You may remember from a previous blog entry that I determined to withhold myself from receiving Eucharist as my way of entering more fully into this Year of the Eucharist we currently celebrate. I did not wish to continue going up to receive every Sunday just because of the normative expectation that we SHOULD receive IF able. The Church only requires a ready reception of the Eucharist in the weeks of Easter, so I decided that I would go on a fast of sorts in order to reacquaint myself with the Lord IN the Blessed Sacrament. I am well aware that I am denying myself the Sacramental Graces conferred, but I seek to enrich my understanding of those graces more fully. Fault me if you will, but already my search has borne fruit. I am more aware of Christ's Real Presence in its totality: in the assembled faithful, in the ritual of the mass, in the Word, in the Priest, etc. And I have been enlightened as to what it means to acknowledge Christ's Real Presence in the gifts of bread and wine. When the priest said during the Eucharistic Prayer that the Eucharist frees us from our sins, I was able to think to myself: "By not denying myself Eucharist I am clutching those sins, rather than letting them go. I am denying myself freedom from sin!" When I heard this Wisdom, I thought- "Perhaps I am meant to end my fast" But then the Offertory song was the healing mantra, "Wait for the Lord". And I realized that I was meant to wait for the Lord, which the Spirit prompted me to interpret thus: "Wait until the Lord arrives; for indeed He is coming!"
And so with that insight- and many others I haven't the room to relate- I have determined to follow this new directive of the Holy Spirit. My eucharistic fast was appropriate for my Advent journey. It was an excellent means of readying myself for the Lord's entry more fully into my heart, mind, and body. And so I will end my fast at the Christmas Vigil. I will ready myself through the Sacrament of Penance next week, the fourth and final week of Advent, and welcome and receive my Savior on the feastday of His Incarnation. I feel this has been a graceful prcess and rejoice to witness God's action in my heart, to know so vividly His beckoning invitation to be a part of His Body and Blood- to be One with Him who loves me so!
However, I do wish to relate some explanation for those of my friends and family who found my decision so troubling. They expressed a fear that I would render myself more vulnerable to Evil without the Real Presence within me. I truly appreciate this fear- and share it to some degree. But placing myself entirely in Trust, I went forward with my plan. The Lord understood, but has clearly redirected my plan and path. We shall never cross the desert alone if we have Faith. I appreciate this Wisdom in a way I did not before. And this Advent season has been a desert experience. I rejoice to tell you that the Lord was ever with me! And hence he calls me back to Him. Why leave? Bring the garden WITH you INTO the desert!
Anyway- continue reading the posted comment below. It's an article from Zenit.org about one Capuchin's concerns over apathy towards the Real Presence. It will help you to understand why I felt this unusual fast was so vital, not just for ME, but in response to my concern for ALL.
God Bless you all; Have a JOYful Gaudete Sunday!
12/09/2004
On Fasting from Eucharist
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Preacher Warns of Growing Accustomed to Eucharist
(from Zenit.org)
The greatest risk is to grow accustomed to the Eucharist, where Christ's body and blood are truly present, said a Capuchin in an Advent sermon heard by the Pope.
And what most saddens Christ is the "coldness" of his own followers, added Father Raniero Cantalamessa, the preacher of the Pontifical Household, in his sermon delivered today in the presence of John Paul II and officials of the Roman Curia.
Father Cantalamessa was continuing his Advent meditations in the Redemptoris Mater chapel of the Apostolic Palace, in preparation for Christmas, by calling attention to the real presence of the Son of God in the sacrament of the altar. The context of his sermons is the Year of the Eucharist.
The papal preacher proposed a reflection on the second stanza of the Eucharistic hymn "Adoro Te Devote," which says: "Sight, touch and taste in Thee are each deceived; the ear alone most safely is believed: I believe all the Son of God has spoken, than Truth's own word there is no truer token."
It is about "hearing a precise word pronounced by him [Jesus] who is Truth itself," the Capuchin said, "the word of the institution that the priest repeats in the Mass: 'This is my body'; 'This is the cup of my blood.'"
"The Church has based herself on this word of Christ in explaining the Eucharist; it is the rock of our faith in the real presence," said Father Cantalamessa.
The preacher quoted St. Thomas Aquinas, who explained: "That the real body and blood of Christ is present in this sacrament, is something that cannot be perceived either with the senses or with the intellect, but only with faith, which is supported by the authority of God. Because of this, when commenting on the passage in St. Luke 22:19: 'This is my body which is given for you,' St. Cyril says: Do not cast doubt on the truth of this, but, rather, accept with faith the words of the Savior: because he, being the Truth, does not lie."
"Faith is necessary if the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist is to be not only 'real' but also 'personal,' namely, from person to person," because "it is one thing 'to be' and another 'to be present,'" he specified.
"Without faith, Christ is in the Eucharist but he is not so for me. Presence implies one who is present and one to whom one is present; it implies reciprocal communion, the exchange between two free subjects, who notice one another. It is much more, therefore, than simply being in a certain place," the Capuchin explained.
This is the reason St. Augustine said: "Do not open wide the mouth but the heart. We are not nourished by what we see, but by what we believe."
And, despite all of the above, "the most serious danger risked is to grow accustomed to the Eucharist, to take it for granted and, therefore, to trivialize it," warned Father Cantalamessa.
"We are rightly horrified at the news of violated tabernacles, ciboria stolen for abominable ends," he said. "Perhaps, of them, Jesus repeats what he said of his executioners: 'They know not what they do,' but that which most saddens him, perhaps, is the coldness of his own."
"Judge a tree by its fruits"--It seems that, no matter the opinions of others, God is leading you, brother. The Holy Spirit blows where He wills.
Christ's Peace.
- Your Brother in the Lord
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