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Of all the Feasts, Solemnities, Memorials or Ordinary Time Sundays that come up in the liturgical calendar, I do not think there is one more “Catholic” than the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ which we celebrate this weekend.  I use the big “C” in catholic as opposed to the small “c” as the big “C” means belonging to the Roman Catholic Church as opposed to the small “c” which means “all embracing, or universal”.  What we celebrate this weekend is probably the most defining belief in our Roman Catholic faith, that the bread and wine truly become the Body and Blood of Christ when we are gathered for Eucharist.  This fundamental tenet of our tradition is something I embrace and believe with every fabric of my being, but according to recent surveys, that is less and less the case among Catholics worldwide.

A 2019 Pew Research Report found that 69% of United States Catholics believed that in the Eucharist the bread and wine “are symbols of the body and blood of Jesus Christ”, and only 31% believed that, “during Catholic Mass, the bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Jesus”.  This, to me, is a startling revelation.  I mean, what could be a more core belief among Catholics.  It truly is one of the things that gives us our identity. 

I was in a meeting recently where this statistic was brought up and one of the participants at that meeting said,
“If you say you are Catholic, then this belief is essential to you being able to make that claim.  You have to believe this.”  As I listened to this person (who I admire and respect deeply) I was forced to give what was being said a lot of careful thought.  This was opening doors to other beliefs in our tradition which may not be held by all who gather for mass.  Does that make them less welcome at the table of our Lord?

I don’t think so.  Jesus, coming to us in the guise of bread and wine, is the greatest sign we have of how much we are loved by God.  If we can be blessed with enough faith to know that this is true, then we would be changed forever.  But my experience is that we don’t truly believe it, because, if we did, we would be sharing this with anyone who would listen.  We would want everyone we meet to come and experience this miracle of God’s love.  Instead, we have in many cases, made this a sacrament of worthiness.  The words of Jesus, “Come to me, all you that are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11: 28); we have turned into “come to me all those who are deemed worthy”.  In some instances, we have been guilty of turning communion into a reward for people who get it right (the vast minority) as opposed to much needed food for the journey for those of us who struggle not to get it wrong.  In any case, I don’t think God’s presence in the Eucharist is contingent upon what we believe.  As the old saying goes, “Some things are true whether you believe them or not”.

One thing we are all called to is to be a people of hope and joy.  This intimate encounter with Jesus should be just what we need to help us manifest those qualities in every aspect of our life.  And above all, we must be a people of love.  Jesus said, they will know you belong to me by how you love.  And love leaves no room for judgmentalism, exclusion, or marginalization.  We are the Body and Blood of Christ and have been entrusted to deliver Jesus’ message to a world that is in need of GOOD NEWS.  To know you are loved unconditionally is the best news anyone can receive.  As Catholics, let’s make sure that is our catholic message.

Happy Father’s Day!  
Mark Mahoney