This and That BLOG

Today is the feast of Corpus Christi.

Today’s feast is all about the Eucharist and our belief in the Real Presence of Christ. It is central to our lives as Catholics. I’ve seen research from Pew that indicates only about a third of self identified Catholics believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. That percentage rises to 63% for those who attend Mass at least weekly. That’s still 37%, about a third, of regular Mass goers who don’t believe in the Real Presence. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2019/08/05/transubstantiation-eucharist-u-s-catholics/

If you happen to be one of the non believers I wonder what you think when you read the Bread of Life discourse in Jn 6 as well as the Institution Narratives in the Synoptic Gospels. I mean, why be Catholic if we don’t believe Christ is really present in the Eucharist?

At Blessed Sacrament, named for the Eucharist of course, there is always a procession for Corpus Christi where the Eucharistic Christ is taken out around the neighborhood. It’s a wonderful statement of faith. Some other churches do this as well. Where I am, in Auburn, AL, they do this but at different times of the year. They do it at least once a year on the university campus and again in the community on a different day. I hope you had the chance to participate in Blessed Sacrament’s procession today.

There are a number of good books on the Eucharist if you’re looking for something to read on the subject. Dr. Scott Hahn has The Fourth Cup, which breaks down the Last Supper and the institution of the Eucharist: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=scott+hahn+books&crid=21J67E53C2PZ3&sprefix=Scott+Hahn%2Caps%2C155&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_2_10

Dr. Timothy O’Malley, a professor at Notre Dame, who also spoke in Decatur one year at the old Diocesan Adult Enrichment Conference (DAEC), has a couple of books you might consider. One is called Real Presence: https://www.amazon.com/Real-Presence-Matter-Engaging-Catholicism/dp/1646800559/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1L8E7278YMMC7&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.gXmSv8jr-WRtL53hlVW18p5psGNR3IiwhBnRSzOSQycxnpTdgnctS-MHJyxCSh9vDczF1q9J3fTN-LMsSBidIYKlR577cC35V-N1GjxpmhoQOCHChbWFsC077WrTy-8ErOblNgX0HFCPRLUJM-lPxArNWMjmUAq66koy1cp-4-Rs_fcdI_CSISaIQjafh6FduTvVEiy6W-pKeGwCxOMDfabEZ_bwjZPo1dLINu-mIPI.xYy3B6L6dY0A56NBUw6w7Cx6mAxOpN0GDP7fwae44Us&dib_tag=se&keywords=real+presence%22+by+timothy+p.+o%27malley&qid=1717075122&sprefix=Real+Presence%2Caps%2C126&sr=8-1 as well as Becoming Eucharistic People, where Dr. O’Malley takes our belief in the Eucharist to the next level: https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Eucharistic-People-Engaging-Catholicism/dp/1646801563/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2ACVHIAK31YKD&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.jRQJj89mb9eaeI6FvWli6WlW-UpmkKo358jRNBqbcwUUqzN5MFI4jsQchqev8qVIEHlcsAw6hIVreyyQ2MDYZ3176k0N8BcASzgPdFUyKGd-SQb0-lb444-1HwCLh2hcHM-OOZt6srTMGWiQNJ1hm8kHdmJJ_74YcvaA0NBPAG9XX5SpoJ9_Vo3NVG1DkvWp1lr4qRoqI_6A5FtJhj0cnEYzZ8zlKGbv2pUjJzQcevg.zm84VeYVSLx2xbzlSho0XMAo7j9QcaYdT8yZJE1481U&dib_tag=se&keywords=becoming+eucharistic+people+book&qid=1717075172&sprefix=becoming+euc%2Caps%2C141&sr=8-1

Finally, today’s feast is a good time for us to remember what matters to us about Catholicism. There are many things for most of us but I can’t imagine there is anything more important than the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. I think St. Thomas Aquinas said that the power of Christ is present in all the sacraments but Christ Himself is present in the Eucharist.

That’s it for now. Thanks for reading.

I hope you have a great week.

Peace, Bob