There is only one thing God does not know. He does not how he could give us a gift greater than himself –and he has given us the gift of himself as bread in the Holy Eucharist.” St. Augustine
DOGMA OF THE MOST HOLY EUCHARIST
DOGMA OF THE MOST HOLY EUCHARIST: “dogma” means a divinely revealed truth, proclaimed as such by the infallible teaching authority of the Church, and hence binding on all the faithful without exception, now and forever. [The Survival of Dogma, 153].
If a baptized person deliberately denies or contradicts a dogma, he or she is guilty of sin of heresy and automatically becomes subject to the punishment of excommunication.
The Body and Blood of Jesus Christ are truly, really, and substantially present in the Eucharist.
Christ becomes present in the Sacrament of the Altar by the transformation of the whole substance of the bread into His Body and of the whole substance of the wine into His Blood.
The accidents of bread and wine continue after the change of the substance.
The Body and Blood of Christ together with His Soul and Divinity and therefore, the whole Christ, are truly present in the Eucharist.
The Whole Christ is present under each of the two Species.
When either consecrated Species is divided, the Whole Christ is present in each part of the Species.
After the Consecration has been completed the Body and Blood are permanently present in the Eucharist.
The Worship of Adoration (latria) must be given to Christ present in the Eucharist.
The Eucharist is a true Sacrament instituted by Jesus Christ.
The matter for the consummation of the Eucharist is bread and wine.
For children before the age of reason, the reception of the Eucharist is not necessary for salvation.
Communion under two forms is not necessary for any individual members of the Faithful, either by reason of Divine precept or as a means of salvation.
The power of consecration resides in a validly consecrated priest only .
The Sacrament of the Eucharist can be validly received by every baptized person in the wayfaring state, including young children.
For the worthy reception of the Eucharist, the state of grace as well as the proper and pious disposition are necessary.
The Holy Mass is a true and proper Sacrifice.
In the Sacrifice of the Mass, Christ's Sacrifice on the Cross is made present, its memory celebrated, and its saving power applied.
In the Sacrifice of the Mass and in the Sacrifice of the Cross the Sacrificial Gift and the Primary Sacrificing Priest are identical; only the nature and the mode of the offering are different.
The Sacrifice of the Mass is not merely a sacrifice of praise and thanks-giving, but also a sacrifice of expiation and impetration.
Dr. Ludwig Ott, Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, published by the Mercier Press Ltd., Cork, Ireland, 1955. With Imprimatur of Cornelius, Bishop. Reprinted in U.S.A. by Tan Books and Publishers, Rockford, Illinois, 1974
https://www.theworkofgod.org/dogmas.htm
DOGMA OF THE MOST HOLY EUCHARIST: “dogma” means a divinely revealed truth, proclaimed as such by the infallible teaching authority of the Church, and hence binding on all the faithful without exception, now and forever. [The Survival of Dogma, 153].
If a baptized person deliberately denies or contradicts a dogma, he or she is guilty of sin of heresy and automatically becomes subject to the punishment of excommunication.
The Body and Blood of Jesus Christ are truly, really, and substantially present in the Eucharist.
Christ becomes present in the Sacrament of the Altar by the transformation of the whole substance of the bread into His Body and of the whole substance of the wine into His Blood.
The accidents of bread and wine continue after the change of the substance.
The Body and Blood of Christ together with His Soul and Divinity and therefore, the whole Christ, are truly present in the Eucharist.
The Whole Christ is present under each of the two Species.
When either consecrated Species is divided, the Whole Christ is present in each part of the Species.
After the Consecration has been completed the Body and Blood are permanently present in the Eucharist.
The Worship of Adoration (latria) must be given to Christ present in the Eucharist.
The Eucharist is a true Sacrament instituted by Jesus Christ.
The matter for the consummation of the Eucharist is bread and wine.
For children before the age of reason, the reception of the Eucharist is not necessary for salvation.
Communion under two forms is not necessary for any individual members of the Faithful, either by reason of Divine precept or as a means of salvation.
The power of consecration resides in a validly consecrated priest only .
The Sacrament of the Eucharist can be validly received by every baptized person in the wayfaring state, including young children.
For the worthy reception of the Eucharist, the state of grace as well as the proper and pious disposition are necessary.
The Holy Mass is a true and proper Sacrifice.
In the Sacrifice of the Mass, Christ's Sacrifice on the Cross is made present, its memory celebrated, and its saving power applied.
In the Sacrifice of the Mass and in the Sacrifice of the Cross the Sacrificial Gift and the Primary Sacrificing Priest are identical; only the nature and the mode of the offering are different.
The Sacrifice of the Mass is not merely a sacrifice of praise and thanks-giving, but also a sacrifice of expiation and impetration.
Dr. Ludwig Ott, Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, published by the Mercier Press Ltd., Cork, Ireland, 1955. With Imprimatur of Cornelius, Bishop. Reprinted in U.S.A. by Tan Books and Publishers, Rockford, Illinois, 1974
https://www.theworkofgod.org/dogmas.htm
BELIEF IN THE REAL PRESENCE
OUR EUCHARISTIC LORD, SON OF THE LIVING GOD
We believe: The Mass, celebrated by the priest representing the person of Christ by virtue of the power received through the Sacrament of Orders, and offered by him in the name of Christ and the members of His Mystical Body.
We believe: The Mass is the sacrifice of Calvary rendered sacramentally present on our altars.
We believe: The bread and wine consecrated by the Lord at the Last Supper were changed into His body and His blood, which were to be offered for us on the cross.
We believe: Likewise the bread and wine consecrated by the priest are changed into the body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ enthroned gloriously in heaven.
We believe: The mysterious presence of the Lord, under what continues to appear to our senses as bread and wine, is a true, real and substantial presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
We believe: Christ cannot be present in this sacrament except by the change into His body of the reality itself of the bread and the change into His blood of the reality itself of the wine, leaving unchanged only the properties of the bread and wine that our senses perceive.
We believe: This mysterious change is very appropriately called by the Church transubstantiation.
We believe: Every theological explanation which seeks some understanding of this mystery must, in order to be in accord with Catholic faith, maintain that in the reality itself, independently of our mind, the bread and wine have ceased to exist after the Consecration, so that it is the adorable body and blood of the Lord Jesus that from then on are really before us under the sacramental species of bread and wine, as the Lord willed it, in order to give Himself to us as food and to associate us with the unity of His Mystical Body.
We believe: Jesus existence remains present, after the sacrifice, in the Blessed Sacrament that is, in the tabernacle, the living heart of each of our churches. And it is our very sweet duty to honor and adore in the blessed Host that our eyes see, the Incarnate Word whom they cannot see, and who, without leaving heaven, is made present before us.
References: "The Credo of the People of God" Proclaimed by Pope Paul VI, Jun 30, l968, "Bringing Back Berengarius" The Catholic Answer 6/94 by Michael J. Mazza Edited and Compiled
OUR EUCHARISTIC LORD, SON OF THE LIVING GOD
We believe: The Mass, celebrated by the priest representing the person of Christ by virtue of the power received through the Sacrament of Orders, and offered by him in the name of Christ and the members of His Mystical Body.
We believe: The Mass is the sacrifice of Calvary rendered sacramentally present on our altars.
We believe: The bread and wine consecrated by the Lord at the Last Supper were changed into His body and His blood, which were to be offered for us on the cross.
We believe: Likewise the bread and wine consecrated by the priest are changed into the body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ enthroned gloriously in heaven.
