Preparing for Holy Communion

 A simple prayer that I recited over many years prior to receiving Holy Communion runs as follows:

I wish my Lord to receive you, with the purity, humility and devotion with which your Most Holy Mother received you, with the spirit and fervour of the saints.

I did not know where it came from.  Recently, I discovered that the prayer dates from the 18th Century but was popularised by St Jose María Escrivá (1902-1975), priest and founder of Opus Dei, whose memorial is celebrated on 26 June.

The Eucharist: inculturation and incarnation

In the month of October we remember in prayer the work of missionaries who bring the good news to peoples far and wide.  Usually we think of priests and religious travelling to far away countries to share the Gospel with those who have not yet heard it. We need not look far to see that we are called to mission here in this place, at this time and in the ordinary works of life.  A saint little known in this part of Europe is St Innocent of Alaska (1797-1879) who travelled vast distances across Alaska and Siberia, learned indigenous languages, translated texts, and established local churches. St Innocent brought the Divine Liturgy to the remote corners of a vast expanse of territory.   He carried the Gospel to people who had never heard it and worked so they could worship God in their own language.

He learned Aleut and other local languages and sought to communicate the Gospel through local cultures rather than simply transplanting Russian customs. This missionary approach reflects the mystery of the Incarnation: God speaks our language in Christ and gives himself in tangible, material signs.

The humble lamb

St Francis of Assisi (c.1181-1226), whose Transitus, his passing to eternal life, was commemorated yesterday evening on the 800th anniversary of his death, remains one of the Church's most beloved saints.  St Francis is among the most widely admired saints in Christian history.

In common with other saints of the second millennium, St Francis embraced a strong Eucharistic message.  A much-loved story from the Franciscan tradition tells of a little lamb that would kneel during the elevation at Mass:

During the celebration of the Mass, at the moment of elevation, he would bow down, knees bent, as if it were that this devout little animal wished to reproach men of little faith for their irreverence and encourage devout men for their reverence towards the Blessed Sacrament.

In his Admonitions, Francis writes:

The cornerstone

 

Sunday 4 October 2026

Lectio Divina:*

Isaiah 5:1-7 Psalm 80 (79) Philippians 4:6-9 Matthew 21:33-43

See, also, Mark 12:1-12 and Luke 20:9-19

Meditatio:

“The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes” (Matthew 21:42)

Commentary:

Yet another parable from Saint Matthew's Gospel is placed before us: a landowner plants a vineyard, entrusts it to tenants and later comes seeking its fruits. At first glance, we may imagine ourselves in various parts of the story. Perhaps we recognise moments when we have resisted God's voice, or perhaps we are drawn to the image of Christ, the rejected cornerstone upon whom our lives are built.

To understand the parable properly, however, we must remember its biblical and historical setting. 

Joy is the echo of the Eucharist within us

Blessed Columba Marmion (1858–1923) was an Irish Benedictine monk and Abbot of Maredsous in Belgium.  He was an important spiritual writer of the modern Church (some might say the ‘pre-modern’!).  He emphasised that Christ's life is communicated to believers above all through the liturgy and sacraments.

He was born on the northside of Dublin in Queen Street which is now known as North Brunswick Street. Before becoming the renowned Benedictine abbot of Maredsous, Blessed Columba Marmion served as a young curate in Dundrum Parish from 1881 to 1882. There, in the ordinary work of parish ministry and the celebration of the sacraments, the future spiritual master first exercised the priesthood that would later inspire Catholics throughout the world.

An entry in Wikipedia says about Blessed Marmion:

Always at my side

One of the earliest prayers I learned was this:

Angel of God, my guardian dear
To whom God’s love commits me here
Ever this day be at my side
To light and guard, to rule and guide.
Amen

Today, the feast of the Guardian Angels, reminds us that on the journey of life we are not alone.  Many seek wisdom, friendship and protection.  With a mustard seed size of faith we can be sure that an angelic presence assigned to us at the first moment of our existence in the womb accompanies us.  Praying with and to one’s guardian angel is not a substitute for a living, deep and personal relationship with Jesus. Rather, it is a boost, a complementary help.

In the heart of the Church: St Thérèse and the Eucharist

St. Thérèse of Lisieux (1873-1897), Doctor of the Church was a Carmelite nun known to older generations as ‘the Little Flower’.  She had a deep and distinctive relationship with the Eucharist that shaped both her spirituality and her life. She grew up in a loving and devout family but was not spared suffering in childhood. Her mother, St Zélie Martin, died when Thérèse was only four years old, a loss that left a lasting mark on her sensitive nature.

