Bishop Edward Weisenburger encourages all Catholics to participate in the Eucharistic renewal

By Bishop Edward Weisenburger

Last Sunday, Catholic churches throughout the world celebrated the annual Feast of Corpus Christi, Latin words meaning the Body [and Blood] of Christ. It is that annual feast when traditionally we pause to reflect on the true presence of Christ encountered in the Eucharist, in the form of bread and wine. However, if you follow our Diocesan web sites or national Catholic news then you also will know that this year’s Feast of Corpus Christi inaugurates a Nation-wide renewal of our faith through reflection and catechesis on the Eucharist as well as Eucharistic experiences.

I would note that a part of the motivation for this task of Eucharistic renewal flows from polls and other research that would indicate that belief in the true presence of Christ found in the Eucharist is decreasing among the Catholic faithful. One Pew Research poll concluded that only 31% of those who self-identified as Catholic agreed that the bread and wine at Mass become “the actual Body and Blood of Christ.” Thus, it seems that many Catholics no longer believe in the real or substantial presence of Christ, Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, as consistently taught by the Church. This situation is most troubling and many conclude that greater catechesis and formation about the Eucharist is needed. However, there also are those who criticize some of these polls and research. Some would note that those who self-identify as Catholic but also indicate they participate in Mass regularly have a far higher incidence of belief in the true presence of Christ. The number is much lower in those who claim Catholic identity but indicate they seldom if ever participate in Mass. Others criticize some of the polls, asserting that the language of the polls is unfamiliar to those participating and that their response does not reflect their actual belief and practice. They are concerned that we have lost the formal vocabulary the Church traditionally used to refer to the true presence but perhaps not our actual faith. Thus, it is possible that faith in the true presence of Christ is greatly decreasing; but it is also possible that many simply lack the vocabulary to express the faith they hold in their hearts.

In the end, I believe that whether the polls and research are correct or not is not the primary issue. Rather, it is important for us to recall that the Church has a rich tradition of periodic renewal throughout its history and each of these times of great renewal appear to have involved Eucharistic renewal. As the Second Vatican Council aptly described the Eucharist as the source and summit of our faith it is precisely here that we are renewed and strengthened. As one great theologian noted, “the Church makes the Eucharist, and the Eucharist makes the Church.” From this perspective, I believe that Eucharistic renewal is the real task before us and I pray that each of us will enter into this wonderful opportunity with open and joyful hearts, yearning to experience the mystery of our Lord truly present in the Eucharist more deeply.

I would like to share with you a brief reflection written by the 4th century Bishop of Jerusalem, one of the earliest writers on the Church’s celebration of the Eucharist. He writes:

"… When you come up to receive … make your left hand a throne for the right for it is about to receive a King. Cup your palm, and so receive the Body of Christ, then answer Amen. Carefully hallow your eyes, and then partake, taking care to lose no part of it. Such a loss would be like a mutilation of your own body. Why, if you have been given gold dust, would you not take the utmost care to hold it fast, not letting a grain slip through your fingers, lest you be by so much the poorer? How much more carefully, then, will you guard against losing so much as a crumb of that which is more precious than gold or precious stones […] and give thanks to the God who has designed to admit you to such high mysteries.”

I believe these beautiful words reflect the reverence and love each of us should have as we encounter the true presence of Christ at every Eucharist. Moreover, in accord with Scripture and the Church’s formal teaching on the Eucharist, I pray that this renewal helps us to see Christ truly present—albeit in other ways—in the poor, the sick, the needy, and those who have yet to come to faith. One of the best historical results of Eucharistic renewal is that it restores us to our task of being missionary disciples—men and women not content to simply treasure what we have encountered in the Eucharist but anxious to bring others to the sacred table.

And so, let us begin this sacred journey of Eucharistic renewal well so that we might encounter our Lord and Savior with deepened faith and renewed love. For truly, He is uniquely and wonderfully present to us. 

+Bishop Edward J. Weisenburger