We believe: The mysterious presence of the Lord, under what continues to appear to our senses as bread and wine, is a true, real and substantial presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
We believe: Christ cannot be present in this sacrament except by the change into His body of the reality itself of the bread and the change into His blood of the reality itself of the wine, leaving unchanged only the properties of the bread and wine that our senses perceive.
We believe: This mysterious change is very appropriately called by the Church transubstantiation.
We believe: Every theological explanation which seeks some understanding of this mystery must, in order to be in accord with Catholic faith, maintain that in the reality itself, independently of our mind, the bread and wine have ceased to exist after the Consecration, so that it is the adorable body and blood of the Lord Jesus that from then on are really before us under the sacramental species of bread and wine, as the Lord willed it, in order to give Himself to us as food and to associate us with the unity of His Mystical Body.
We believe: Jesus existence remains present, after the sacrifice, in the Blessed Sacrament that is, in the tabernacle, the living heart of each of our churches. And it is our very sweet duty to honor and adore in the blessed Host that our eyes see, the Incarnate Word whom they cannot see, and who, without leaving heaven, is made present before us.
References: "The Credo of the People of God" Proclaimed by Pope Paul VI, Jun 30, l968, "Bringing Back Berengarius" The Catholic Answer 6/94 by Michael J. Mazza Edited and Compiled
DO YOU TRULY WANT ETERNAL LIFE? THEN BELIEVE AND RECEIVE JESUS IN THE HOLY EUCHARIST!
How important is believing Our Lord in receiving His Body and Blood for gaining Everlasting Life? Jesus emphasizes the importance of actually receiving Him in the way believing Christians have always recognized, that is, in Holy Communion.
JESUS speaks of ETERNAL LIFE, as The BREAD of LIFE, in eleven phrases, all in Chapter Six of St. John's Gospel. Jesus said we must believe in HIM and eat His Flesh and drink His Blood to receive Eternal Life. Jesus is The BREAD of LIFE offered and received at every Mass.
He is The Bread from Heaven we know as The Holy Eucharist.
HOLY GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN -
Chapter Six Verses:
27: "Do not work for food that perishes but for The Food that endures for Eternal Life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on Him the Father God has set His Seal.
"
35: Jesus said to them, "I Am The Bread of Life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst."
40: "For this is The Will of My Father, that everyone who sees The Son and believes in Him may have Eternal Life, and I shall raise him (on) the Last Day."
47: "Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has Eternal Life.”
48: "I Am The Bread of Life."
50: "This is The Bread that comes down from Heaven so that one may eat it and not die."
51: "I Am The Living Bread that came down from Heaven; whoever eats This Bread will live forever; and The Bread that I will give is My Flesh for the life of the world."
53: Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat The Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you do not have life within you."
54: "Whoever eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has Eternal Life, and I will raise him on the Last Day.
57: Just as The Living Father sent Me and I have life because of The Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.
58: This is The Bread that came down from Heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats This Bread will live forever."
68: Simon Peter answered him, "Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of Eternal Life. Scripture quotations from The New American Bible
How important is believing Our Lord in receiving His Body and Blood for gaining Everlasting Life? Jesus emphasizes the importance of actually receiving Him in the way believing Christians have always recognized, that is, in Holy Communion.
JESUS speaks of ETERNAL LIFE, as The BREAD of LIFE, in eleven phrases, all in Chapter Six of St. John's Gospel. Jesus said we must believe in HIM and eat His Flesh and drink His Blood to receive Eternal Life. Jesus is The BREAD of LIFE offered and received at every Mass.
He is The Bread from Heaven we know as The Holy Eucharist.
HOLY GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN -
Chapter Six Verses:
27: "Do not work for food that perishes but for The Food that endures for Eternal Life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on Him the Father God has set His Seal.
"
35: Jesus said to them, "I Am The Bread of Life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst."
40: "For this is The Will of My Father, that everyone who sees The Son and believes in Him may have Eternal Life, and I shall raise him (on) the Last Day."
47: "Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has Eternal Life.”
48: "I Am The Bread of Life."
50: "This is The Bread that comes down from Heaven so that one may eat it and not die."
51: "I Am The Living Bread that came down from Heaven; whoever eats This Bread will live forever; and The Bread that I will give is My Flesh for the life of the world."
53: Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat The Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you do not have life within you."
54: "Whoever eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has Eternal Life, and I will raise him on the Last Day.
57: Just as The Living Father sent Me and I have life because of The Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.
58: This is The Bread that came down from Heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats This Bread will live forever."
68: Simon Peter answered him, "Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of Eternal Life. Scripture quotations from The New American Bible
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- HOW COULD ANY CHRISTIAN DOUBT THE REAL PRESENCE OF JESUS IN THE MOST HOLY EUCHARIST.
-
Christians (Catholic & Protestants) agree to the following: Jesus is the Truth, Reveals the Truth and Testifies to the Truth. Therefore, if a Christian disagrees and denies anything Jesus Christ spoke or did during His ministry is considered to be protesting against Jesus...God’s Will.
Jesus had his disciples with Him, and He said to them:
John 6:51 "I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread, will live forever; and the bread that I will give is My flesh for the life of the world.”
FIRST PROTEST: John 6:52 “Then the Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us (his) flesh to eat?”
Jesus did not retract His Statement, but intensified it, by saying to them: John 6:53 Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you do not have life within you”. John 6:54 "Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.”
SECOND PROTEST: John 6:60 Then many of His disciples who were listening said, “This saying is hard, who can accept it?”
Jesus faced with the possibility of losing many of those who had been following him; He did not take His words back, but stated: John 6:64 “But there are some of you who do not believe.”
THIRD PROTEST: John 6:66 As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him. Jesus did not run after them, rather Jesus said to the twelve: John 6:67 “Do you also want to leave?”
John: 6:68 “Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Peter, the Apostle, along with the other Apostles believed and remained with Jesus. Peter became the leader of the Catholic of Church, the first Pope.
PAUL’S TEACHING TO THE EARLY CHRISTIANS
Paul, in teaching contrasting true and false worship, asks:
1 Corinthians 10:16 “The cup of blessings that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?” “The bread that we break, is it not a participation of the body of Christ?” Paul shows the great importance the early Christians gave to eating and drinking the Lord’s Body and Blood. How can one be guilty, if it is symbolic? 1 Corinthians 11:27 “Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord.” For over 2000 years Catholic Christians believe Jesus’ Words, the bread and wine truly becomes Jesus’ Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity after the consecration by a Priest or Bishop. (Transubstantiation.)
In 1500’s Martin Luther, a Catholic Priest, protested Jesus’ Words and the Church Apostolic teaching. He stated that the Eucharist was sacramental union of the unchanged essence of the bread and of the body of Christ. Jesus was with the bread and wine (consubstantiation), not the essence. This spawned the Protestant “Revolution”. Scripture quotations from The New American Bible
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THE IMPOSSIBLE CAN BE OVERCOME THROUGH OUR EUCHARISTIC LORD, JESUS CHRIST.
We must be Christ-centered focus in our spirituality – more so in our Eucharistic Spirituality. Otherwise we will become far more concerned with our problems than with encountering Our Eucharistic Lord who can solve them.
The easiest way to focus and encounter Jesus is by a personal devotion to him in the Most Holy Eucharist.
Jesus promises; “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you received it, and you will.” Mk 11:23. The greatest prayer is the Most Holy Mass.
