holy items in the Tabernacle are defined — are really a glimpse of God made visible to us. God understands that our human nature needs physical items to correlate spiritual realities. Any physical analogy will always have its limitations, but it’s in these analogies that God chooses to reveal parts of Himself to us. As Jesus first spoke the words of consecration over the bread and wine, the simple objects became His Real Presence. It wouldn’t have seemed strange for the Apostles, since they were familiar with the Bread of the Presence. Had it not been for this reference, Jesus’ actions would have been more difficult to understand. When the two disciples who traveled to Emmaus after the resurrection recognized Jesus in the breading of the bread, perhaps some of those scripture references Jesus used in their discourse included the Bread of the Presence. 

As Catholics, we believe in the Real Presence, that is the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity is in every consecrated host and drop in the chalice. This is an article of faith, something that science cannot prove, since it transcends the physical world and crosses into the spiritual. Numerous miracles studied by science show the host to be from a human heart, but again, science can only show the physical world, it cannot be used to discern a soul or divinity. It’s up to us to accept that belief in faith. Learning about how God prepared us through the Jewish people and their traditions strengthens our beliefs. Jesus lived and breathed as a Jew, celebrating all the rituals and customs. It is from this tradition that the Catholic Church was born.

Dr. Pitre’s presentation is an excellent resource for those who want to dive deeper into understanding the Eucharist and the richness the Jewish traditions contribute to our faith.

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Food for the journey

While the weekday masses are now firmly back in Ordinary Time, the Sundays after Pentecost continue to highlight major components of the faith. Last week was the Most Holy Trinity and this weekend the focus is on Corpus Christi, or the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.

One way a parish can celebrate Corpus Christi is by processing with the consecrated Host in a monstrance. For some it may be a quaint way of keeping old traditions alive. However, there’s more than just tradition in this ancient practice. Look at the pieces of what goes into a procession: the Holy Presence of Jesus in the Host, the congregation walking behind, and songs of praise, thanksgiving, and adoration. This is like a miniature version of life. This is what we’re supposed to do on a daily basis: walk with God, allowing Him to lead us, and sing His praise in all that we do. In practicing on a small scale on this solemnity, we are exercising our faith muscles so that we can use them in our daily lives. 

The Eucharist is food for our life journey. While the Church asks us to attend Mass weekly, if we were able to attend daily, we could receive Holy Communion each time. However, regardless of how often we receive, we need to be on guard about it not becoming a habit. A habit, as described in Merriam-Webster is, “an acquired mode of behavior that has become nearly or completely involuntary.” Basically, when the Eucharist is received out of habit, then its effect on us is diminished. It’s similar to when Jesus visited His hometown, and because the people thought they knew Him and who He was, He was not able to perform many miracles amongst them. 

Attitude is the key for preventing such a precious gift from becoming a mere trinket. At each Mass, we prepare ourselves to receive Jesus in the Sacrament by being attentive and participating in the liturgical responses. We take the time of silence before receiving to open our hearts, to have an attitude of welcome for Jesus. Just before the Our Father is one of the most important prayers the priest says: the Eurcharistic Doxology: “Through him, with him, and in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, Almighty Father, forever and ever.” In this prayer, we lift up the Mass, with all our intentions through Jesus, uniting them with the Holy Spirit in an offering to God the Father. When we receive Jesus, the opposite happens: we allow Jesus to work through us, with us, and in us, and in unity with the Holy Spirit. We don’t receive the Sacrament to stay the same person we are in our sin, but rather to be transformed out of our sinfulness into the best version of ourselves. We strive to become the Body of Christ on earth by allowing Christ to use our hands and feet to do His will. The Sacrament not only feeds us spiritually, but stirs up the Holy Spirit we received in Baptism and Confirmation to continue the guidance long after our bodies have absorbed the Host. 

Corpus Christi is the Latin phrase for the Body of Christ. As we celebrate this food for our journey, let us welcome the solemnity and the sacrament it celebrates, so that we can be blessed with all the graces God can bestow to our open hearts. 

Shifting focus

Why do you go to Mass? While that seems like a simple question, how you answer it may reveal much about your relationship with God. 

