In 2019, a national survey suggested that there was confusion within the Catholic population about the doctrine of the Holy Eucharist. Specifically, there seemed to be a difference of opinion about what is called the Real Presence. This refers to the fact that the bread and wine offered at mass are literally changed into the Body and Blood of Jesus.
Cardinal Sean responded to this alleged confusion by determining that 2020 should become the Year of the Eucharist in the Archdiocese of Boston. This would be a prolonged catechesis on Eucharistic theology and, presumably, clear up any misunderstandings about the reality of the Holy Communion that we receive at mass.
When everything came to a screeching halt in March, this intended catechesis on the Eucharist became one of many casualties. Later in 2020, President Joe Biden won the November election and became the second Roman Catholic to hold this high office. Surprisingly, his election precipitated the formulation of relatively new concepts in our community: Eucharistic coherence and Eucharistic consistency. These concepts became the way for some bishops to speak about people like President Biden who are not virulently anti-abortion but who attend mass and Holy Communion regularly.
Pope Francis and many bishops have cautioned against bringing politics into discussions about the Eucharist. Nonetheless, the American bishops decided to issue a new statement about our understanding of this central doctrine of the Catholic Church. (Possibly, this will dove-tail nicely with Cardinal Sean’s previous intention to make 2020 a catechetical, deep-dive into this central mystery of our Catholic community.) Regardless of what the bishops have said after their June decision to issue a new document on the Eucharist, the motivating factor for this new guidance was the desire of some bishops to deny Holy Communion to public figures who do not agree with them regarding abortion.
As the bishops begin to speak about Eucharistic coherence and consistency, they should be aware that this new standard may cause them to re-think their singular preoccupation with abortion.
At the Last Supper, the Gospel tells us, Jesus got up from the table and proceeded to wash the feet of his disciples. When he finished, he said “… If I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should also do as I have done foryou.” (Jn13.14-15) This example is reenacted each year in our Holy Thursday liturgy when we celebrate the institution of the Eucharist. In dramatic fashion, this action of Jesus connects the Eucharist with service. Jesus does not mean that we literally need to go around washing each other’s feet. Instead, he sends a clear message that the celebration of Eucharist can never be divorced from the active care for one another, most especially the poor, the homeless and the forgotten of our world. This is what it means to be a “Eucharistic people.”
There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that the decision of a woman to end her pregnancy is both wrenching and painful. There is also no doubt that the most effective strategy for helping expectant mothers is intimately bound up with the promise of a range of supports like pre-natal care and adequate medical support for both mothers and new babies. When expectant mothers lack these supports and experience an accompanying sense of hopeless, it is no wonder that choosing life becomes so difficult.
Eucharistic coherence and consistency should be measured by the efforts that are made to expand the safety net for the most vulnerable in our midst. When the safety net is contracted, poor people suffer most. When it is expanded, people who live on the margins of life are its beneficiaries. Among those who benefit greatly from an expanded safety net are expectant mothers.
So far, one of the singular accomplishments of President Biden’s administration is the expansion of the safety net that will bring thousands of children and young families out of poverty. The American Rescue Plan is one of the most Pro-Life pieces of legislation that we have seen in a very long time. Besides supporting families, it will contribute to building the kind of culture of life that will enable expectant mothers to put aside their fears about bringing new babies into our world. Supporting this kind of legislation and the philosophy behind it is a great example of what it means to be a Eucharistic people. This is real consistency and real coherence.
Our hope and prayer is that as the bishops formulate their statement for approval at their November meeting, they underscore that Eucharistic coherence and consistency is about being the Eucharistic people that Jesus commanded at the Last Supper!
God Bless! Msgr. Paul