Jesus promises; ”Come to me all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” Mt 11:28. Every time we celebrate Mass together and receive Holy Communion, we are coming to Jesus in very special way, a personal, physical and sacramental way. This is the premiere form of encountering Our Eucharistic Lord, with remarkable effects.
Jesus promises, “The one who feeds on me will have life because of me.” John 6:57.
Again, Jesus promises; “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly. John 10:10.
Therefore, whoever feeds on Jesus, that is, nourished by Holy Communion habitually or frequently, will have life.
Jesus promises, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.” John 6:56 Our Eucharistic Lord will live in us and we live in Him. This intimate union with Jesus can bring us both curative and preventive healing of our body, mind and spirit, depending upon degree of our fervent faith and love for Our Eucharistic Lord. Our Eucharistic Lord is the answer to all of life’s problems.
The Eucharist is the life of the people. The Eucharist gives them a center of life. All can come together without the barriers of race or language in order to celebrate the feast days of the Church. It gives them a law of life, that of charity, of which it is the source; thus it forges between them a common bond, a Christian kinship” (Peter Julian Eymard). Scripture quotations from The New American Bible
We must be Christ-centered focus in our spirituality – more so in our Eucharistic Spirituality. Otherwise we will become far more concerned with our problems than with encountering Our Eucharistic Lord who can solve them.
The easiest way to focus and encounter Jesus is by a personal devotion to him in the Most Holy Eucharist.
Jesus promises; “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you received it, and you will.” Mk 11:23. The greatest prayer is the Most Holy Mass.
Jesus promises; ”Come to me all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” Mt 11:28. Every time we celebrate Mass together and receive Holy Communion, we are coming to Jesus in very special way, a personal, physical and sacramental way. This is the premiere form of encountering Our Eucharistic Lord, with remarkable effects.
Jesus promises, “The one who feeds on me will have life because of me.” John 6:57.
Again, Jesus promises; “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly. John 10:10.
Therefore, whoever feeds on Jesus, that is, nourished by Holy Communion habitually or frequently, will have life.
Jesus promises, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.” John 6:56 Our Eucharistic Lord will live in us and we live in Him. This intimate union with Jesus can bring us both curative and preventive healing of our body, mind and spirit, depending upon degree of our fervent faith and love for Our Eucharistic Lord. Our Eucharistic Lord is the answer to all of life’s problems.
The Eucharist is the life of the people. The Eucharist gives them a center of life. All can come together without the barriers of race or language in order to celebrate the feast days of the Church. It gives them a law of life, that of charity, of which it is the source; thus it forges between them a common bond, a Christian kinship” (Peter Julian Eymard). Scripture quotations from The New American Bible
![Picture](/uploads/5/8/1/2/58128107/4196878.jpg?173)
MOST HOLY EUCHARIST – IS TRULY AND REALLY THE BODY, BLOOD, SOUL AND DIVINITY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST FULFILLED IN THE NEW TESTATMENT.
We will proceed in chronological order, as written by the Authors, to show how the Most Holy Eucharist, which is truly and really the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus, was fulfilled in the New Testament.
Apostle Paul wrote:
“For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night He was handed over, took bread, and, after He had given thanks, broke it and said, "This is My Body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me." In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My Blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." For as often as you eat this Bread and drink the Cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until He comes. 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 Corinthians 11:23-29)
Saint Mark wrote:
“While they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, and said, "Take it; this is My Body." Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it. He said to them, "This is My Blood of the Covenant, which will be shed for many." (Mark 14:22-24)
.Apostle Matthew wrote:
“While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, "Take and eat; this is My Body." Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you, for this is My Blood of the Covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins."
(Matthew 26:26-28)
Saint Luke wrote:
“He (Jesus) said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer, for, I tell you, I shall not eat it (again) until there is fulfillment in the Kingdom of God." Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and said, "Take this and share it among yourselves; for I tell you (that) from this time on I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine until the Kingdom of God comes." Then he took the bread,
said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My Body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me." And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup is the New Covenant in My Blood, which will be shed for you." (Luke 22:15-20)
Apostle John wrote:
John 6:51
“I am the Living Bread that came down from Heaven; whoever eats this Bread will live forever; and the Bread that I will give is My Flesh for the Life of the World.” John 6:53
“Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you do not have Life within you.”
John 6:54
“Whoever eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has Eternal Life.”
John 6:55
“For My Flesh is true food, and My Blood is true drink.”
John 6:56
“Whoever eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood remains in Me and I in him.”
“Then many of his disciples who were listening said, "This saying is hard; who can accept it?" Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this He said to them: Does this shock you?
As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied Him.” (John 6:60-66)
We will proceed in chronological order, as written by the Authors, to show how the Most Holy Eucharist, which is truly and really the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus, was fulfilled in the New Testament.
Apostle Paul wrote:
“For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night He was handed over, took bread, and, after He had given thanks, broke it and said, "This is My Body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me." In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My Blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." For as often as you eat this Bread and drink the Cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until He comes. 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 Corinthians 11:23-29)
Saint Mark wrote:
“While they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, and said, "Take it; this is My Body." Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it. He said to them, "This is My Blood of the Covenant, which will be shed for many." (Mark 14:22-24)
.Apostle Matthew wrote:
“While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, "Take and eat; this is My Body." Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you, for this is My Blood of the Covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins."
(Matthew 26:26-28)
Saint Luke wrote:
“He (Jesus) said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer, for, I tell you, I shall not eat it (again) until there is fulfillment in the Kingdom of God." Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and said, "Take this and share it among yourselves; for I tell you (that) from this time on I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine until the Kingdom of God comes." Then he took the bread,
said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My Body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me." And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup is the New Covenant in My Blood, which will be shed for you." (Luke 22:15-20)
Apostle John wrote:
John 6:51
“I am the Living Bread that came down from Heaven; whoever eats this Bread will live forever; and the Bread that I will give is My Flesh for the Life of the World.” John 6:53
“Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you do not have Life within you.”
John 6:54
“Whoever eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has Eternal Life.”
John 6:55
“For My Flesh is true food, and My Blood is true drink.”
John 6:56
“Whoever eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood remains in Me and I in him.”
“Then many of his disciples who were listening said, "This saying is hard; who can accept it?" Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this He said to them: Does this shock you?
As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied Him.” (John 6:60-66)
The above Eucharistic Articles may be freely reprinted for non-commercial use - please cite: copyright (c) 2015 source: www.eucharisticdisciples.weebly.com
St. John Vianney on Unworthy Communions - It outrages God more than all other mortal sins
From "Sermon on Unworthy Communion," Book IV, 'Sermons inédits.'
Unworthy Communions are frequent. How many have the temerity to approach the holy table with sins hidden and disguised in confession! How many have not that sorrow which the good God wants from them, and preserve a secret willingness to fall back into sin, and do not put forth all their exertions to amend! How many do not avoid the occasions of sin when they can, or preserve enmity in their hearts even at the holy table! If you have ever been in these dispositions in approaching Holy Communion, you have committed a sacrilege — that horrible crime, on the malice of which we are going to meditate.
1. It outrages God more than all other mortal sins. It attacks the Person of Jesus Christ Himself, instead of scorning only His commandments, like other mortal sins.
