“Still, one in five Catholics — 22% — reject the idea of transubstantiation, even though they know about the church’s teaching,” Smith said. 43% of Catholics believe that the bread and wine are symbolic and also that this reflects the position of the Church.Hispanic Catholics believe in it less than whites, and women believe in it less than men.
In a 1994 article in The New York Times, religion
correspondent Peter Steinfels reported the following: “Yet when a
representative sample of American Catholics were asked which statement came
closest to ‘what you believe takes place at mass,’ only 1 out of 3 chose ‘the bread
and wine are changed into Christ’s body and blood’.” In other words, the
percentage of U.S. Catholics who expressed a belief in the Eucharist that
entirely lines up with the Catholic Church’s teaching on transubstantiation has
not changed at all in a quarter of a century.
How can someone sit in the pew week after week and never know
what we believe is happening right in front of us? I’ve heard how religious ed can sometimes be a joke, but for
people to not even know the basics of the faith is beyond neglect. Then some
even know what the Church teaches, rejects it, and receives the Eucharist. At
least they are aware, though that puts them in a more morally precarious spot.
It saddens me to think of the hundreds of people in my own
parish who probably don’t believe. They might come out of habit or old social
obligation. They might think that it doesn’t matter. They might pridefully
think the Church is wrong but will “come around.” They might be fully sincere
and ignorant. The Church might be failing them by not evangelizing properly. They
might be failing the Church by faking belief.
As Flannery O’Conner said, “If it’s a symbol, to hell with
it.” The Eucharist is the center of our worship. “This is my body,” Jesus said.
“Hoc est corpus.” The Incarnation brought God physically into His creation, and
the Mass sustains His physical presence here with us.
Other denominations have communion that is memorial—it still has meaning, of remembrance, of community, of participation in faith. But those communion services do not make the claims the Mass does, because they do not do what the Mass does. If I thought Catholics just had symbols of Jesus like so many other churches, I’d be at another church.
Other denominations have communion that is memorial—it still has meaning, of remembrance, of community, of participation in faith. But those communion services do not make the claims the Mass does, because they do not do what the Mass does. If I thought Catholics just had symbols of Jesus like so many other churches, I’d be at another church.
It is a Mystery—you can’t see or smell or taste His
presence. Under the species of bread of wine, He is not detectable to the
senses. But there is so much beyond the senses. There is testimony and faith
and heart. There is a calling I didn’t understand but couldn’t ignore.
There is a rushing wind in the interior self, striking you down on your knees. The senses and rationality don’t go away, but they find their proper place in the face of the greatness of God.You can believe in God without believing in the Eucharist. You can love Christ without believing He is present in the host and chalice. But there is so much more to believe. So much more to experience. So much more to consume. Don’t sell the faith short. Go and meet Him. He’s there.
There is a rushing wind in the interior self, striking you down on your knees. The senses and rationality don’t go away, but they find their proper place in the face of the greatness of God.You can believe in God without believing in the Eucharist. You can love Christ without believing He is present in the host and chalice. But there is so much more to believe. So much more to experience. So much more to consume. Don’t sell the faith short. Go and meet Him. He’s there.
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