My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

The bishops of the United States, at the Annual General Meeting in Baltimore in mid-November, issued a pastoral statement entitled:  “Happy Are Those Who Are Called to His Supper:  On Preparing to Receive Christ Worthily in the Eucharist.”  This statement is a practical guide to understanding the encyclical of Pope John Paul II, of happy memory, “Ecclesia de Eucharistia,” which emphasized that the Eucharist is the heart of the Church.  Indeed, we are called to enjoy Christ’s gift of peace as a result of our union with Him when we come to Communion.  This document is an aid to help all of the faithful participate more worthily in the Eucharistic liturgy, and to receive Jesus more worthily in Holy Communion.

The statement is composed of a series of questions.  The first two questions provide a doctrinal proclamation of the significance of the Eucharist and Jesus’ Real Presence in Holy Communion.  This point is very necessary since it seems, through public opinion polls, that many Catholics misunderstand the reality of the Eucharist and that some believe that it only signifies the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.  They do not understand how it can be truly the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ under the forms of bread and wine. 

This central mystery of the Eucharist is important for us to emphasize.  Through the celebration of Mass, we come to participate in the one sacrifice of Christ, which culminates in the reception of Holy Communion.  In being united to Jesus in the Eucharist, we are also united to one another as members of His Body.  We anticipate our heavenly goal as, by receiving Jesus in Holy Communion, we share in His resurrected Body and Blood and in His very own divinity.

The next two questions take up the issue of who may or may not receive the Eucharist.  They really are a type of examination of conscience.  The document emphasizes that through faith and baptism one enters into communion with Christ and His Church. Because of this shared communion, one is empowered to participate in the Eucharist and so receive Holy Communion, which expresses and nurtures the bonds of communion. 

Those who commit a mortal sin, that is, commit a serious offense against God’s law, have broken communion with the Church and are obliged to refrain from receiving Holy Communion until they have recourse to the Sacrament of Penance.  Moreover, when one who is publicly known to be separated from the Church, or has knowingly and purposefully rejected the Church’s defined doctrine and its universal teaching on Christian morality, receives Holy Communion, it is likely to lead to scandal, a further reason for refraining from receiving the Eucharist.

There are many sides to this important teaching. Persons who are divorced and not remarried sometimes feel they must refrain from Communion.  As long as they are not remarried, they may receive the Body and Blood of Christ.  Persons who are remarried but not in the Church should refrain from receiving Holy Communion until they are able to rectify their marriage situation in a sacramental way in the Church.  That is why the Church offers the possibility of an annulment, which states that the marriage in some way was deficient from the very beginning.  This process allows people to enter into a new marriage and maintain their communion with Christ and His Church. 

Another aspect of this teaching is the case of those who reject Church teaching and act in a public way against it.  They may be public people, such as performers, well-known personages and politicians, who fall in the category of giving scandal, since they live by a double standard and do not profess to follow Church teaching, but do not think twice about receiving the Eucharist.  The document is meant for everyone’s reflection, not only public persons, but all of the faithful, so that they may more worthily receive Holy Communion.

The final question is the heart of the document.  It provides practical guidance on what we all can do by way of preparing ourselves to participate more fully in the Eucharistic liturgy and so receive Jesus more worthily in Holy Communion.  Again, our preparation allows us to be better disposed to receive the grace of the Sacrament as we reduce our attachment to sin. 

Some of the practices the document offers are:  daily prayer and scripture reading; faithfully and lovingly fulfilling the responsibilities and duties of one’s state in life, especially the married state, by living a marriage that is open to children without the use of artificial contraception; regular participation in the Sacrament of Penance; coming to the liturgy appropriately dressed; attentive and prayerful participation at Mass, and making a fitting thanksgiving after receiving Jesus in Holy Communion.  All of these are offered for consideration.

Several weeks ago, I wrote regarding the Eucharist and its celebration as a liturgical rite.  This week we concentrate more personally on our involvement in the reception of the Body and Blood of Christ.  There is no other tenet that is unique to Catholicism than our understanding of the Eucharist and the frequency to which we are called to receive it. 

Our pursuit of a Eucharistic spirituality is like putting out into the deep because we know that the communion we seek is not easily obtained, but demands personal sacrifice and attention.  Join me as we begin this Advent season praying for the whole Church, that it might understand better the mystery of the Eucharist entrusted to us.

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