2. Whoever communicates unworthily crucifies Jesus Christ in his heart. He submits Him to a death more ignominious and humiliating than that of the Cross. On the Cross, indeed, Jesus Christ died voluntarily and for our redemption; but here it is no longer so: He dies in spite of Himself, and His death, far from being to our advantage, as it was the first time, turns to our woe by bringing upon us all kinds of chastisements both in this world and the next. The death of Jesus Christ on Calvary was violent and painful, but at least all nature seemed to bear witness to His pain. The least sensible of creatures appeared to be affected by it, and thus wishful to share the Saviour's sufferings. Here there is nothing of this: Jesus is insulted, outraged by a vile nothingness, and all keeps silence; everything appears insensible to His humiliations. May not this God of goodness justly complain, as on the tree of the Cross, that He is forsaken? My God, how can a Christian have the heart to go to the holy table with sin in his soul, there to put Jesus Christ to death?
3. Unworthy Communion is a more criminal profanation than that of the holy places. A pagan emperor, in hatred of Jesus Christ, placed infamous idols on Calvary and the holy sepulchre, and he believed that in doing this he could not carry further his fury against Jesus Christ. Ah! Great God! Was that anything to be compared with the unworthy communicant? No, no! It is no longer among dumb and senseless idols that he sets his God, but in the midst, alas, of infamous living passions, which are so many executioners who crucify his Saviour. Alas! What shall I say? That poor wretch unites the Holy of Holies to a prostitute soul, and sells him to iniquity. Yes, that poor wretch plunges his God into a raging Hell. Is it possible to conceive anything more dreadful?
4. Unworthy Communion is in certain respects a greater crime than the deicide of the Jews. Saint Paul tells us that if the Jews had known Jesus Christ as the Saviour they would never have put Him to suffering or death; but can you, my friend, be ignorant of Him Whom you are going to receive? If you do not bear it in mind, listen to the priest who cries aloud to you: Behold the Lamb of God; behold Him that taketh away the sins of the world." He is holy and pure. If you are guilty, unhappy man, do not draw near; or else tremble, lest the thunders of Heaven be hurled upon your criminal head to punish you and cast your soul into Hell.
5. Unworthy Communion imitates and renews the crime of Judas. The traitor, by a kiss of peace, delivered Jesus Christ to his enemies, but the unworthy communicant carries his cruel duplicity yet further. Having lied to the Holy Ghost in the tribunal of penance by hiding or disguising some sin, he dares, this wretch, to go with a hypocritical reverence on his face, and place himself among the faithful destined to eat this Bread. Ah! No, nothing stops this monster of ingratitude; he comes forward and is about to consummate his reprobation. In vain that tender Saviour, seeing that he is coming to Him, cries from His tabernacle, as to the perfidious Judas: "Friend, whereto art thou come? What, thou art about to betray thy God and Saviour by a sign of peace? Stop, stop, my son; I pray thee spare me!" Neither the remorse of his conscience nor the tender reproaches made him by his God can stop his criminal steps. He steps forward. He is going to stab his God and Saviour. O Heavens! What a horror! Can you indeed behold this wretched murderer of your Creator without trembling?
From "Sermon on Unworthy Communion," Book IV, 'Sermons inédits.'
Unworthy Communions are frequent. How many have the temerity to approach the holy table with sins hidden and disguised in confession! How many have not that sorrow which the good God wants from them, and preserve a secret willingness to fall back into sin, and do not put forth all their exertions to amend! How many do not avoid the occasions of sin when they can, or preserve enmity in their hearts even at the holy table! If you have ever been in these dispositions in approaching Holy Communion, you have committed a sacrilege — that horrible crime, on the malice of which we are going to meditate.
1. It outrages God more than all other mortal sins. It attacks the Person of Jesus Christ Himself, instead of scorning only His commandments, like other mortal sins.
2. Whoever communicates unworthily crucifies Jesus Christ in his heart. He submits Him to a death more ignominious and humiliating than that of the Cross. On the Cross, indeed, Jesus Christ died voluntarily and for our redemption; but here it is no longer so: He dies in spite of Himself, and His death, far from being to our advantage, as it was the first time, turns to our woe by bringing upon us all kinds of chastisements both in this world and the next. The death of Jesus Christ on Calvary was violent and painful, but at least all nature seemed to bear witness to His pain. The least sensible of creatures appeared to be affected by it, and thus wishful to share the Saviour's sufferings. Here there is nothing of this: Jesus is insulted, outraged by a vile nothingness, and all keeps silence; everything appears insensible to His humiliations. May not this God of goodness justly complain, as on the tree of the Cross, that He is forsaken? My God, how can a Christian have the heart to go to the holy table with sin in his soul, there to put Jesus Christ to death?
3. Unworthy Communion is a more criminal profanation than that of the holy places. A pagan emperor, in hatred of Jesus Christ, placed infamous idols on Calvary and the holy sepulchre, and he believed that in doing this he could not carry further his fury against Jesus Christ. Ah! Great God! Was that anything to be compared with the unworthy communicant? No, no! It is no longer among dumb and senseless idols that he sets his God, but in the midst, alas, of infamous living passions, which are so many executioners who crucify his Saviour. Alas! What shall I say? That poor wretch unites the Holy of Holies to a prostitute soul, and sells him to iniquity. Yes, that poor wretch plunges his God into a raging Hell. Is it possible to conceive anything more dreadful?
4. Unworthy Communion is in certain respects a greater crime than the deicide of the Jews. Saint Paul tells us that if the Jews had known Jesus Christ as the Saviour they would never have put Him to suffering or death; but can you, my friend, be ignorant of Him Whom you are going to receive? If you do not bear it in mind, listen to the priest who cries aloud to you: Behold the Lamb of God; behold Him that taketh away the sins of the world." He is holy and pure. If you are guilty, unhappy man, do not draw near; or else tremble, lest the thunders of Heaven be hurled upon your criminal head to punish you and cast your soul into Hell.
5. Unworthy Communion imitates and renews the crime of Judas. The traitor, by a kiss of peace, delivered Jesus Christ to his enemies, but the unworthy communicant carries his cruel duplicity yet further. Having lied to the Holy Ghost in the tribunal of penance by hiding or disguising some sin, he dares, this wretch, to go with a hypocritical reverence on his face, and place himself among the faithful destined to eat this Bread. Ah! No, nothing stops this monster of ingratitude; he comes forward and is about to consummate his reprobation. In vain that tender Saviour, seeing that he is coming to Him, cries from His tabernacle, as to the perfidious Judas: "Friend, whereto art thou come? What, thou art about to betray thy God and Saviour by a sign of peace? Stop, stop, my son; I pray thee spare me!" Neither the remorse of his conscience nor the tender reproaches made him by his God can stop his criminal steps. He steps forward. He is going to stab his God and Saviour. O Heavens! What a horror! Can you indeed behold this wretched murderer of your Creator without trembling?
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MOST HOLY EUCHARIST Testimonies of Saints, Church Doctors & Holy Men/Woman
"Do you want many graces? Go and visit the Blessed Sacrament often. Do you want few graces? Visit the Blessed Sacrament rarely. Do you want none at all? Then never pay a visit to the Blessed Sacrament,"
- St. Dominic Savio
"The Eucharist is the link that binds the Christian family together. Take away the Eucharist and you have no brotherliness left,"
-St. Peter Julian Eymard
"We should never again use the expression, 'When Jesus was on earth' or think of Him as being only in heaven, Jesus is still on earth."
"While all the sacraments confer grace, the Eucharist contains the author of grace, Jesus Christ Himself."
- Fr. John Hardon, SJ.
"In one day the Eucharist will make you produce more for the glory of God than a whole lifetime without it."
