The Eucharist is a gift, not an entitlement

The Eucharist is a gift, not an entitlement, and the sanctity of that gift is only diminished by unworthy reception. While it is likely that too many receive the Eucharist in a state of mortal sin, this is no reason to lower the bar. Low expectations lead to mediocrity, not to spiritual excellence.

Jul 30, 2021

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Readings: Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15;
Ephesians 4:17, 20-24; Gospel: John 6:24-35

Last week, we read St John’s version of the miracle of the feeding of the multitude. This week we continue with the first instalment of the discourse on the Bread of Life which is unique to the Fourth Gospel. After having heard our Lord say that it was not Moses who gave their ancestors bread from heaven but His Father who is the real source of that life-giving bread, the crowd immediately demands a share of this wondrous food: “Sir give us that bread always.” In response to their request, our Lord gives this enigmatic answer, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never be hungry; he who believes in me will never thirst.” The irony of this story is that this crowd who had pursued our Lord with such eagerness to get more of Him, would turn their backs on Him, after He had explained what He meant.

In both the First Reading and the Gospel, we see people acting out of entitlement instead of gratitude. The Israelites complained to Moses about their lack of food. They had forgotten that it was God who had liberated them from slavery. Strangely enough, God, in His mercy, rewarded them by raining down manna from heaven. Similarly, the crowds in the gospel demand that our Lord give them this “bread of God … which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world,” despite having feasted on a sumptuous meal. Instead of reprimanding them for their greed and sense of entitlement, our Lord provides them with this life-saving truth — our Lord Himself is that very Bread of Life. Yes, our Lord is truly and substantially present in the Eucharist today, the true bread of heaven that gives life to the world.

In these past few months, where many of you have been forced to observe intermittent fasting from the Eucharist due to the lockdowns, I hope that you have had the opportunity to reflect deeply on the mystery of the Eucharist and the privilege of receiving Holy Communion. In the past, when Masses were readily available, many seemed to have lost the sense of the sacredness of this sacrament. As the adage goes, “familiarity breeds contempt.”

We often forget that receiving our Lord in Holy Communion is a privilege rather than a right. If it was a right, then God and the Church would owe us a duty to dispense it to us without questioning our motives or disposition. But if it is a privilege, then the Eucharist is a pouring forth of God’s beneficent grace to the undeserving, a privilege which we should never take lightly.

The teaching and practice of the Church is rather clear. We receive Holy Communion only when we are in communion with God and His Church. To receive Holy Communion, a Catholic must be in a state of grace. If one is in a state of mortal sin, then it is necessary to have those sins forgiven in the Sacrament of Penance before receiving Holy Communion. That discipline is based on the clear teaching of St Paul, who says that to receive the Eucharist unworthily is to invite condemnation (1 Corinthians 11:29).

That is why Christ and the Church constantly call us to repentance and holiness. To approach the Eucharist otherwise is to condemn ourselves at the altar of the Lord. The Eucharist offers “a healing remedy” to those who are properly disposed but can be poisonous to those who are not. This risk comes with our freedom to live lives that are coherent or incoherent; lives that are consistent with God’s truth or not. To approach the Eucharist casually is to risk one’s eternal salvation. To modern ears, the above may sound unmerciful and unloving. Yes, love is indeed merciful, but authentic love is also truthful. It recognises that how we approach the altar and the reception of the Eucharist requires a sense of the sacred and a healthy fear of the Lord.

The Eucharist is a gift, not an entitlement, and the sanctity of that gift is only diminished by unworthy reception. While it is likely that too many receive the Eucharist in a state of mortal sin, this is no reason to lower the bar. Low expectations lead to mediocrity, not to spiritual excellence. But we are all called and challenged to imitate the Saints, which is to say, to imitate Christ. We humbly acknowledge that none of us is perfect, which means that we are constantly called to repent, amend our ways, and return to communion with God before we receive Holy Communion in a worthy fashion. Only then can we utter with humility and gratitude: “Lord, give us that bread always.” 

Fr Michael Chua is the Parish Priest of the Church of Jesus Caritas, Kepong. He is also the Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur.

Total Comments:0

Name
Email
Comments