Receiving The Holy Eucharist

[6 minute read]

A recent incident involving a Florida Catholic priest and a bully would-be communicant has set forth a reminder that adequate formation in the Faith is a never ending necessity.

• https://www.ncregister.com/cna/florida-priest-charged-for-biting-arm-of-woman-he-says-was-desecrating-eucharist

Communion on the tongue emphasizes docility and therefore reception. In order to receive (the Body of Christ), one renders oneself vulnerable, receptive. Kneeling in adoration is an appropriate accompanying posture for the creature encountering his Creator.

In the Eucharist, as at His incarnation, birth and crucifixion, Jesus makes Himself vulnerable and allows Himself, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, to be subject to humans, those (with the exception of His Immaculate Mother who was spared from Original Sin by a singular act of God) Jesus came to rescue from sin and death.

Should we not acknowledge the sublime reality of Jesus' humility by adopting the approach of Jesus Who humbled Himself to the point of dying on a cross? Should we not fall to our knees so that we who are called to become like little children (St Matthew 18:3) may receive Him Who died to save us from our sins? The faithful disciple knows the answer to both questions and does not hesitate to demonstrate the answer at Holy Communion.

If the experience of the past 50 years is any indication, and if countless examples saturating the internet have anything to contribute to the analysis, then communion in the hand tends to reinforce a sense of entitlement. Given the woman's behaviour, it is not difficult to imagine that a sense of entitlement occupied/occupies the mind of the woman attempting to rob the Eucharist from the priest's hands.

Opportunity

More needs to be done. Is the Eucharistic revival working? No human enterprise is ever 100% effective. Should that deter us from pursuing a course of action to renew appreciation for the Holy Eucharist? No. There is constant need for reinforcement of understanding. Priests who do little to teach the Faith and who do little to celebrate the Mass in a manner befitting its sublime nature are obstacles in the way of the mission to save souls.

Carpe Diem

1. Reinforce right understanding: the Eucharist is Christ really and truly present - Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. Which is to say, there before our eyes is our Lord and God.

• Preach the truth from the pulpit; preach the Real Presence. 
• Offer take-home Mass booklets and pamphlets that promote right understanding and right practice.
• Offer mini-retreats on a Saturday or a weekday night to promote insight into the Eucharistic mystery.
• Make it clear that anyone who is not in a state of grace - explain that teaching, too! - should not present themselves for communion. See below: Preparing for Holy Communion.

2. Reinforce the understanding that confession of serious sins is necessary before receiving Holy Communion.

• Make confession available 30 mins before every Mass.
• Assign penances that support a person's understanding that the Eucharist is Jesus.

3. Celebrate the Mass with the utmost care and attention.

• Prayerful ritual gesture.
• Solemn demeanor.
• Reverence modelled by the altar servers.

Useful boundaries. An altar rail would have helped.

Architecture conditions human relationships. No altar rail, no respect (for the Eucharist). No rail, little (a diminished sense) or no sense of the profoundness of the mystery that occurs in the sanctuary. No rail, no order; no relief from the chaos of everyday life. All too frequently, communion resembles a free-for-all. Communicants wander up to the minister and have no idea how to behave in the Presence of the Lord. There is no sign of the adoration of God. The 'Amen' response is empty.

Questions

1. Should the priest have bitten the woman's arm? Under less confused circumstances, no. However, the priest had no reasonable way of knowing exactly how far she would escalate her problematic behaviour and what she was capable of doing. She could have returned with a weapon.
• https://www.osvnews.com/2024/04/24/man-stabs-parishioner-says-jesus-is-not-real-outside-san-francisco-church-during-confirmations/ | 
• https://www.kadn.com/news/crime/pastor-of-st-mary-magdalen-catholic-church-says-community-was-rocked-and-shaken-by-gun/article_9b3c3fc2-116a-11ef-b607-0be93a722b18.html
• https://www.thefloridacatholic.org/news/florida/florida-priest-admits-biting-woman-as-last-resort-defense-to-save-the-eucharist/article_d3003006-1afe-11ef-a084-4781f93b4736.html
2. Did the woman give the priest any other choice but to intervene? She escalated the confrontation. She attended an earlier Mass and was denied Holy Communion on reasonable grounds. Later the same day, she attended Mass a second time, the Mass when the sacrilege took place. Was she looking for trouble? Given her return to the parish, her confrontational posture, language and the sacrilege she committed, yes, her intent was clear. She was looking for trouble.
3. Could the priest have walked away from the confrontation? She pursued him and committed a sacrilege during the course of her actions. The priest also had an obligation to remain at the communion line to serve other communicants. So, no. The priest stood his ground. He had the presence of mind to stall for time. By engaging the woman, he gave others time to call the police.
4. Where were the ushers/sidesmen? Could anyone else have intervened to control the woman's behaviour? These are appropriate questions to ask. It may have been that those who were close to the confrontation considered the woman to be a serious threat and chose to distance themselves.
5. Did the priest draw blood? Reports state that the woman's skin was unbroken. Though unusual, the priest's action provided an effective deterrent and prevented further bad behaviour and disruption. He would have needed both hands to protect the Eucharist. He acted to protect the Eucharist, and he did so with measured force. Did he knock her to the ground? Did he cut off her ear with a sword (St John 18:10-11)? No and no. Did his action render her unconscious? No. Did she provoke him? Yes.
6. Did she accept medical assistance beyond that which was offered by the "firefighters (who) treated the arm of the woman at the police station"? According to a police video, "(s)he refused to go to a hospital."
7. The Diocese of Orlando is defending the priest.