- St. Peter Julian Eymard
"When you look at the Crucifix, you understand how much Jesus loved you then. When you look at the Sacred Host you understand how much Jesus loves you now,"
- Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
"We must visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament a hundred thousand times a day."
- St. Francis de Sales"
Every Consecrated Host is made to burn itself up with love in a human heart,"
- St. John Vianney, the Cure of Ars.
"God dwells in our midst, in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar."
- St. Maximilian Kolbe
"If angels could be jealous of men, they would be so for one reason: Holy Communion."
- St. Maximilian Kolbe
"The surest, easiest, shortest way is the Eucharist,"
- Pope St. Pius X
"Our way of thinking is attuned to the Eucharist, and the Eucharist in turn confirms our way of thinking,”
- St. Irenaeus
"The Eucharist is everything, because from the Eucharist, everything is,"
- St. Peter Julian Eymard
"The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life,"
-Pope John Paul II
"The Eucharist is that love which surpasses all loves in Heaven and on earth,"
-St. Bernard
"The Eucharist is the Sacrament of Love; It signifies Love, it produces Love,"
- St. Thomas Aquinas
"Father, I am hungry; for the love of God give this soul her food, her Lord in the Eucharist,"
- St. Catherine of Siena
'The Eucharist is the consummation of the whole spiritual life,"
- St. Thomas Aquinas
"The holy Eucharist contains the whole spiritual treasure of the Church, that is, Christ himself.... He who is the living bread, whose flesh, vivified by the Holy Spirit and vivifying, gives life to men,"
- Vatican II
"You may be sure that of all the moments of your life, the time you spend before the divine Sacrament will be that which will give you more strength during life and more consolation at the hour of your death and during eternity,"
- St. Alphonsus
"God is as really present in the consecrated Host as He is in the glory of Heaven,"
- St. Paschal Baylon
'If I can give you any advice, I beg you to get closer to the Eucharist and to Jesus... We must pray to Jesus to give us that tenderness of the Eucharist."
-Mother Teresa of Calcutta
"To be alone with Jesus in adoration and intimate union with Him is the Greatest Gift of Love - the tender love of Our Father in Heaven."
- Mother Teresa of Calcutta
"When we ingest the Eucharist in reality we are ingesting the Godhead.....because His Body and Blood are diffused through our members we become partakers of the divine nature."
- St. Cyril of Alexandria
"As a man must be born before he can begin to lead his physical life, so he must be born to lead a Divine Life. That birth occurs in the Sacrament of Baptism. To survive, he must be nourished by Divine Life; that is done in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist."
- Bishop Fulton J. Sheen
"We do not sin when we adore Christ in the Eucharist; we do sin when we do not adore Christ in the Eucharist."
- St. Augustine
"The Eucharist is the heart of the Church. Where Eucharistic life flourishes, there the life of the church will blossom."
- Pope John Paul II
"Happy is the soul that knows how to find Jesus in the Eucharist, and the Eucharist in all things!"
- St. Peter Julian Eymard.
"God is everywhere, in the very air I breathe, yes everywhere, but in His Sacrament of the Altar He is as present actually and really as my soul within my body; in His Sacrifice daily offered as really as once offered on the Cross,".
- St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
"I understand that, each time we contemplate with desire and devotion the Host in which is hidden Christ's Eucharistic Body, we increase our merits in heaven and secure special joys to be ours later in the beatific vision of God,"
- St. Gertrude
''Adore and visit Jesus in abandoned and forsaken by men in His Sacrament of love. Man has time fore everything except for visits to his Lord and God, who is waiting and longing for him in Histabernacle. The streets and houses of amusement are filled with people. The house of God is deserted.''.
- St. Peter Julian Eymard
"It is not the power of man which makes what is put before us the Body and Blood of Christ, but the power of Christ Himself who was crucified for us. The priest standing there in the place of Christ says these words but their power and grace are from God. 'This is My Body,' he says, and these words transform what lies before him."[53]
- St. John Chrysostom
“He is the Bread sown in the Virgin, leavened in the Flesh, molded in His Passion, baked in the furnace of the sepulcher, placed in the churches, and set upon the Altars, which daily supplies heavenly food to the faithful.
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TEN AMAZING FACTS ABOUT THE
POWER OF THE EUCHARIST.
Here are some of the amazing effects of the Eucharist:
1) Union with Christ: Reception of Jesus in the Eucharist fuses our being with that of Christ. St. Cyril of Alexandria describes it as similar to “when melted wax is fused with other wax.” The Christian journey is a journey to become like Christ, to “abide in him” and he in us. The Eucharist is the means for this to happen.
2) Destruction of venial sin: The Eucharist destroys venial sin. Destroys! Through sin, the fervor of our charity can be dampened by venial sin. But when we receive the Eucharist we are united with Charity himself, which burns away the vestiges of our venial sins and leaves us cleansed and ready to begin again.
3) Preservation from mortal sin: While we should refrain from receiving the Eucharist when we are aware of being in a state of mortal sin, we should receive the Eucharist as much as possible when we are able because it preserves us from grave sin. It is as if the Eucharist’s power washes away the venial sin in our souls and then covers us with a protective coat which helps us to stay away from serious sin.
4) Personal relationship with Jesus: Many Christians speak of the importance of a personal relationship with Jesus, which is very true. But it is primarily through the Eucharist that we can truly have an intimate encounter with the Person of Jesus. Benedict XVI once pointed out this connection:
“Today, there is a need to rediscover that Jesus Christ is not just a private conviction or an abstract idea, but a real person, whose becoming part of human history is capable of renewing the life of every man and woman. Hence, the Eucharist, as the source and summit of the Church’s life and mission, must be translated into spirituality, into a life lived ‘according to the Spirit’” (Sacramentum Caritatis).
5) Gives life: According to the Catechism, the Eucharist “preserves, increases, and renews the life of grace received at Baptism” (CCC 1392). In other words, reception of the Eucharist increases the life of grace already present within us. Sounds even better than a trip to a spa!
6) Unity with the Body of Christ: Since we are united more closely to Christ through the Eucharist, we are therefore united more closely to all the other people who receive the Eucharist! In other words, the Eucharist is like the glue that keeps us united with Jesus and all our brothers and sisters in the Church.
7) Commits us to the poor: The words of St. John Chrysostom shame those of us who leave the Eucharistic table without caring for Christ in the poor:
“You have tasted the Blood of the Lord, yet you do not recognize your brother,. . . .You dishonor this table when you do not judge worthy of sharing your food someone judged worthy to take part in this meal. . . . God freed you from all your sins and invited you here, but you have not become more merciful.”
8) Spiritual consolation: Holy Communion is a foretaste of the joys of heaven so it can produce joy in us as we experience real unity with God. If we are feeling beaten down by the difficulties of life, we can come to the Eucharist, our font of joy, and ask the Lord to fill us with his consolation and peace.
9) Peacemaking: In the Synod on the Eucharist in 2005, the bishops discussed how the reception of the Eucharist in war-torn areas transformed the people of God and gave them the impetus to seek peace:
“Thanks to eucharistic celebrations, peoples engaged in conflict have been able to gather around the word of God, hear his prophetic message of reconciliation through gratuitous forgiveness, and receive the grace of conversion which allows them to share in the same bread and cup.” (Propositio 49)
10) Provides a focal point for our lives: If we really understood the profound nature of the Eucharist, we would begin to center our lives around Holy Communion. There is nothing more important that can happen in our lives. Not football games, or get-togethers or picnics. There is nothing more important than our weekly appointment to receive the medicine of the Doctor of souls, Jesus.