Attending Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation is one of the precepts of the Catholic Church. We are not “encouraged” to attend, but rather “expected” to do so. There may be some times when it does feel every bit of an obligation. However, if our sole reasoning each time is to check the box that says we’ve done our duty, it may be time to reevaluate our priorities. On a to-do list, attending Mass should not be just one other thing we do besides taking out the trash, cleaning the bathroom, and grocery shopping. While all these activities are important and need to be done, Mass is not just a thing to accomplish but a retreat from all the tedious tasks we have to cross off our list.

In the Mass, we praise and worship God. This can seem easy to do when there is robust music with familiar hymns so that everyone can sing along. We feel the energy of the music, we have a smile on our face, and it makes us feel good. If that is what is attracting us to attend Mass, that may be a sound reason initially, but it will not sustain our faith in the long run. When we attend Mass because it makes us feel good, we become the focus and reason for our attendance, not God. When there are times that Mass makes us feel good and satisfied when we leave, we can rejoice in that feeling, but we should never go expecting that feeling. 

Through the Mass we encounter Jesus in His fullness: Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. As the Mass is composed of two parts, the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist, we receive Jesus in both His Word, through the Gospel, and in substance, Holy Communion. With each Mass we are given the opportunity to listen to Jesus speak to us as well as speak to Him when we pray after consuming the consecrated host. We can thank Him for all the blessings we’ve received, invoke His assistance for all the challenges before us, and ask forgiveness for all the times we’ve fallen into sin. Receiving the Precious Body and Blood of Jesus in the Holy Sacrament is the closest to heaven we have on earth. We physically are interacting with Jesus as He feeds us with Himself. 

When the reason we attend Mass becomes a visit with a friend, the focus is not on us and what we need to do or how it makes us feel, but rather on God. When we open our hearts to let Him speak through the priest and deacon, we allow God into ourselves and our lives. Reflecting on our visit may prompt us to make adjustments to our life and our interactions with others, sometimes tiny changes while others may seem to turn our world upside down. The result is making us the best version of ourselves that we can be, so that we can share the blessings we’ve received with others, bringing the love of God to them.

Mass is not about what we get out of it, but what we give instead. We give our time, our attention, and open our hearts to God. We share our blessings with others when we volunteer and donate to the collection. We reflect back to God how much we acknowledge and appreciate all He has given us by our attitude towards the Mass. Perhaps the next time we attend Mass, we can ask God how we need to shift our focus for Mass from ourselves and our needs, to Him and for the grace to do it. 

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Safe in God’s hands

Mass can be routine. While the readings and songs change, everything else stays mostly the same. Until it isn’t. No matter what, Mass is still the Mass, regardless of the circumstances.

It started out as a normal Sunday Mass. I was appreciating the use of the organ in the opening song, the Gloria, and the responsorial psalm, when the accompanist would usually switch to piano. But all that changed at the end of the Gospel when everyone’s cell phones all sounded the alert. As we sat down for the homily, someone called out to Father that it was a tornado warning, in case he wanted to address it. As a retired priest who was filling in, his first comment was, “What do you want me to do about it?” I totally understand that train of thought. From my perspective, if it was my time to go, what better way than to be during Mass? However, our deacon, who also teaches at the school, used the school’s protocol and advised that we proceed down to the social hall, which was a floor below the church. 

Our social hall was split into two sections that day. One side was conducting the monthly blood drive. The other was set up in the normal meeting fashion of chairs around long tables. As the congregation took seats or stood around the perimeter, there was a lot of chatter amongst the people. Yet the deacon was able to capture everyone’s attention quickly and announced that rather than waiting until the warning subsided, we would continue with Mass, but that everyone would remain where they were and communion would be brought to us. Father did shorten his homily, and proceeded with the liturgy of the Eurcharist. Two candles were lit and everything that was needed was placed on the makeshift altar. Despite the unusual circumstances, there was still a reverence observed by both the clergy and the congregation present. While there was a child or two that could be heard, most others were silent. For me, I closed my eyes and let my focus be on the words instead of on the surroundings.

