> From: EW Pratt High School 960121.01
> Date: 21 Jan 96
>
> Recently at a communion service, a host meant for the
> congregation fell on the floor. It was unnoticed by all
> except my brother-in-law, who bent down, picked it up and
> consumed it.
>
> Way back in my days as an altar boy, if a host dropped on
> the floor there was an immediate rush to fence of the area
> with a crowd of altar boys and the priest would do a bit of
> sprinkle with holy water and muttered prayers bewfore any
> member of the congregation felt it was safe to walk on that
> floor again. For moths afterwards, that area of the floor
> was avoided by all who knew about the incident. Okay, so I
> exagerate a little -- but only a little.
>
> In school we were taught by the Sisters of St. Joseph that
> the host was not a symbol of Christ's presence among us, but
> that He was actually present in the host and so came into
> (unto?) us when we recieved holy communion. Has the
> church's teaching on this matter changed recently? Is it
> now accepted that Christ's presence at mass is symbolized by
> the host?
>
> The reason I ask is because one peculiar bit of lore that
> has remained with me these thirty years is that of an
> (unnamed) dictatorship where the church was being suppressed
> had soldiers interrupting masses at the moment of the
> consecration and defiling the host. When one particularly
> obnoxious officer was about to do this, he said to the
> congregation, "If this is your God, why does he not bleed
> when I stab him with my knife?" At that moment he pricked
> the host with the point of his knife, and a spot of blood
> appeared on the host.
>
> Have you ever heard this tale before? Anyway, this question
> is certainly less important to me than my previous one.
>
> Thank-you for your kind attention. I'm glad I found this
> site.
>
> Yours in the peace of Christ,
> D.R. McDonald
Dear Mister McDonald,
Jesus Christ is really, truly, and substantially present with His Body,
Blood, Soul, and Divinity in the Holy Eucharist under the appearances of
bread and wine. This is Catholic doctrine, solemnly defined by the
Council of Trent.*
It is my pious hope -- as yet unrealized -- that someday none of my readers
will ever again ask: "Has the Church's teaching on this, that, or t'other
dogma recently changed?" The Church has NO POWER WHATEVER to change
doctrine, but only to proclaim it, explain it, and draw out its
implications, rendering explicit what before was only implied. That's all,
folks.
But Catholics can change. Some will lose their faith for lack of prayer,
from listening to the world and not to Christ. The doctrine of the Real
Presence seems to be a favorite trget of rejection and unbelief. When Our
Lord first announced it (John 6:22-59), many of his disciples, maybe most of
them, refused to believe it and turned their back on him (6:60-71). On that
day, Judas too lost his faith. But Jesus did not budge from his doctrine
(verse 67).
Before approaching the C.C.C.'s treatment of Christ's Real Presence in the
Eucharist, I quote these words from the Holy Father's introductory message to
the new Catechism; the Pope writes:
"THE DOCTRINAL VALUE OF THE TEXT
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, which I approved June 25th last and
the publication of which I today order by virtue of my Apostolic Authority, is
a statement of the Church's faith and of catholic doctrine, attested to or
illumined by Sacred Scripture, the Apostolic Tradition, and the Church's
Magisterium.
I DECLARE IT TO BE A SURE NORM FOR TEACHING THE FAITH and thus a valid and
legitimate instrument for ecclesial communion. May it serve the renewal to
which the Holy Spirit ceaselessly calls the Church of God, the Body of Christ,
on her pilgrimage to the undiminished light of the Kingdom!
The approval and publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church
represent a service which the Successor of Peter wishes to offer to the Holy
Catholic Church, to all the particular Churches in peace and communion with
the Apostolic See: the service, that is, of supporting and confirming the
faith of all the Lord Jesus' disciples (cf. Lk 22:32), as well as of
strengthening the bonds of unity in the same apostolic faith.
Therefore, I ask all the Church's Pastors and the Christian faithful to
receive this catechism in a spirit of communion and to use it assiduously in
fulfilling their mission of proclaiming the faith and calling people to the
Gospel of life. This catechism is given to them that it may be a SURE AND
AUTHENTIC REFERENCE TEXT FOR TEACHING CATHOLIC DOCTRINE and particularly for
preparing local catechisms. It is also offered to all the faithful who wish
to deepen their knowledge of the unfathomable riches of salvation (cf. Eph
3:8) "
<continued next message>
Sysop note:
* Encyclical or document is available "free" as a text file
from Catholic Information Network (CIN)
For a list of all the files on CIN, send a message to:
fileserv@catinfo.cts.com with the message "index".
To request a file send a message to:
fileserv@catinfo.cts.com with the message "GET [filename]".
An unencode utility is needed to access the files, this is
also available from CIN. For any questions on accessing CIN
files, feel free to send an e-mail to mollerus@cin.org. Or
download from the CIN BBS (619) 449-6030, or file request.
COUNCIL OF TRENT documents avaliable on CIN:
EUCHTREN.ZIP Canons of the Eucharist, Council of Trent
TRENTBUL.ZIP Bull of the Convocation of the Holy Ecumenical Council
of Trent under Pope Paul III, 1542
TRENT1.ZIP First Session of the Council of Trent, 1545
TRENT2.ZIP Second Session of the Council of Trent, 1546
TRENT3.ZIP Third Session of the Council of Trent, 1546
TRENT4.ZIP Fourth Session of the Council of Trent, 1546
TRENT5.ZIP Fifth Session of the Council of Trent, June 1546
TRENT6.ZIP Sixth Session of the Council of Trent, January 1547
TRENT7.ZIP Seventh Session of the Council of Trent, March 1547
TRENT8.ZIP Eighth Session of the Council of Trent, March 1547
TRENT9.ZIP Ninth Session of the Council of Trent, April 1547
TRENT10.ZIP Tenth Session of the Council of Trenth, June 1547
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