All of these amazing effects and more can be yours this Sunday! Or better yet, try going to a daily Mass near you.
But remember that your disposition when receiving the Eucharist can determine how open you are to the powerful effects. So, be reverent, focused and beg God to give you, through the power of the Eucharist, all the graces that you need in your life right now.
Like a good Father, he will listen.
https://aleteia.org/2016/07/05/10-amazing-facts-about-the-power-of-the-eucharist/
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The Communion in the Hand
What to the Popes, Saints
Church Councils Say?
Pope John Paul II has twice condemned communion in the hand during his pontificate. It has never been a practice of the Church and remains to this day a condemned heresy. How can people kneel before statues; yet remain standing and receive GOD in their hands?
The below is a compilation of various Catholic authors:
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COMMUNION BY HAND - SELF COMMUNICATING?
1. Statements From Popes, Saints and Church Councils .
2. History of Communion by Hand.
3. Endnotes & Conclusion.
STATEMENTS FROM POPES, SAINTS & CHURCH COUNCILS
St. Sixtus I (circa 115)
"The Sacred Vessels are not to be handled by others than those consecrated to the Lord."
Pope St. Eutychian (275-283)
Forbade the faithful from taking the Sacred Host in their hand.
St. Basil the Great, Doctor of the Church (330-379)
The right to receive
Holy Communion in the hand is permitted only in times of persecution." St. Basil the Great considered Communion in the hand so irregular that he did not hesitate to consider it a grave fault.
The Council of Saragossa (380)
Excommunicated anyone who dared continue receiving Holy Communion by hand. This was confirmed by the Synod of Toledo.
Pope St. Leo the Great (440-461)
Energetically defended and required faithful obedience to the practice of administering Holy Communion on the tongue of the faithful.
The Synod of Rouen (650)
Condemned Communion in the hand to halt widespread abuses that occurred from this practice, and as a safeguard against sacrilege.
The Sixth Ecumenical Council, at Constantinople (680-681)
Forbade the faithful to take the Sacred Host in their hand, threatening transgressors with excommunication.
St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
"Out of reverence towards this sacrament [the Holy Eucharist], nothing touches it, but what is consecrated; hence the corporal and the chalice are consecrated, and likewise the priest's hands, for touching this sacrament." (Summa Theologica, Part III, Q. 82, Art. 3, Rep. Obj. 8)
The Council of Trent (1545-1565)
"The fact that only the priest gives Holy Communion with his consecrated hands is an Apostolic Tradition."
Pope Paul VI (1963-1978)
"This method [on the tongue] must be retained." (Memoriale Domini)
Pope John Paul II
To touch the sacred species and to distribute them with their own hands is a privilege of the ordained. (Dominicae Cenae, 11)
"It is not permitted that the faithful should themselves pick up the consecrated bread and the sacred chalice, still less that they should hand them from one to another." (Inaestimabile Donum, April 17, 1980, sec. 9)
HISTORICAL CONSIDERATIONS ON COMMUNION ON THE HAND
By: Fr. McDonald
Here are some patristic and historical considerations on our theme, as well as an additional aspect.
Was it Universal?
The "history" of Communion in the hand is usually told as follows:
"From the Last Supper on, and during the time of the Apostles, Holy Communion was, of course, given in the hand. So it was during the age of the martyrs. And it continued to be so during that golden age of the Fathers and of the liturgy, after the peace of Constantine. Communion in the hand was given to the faithful just as we now do (in the more open and up to date sectors of the Church). And it continued to be the common practice until at least the tenth century. Thus, for over half of the life of the Church, it was the norm.
A wonderful proof of the above is held to be found in a text of St. Cyril of Jerusalem (313-386) in which he counsels the Faithful to "make a throne of your hands in which to receive the King [in Holy Communion]". This Father of the Church further counsels great care for any fragments which might remain in one's hands, since just as one wouldn't let gold dust fall to the ground so one should take even greater care when it is a question of the Body of the Lord.
According to the popular rendition, the change in the manner of receiving the consecrated bread came about in this way: During the Middle Ages, there were certain distortions in the faith and/or in the approach to the faith, which took place and which gradually developed. These include an excessive fear of God and related preoccupation with sin, judgment and punishment; an over-emphasis on the divinity of Christ, which was virtually a denial of, or at least downplaying of, His sacred humanity; an overemphasis on the role of the priest in the sacred liturgy, and a loss of the sense of the community which the Church, in fact, is.
In particular, because of excessive emphasis on adoration of Christ in the Holy Eucharist, and a too strict approach to moral matters, Holy Communion became more and more rare. It was considered sufficient to gaze upon the Sacred Host during the elevation. (In fact, this decadent practice of the "elevation" 'so the mainstream treatment of this period continues' and the equally unhealthy Exposition and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament find their origins during these unfortunate Middle Ages, a period whose liturgical practices we would do well to rid ourselves of).
It was in this atmosphere and under these circumstances that the practice of Communion in the hand began to be restricted. The practice of the priest placing the consecrated bread directly into the mouth of the communicant developed and 'sad to say' was imposed.
The conclusion is rather clear: we should get rid of this custom whose roots are to be found in the dark ages. We should forbid or at least discourage this practice of not allowing the Faithful to "take and eat", and return to the pristine usage of the Fathers and of the Apostles: Communion in the hand."
The above is a compelling story. It is too bad that IT IS NOT TRUE.
The Sacred Council of Trent declared that the custom of only the priest who is celebrating the Mass giving Communion to himself (with his own hands), and the laity receiving It from him, is an Apostolic Tradition.[1]
A more rigorous study of the available evidence from Church History and from the writings of the Fathers, does not support the assertion that Communion in the hand was a universal practice which was gradually supplanted and eventually replaced by the practice of Communion on the tongue.
The FACTS point to a DIFFERENT conclusion:
Pope St. Leo the Great (440-461), already in the fifth century, is an early witness of the Traditional practice. In his comments on the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John, he speaks of Communion in the mouth as the current usage: "One receives in the mouth what one believes by faith" [2]. The Pope does not speak as if he were introducing a novelty, but as if this were a well-established fact.
A century and a half later, but still THREE centuries BEFORE the practice (according to the popular account reviewed above) was supposedly introduced, Pope St. Gregory the Great (590-604) is another witness. In his dialogues (Roman 3, c. 3) he relates how Pope St. Agapito had a miracle occur during the Mass, after having placed the Body of the Lord into someone's mouth. We are also told by John the Deacon of this Pope's manner of giving Holy Communion.
These witnesses are from the fifth and the sixth centuries. How can one reasonablely say that Communion in the hand continued as "...the official practice until the tenth century?" How can one claim that giving Communion on the tongue is a medieval invention?
We are not claiming that under no circumstances whatever did the Faithful receive by their own hands. But, under what conditions did this happen? It does seem that from very early on, it WAS usual for the priest to place the Sacred Host into the mouth of the communicant. However, during times of persecution, when priests were not readily available, and when the Faithful took the Sacrament to their homes, they gave Communion to themselves, by their own hand. In other words, rather than be totally deprived of the Bread of Life, they could receive by their own hand, when not to do so would mean being deprived of that necessary spiritual nourishment. The same applied to monks who had gone out into the desert, where they would not have the services of a priest, and, would not want to give up the practice of daily Communion.
Summarize, the practice was that one could touch the Host when not to do so would mean being deprived of the Sacrament. But when a priest was available, one did not receive in one's hand.