What struck me the most, however, was receiving Holy Communion. Usually we stand in line and proceed up to the minister, and when receiving in the hand we make a throne, so that the Precious Body can be safely placed on the palm. Normally, I don’t see the person’s hands in front of me, however, this time, I could see the whole row of open hands, indicating the person’s desire to receive. It reminded me of the pictures that one sees of those in poverty who are lining up with open hands to beg for a scrap of food. And that is what we truly are: beggars in this world, seeking the daily substance through the grace and blessings we receive from God. Everything that we have is a gift from God, one that He renews each and every day. As the ministers walked down each isle, they retained a solemness for what they carried, stopping for each person. One of the musicians softly played the piano on the stage, allowing those who received sacred background music to aid their meditation. While our surroundings were different, receiving Jesus was still the same holy and sacred moment.

Even with the disruption, since there was no singing and the homily was shortened, Mass was completed quite quickly. To all our relief, the tornado warning had expired and we were safely sent on our way. Yet, we are always safe when we place ourselves in God’s hands. Regardless of what happens, when we know God is with us, obstacles have a way of being addressed, even in a most unexpected way.

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Unclean hands

How often do you eat with unclean hands? What about receiving the Eucharist? Do you wash not only your hands but also your soul?

As the Gospel was being proclaimed last Sunday, I got the sense of the Old Testament foreshadowing the New Testament and that I just needed to ponder it more to see the bigger picture. When we consider the rituals that the Pharisees referred to, the washing of hands before eating as well as “purifying” or cleaning specific items, they are good hygiene practices to follow. The people of that time were not aware of the microscopic bacteria and germs that could cause them to become sick, but God knew. In requiring them to purify, or wash, their hands before eating, He was creating a habit for them that would reduce or even prevent disease. This physical habit should have also had a parallel for the spiritual health of a person. As they were “purifying” their hands, they should have thought about how well they kept the Commandments. Humans, however, have a tendency to be shortsighted and only look at what is being asked, relegating a healthy physical habit into a spiritual ritual instead of a spiritual reflection. In addition, one gets the sense that the Pharisees were scandalized to see that not all of Jesus’ followers adhered to this requirement.

As the Eucharist is a meal, how do we come to the table, which is the altar, with clean hands? Here again, the parallel is not literally having washed our hands (although that is always a good practice!), but rather preparing ourselves to receive in a worthy manner. In a sense we need to “wash” our souls before we receive Holy Communion. The most obvious way we can purify ourselves is through the sacrament of reconciliation. This is imperative if we are in a state of mortal sin, however, regularly receiving this sacrament can keep some of the lesser sins from growing into greater ones. Reconciliation is such an amazing sacrament! When we take the time to prepare for it by reviewing our thoughts, actions, and omissions, as well as truly being contrite for how these offenses have separated us from God, we can receive His mercy and be “washed” with grace. After a good confession, our souls are like the day we were baptized! 

If we aren’t in a state of mortal sin, there are probably plenty of venial sins that are causing our relationship with God to be strained. During Mass there are two ways that we can “wash” our souls. The first is the Penitential Act, when the priest asks us to call to mind the sins we have committed since our last Mass. As a congregation, we admit that we have sinned and ask God’s mercy through a general prayer. The priest gives a general absolution for these minor sins before we proceed with the Gloria. The other way we take ownership of our sins against others is at the sign of peace. This is the closest way the Church can encourage us to forgive others. It recalls Jesus’ teaching, “Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:23-24). At the sign of peace, here again is a physical action that has spiritual parallel. It may be impossible for us to actively forgive someone who is many miles away at that moment, but we can recall the hurt and ask God to help us forgive that person or to help that person forgive us. If the person is near us, we can take the first step at healing the relationship by offering them the sign of peace, that is to say, “I forgive you,” or “I seek your forgiveness.” These two times in the Mass allow us to recognize the effect of our daily actions towards God and those we interact with, and seek God’s mercy and grace.

It’s not just an Old Testament ritual that instructs us to prepare to receive the Eucharist, but even Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians boldly warned them about not purifying themselves before receiving Holy Communion. “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.” (1 Cor 11:27-29) What does unworthily mean? I believe the list of actions Jesus indicates from Sunday’s Gospel reading that defile a person are what makes a person unworthy to receive Holy Communion. (Mark 7:21-23)

We are a people of unclean hands, but God, through His Church, has provided us ways to wash ourselves and our souls clean. Let us use these opportunities to grow our relationship with God rather than just performing a spiritual ritual.

