Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
Gloria PurvisJune 22, 2021
Photo by Eric Mok on Unsplash

One of my favorite quotes comes from St. Pio of Pietrelcina, known affectionately as Padre Pio: “It would be easier for the world to exist without the sun than without the Holy Mass.”

Ponder that for a moment.

Padre Pio was a priest, friar and mystic of the 20th century, whose hands bore the wounds of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion.

People visiting his friary San Giovanni Rotondo near Foggia, Italy, would often report that his hands would bleed when he celebrated daily Mass, which he would celebrate for hours at length.

Much has been written about the U.S. Catholic bishops’ discussion on eucharistic coherence and how it applies to President Biden. Perhaps too much. But I tend to agree with Simcha Fisher, who plainly stated in her recent article for America:

I am not saying that the issues of who can and cannot, should and should not receive the Eucharist aren’t important or relevant. They’re important because the Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith, and if questions about it are not relevant to us, then what possibly could be?

I recommend Simcha’s article and the complete coverage of this story by America because it encompasses an honest and informed discussion about these important matters from different, and at times  diverging, perspectives. It also keeps the Eucharist front and center.

As a lay woman, I have always tried to follow the “3Bs”: Believe, belong and behave.

In April, Archbishop Samuel Aquila of Denver weighed in as part of a series called “The Conversation with America Media.” He reminds all of us that the “Eucharist is a gift, not an entitlement.” He thoughtfully delineates the complicated issues underlying the often contentious debate about the question of who is worthy to receive the Eucharist. He wrestles with the thorny aspects as he strives to find a balance between the prophetic and pastoral roles of a bishop, who is called to teach, govern and sanctify the faithful.

As a lay woman, I have always tried to follow the “3Bs,” which I learned from the late Rev. Charles Green, a former pastor of Saint Augustine Catholic Church in Washington, D.C.: Believe, belong and behave.

Believe what the church teaches; belong to the church through baptism; and behave according to those teachings. The body and blood of Christ is for members of the Catholic Church who are in a state of grace.

Believe what the church teaches; belong to the church through baptism; and behave according to those teachings.

Of course, the behave part is always a challenge for us. On my podcast this week, professor Timothy O’Malley offers this insight: “If you want to know how Timothy O’Malley deals with this question of eucharistic coherence: Timothy O’Malley is very concerned about Timothy O’Malley.” This kind of self-reflection is essential for navigating the current debate.

Dr. O’Malley is the director of education at the McGrath Institute for Church Life and director of the Notre Dame Center for Liturgy at the University of Notre Dame. He is also the author of the book Real Presence: What Does It Mean and Why Does It Matter?

His perspective offers some much-needed nuance to the current debate. On the one hand, the Eucharist is “intrinsically political” because it is a public act committing every Catholic to transforming the world in love. So, the question around President Biden receiving Communion is a legitimate one.

On the other hand, if those Catholics who insist on denying Communion to the president feel vindicated or take delight in the process, it is a clear sign that perhaps they should not receive Communion themselves. The whole debate, according to Dr. O’Malley, is an invitation to each baptized person to reflect on his or her own eucharistic coherence.

I hope and pray that our discussion will help us better know, love and witness our Lord Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, as Padre Pio did. Whatever happens in this current debate about eucharistic coherence, we should keep the Eucharist at the center of our lives as individuals and as a church.

More from America

Watch next:

The latest from america

Edwin O’Connor, whose life and literary career were abruptly cut short by his 1968 death at the age of 49, captured the imagination of his audience like few other authors of his time.
James T. KeaneMarch 28, 2023
People sit in pews at Catholic Mass service as Bishop J. Mark Spalding in purple vestments consecrates the Eucharist in the background.
Nashville Bishop J. Mark Spalding celebrated Mass at the Cathedral of the Incarnation on March 27 to pray for the victims of the school shooting that morning at The Covenant School.
Father Luis Melquiades outside the Our Lady of Mercies chapel in Mercedes de Oriente, Honduras. Photo by Kevin Clarke.
In Honduras, subsistence farmers on the small parcels around the village struggle with erratic growing conditions because of climate change; the people are pressed by poverty and hunger. For many in small towns just like this, there is only one option: immigration.
Kevin ClarkeMarch 28, 2023
several protestors hold a sign that says justice is truth in action
On the final episode of this season of “The Gloria Purvis Podcast,” Gloria welcomes Rev. Matthew Ichihashi Potts to discuss the subject of anger and forgiveness.