Time will tell whether or not her provocations may represent an attempt to manipulate events in order to acquire a monetary award. Thankfully, the video at the church and the police video recording are powerful deterrents to any frivolous legal action.

The parish’s video [link] of the 10 a.m. Mass shows an interaction between the priest and the woman, who neither presents her hands to receive the host nor opens her mouth to receive on her tongue. The priest and the woman speak for about 45 seconds, holding up the Communion line, though their conversation can’t be heard over the music and singing.

The woman later told police she suspected the priest wouldn’t give her Communion because of the way she was dressed and because of her sexual orientation.

“I believe that his excuse was that I wasn’t super-holy, in his eyes,” the woman, who was wearing a white shirt and pants, told police.

But the priest told police sexual orientation had nothing to do with it.

When the woman didn’t hold her hands out one on top of the other or open her mouth and didn’t say “Amen” after he said “body of Christ,” he said, he knew she didn’t know what she was doing. | CNA

Sometimes the truth bites.

Given the nature of the confrontation during the later Mass, i.e., the woman's forceable attempt to take the Body of Christ, her combative behaviour, and her desecration of the Hosts in the ciborium, the priest had little choice but to exercise proportionate force to deter further bad behaviour.

The woman told police the priest denied her Communion after she refused to answer his questions about whether she had been to confession recently.

“I just wanted a cookie. That’s all,” the woman told police, according to body camera video. | Matt McDonald/CNA May 24, 2024

"Cookie"? Nuff said.

A Culture of Indifference and Irreverence

"We have fallen upon times when a violent and well-nigh daily battle is being fought about matters of highest moment, a battle in which it is hard not to be sometimes deceived, not to go astray and, for many, not to lose heart. It behooves us, venerable brethren, to warn, instruct, and exhort each of the faithful with an earnestness befitting the occasion: that none may abandon the way of truth." | Pope Leo XIII, "Sapientiae Christianae", AD 1890

Clergy who give the Eucharist away like it's a "cookie" have contributed to an environment of entitlement, putting responsible priests who attempt to exercise appropriate stewardship in the unenviable front line position of having to protect the Eucharist while risking retribution for refusing to subject the Body of Christ to desecration. Actions have consequences, and the many priests (and deacons) who do not put themselves between the Eucharist and errant would-be communicants are merely demonstrating cowardice. A failure to correct enables indifferent parishioners to consign themselves to a real judgement. Recall the apostolic teaching that Saint Paul communicated to the Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 11:29 | For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself.

The last thing the woman  in question should be concerned about is a nip on her arm. She should be made aware that her sacrilegious (irreverent) actions, if not confessed, could very well put her in hell. To paraphrase: better to suffer a slight chomp on the arm than to enter hell with body intact (St Matthew 18:9). Apologies to the sainted Gospel writer.

Further Reading

1. https://blog.adw.org/2015/06/on-the-worthy-reception-of-holy-communion/
2. https://atreasuretobeshared.blogspot.com/2024/03/giving-up-pseudo-liturgical-habits-of.html

Preparing for Holy Communion

According to the Catholic Church's teachings, the best way to prepare for receiving Holy Communion is as follows:

1. Be in a state of grace. One must be free from mortal sin and have received the sacrament of Reconciliation if conscious of grave sin. As the Catechism states, "Anyone who is conscious of having committed a grave sin must first receive the sacrament of Reconciliation before going to Communion."
2. Observe the Eucharistic fast. The faithful should abstain from food and drink, with the exception of water and medicine, for at least one hour before receiving Communion. This is a sign of reverence for the Eucharist.
3. Have the proper interior disposition. This includes a spirit of recollection, prayer, and veneration for the greatness of the mystery. One should reflect on one's unworthiness and love for Christ, as exemplified by the centurion's words: "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof."
4. Maintain proper bodily demeanor. The way one carries oneself, including clothing, should convey "the respect, solemnity, and joy of this moment when Christ becomes our guest." 
5. Be reconciled with one's neighbor. If there is any unresolved conflict with others, one should first be reconciled before approaching the altar to receive Communion.

Summary

The best preparation for Holy Communion involves:

1. being in a state of grace
2. observing the Eucharistic fast
3. having the proper interior disposition
4. maintaining a reverent bodily demeanor, and
5. being reconciled with one's neighbor.

This ensures a worthy reception of the sacrament.

References

1. Compendium of the CCC 291
2. Catechism of the Council of Trent: The Sacraments - The Holy Eucharist
3. Norms for the Distribution and Reception of Holy Communion under Both Kinds in the Dioceses of the United States of America 5
4. Message to the participants in the course on the internal forum, organized by the Apostolic Penitentiary (March 8, 2005) 3
5. CCC 1387