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Say it again

Did Sunday’s Psalm sound familiar? I thought it sounded repetitive last weekend as well. Actually Psalm 34 has been used the past three Sundays and always with the same response. “Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.”

While the past four Sundays have been from the sixth chapter of John, commonly known as the Bread of Life discourse, the initial Sunday was the multiplication of the loaves. It was this miracle that John expands upon in the following three Sundays and the mirroring of Psalm 34 imitates the pattern. Some of the stanzas are different, but the response remains the same. If we just take it at face value, we may think that Psalm is used because it is talking about bread and one does taste bread. But we’re not talking about any old bread, we’re talking about a discussion in which Jesus indicated it was His own flesh. According to Bishop Barron, in the original text Jesus emphasized the eating of His flesh by using a verb that conveyed the gnawing eating method of an animal to illustrate the act of consuming. The Church in her wisdom uses Psalm 34 to mimic the emphasis for us today.

Have you ever eaten a meal so quickly that once it was over you realized you have no recollection of how it tasted? It can be disappointing to realize that we really didn’t enjoy eating that meal! So how do we taste the goodness of the Lord? Is it merely the flavor of the consecrated host before it dissolves in our mouth? Is there a way we can gnaw on Jesus? According to Merriam-Webster, there are nine definitions for taste as a verb. Some of them indicate eating in small quantities. Yet if Jesus overemphasized the act of eating, I don’t think the definitions that equate to nibbling would be applied. I think the most appropriate definition for taste is, “to become acquainted with by experience.” We need to experience God in order to appreciate His goodness to us. 

As Jesus bluntly reiterated eating His flesh, how could we deepen this experience of God as if we are gnawing on His goodness? I’m sure there are areas in all of our lives that we grumble and wish the situations were different — in our home, our family, or in our work, but what if instead of grumbling about why it isn’t meeting our standards, we appreciated what we do have within all aspects of our lives? “I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall be always in my mouth.” (Psalm 34:2) Before the psalm talks about petitioning God for assistance, it urges His praise and glory. When we turn away from our egos and wants, we can see better to thank God for all that He has provided to us already. We can then expand our vision to see the small blessings that come our way each and every day. Praising God for all sizes of blessings on a regular basis will grow our relationship with God so that we can truly share Him with others, “… let the poor hear and be glad. Magnify the Lord with me; and let us exalt his name together.” (Psalm 34:3-4) In sharing our experience with Jesus with others, we can help them to taste and see God’s goodness in their lives.

Just to be clear, experiencing God does not mean that we won’t have challenges and the psalm is very direct about that. “Many are the troubles of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him from them all. He watches over all his bones; not one of them shall be broken.” (Psalm 34:20-21) God does not prevent us from difficulties, but He does walk with us through them, providing the support we need to get us back to a place of peace. 

With 150 psalms, I’m sure there were others that the Church could have used to accompany the Gospel readings for the past three weeks. Yet it found using this short Psalm with its repetitive response as the perfect fit. We have already repeated it as the refrain several times during the last three Sundays. It’s now up to us to continue that refrain in our praise of God to others. 

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Take versus receive

As Catholics, do we take Communion or do we receive Communion? Is there a difference? If there is one that is correct, which is it? 

A few weeks ago I was assisting in training a small youth class on the Eucharist and the leader used the phrase take Communion. It felt awkward and uncomfortable for me to hear that. As she is a convert to Catholicism, I thought perhaps it was her Baptist roots showing. I gently corrected her phrasing to use the word receive. However, I’ve been second guessing myself for the past three weekends at Sunday Mass. We have been hearing the Gospel from John chapter 6, known as the Bread of Life discourse. Each week the homilies have included reminders of how the Gospel ties into the Eurchastic prayer taken from the synoptic Gospels where Jesus says, “Take this, all of you, and eat of it: for this is My Body which will be given up for you.” Take?? I thought we received Communion? I feel like the only time I would use the word take in conjunction with Holy Communion is when a person is making a call to a homebound person or someone in the hospital. It’s like we’re taking Jesus to visit that person, just as you might do with a mutual friend.

