Eucharistic Revival is about changing habits
“My flesh for the life of the world”
“Mi carne para la vida del mundo”
- Jn 6:51
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From the 3/9 edition of The Lumen:
By FATHER ANDREW GALLES Director of Worship As many of us have probably heard by now, the national Eucharistic Revival was kicked off on the solemnity of the Body and Blood of Our Lord in June 2022. This is a multi-year national effort toward re-enkindling eucharistic belief and devotion in the hearts of the faithful. This is an effort spurned on by the shocking 2019 Pew Research poll which reported that 69% of Catholics said they do not believe in the true presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, believing instead that the bread and wine are symbols of the body and blood of Christ. This, of course, was one of the primary doctrines undermined by the Protestant reformation and responded to fiercely by the Council of Trent (1545-1563). Because we know the holy Eucharist to be the “source and summit” of our entire faith, this lack of belief in the true presence constitutes a crisis in the church. Upon hearing the results of the Pew Research study, Bishop Robert Barron (now of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester) expressed his anger, stating that “this should be a wake-up call to all of us in the church.” He went on to say that this statistic illustrates the “massive failure of the church to carry on its own tradition.” Bishop Barron is certainly correct about the failure to transmit the doctrine and living tradition of the church, but this failure can also be amplified by the development of bad liturgical habits. A true eucharistic revival cannot deal only with doctrinal catechesis and formation. This revival must also be about changing habits that have developed out of laxity or ignorance. It must be remembered that the liturgy is “catechesis in ritual” – our practices and habits teach us about the sacredness of the holy Eucharist. Depending on whether they are good or bad habits, these practices can either build up or erode our eucharistic faith. There are many common issues at the parish level that need to be addressed if we are going to right the ship with regard to eucharistic belief and devotion. Though the following is not a comprehensive list of issues, they tend to be those which are most frequently mentioned and noticed by priests. First, failing to maintain an aura of silence inside churches can be a common issue experienced in most parishes today. Without negating the importance of the church as a gathered community, we must also realize that the church is a sacred space that is not like any other building. Liturgical and biblical tradition refers to the church building as the “house of God” and the “gate of heaven.” Catholics have a sacramental view of the church building because it is the “holy of holies” where the living God is present in the tabernacle. This reality demands some degree of silent awe and reverence. Older Catholics will generally attest that this used to be case. What we witness now is unfortunately the opposite: the church and the sacristy, either before or after Mass, often resemble a loud, bustling, chaotic convention center instead of a house of prayer. If we don’t believe that the true presence of God is physically present in the tabernacle, then we tend to believe that a church is nothing more than a gathering space, and our actions and habits demonstrate this. It is crucial for us to remember that how we behave in a church is a manifestation of what we truly believe. Silence is an indication to show that we are in the presence of God. Second, the failure to recognize the sanctuary as a sacred space is another common issue. Many incorrectly refer to the space that houses the altar and tabernacle as the “stage,” which greatly devalues the mystery of what happens there. |
The sanctuary is a particular place within the church, specifically and purposefully set apart. It is where the mystery of the Eucharist is celebrated and where our Lord Jesus Christ dwells in the tabernacle. This reality demands respect and reverence. Far too often, however, the sanctuary is treated like a secular space that people indiscriminately walk into, cut across, or loiter in without purpose.
This tends to be a result of poor habits that regard the church building as nothing more than a gathering space. When we approach sacred spaces with nonchalant attitudes, we effectively send the message that “nothing important happens here” and these slipshod habits slowly erode the boundaries that maintain our eucharistic reverence. Third, music that speaks very vaguely or simplistically about the doctrine of the Eucharist is a significant issue. Not all music or lyrics are created equal and many parishes today are exposed to music from conglomerate church publishers that tend to be less concerned about accurate eucharistic theology and more concerned about making a profit.Music has the power to subconsciously influence us and our beliefs. If the faithful spend half a century singing about the Eucharist in an ambiguous and symbolic way, it will most likely result in their eucharistic belief being ambiguous and symbolic! Even music that over-emphasizes the communal and meal aspects of the Eucharist has often resulted in a very banal and incorrect understanding of the Mass as nothing more than a gathering for a symbolic communal meal. This poor theology is illustrated in the following lyrics and countless others like it: “To be your bread now, be your wine now, Lord, come change us to be a sign of your love. Blest and broken, poured and flowing, gift that you gave us, to be your body once again.” These vague and self-centered lyrics are confusing at best. Conversely, St. Thomas Aquinas speaks with clarity about the Eucharist in his musical poetry: “I devoutly adore you, hidden God, who are truly hidden beneath these appearances. My whole heart submits to you, because in contemplating you, it is fully deficient.” Poor quality music, both in composition and lyric, can undermine our eucharistic piety. On the contrary, the high-quality sacred music that the church has produced over the centuries has the power to cultivate beautiful eucharistic faith and devotion. If we are to have a truly successful Eucharistic Revival, we as parishes and the faithful need to focus not only on doctrinal catechesis, but on the good or bad habits we have formed. Are we mindful of keeping silence in the church? Are we respectful of the sanctuary as the holy place of the altar and tabernacle? Do we prioritize having quality sacred music that is theologically accurate and speaks clearly about our Eucharistic beliefs? It is never too late to change our habits, and it begins with each one of us. |
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