The Eucharist is Jesus.
Communicating that might just be the greatest challenge of our lives. So many of our fellow Catholics don’t even know it or, if they have heard it, believe it.
Years ago, in a book called Being Catholic Now edited by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s daughter Kerry Kennedy, current Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi wrote about the first Communion of one of her grandchildren. Before Mass, they were lying on a bed, as the girl explained to her grandmother: “That it is the body and blood of Christ. When we go to church, it is the body and blood of Christ.”
Pelosi then explains that the girl’s mother then responds: “Yes, the host and the wine represent the body and blood of Christ.” The granddaughter corrected her elder, proving she had a real Catholic education: “Not represent. It is the body and blood of Christ.”
Pelosi then wrote: “My granddaughter was buying into it, okay. But it is hard. Every Sunday for me it’s hard. Christ had died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. Now think of it, we say that every week. Do I really believe he’s coming again? Yes, I believe he’s coming again. Christ died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. This is my body, this is my blood. They’re asking a lot. In my era, we didn’t question any of it.”
Here in the United States, we are having all kinds of debates about eucharistic coherence and the reception of the Eucharist by politicians who publicly support abortion. But our problem runs deeper. On a fundamental level, it’s not about abortion, nor about politics. It’s about our unbelief.
In 2008, the Democratic National Convention was in Denver, where Archbishop Chaput was assigned at the time. During Sunday night Mass before the opening of the convention, he preached: “If you’re Catholic and you disagree with your Church, what do you do? You change your mind.”
I often wonder if people truly know what the Church really teaches about things, or if they have had a real encounter with our eucharistic Lord.
At the opening of a conference on the anniversary of St. Pope John Paul’s book Ecclesia in America, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger talked about the challenges of secularism and issues that plague human life and families. He referenced abortion, as well as other kinds of violence.
He said, “All these important questions require careful study. Yet in addition to their technical evaluation, the Catholic Church is convinced that the light for an adequate solution can only come from encounter with the living Christ, which gives rise to attitudes and ways of acting based on love and truth. This is the decisive force which will transform the American continent.”
And then he continued:
“Dear friends, the love of Christ impels us to devote ourselves without reserve to proclaiming his Name throughout America, bringing it freely and enthusiastically to the hearts of all its inhabitants. There is no more rewarding or beneficial work than this. There is no greater service that we can provide to our brothers and sisters. They are thirsting for God. For this reason, we ought to take up this commitment with conviction and joyful dedication, encouraging priests, deacons, consecrated men and women and pastoral agents to purify and strengthen their interior lives ever more fully through a sincere relationship with the Lord and a worthy and frequent reception of the sacraments. This will be encouraged by suitable catechesis and a correct and ongoing doctrinal formation marked by complete fidelity to the word of God and the Church’s Magisterium and aimed at offering a response to the deepest questions and aspirations of the human heart. The witness of your faith will thus be more eloquent and incisive, and you will grow in unity in the fullfilment of your apostolate. A renewed missionary spirit and zealous generosity in your commitment will be an irreplaceable contribution to what the universal Church expects and needs from the Church in America.”
This cannot happen without our complete devotion to Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. The sacramental life is the only way for there to be any kind of true renewal in the Church in the world….
The above comes from a July 30 story by Kathryn Jean Lopez in Angelus News.
“my granddaughter was buying into it”,pelosi said, commenting on her faith in the Eucharist as more than a symbol. Collins online dictionary says that the phrasal verb “to buy into” has 5 meanings. No. 5 is “to accept, believe, trust”. This verb is usually chosen as a way of standing to the side, not sharing in the rumor,myth,theory,or,in this case,sacred teaching of the deepest gift of our faith. She says that in her own era “we didn’t question any of it”.but leaves unstated whether she believed any of it. To speak of a newly deepened faith in Jesus’ Eucharistic presence in such a cold ,impersonal phrase might tell us that she simply does not believe in the Eucharist.and we know that she does not believe in the real presence of human life in the inborn and human rights due to all human beings,including the weakest.
None of us know what Pelosi or anyone else believes about the Eucharist. We do know, however, what the church teaches about it; it is not a representation of Christ, it is Christ. If someone doesn’t believe that, they should attend a church that believes that communion is simply a remembrance, but not the real presence.
It is not about what anyone else believes! It is rather “what I BELIEVE “ for everyone. It is personal and if we all confront, examine and work on “ our individual personal Christian Journey”, Catholic or not, while evangelizing and encouraging our “ neighbors “, it will be helpful to us and to The Church as a whole.
We must refrain from pointing fingers and crucify our judgemental attitudes.
Sounds like you are judging others.
i’m NOT buying into Pelosi
Another bishop writes a verbose, circuitous, interminable article–rather than a yes-or-no answer to the question: “Are you going to continue allowing fanatical promoters of abortion to receive Communion?”
As a result of Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden’s “beliefs”– all taxpayers, including American Catholic clerics– are now all paying for Congress’ funding of Abortions, due to removal of the Hyde Amendment from the Federal Budget. And Biden and Pelosi are quite “accepted” ito receive Communion, by many clerics of our Church– and even congratulated on their success at the polls, on Election Day.
Here is a video for Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Pres.Joe Biden, and their sinful, Abortion-supporting pals to watch. It’s called “The First Ten Weeks of Life.” May God have mercy! Here is the link:
https://youtu.be/cpdY97GOK21
Sorry– here is the correct link to “The First Ten Weeks of Human Life:” https://youtu.be/03updQZsM7o
Oh, how sad! These links are not working!
Well, I am going to give this one more try! Here is the link to watch the YouTube video, “The First Ten Weeks of Life.” This video is really excellent! Hope this works!
https://youtu.be/O3updQZsM7o
It worked. I am so happy. I had to go out of town today, so I had some extra time on my hands to figure this out. Great.
Too bad, they always change all my exclamation points (!) to boring periods! (.) Looks like I never “express my feelings.” A “deadpan” style is desired, for some reason– very strange! For example– “It worked.” “Great.” And no enthusiasm shown. A “deadpan” modernistic, “ultra- cool cat,” indifferent, apathetic, “don’t show your human feelings” style.
Third time it worked, Christifidelis. That is very Trinitarian if I must say.
Here is a link to Abp. Vigano’s famous reflection (and his YouTube video, also) on “Traditionis Custodes.” Fascinating!
https://www.marcotosatti.com/2021/08/01/mons-vigano-comments-on-the-motu-proprio-traditionis-custodes/
Vigano. It worked. Unless Big Tech tries to take it down again.
Anne TE– Bless you. I am not very “computer literate,” but am improving a little, with some things.