Following several of her sisters into the Carmelite monastery in her hometown of Lisieux, she entered Carmel at the age of fifteen. There she lived a remarkable life of hidden holiness, simplicity and spiritual insight before her death from tuberculosis in 1897 at the age of twenty-four. She never lived to see the twentieth century, yet in many ways she can be regarded as a remarkably modern saint, living at a time of growing scepticism, rapid material progress and increasing pressures on the Church. Her mission, as she eventually discovered, was simply ‘to be love in the heart of the Church’.

Two tables, one Body

 

Today the Church celebrates the memorial of St Jerome (c. 347-420), best known for translating much of the Bible into Latin.  His famous saying still echoes:

Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.

Jerome's love of Scripture was inseparable from his love of the Eucharist. His writings provide an important witness to what Christians believed about the Eucharist at the beginning of the fifth century.  In a letter to Heliodorus, Jerome speaks of priests as those who:

confect by their sacred word the Body of Christ.

In a text translated and transmitted by Jerome, we find a striking comparison between reverence for Scripture and reverence for the Eucharist.  The text was written by Origen and later translated and transmitted by Jerome. The source cited by John Paul II explicitly identifies it as an Origen homily preserved through Jerome.  The passage observes that Christians are distressed if even the smallest fragment of the consecrated bread should fall to the ground. Such care reflects their belief that Christ is truly present in the Eucharist. St John Paul II said:

Origen, who comments on our Psalm in one of his homilies, translated and disseminated by St Jerome in the West, actually interweaves the Word of God with the Eucharist: "We read the Holy Scriptures. I believe that the Gospel is the Body of Christ. I believe that the holy Scriptures are his teaching. And when he says: he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood (Jn 6,53), although these words can also refer to the [Eucharistic] Mystery, yet the Body and Blood of Christ is truly a word of Scripture, the teaching of God. When we are about to receive the [Eucharistic] Mystery, if even a tiny crumb falls, we feel lost. When we are listening to God's Word, when our ears perceive the Word of God and the body and blood of Christ, what great danger would we not fall into were we to think about something else?"

It is a reminder that the two tables of the Mass, the table of the Word and the table of the Eucharist, belong together.

In Against the Pelagians he refers to clergy participating in:

the offering of the sacrifices.

Such language reflects the Church's understanding that the Mass is not simply a communal meal but a participation in Christ's once-for-all sacrifice made present sacramentally in every age.

The Christ who speaks in the Scriptures is the same Christ who feeds his people in the Eucharist, drawing earth into communion with heaven itself.

When heaven touches earth

At every Mass we are in the presence of angels.  They join our worship in ways that are silent and hidden to us.  At each celebration of the Eucharist we are joined with  Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael whose feast day is today.  

Who are these three Archangels? 

St Michael (literally ‘who is like God’) is the defender of God's people against evil (Revelation 12:7-9).

St Gabriel (literally ‘strength of God’) announced or brought the message of the Word to Mary when the Word became flesh and lived among us (Luke 1:26-38).

St Raphael (literally ‘healing of God) who accompanies travellers, restores sight and brings healing and reconciliation (Tobit 12:11-15). He declares:

I am Raphael, one of the seven angels who stand ready and enter before the glory of the Lord (Tobit 12:15).

Lord, Who at Thy First Eucharist Did Pray

An old and familiar hymn to me is one composed by William Harry Turton (1856-1938), a British army officer (Royal Engineers) and hymn writer. Used across many parts of the Anglican communion and in recent time in Roman Catholic and other denominations it captures so well the sentiments for unity. That all may be one and that one day we may, all of us, share at the same table. May it be. Amen. Amen. Amen. Here it is:

The road to the altar

A particular town in Northern Ireland has made international headlines, once again, for all the wrong reasons. Two communities remain locked in a standoff along a road leading from a church on the hill.  Gathered early in the morning for a service of prayer a group of men wished to assert their cultural rights to walk along the King’s highway. Another community living down the road objected because of the historical associations between triumphalism and subjugation of a minority.  They will not budge.

