July 10, 2009
OYAYA
Put your faith where your mouth is
BY STEVE DABROWSKI (Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry)
Certain things leave me feeling queasy — like the reasons I hear why Catholics end up going to non-Scriptural “churches.” These communities dot the landscape of Evansville about as frequently as fast food joints. Often the story begins, “I wasn’t being fed in the Catholic Church, but I am being fed at the First Vineyard Four Corners Tabernacle of the Latter Day Members of God in Christ.” Yeah, ignorance seems to be readily gobbled up, but, like fast food, it is empty of theological nutrition . . . and bad for one’s spiritual health.
The Message last week focused upon First Communion. I’ve always thought we receive this Sacrament a bit too early; after all, the documents of Vatican II refer to the Eucharist as the “source and summit of our faith,” and that may be a lot for a small child to digest. The Eucharist is that from which our faith comes, and toward which we strive as our goal. That’s quite a lofty statement . . . especially if the Eucharist is nothing more than a grape-juice-and-crackers symbol. Yet, sadly, this what many “former” Catholics ignorantly believe.
The problem stems from ignorance of the Scriptures. Chapter six of John leaps off the page when read in its original Greek. John uses a unique word for bread, “klasmata,” that is specific to liturgy. He also changes the word for “chewing” from “fagein” (a word that could be misread symbolically) to “trogein” (a very carnal word for eating). It is clear that John saw the Eucharist as the real Body and Blood of Jesus. In fact, the only place in the Gospel that people turn away from Jesus is when they refuse to receive His Body and Blood (John 6:66).
Christian history contains far too many examples of the early Church’s belief in the Real Presence for me to include them all here. St. Cyril of Jerusalem, St. Justin Martyr, St. Augustine, St. Ignatius of Antioch, and many others all testify that those with Jesus at the Last Supper handed on to them what Jesus taught: The Eucharist is not merely symbolic — Jesus is truly, physically present! St. Paul ratified this when he wrote in 1 Corinthians that some were ill and had died because they received the Eucharist without self-reflection (11:30).
I have been blessed to be part of Eucharist-centered youth movements for many years. I have seen what happens when young people spend a weekend in front of the Blessed Sacrament at our “Source and Summit Retreat,”and national statistics bear out that parishes with perpetual adoration chapels produce far more religious vocations than those without. Why? Because as the old 70s nutrition slogan says, “You are what you eat!” Every time we faithfully and reflectively receive Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, we put our faith where our mouth is.
Those who say otherwise are probably starving at one of the non-Scriptural communities that dot Evansville like fast food joints.
It is sad to watch someone starve to death on ignorance.