The Eucharist and Faith

It recently came out that, according to a Pew survey, seventy percent of Catholics don't believe that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist, that it is really his body and blood under the appearance of bread and wine. Much has been made of them and many have tried to find blame in various causes from the failure of catechesis, failure of the hierarchy, and even bad liturgy (I place emphasis on the latter).

While all of these are certainly factors of this major problem of the Church since the Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith, one thing is forgotten in all of this effort to place the blame. That is the problem of the thirty percent of us who do believe.

We say that we believe, but do our actions reflect it? Not only during Mass but in our daily lives? When others look at us, is it obvious to them that the Eucharist is the cause of our joy and the source of our strength to accomplish the good?

When I ask myself these questions I can count numerous failures on my part. All too often I can fall into worldliness and forget Christ; I forget to ask him for strength, for guidance, for peace, and the ability to love more fully. This failure translates into a harsh word toward my wife, grumbling when she asks something of me and getting mad at God when something doesn't go my way.

So what's the solution to this? For one, spending more time in adoration and inviting others to do the same. It is impossible to spend even just ten minutes with our Lord and not be changed for the better. "Come to me all you who are weary and I will give you rest," (Matt 28).

More time in adoration should translate into a better celebration of the liturgy, a point I already stated I place particular emphasis on. If the Eucharist is truly Christ fully present, then the way we celebrate Mass should reflect it. Yet all too often it doesn't; our celebrations don't lend credibility to the Real Presence. All too often, the Mass is turned into a  praise and worship concert; the impulse to clap after the recessional is a sign that something is horribly wrong.

Are you one of the thirty percent? Ask yourself what you can do in order to allow the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist to shine forth in your life. Start with adoration and pray for what you need. The salvation of souls depends on it.


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