So St. Basil (330-379)says clearly that to receive Communion by one's own hand is ONLY PERMITTED IN TIMES OF PERSECUTION or, as was the case with monks in the desert, when no deacon or priest was available to give It.
"It is not necessary to show that it does not constitute a grave fault for a person to communicate with his own hand in a time of persecution when there is no priest or deacon." (Letter 93)
The text implies that to receive in the hand under other circumstances, outside of persecution, would be a grave fault [3]. The Saint based his opinion on the custom of the solitary monks, who reserved the Blessed Sacrament in their dwellings, and, in the absence of the priest or deacon, gave themselves Communion.
In his article on Communion in the Dictionaire d'Archeologie Chretienne, Leclerq declares that the peace of Constantine was bringing the practice of Communion in the hand to an end. This reaffirms for us the reasoning of St. Basil that it was persecution that created the alternative of either receiving by hand or not receiving at all.
After persecution had ceased, evidently the practice of Communion in the hand persisted here and there. It was considered by Church authority to be an abuse to be rid of, since it was deemed to be contrary to the custom of the Apostles.
Thus the Council of Rouen, which met in 650, says, "Do not put the Eucharist in the hands of any layman or laywomen, but ONLY in their mouths."
The Council of Constantinople which was known as "in trullo," (not one of the ecumenical councils held there) prohibited the faithful from giving Communion to themselves (which is of course what happens when the Sacred Particle is placed in the hand of the communicant). It decreed an excommunication of one week's duration for those who would do so in the presence of a bishop, priest or deacon.
What about St. Cyril?
Of course, the promoters of "Communion in the hand" generally make little mention of the evidence we have brought forward. They do, however, make constant use of the text attributed to St. Cyril of Jerusalem, who lived in the fourth century at the same time as St. Basil.
Dr. Henri LeClerq summarized things as follows:
"Saint Cyril of Jerusalem recommended to the faithful that on presenting themselves to receive Communion, they should have the right hand extended, with their fingers together, supported by the left hand, and with the palm a little bit concave; and at the moment in which the Body of Christ was deposited in the hand, the communicant would say: Amen...." There is MORE to this text than just the above, however. It also goes on to propose the following:
"....Sanctify your eyes with contact with the Holy Body. When your lips are still wet, touch your hand to your lips, and then pass you hand over your eyes, your forehead and your other senses, to sanctify them." This rather odd (or even superstitious? Irreverent?) recommendation has caused scholars to question the authenticity of this text. Some think that perhaps there has been an interpolation, or that it is really the saint's successor who wrote it.
It is not impossible that the text is really the work of the Patriarch John, who succeeded Cyril in Jerusalem. But this John was of suspect orthodoxy. This we know from the correspondence of St. Epiphanius, St. Jerome, and also from St. Augustine.
So, in favor of Communion in the hand, we have a text of DUBIOUS origin and QUESTIONABLE content. And on the other hand, we have reliable witnesses, including two great popes, that placing the Sacred Host in the mouth of the communicant was already common and unremarkable in at least the fifth century, that we can prove for sure
Clericalism?
Is it not a form of clericalism to allow the priest to touch the Sacred Host and to disallow the laity to do the same? But priests were not allowed to touch the Blessed Sacrament except out of necessity. In fact, other than the celebrant of the Mass itself, no one else receiving Communion, not even a priest, could do so in the hand. And so, in the traditional liturgical practice of the Roman Rite, if a priest were assisting at Mass (and not celebrating) and if he wished to receive Holy Communion, he did not do so by his own hand: he received on the tongue form another priest. The same would be true of a Bishop. The same is true of the Pope himself.
When Pope St. Pius X, for example, was on his death bed in August of 1914, and Holy Communion was brought to him as Viaticum, he did not and was not allowed to receive in the hand: he received on the tongue according to the law and practice of the Catholic Church.
This confirms a basic point: Out of reverence, there should be NO unnecessary touching of the Sacred Host. Obviously someone is needed to distribute the Bread of Life. But it is not necessary to make each man, woman and child into his own Eucharistic minister and multiply the handling and fumbling and danger of dropping and loss of Fragments. Even those whose hands have been specially consecrated to touch the Most Holy Eucharist, namely the priests, should not do so needlessly.
Endnotes
========
[1] sess. 13, c. 8: "Now as to the reception of the sacrament, it was always the custom in the Church of God, that laymen should receive the Communion from priests; but that priests when celebrating should communicate themselves; which custom, as coming down from an apostolical tradition, ought with justice and reason to be retained." In sacramentale autem sumptione semper in Ecclesia Dei mos fuit, ut laici a Sacerdotibus Communionem acciperent; Sacerdotes autem celebrantes seipsos communicarent: qui mos, tamquam ex traditione Apostolica descendens, jure, ac merito retinere debet.
2] "Hoc enim ore sumiter quod fide creditur." Serm. 91.3
[3] Just as if I were to say, "It is not a grave fault to miss Mass on a Sunday, if one has to take care of sick person." This implies (what we already know) that when there is no such excusing cause, it would be a grave fault.
VALID OBJECTIONS TO COMMUNION IN THE HAND
I. THE PROVENANCE OF COMMUNION IN THE HAND
The origin of the current practice of Communion in the hand in Western Christianity can be traced to the Protestant Revolution, or "Reformation." Some will argue that this was the reintroduction of a formerly universal and venerable practice. We will deal with that idea below. But even if it WERE the case that this was formerly a practice in the Catholic Church, its introduction in the sixteenth century was hardly orthodox. Rather, it was an embodiment of a denial of the Real Presence as taught by Christ and His Church, and of the reality of the Catholic Priesthood. It was a liturgical consequence of a prior HERESY.
It is well known that Communion in the hand began spreading during the early 1960's, in Catholic circles in Holland. It began, then, as an aping of the Protestant practice, or at the very least as a "false archaeologism", an idolization of (supposed) practices of the ancient Church. This involved a forgetfulness (or denial!) of the truth and development of Catholic Eucharistic doctrine to an ever clearer, and ever more explicit form. It involved a rejection of what had in fact been handed down to us in the organic development of the Liturgy. And it was a case of blatant defiance and disobedience of Church law and ecclesiastical authority.
The desire for this practice proceeded neither from the supreme authority of the Church, which was opposed to it, nor from the ranks of Christ's Faithful (who by definition hold fast to belief in Transubstantiation) who NEVER asked for this practice. Rather it proceeded from some of the middle-management of the Church, and the liturgical establishment in particular. And this in typical revolutionary fashion.
When it came time to begin pressure for the practice in North America, the means used were not always honest. In fact, a measure of deception, or at least misinformation, was involved. It is better to draw a cloak over the sordid details, but if anyone wants to dispute that things were this way, ample documentation can be brought to bear. We can summarize that the practice of Communion in the hand came in modern times from heresy and disobedience. Is that what the Holy Spirit would inspire to bring about some desired liturgical "change." One is permitted to think that, perhaps, a different spirit was at work.
II. THE FRAGMENTS
If we examine the practice of placing the Sacred Host in the hand of the communicant, one dogma of the Church comes immediately to mind: The Eucharistic presence of Christ begins at the moment of the consecration and endures as long as the Eucharistic species subsist. Christ is present whole and entire in each of the species and whole and entire in each of their parts, in such a way that the breaking of the bread does not divide Christ.[Note 205: Cf. Council of Trent: DS 1641.] (CCC, 1377)
The Roman Catechism put it this way: Christ, whole and entire, is contained not only under either species, but also in each particle of either species. "Each", says St. Augustine, "receives Christ the Lord, and He is entire in each portion. He is not diminished by being given to many, but gives Himself whole and entire to each.... the body of our Lord is contained whole and entire under the least particle of the bread."
