TO PARAPHRASE St. Paul in his letter to the Corinthians regarding the subject of his apostolic preaching [cf. 1Cor 9:17], we may observe with respect to your belief and devotion in the Holy Eucharist that: a.) you do this willingly and therefore earn a reward--the Sacrament's sustenance and liberty, and b.) you do this out of duty because you have a commission--the third commandment and the Lord's own command to "do this in remembrance of me". [Lk 22:19]
THOMAS MERTON wrote that one unwritten commandment precedes the Decalogue with which we are familiar: we are commanded to believe. Yet we must take into account what James the leader of the Jerusalem Church wrote: "Even the demons believe--and shudder." [Jas 2:19]
MERE ASSENT is not enough, according to blessed James. Rather, a man must be justified by works and not by faith alone. Therefore, in the midst of widespread disbelief and even more egregious unwillingness to perform the spiritual and temporal works of mercy, you must continue to be a strong witness to the Spirit's transubstantiation of the bread and wine into the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ--by everything you intend, speak and do.
"ONE GREAT THING TO LOVE ON EARTH"
BELIEF IN the Eucharist presupposes in man an act of gracious charity. The widespread confusion regarding the Eucharist reflects the collapse of catechesis in this country following the Vatican II Council, the willful failure of priests and bishops to lead and guide strongly and the disintegration of the family. The markers of familial stability we know as etiquette and manners are seriously eroded, and table fellowship has all but disappeared in our homes.
THE GREATEST peril to the Church, to be sure, would be the implacable hostility of those who possess substantial knowledge of the Eucharist and who, subsequently, have sworn it their enemy.
I SHARE with you the splendid sentiments of J.R.R. Tolkein as a consolation: "Out of the darkness of my life, so much frustrated, I put before you the one great thing to love on earth: the Blessed Sacrament. There you will find romance, glory, honour, fidelity, and the true way of all your loves upon earth, which every man's heart desires."
PRIEST, ALTAR AND SACRIFICE
REGARDING GENUFLECTION, we bend the knee first and foremost to the name of Jesus because this we are commanded to do by the Spirit who spoke through the Apostle Paul. [cf. Phi 2:6-11]. To genuflect as you enter and leave your pew fulfills this. Yes, we genuflect in wonder and awe before the tabernacle of the reserved Blessed Sacrament; we must do this always because Christ is truly and substantially present in the reserve consecrated Host. In truth, however, we genuflect before the sanctuary of the Almighty because it is the Holy of Holies in our Catholic Churches in which are contained the signs of the mysteries of salvation.
BUT WE must remember the power and might of the Eucharist in the context of the theology revealed in the Book of Hebrews: the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass requires a priest, an altar and a sacrifice. We are given a participation "for as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup" [1Cor 11:26] in the fruits of the single offering of Christ's Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity on the cross. [cf. Heb 10:14] Therefore, in the Mass, the altar has pride of place as the object of our reverence in the act of genuflection, for there also is found the priest and the sacrifice.
PERFECT ILLUSTRATION
GOD HAS willed that the greater sign of faith for the celebrating community be the altar, sacrifice and priest, for the tabernacle exists not as a part of the sacrifice but because people are ill and otherwise bound to their homes and in need of the grace of the Sacrament.
NEVERTHELESS, IT is fitting that the True Presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Eucharist be adored outside of the celebration of the Mass whether in the holy tabernacle or exposed in a monstrance for benediction and adoration. You may be pleased to realize that the crucifix is a most perfect visual illustration of priest, sacrifice and altar. It represents the altar of Our Lord's own choosing, the sacrifice of Our Lord as the spotless lamb, and the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ, the great high priest!
