Who would Jesus feed?
Originally posted at BustedHalo. This picks up somewhere in the middle of a thread about bishops who deny the Eucharist to pro-choice politicians, and in general, whether any Catholic should be denied the Eucharist as what my worthy correspondent called a "loving invitation to self-correction."
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I wonder how many divorced Catholics--or their children--experience someone's exclusion from the Eucharist as a "loving invitation to self-correction."
Convert To Christ's first comment inspired me to spend some time reading about the Church's activism against the death penalty. Part of the reason the late Pope opposed it so strongly had to do with the fact that the death penalty can be applied arbitrarily and unjustly: accidents such as race or what state you live in factor into the choice of human beings killing another person.
A similar randomness, as ogica so wisely pointed out, is often used to judge a person's unity with Church teaching. A Catholic in public life who honestly believes that outlawing abortion is not the best way to lessen the number of abortions might be singled out while an unrepentant but incognito murderer could be welcomed to the table.
It can be gracious and dignified when someone excludes him or herself from the Eucharist willingly. I've seen people do this who might be living with a significant other but not married, or who might be angry at the church and know they are not loving enough to take Communion, or for other reasons. But at the same time, it makes me sad that someone would feel her or himself unworthy of encountering Christ, or unworthy of being part of the body of Christ, the people of God.
Look at it this way. I've never heard anyone claim that the Eucharist is not the Eucharist based on one's beliefs, in other words, that Jesus is only present in the bread and wine if you believe the right things. This is why Protestants or people of other faiths are expected to refrain from receiving Communion--since Jesus is really present and their theology does not recognize this, it would be disrespectful to Jesus, is the Catholic thinking. So if Jesus is really there, and the Catholic (however sinful) believes that He is really there, why would Jesus not want to be present to that Catholic, to teach them if they are wrong and to strengthen them if not?
Labels: Eucharist
posted by Theologienne @ 11:56 PM
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2 Comments:
I posted a comment over at BH my friend.
For the benfit of your audience.
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Comment from: Convert_to_Christ
theologienne, as a theologian, you know as well as I do that a divorced Catholic and his/her children MAY receive Holy Communion. A person separates him/herself from the Eucharistic Table when he/she enters into another marriage if the first marriage is still valid – that is, if Christ, thorough His Church, has not declared that the first marriage never took place because of an impediment (a judgment commonly called an annulment). Consequently, at Christ’s command, a person that is still married may not enter into another marriage as long as their spouse is alive. So divorce is not an impediment to the Eucharistic table but violating a command of Christ is!! Readers, note well, it is the person that, through their freedom, excludes themselves from the Eucharistic table!
While I agree with the late great Pope John Paul II, you again know as well as I do, that at this moment in time a Catholic may legitimately disagree with us and still be a faithful Catholic.
I agree, as you seem to imply, that Truth should never be applied arbitrarily and that we should always stand up for the Truth, which is Christ Himself, with charity. And to me, that means that there are times when we have to declare that a person’s unity with Christ and His teachings has been objectively severed (and let’s not forget that we have a duty in love to sometimes use what we used to call “fraternal correction.” – bearing in mind of course, the guidelines of St. Thomas Aquinas). For example, I have divorced friends who did not receive an annulment (I know this is not the correct term but it’s the common phrase) but then they went ahead and got married again because they wanted too, etc., etc. – well, no matter how much they think otherwise, their choice has objectively caused them to be separated from Christ and His Church. While the acknowledgement of that fact may seem harsh to us, I pray that we all consider the possibility that Mercy can sometimes appear to be harsh even though it’s not. Parents, above all, understand what I am talking about!
None of us will ever be worthy to encounter Christ (we proclaim this fact at every Liturgy of the Eucharist when we pray: Lord I am not worthy to receive you…!) but I greatly admire and respect those who, for reasons they judge to be valid, would rather not receive Holy Communion unworthily. I myself have willing made a spiritual communion when I felt that I would commit the sin of sacrilege if I received sacramental communion. We can always do that can’t we?
Lastly, you wrote: “So if Jesus is really there, and the Catholic (however sinful) believes that He is really there, why would Jesus not want to be present to that Catholic, to teach them if they are wrong and to strengthen them if not?” I admire your creative question but it seems to imply that Christ and the Church are not ONE! Yes, I know that the Church is not the Truth, but She IS the divinely appointed vehicle for bringing us the Truth, which is Christ Himself! So, if a person wants to follow the authentic Resurrected Christ they have to follow Him in the way He wants, not the way they want. And, of course, Jesus always wants to be present to His sons and daughters but they can objectively do things that sever their relationship with Him and thus they exclude themselves from the Eucharist table until they are reconciled with Christ through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
In closing, let’s never forget that the first way that Christ teaches and strengthens Catholics is through His bride who is both mother and teacher to us! And let's not forget that grace is available to us in many ways. PAX my friend!
11/17/06 @ 14:27
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