I love exploring the meaning of words and their etymology, so I looked up both words in Merriam-Webster. If it was a matter of the number of meanings, take would win hands down with over 20 verb meanings! I think the most used definitions come first. My perception of the word take is one of aggression and the first meaning bears that out: to get into one’s hands or into one’s possession, power, or control: such as to seize or capture physically. The word receive, on the other hand, only has a mere five verb meanings, however they contain the concepts of welcome, greet, and believe. My perception of the word receive is more of opening oneself to what is being offered or given and has a sense of humility in the action. In regards to etymology, however, they both mean the same thing, although they come from different sources: Old Norse and Latin. 

I searched for videos about receiving Communion at a Catholic Church to see how different content authors gave instruction. Receive was used by all, not just in the title but also in discussing the etiquette and actions for the proper reception. In one video by Fr. William Nicholas, he describes several ways of what not to do! In one description he uses the term snatch, which for me would be akin to using the word take in reference to Holy Communion. His video starts out by reminding us the third precept of the Catholic Church is, “You shall receive the sacrament of the Eucharist at least during the Easter Season.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2042)

So why does Jesus tell us to take while the Church teaches us to receive? In John 20:22, Jesus does use the verb receive with His Apostles, but in a totally different way, “He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the holy Spirit.” Jesus commands us to take in regards to the Body as it is a physical thing that can be held and take is the proper action verb in the physical realm. However, when it comes to the Holy Spirit, which is in the spiritual realm, we cannot perform any action to acquire the Spirit, but rather we must be open to receive the Spirit. It is Jesus, Himself, who is in the consecrated host we receive at Holy Communion. If He is giving us a direction to take Himself within ourselves, it makes sense that He gives us the command in such an actionable way.

Lastly, I did a search to see if there were any commentaries about Catholics using take versus receive in regards to Holy Communion. Oddly enough, there wasn’t much out there, but I did find a response on the Catholic Answers website that indicates both terms are correct. However, “traditional Catholic piety has encouraged use of the word receive to emphasize that Communion is a gift from Christ to the individual Catholic.”

I think words do matter and we need to be careful how we present concepts to those receiving instruction in the faith. Even if both terms are correct, receive is the preferred choice of the Catholic Church. 

More than food

It all started with an apple. It ends with bread and wine. Why is our salvation centered around food? What significance does it have on our spiritual lives?

The apple has been the iconic symbol of the fall of man for many centuries, yet in reality, Genesis never mentions what it was that Adam and Eve ate, only that it was the “fruit of the tree.” There are many trees that provide produce, like oranges, lemons, almonds, walnuts, and coconuts. Early scholars suggested that the fruit was a fig or an olive, which was common in ancient times. However, if there was only one tree in the garden that they could not eat, perhaps whatever fruit it was is no longer in existence? It could explain why there is no special identifier for that fruit beyond the fact that it was produced by the tree. Does it matter what type of fruit it was that was consumed? Curious human brains want to have these details, but sometimes in wanting details, we miss the bigger picture. What is it about eating the fruit of a tree that we need to pay attention to? Perhaps it’s more about the tree producing the fruit, something that, ultimately, rests in the hands of God. As humans, we can plant seeds and trees and care for them to the best of our ability, but we cannot force the fruit to come. An apple is actually a good example of the fruit of the tree as a source of nutrition from God. We need to do absolutely nothing to prepare an apple to be eaten; we don’t have to peel it, we don’t have to cook it. We can just take a bite and enjoy!

God uses patterns throughout salvation history to effect change. One example is when the Israelites were wandering in the desert complaining and they were struck by seraph serpents. God had Moses fashion a bronze serpent on a staff and raise it up and anyone who looked at it would survive their bite. (Num 21:4-9) This is considered a precursor to Jesus on the cross. We could also say that the fruit of the tree eaten by Adam and Eve is the precursor to the bread and wine we use for communion. If it was with food that we sinned, then it is through food that we are saved. However, there are two large differences between the fruit of the tree and the Eucharist.

While bread and wine are both food, they don’t come ready made for us to eat. We humans have to put time and effort into making each. This doesn’t mean that we are in control of our salvation, rather, that we need to participate with God to achieve salvation. We work with the fruit of the earth that He provides, and apply the knowledge and experience we have gained in order to make the bread and wine. Ironically, each of these food items are on the opposite ends of the shelf life spectrum. Bread, unless it is made with lots of preservatives,  really only lasts one day. Wine, on the other hand, takes time to produce and gets better with age. We can interpret these polar opposites to understand that God will give us what we need today and will also provide for our future. 