Therefore, very great reverence, respect and care is to be taken of these fragments. Since this is the case, why would we multiply immensely the number of persons who are handling the Sacred Host, some of whom are clumsy, or cannot see well, or don't care, or don't know, etc., who cause particles of the Sacred Host to remain on their hands, drop onto their clothing and to the floor? For those who believe with lively faith, this question ought to be enough to put an end to Communion in the hand: "What about the Fragments?"
. WHO PROMOTES COMMUNION IN THE HAND?
Those in the mainstream liturgical establishment (and their followers) who promote Communion in the hand are the same persons who, for the most part, have a distaste in general for worship of the Lord in the Holy Eucharist, and perpetual adoration in particular.
A strong emphasis on the personal, bodily Real Presence of Christ, our God, in Holy Communion is not something which modern liturgists are noted for. Indeed, they even discourage it. "Our attention is to be on the COMMUNITY...", they say.
One might say of the distorters (knowing and unknowing) of the Traditional doctrine and practices of the Mass, that they are guilty of, in the words of G. K. Chesterton, "...the idolatry of the intermediate to the oblivion of the ULTIMATE..." This seems to fit the promoters of Communion in the hand, who dislike and discourage the Traditional manner of reception. Why?
IV. "COMMUNION IN THE HAND" IS A MISNOMER.
To place the Sacred Host in the hand of a person is not to give him Holy Communion. The Sacrament of Holy Communion consists in the eating of the Bread of Life. Rather, what is happening here is that each person who receives the Sacred Host in his hand, is then giving himself Holy Communion. Each person is becoming his own (extraordinary become ordinary) minister of Communion. By this means, the ministry of priests (and deacons) or even that of legitimate extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, is becoming obscured or even dissolved. It has been suggested that this practice ought to be renamed as "common manual selfcommunication."
Communion in the hand is too casual. What kind of foods do we eat with our hands? Often, in our culture, it is food to which one pays no attention. We eat popcorn with our hands, paying it no attention while our eyes are fixed on the movie screen. We munch on snacks at a party, while engaged in conversation. Particularly with children, but not only with them, this seems to be a very unwise thing to associate with the Most Holy Eucharist.
V. ITS FRUITS
We must be rigorously honest with ourselves. Has this practice really STRENGTHENED and CLARIFIED our faith in the Real Presence? Has it resulted in GREATER prayerfulness, love, and fraternal charity? Are we as a people more and MORE awestruck at taking the Lord's Body into our hands?
It seems that Communion in the hand must share the blame for the decline among Catholics in belief in the Real Presence. Most of us are aware of the Gallup survey that discovered that over 72% of U.S. "Catholics" do not believe in the Real Presence. This denial of this core belief of the Church results in an automatic excommunication
VI. WAS IT UNIVERSAL?
To show that Communion in the hand was once a "universal practice", a particular text of St. Cyril of Alexandria is habitually quoted, as to how we ought to make a throne of our hands to receive the King. What is not usually noted, though, is what any reliable patrologist could verify: THIS TEXT IS OF DUBIOUS ORIGIN. In fact, it is more likely from a Nestorian bishop. Further, we have VERIFIED texts of Leo the Great, and Gregory the great, and St. Basil, and many others, that prove the exact opposite.
. THE LAST SUPPER.
But surely the Apostles received Communion in the hand at the last supper? It is only presumed that this was so. One must not forget a traditional practice of Middle Eastern hospitality, which was practiced in Jesus' time, and which is STILL the case: one feeds one's guests with one's own hand, placing a symbolic morsel in the mouth of the guest. And we have scriptural evidence of this, as well: Our Lord dipped a morsel of bread into some wine, and gave it to Judas. Did He place this wet morsel into Judas' hand? That would be rather messy. Did He not extend to Judas the cultural gesture of hospitality spoken of above?
People ASSUME that the Apostles self-communicated at the Last Supper, based on how we eat TODAY. The evidence of the culture during the times of the Apostles indicates the exact opposite. Why not assume that Jesus and the Apostles followed their own culture and not ours of 2,000 years later? Thus, there is evidence for Jesus giving the very first Communion directly to the Apostles' mouths, but NONE for the Apostles self-communicating.
VIII. SCRIPTURAL CONSIDERATIONS
In Holy Communion, we receive the Word made Flesh. When Ezekiel received the word of God, in a wonderful, yet lesser manner than do we, it was as follows:
"And [the Lord] said to me: ..."But you, son of man, hear what I say to you; be not rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth, and eat what I give you."
And when I looked, behold, a hand was stretched out to me, and, lo, a written scroll was in it ...
And He said to me; "Son of man, eat what is offered to you; eat this scroll, and go speak to the house of Israel." So I opened my mouth, and He gave me the scroll to eat. ["And I opened my mouth, and He caused me to eat that book." -Vulgate].
And he said to me, "Son of man, eat this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it."
Then I ate it, and it was in my mouth as sweet as honey." (Ez. 2:1,8,9; 3:13, RSV)
It does NOT say that the prophet stretched out his hand, but that he opened His mouth. And is this not very fitting, since we are to receive the word as little children, whether it be the bread of doctrine or the Bread come down from Heaven?
In another place, in a psalm with clear, prophetic, Eucharistic overtones, which is used in the Office of Corpus Christi, the Lord says to us, "I am the Lord your God, who brought you from the land of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it ... But Israel I would feed with finest wheat and fill them with honey from the rock."
"I will fill it...," not "fill it yourselves." Now admittedly, this is not in itself a proof. But it points us in a certain direction.
MOTHER TERESA OF CALCUTTA
Father George William Rutler, in a Homily on Good Friday, 1989, said:
"I will tell you a secret, since we have just a thousand close friends together, and also because we have the Missionaries of Charity with us, whom the Holy Spirit has sent into the world that the secrets of many hearts might be revealed. Not very long ago I said Mass and preached for their Mother, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and after breakfast we spent quite a long time talking in a little room. Suddenly, I found myself asking her (I don't know why):
"Mother, what do you think is the worst problem in the world today?"
She more than anyone could name any number of candidates: famine, plague, disease, the breakdown of the family, rebellion against God, the corruption of the media, world debt, nuclear threat, and so on. Without pausing a second she said:
"Wherever I go in the whole world, the thing that makes me the saddest is watching people receive Communion in the hand."
CONCLUSION
St. Thomas Aquinas reminds us that reverence demands that only what has been consecrated should touch the Blessed Sacrament. By baptism, the Christian has been consecrated to receive the Lord in Holy Communion, but not to distribute the Sacred Host to others, or unnecessarily to touch It.
"To touch the sacred species and to distribute them with their own hands is a privilege of the ordained, one which indicates an active participation in the ministry of the Eucharist" (Dominicae Cenae, 11).
FINAL NOTE
The only ones to communicate always standing and with their hands outstretched were from the beginning the Arians, who obstinately denied the Divinity of Christ and who could not see in the Eucharist any more than a simple symbol of "union," which can be taken and handled at will. Millions of present day Catholics including many prelates and priests, have been practically converted to Arianism, a great heresy lasting from the fourth to the seventh century.
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