The True Presence
Corpus Christi, as you probably know, is an annual celebration honouring the True Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.
It has traditionally been observed on the second Thursday after Pentecost, but in most countries has been moved to the following Sunday. In Ireland this year the solemnity falls on Sunday, June 19th.
The bad news
You have also likely heard about the Pew Research, conducted in 2019 among U.S. Catholics. It showed that just one-third (31%) say they believe that “during Catholic Mass, the bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Jesus.”
If that’s the state of belief in the U.S., where in many places Catholicism is booming, we can quite safely (and sadly) assume that the situation is just as grim, if not worse, here in Europe.
Our response
So, what can we do to honour Our Lord in the Eucharist this Corpus Christi, when many around us, even at Mass, don’t believe? It may be tempting to wallow in dejection, to view our fellow churchgoers with suspicion, or perhaps even to question the True Presence ourselves.
Though the popular lack of belief is upsetting (as it should be), the above responses won’t help anyone. Instead, I propose we view this year’s Corpus Christi as a call to bolster belief, starting with ourselves.
Help our unbelief
The first, most effective way to strengthen our belief in the Eucharist is to pray. A line from Mark 9 comes to mind, when a father calls on Jesus to cast a demon out of his son. Jesus tells him that all things are possible for those who believe, and the father cries out, “I believe; help my unbelief,” (Mark 9:24).
To me, this is a perfect prayer for increased conviction on the Holy Eucharist: “Jesus, I believe. Help my unbelief.”
It acknowledges our attempt to believe, yet also our need for God’s grace in order to fully believe. As humans we cannot, without the grace of God, fully accept something so miraculous, mysterious and next-worldly as the Eucharist.
Yet, God doesn’t ask us for the impossible. With His grace, which He freely gives if only we ask, our belief in the Eucharist will become and remain strong.
VIP Experience
A few years ago I was praying alone at a local Adoration chapel. It was just me and the Eucharist in a small, cosy room on a beautiful summer’s day.
Social media at the time was packed with spottings of Harry and Meghan Markle on their trip to Ireland. (This was before the pair’s controversy, when their popularity was at its peak.) They had caused a national frenzy, which even members of my own family were caught up in.
With this fame-fever as a backdrop, it occurred to me that I was having a VIP experience with the One who made me, the entire world, and everyone and everything in it. I saw so clearly that I could experience no greater privilege in sharing a room with anyone else —no matter how rich, royal, or famous they were. The One just in front of me was the reason for us all to exist in the first place — and here He was in this humble piece of bread, just two feet away!
Utterly starstruck by Our Lord and madly in love with Him, I sat there for quite a while adoring. This was a totally thrilling, heart-throbbing afternoon — an experience I have often since reflected on. I return to that time of consolation and pray for the grace to always have such clarity and conviction about the True Presence.
Dog food
Another of my “A-ha!” moments regarding the Eucharist happened during a priest’s talk at a retreat I attended as a teenager.
He went on about his dog: how much he loved him, how close they were and how he would do almost anything for him. But he made the point that, no matter how much he cared for and loved this dog, he wouldn’t become a dog for him; much less would he become dog food for him to eat!
Yet this is almost exactly what Jesus has done for us: for us, his creation, he not only became man (and died for our sins, but that’s besides the current point), he even stooped so low as to become our food. Under the appearances of bread and wine (actual food for us to eat) he enters our bodies physically to give spiritual nourishment. This is unparalleled love and humility, no wonder it’s hard to believe!
A paradox in our belief system
On the one hand, we know God can do anything. On the other, the Eucharist can be a hard pill to swallow.
We have so much Biblical context, so much clarity provided by the Church and its saints, and so much grace available to us that belief in the Eucharist — though difficult on a human level — becomes far less challenging the more we study, pray and strive to believe.
In a world where even Mass-going Catholics are failing to grasp the True Presence, our duty to strengthen and nourish our own belief, and from there to share our knowledge and experience with others, is more important than ever.
Jesus in the Eucharist, we believe. Help our unbelief.
Dr. Scott Hahn on Called to More
In 2020, at the genesis of Called to More, we had the pleasure of interviewing the renowned Catholic convert, author, theologian and scholar, Dr. Scott Hahn. Here’s a 3-minute clip from that interview in which he discusses how the Eucharist is “unbelievable”.
A link to the full interview pops up at the end of this short clip.
Reading for Corpus Christi
Fr Gavan Jennings, a priest of the Prelature of Opus Dei, wrote the following piece for our website about the four ends of the Mass. In honour of Corpus Christi, we hope this article helps you to connect with Jesus in the Eucharist in a special way.
Rally for Life
After two years of Covid lockdowns, national pro-life events are back in person!
Rally for Life 2022 will meet at 2pm on Saturday, July 2nd, at the Garden of Remembrance on Parnell Square in Dublin City.
Over 20,000 innocent babies have lost their lives to abortion in Ireland since the new law came into effect just over three years ago. This also leaves thousands of would-be mothers with empty arms and, for many, a lifetime of regret.
We demand better for our country, our future citizens and women who face unplanned pregnancies without the support they need.
There are positive alternatives to abortion. There are far better solutions to unplanned pregnancies than starving, injecting and dismembering our tiny humans. This July, we march to make this heard!
For more information on directions, how to help, and other topics, please click here.
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Yours in Christ,
Katie Ascough
Founder, Called to More