It’s not just any bread and wine that has salvific properties, but rather those that are consecrated during Mass. While humans have transformed wheat and grapes into bread and wine, Jesus transforms them into His Body and Blood, leaving only the properties of bread and wine to observe. In the Eucharistic miracle accounts I’ve read, any microscopic testing of the consecrated host structure was found to be consistent with muscle tissue from the human heart. Jesus loves to feed us with Himself, to have a relationship with us. In receiving Jesus in the Holy Sacrament, we welcome Him into our bodies and into our lives. The desire to become better that caused Adam and Eve to sin becomes the basis of Holy Communion. Thus, food continues to play an important role in salvation history. By partaking in the communal celebration of Mass, we look to strengthen our relationship with God and with one another.

Holy Tabernacle

Are you a holy tent? If you are a baptized Catholic who receives the Holy Eucharist, you certainly are! How can this be, if we are all sinners?

In reflecting on the Easter seasons and its readings, there are so many that point back to the Last Supper and the institution of the Eucharist. This gift of Jesus is celebrated and adored throughout the year, but we pay special attention to it in the Easter season. During Mass, the hosts are consecrated and then distributed with any remaining then reserved in a tabernacle. The etymology of tabernacle comes from the Latin word for tent or hut. This evokes back to Exodus and when the Israelites wandered through the desert and a special tent was pitched for God to dwell amongst the people. God gave Moses specific instructions for its construction, consecration, the worship conducted within it, and its maintenance. While most think of a tabernacle as an item within a church building, made of elaborate metalwork, we forget that we who receive Jesus in the Holy Sacrament then become, ourselves, living tabernacles of the Lord. Jesus is “pitching” His tent within us, each and every time we receive Him. Do we welcome His presence in this way? Or do we just acknowledge His closeness to give Him a list of our troubles that we need His help with? We all need God’s help in so many ways that it’s natural for us to unburden ourselves to Him. However, Easter is the perfect time to take a different perspective with our Eucharistic encounter at Mass. 

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body.” (1 Cor 6:19) The idea of a human person being a temple, tabernacle, or dwelling place of God, is acknowledged by Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians. So, it’s not just when we receive Jesus in Mass that God dwells within us, but we are claimed as temples of the Holy Spirit from the time of our baptism. This gift of God is further reinforced with the sacrament of Confirmation, as we are sealed with the Spirit by the laying of hands by the bishop (or priest) and the sacred chrism oil. It is also these three sacraments, Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Eucharist, that are considered the sacraments of initiation to become a Christian, a follower and disciple of Christ Jesus. And it is these three sacraments that are celebrated at the Easter Vigil or throughout the Easter season, depending on the needs and schedule of the parish.

God wants a personal relationship with us. Not just a quick visit once a week to check off that obligation, but to truly dwell in us at every moment of our lives. He sent His Son to be our Savior, the one who heals the brokenness caused when humanity chose their own desires over trust in God. God the Father and God the Son send God the Holy Spirit into the world to sanctify it, to make it holy so that we can have a relationship with the Triune God, listening to Him and trusting His will for us. One way we respond is to have a consistent prayer life, for example morning and evening prayer, or a daily rosary. It’s setting time aside to be attentive to God. 

God is not surprised when our human nature gets in the way. It’s why Jesus gave us Himself at the Last Supper, and upon His resurrection, directed the Apostles to receive the ability to forgive sins, something that only God can truly do. By frequenting the sacraments of Holy Communion and Reconciliation, we can better maintain the dwelling place within ourselves for God. No one, even the saints, is worthy to be a dwelling for God by his or her own merit. It is only through our cooperation with His Will for us that we can be a tent for God to dwell. And if we are a dwelling for God, then we bring Him everywhere we go and to everyone we meet. Others can see this reflection of God by our actions and our words. We embody the Trinity, that is we give our body as a reflection of our relationship with God to those we encounter. That is the makings of a saint, who dwells with God after his or her earthly life is complete.

During this seasonal focus on the Eucharist, let us take the time to think of God as living within us every day. Let us strive to be a Holy Tabernacle that pleases Him, welcomes His presence, and remains attentive to His call.