Dear Father: I have been seeing lots of coverage in the Catholic press about the National Eucharistic Congress, although not a lot of notice of it in the secular media. Of course, I think Eucharistic devotion is a wonderful thing, but I am wondering about this. For decades, the devotional life of the Church has been chipped away, piece by piece. Now, the bishops are apparently whole-heartedly behind traditional Eucharistic devotion. Am I just being cynical, or am I right to wonder what is going on here?
Dear Reader: Your question has far-reaching ramifications!
I received my First Holy Communion in 1967, at the age of seven, which means that I have been perfectly situated to watch the disaster—the house was more or less still standing, but within the next few years it would obviously start to collapse. As I was growing up, there were several things I experienced which made a deep impression on me.
We were a rather large parish in Queens, N.Y. (our parochial school would eventually grow to sixteen hundred students). Masses were quite full; we had two churches across the street from each other. Most of the Masses were standing room only unless you got there twenty minutes early. Holy Communion was received kneeling at the altar rail, a custom which lasted until 1985.
I am sure that for many of the participants the experience of the wider Church was impressive and a blessing. To see the reverence of those in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the enthusiasm of the congregations at the Masses must have been edifying indeed. But it's all very American, isn't it? If we are concerned about renewal, or any other need of the Church (religious vocations, marriage and family life, youth), instinctively we reach for a program.
I remember listening to a sermon by a visiting missionary priest, in the middle of which one of our priests came out of the sacristy and went to the tabernacle. Someone was obviously dying and needed Viaticum. As soon as he opened the tabernacle, the congregation sank to its knees; the missionary looked around, saw that the tabernacle was open, and knelt in the pulpit. When Father had the Blessed Sacrament he genuflected, closed the tabernacle, turned and blessed us with the Blessed Sacrament and quickly left through the sacristy. Everyone in the church knew precisely what to do in homage to the Eucharistic Lord.
The church across the street was the original church, in which there were four Masses every Sunday. After the last of those Masses, we servers would lay out on the altar rail a surplice, stole and humeral veil, and one of the priests would come over from the rectory to bring the Blessed Sacrament back to the main church. We servers would accompany him with candles and a bell, ringing along the way to warn passersby that Christ was passing by. Vivid in my mind is the memory of walking along the sidewalk and crossing the street as people knelt on the sidewalk, cars stopped in the street and often the drivers would step out of their cars and kneel.
The atmosphere was one of faith and reverence. Of course, as the years went by, things began to change. Mass attendance declined. "Folk Masses" and "children's Masses" were introduced. The baleful effects of the catechetical crisis became increasingly evident—competing publishers offered watered-down religion textbooks instead of the now-forbidden catechism. More and more people were never grounded in the Faith. I remember with gratitude the parish of my boyhood., but that was a long time ago.
The National Eucharistic Congress seems to have been successful, judging from the reports in the Catholic press. I am sure that for many of the participants the experience of the wider Church was impressive and a blessing. To see the reverence of those in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the enthusiasm of the congregations at the Masses must have been edifying indeed.
But if the key to the renewal of the Church is a program, then surely that program is Catholicism. Every person who crosses the threshold of a Catholic Church should encounter Catholicism—not a parish life tailored to the personal preferences of the pastor, but authentic Catholicism.
But it's all very American, isn't it? If we are concerned about renewal, or any other need of the Church (religious vocations, marriage and family life, youth), instinctively we reach for a program. Publishers offer renewal programs for Lent (remember Ashes to Easter?) and New and Improved religion textbooks and programs, diocesan vocation offices schedule spaghetti dinners with the Bishop for young men who might consider the priesthood as a vocation, and now, at great effort and expense, we have the National Eucharistic Congress. Programs come, and programs go...
But if the key to the renewal of the Church is a program, then surely that program is Catholicism. Every person who crosses the threshold of a Catholic Church should encounter Catholicism—not a parish life tailored to the personal preferences of the pastor, but authentic Catholicism. If the parish schedule features forty minutes of confessions on Saturdays, then renewal is not a serious goal of the parish (confessions should be heard daily, perhaps after Mass). Regular Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, annual Forty Hours Devotion (this is actually required by canon law), promotion of devotions (especially the Rosary) should be practices with which parishioners are familiar.
Above all, the reverent celebration of Holy Mass. The days of Father Hank wandering up and down the aisle with his earring and hand microphone should be over and forgotten. Of course, the ideal would be a parish centered on the Traditional Mass (whammo! in one step reverence is achieved) but even when the Novus Ordo is used, the celebration of the Mass should be absolutely reverend, expressing awe at the transcendent majesty of God.
The renewal of the Church will be accomplished by the Holy Spirit, Who will raise up the saints we need. But we should be doing our part—which means that every person who crosses the threshold of a Catholic Church should encounter Catholicism. Once upon a time, we took this for granted. It is time to admit that the experiments have failed miserably; time to fix our eyes upon the Lord Jesus and do everything we can to know Him, love Him, serve Him, and make our parish churches places where He can be encountered by all.
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