Praying To Change A Sad Truth Over The Easter Triduum

Nothing surprises me any more, but some things still make me sad. Kirstin Ethridge discussed one of them in last week’s 1 Timothy column. As you sit in an overflowing church this weekend for the Easter Vigil or Easter Sunday Mass, think about this … pray about it.

According to a Pew Research survey on the public’s knowledge of Christianity, an average of four out of every 10 Catholics seated around you do not know what the transubstantiation means. Or, maybe, one or more of those four just don’t believe it, which to me is even sadder than their potential ignorance.

Go to the Catechism of the Catholic Church and read paragraph Nos. 1374-1377. As a taste of what you’ll find, here is one sentence out of CCC 1376, which quotes the Council of Trent:

“Because Christ our Redeemer said that it was truly his body that he was offering under the species of bread, it has always been the conviction of the Church of God, and this holy Council now declares again, that by the consecration of the bread and wine there takes place a change of the whole substance of the bread into the substance of the body of Christ our Lord and of the whole substance of the wine into the substance of his blood. This change the holy Catholic Church has fittingly and properly called transubstantiation.”

When and where did Christ our Redeemer say that? At the Last Supper. Here is Luke 22: 19-20:

“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.’”

In the Eucharist, we don’t receive a small circular piece of unleavened bread and a sip of wine in symbolic commemoration of the Last Supper.

We receive Jesus – all of Him; body, blood, soul and divinity.

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI emphasized that in the most impactful way I’ve ever encountered during the lengthy interview with German journalist Peter Seewald that became the manuscript for the 2010 book “Light of the World.” Seewald asked the Holy Father about his decision to begin administering Communion exclusively on the tongue during Masses celebrated for throngs at St. Peter’s Basilica and in St. Peter’s Square.

“I have heard of people who, after receiving Communion, stick the host in their wallet to take home as a kind of souvenir,” Benedict XVI said. “In this context, where people think that everyone is just automatically supposed to receive Communion – everyone else is going up, so I will, too – I wanted to send a clear signal. I wanted it to be clear: Something quite special is going on here. HE is here, the One before whom we fall on our knees! Pay attention! This is not just some social ritual in which we can take part if we want to.”

This issue of The Message is dated Good Friday, 2014 – April 18. Using that as a reference – yesterday, we commemorated Jesus’ institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper. Today, we commemorate His suffering and death for our sins. In less than 48 hours, we will celebrate His triumph over death.

As a way of thanking Him for His incomprehensible sacrifice, let’s pray that everyone in our family and circle of friends understand and, even more importantly, fully embrace the truth and reality of transubstantiation.