My sense is that only a return to humility, repentance, obedience and reconciliation can bring a lasting peace. Let Christ’s words be said out loud:

Saying yes with our lives

 

Sunday 27 September 2026

Lectio Divina:*

Ezekiel 18:25-28 Psalm 25(24) Philippians 2:1-11 Matthew 21:28-32

Meditatio:

“Which of the two did the will of his father?” (Matthew 21:31)

Commentary:

An old Latin phrase says, dictum meum pactum -  ‘my word is my bond’.  Ideally, a person's word should be trustworthy. Yet experience teaches us that promises are often made in moments of enthusiasm, only to be tested when difficulties arise. Like the seed in Jesus' parable of the Sower, our good intentions can be threatened by worries, trials, distractions, and changing circumstances. Doubts emerge, enthusiasm fades, and the clarity we once possessed can become obscured.

This Sunday’s readings from Ezekiel, Philippians and Matthew invite us to reflect on the relationship between words, actions, repentance and true discipleship.

Beyond reformation and the counter reformation

 

Many Roman Catholics have only limited familiarity with the diverse traditions of Anglican thought and spirituality.  There is often an excessively simple narrative that traces Anglicanism to the Protestant reformation in the 16^th Century and ignores key developments and departures in the course of the centuries. Many will acknowledge the significance of ‘Anglo-Catholicism’ associated with Keble, Pusey and Newman in the 19^th Century.
 

However, there were strains of ‘high church’ theology much earlier in the writings of what are known as ‘Caroline Divines’ – theologians associated with the Stuart era, particularly the reign of Charles I and the decades surrounding it in the seventeenth century. We ought to recall that the disruptive decades of the 16^th Century did not precipitate a sudden and dramatic change in liturgical practice in all places and all at once. There were hold-out places, reversals, purges and splintering.  Much of the liturgical material was initially adapted from medieval Latin sources and rendered into the English of the day, although subsequent revisions reflected differing theological priorities.  From the very beginning of what we know call ‘Anglicanism’ there were notwithstanding significant official changes in doctrine and liturgy under successive Tudor monarchs considerable variations in theology, liturgical practice.

One faith, many tongues: Saints Cyril and Methodius and the Eucharist

 

Basilica of Saint Cyrillus and Methodius in Velehrad village in The Czech republic

Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius were ninth Century Byzantine missionaries in communion with Rome and Constantinople who brought the Gospel to the Slavic people of the time.  They translated the Bible and the Liturgy into Slavonic.  Pope Adrian II approved their use of the vernacular liturgy which more or less survives to the present day.  They understood that the people of God should be able to worship God in a language understood by the people.  Their witness showed that the Eucharist could be celebrated faithfully in languages other than Greek, Latin or Hebrew while preserving the same faith.

We are never alone

Newman's Church, Dublin

During a visit to the capital today, I grabbed a few moments to visit the lovely church on Clarendon Street (run by the Discalced Carmelites). I could not help noticing the beauty of this place, as is the case with most of Dublin's city-centre churches (among which I would include the Dominicans in Dominick Street, the Jesuits in Gardiner St, the Franciscans on Merchants Quay, the Capuchins in Church St, the Augustinians on Thomas Street, Newman's Church on St Stephen's Green (where I was baptised) and many more besides. Long may they remain open and accessible not only for the celebration of Mass each day but for at least a few hours each day when workers, residents, visitors and others can say a prayer, light a candle or just sit and absorb the atmosphere of the place. 

A thought occurred to me as I was dashing for the transport home – there are many things in our world and our little corner of it that we cannot change but we can change our own thinking and behaviour and, together, with others, make a difference. While we have the light of day let’s walk in the light and give thanks for the opportunities to take ‘time out’ in the presence of the One who is our Lord and Saviour (John 12:35).

The wisdom of St Pius of Pietrelcina

St Pius of Pietrelcina or, Padre Pio (1887-1968), has had a huge popular following in Ireland.  Devotion to the Capuchin Franciscan saint who carried what is known as the ‘stigmata’ (physical wounds corresponding to those suffered by Christ in his Passion) has touched every parish in Ireland at some point in the recent decades.  His life was given to prayer, penance, ministry of the sacraments and works of love for the sick, in particular. In his sufferings, he lived the Mass and gave his life for others.

One of his famous sayings was:

It would be easier for the world to exist without the sun than without the Holy Mass.

Padro Pio’s way of celebrating Mass was remarkable in a number of ways. In it, he entered deeply into the mystery of Christ's Passion.  Mass could take a longer time than usual as he poured himself out at the altar in contemplation.  Various accounts recount that Padre Pio wept at Mass on occasions; that he paused in silence for extended periods; and appeared overwhelmed at the consecration.

Why an anxious generation needs more than therapy

Source: The Wave Clinic

There has been a noticeable increase in discussion of mental health – especially among the young generation.  To what extent this is the product of real or actual increases in cases of acute anxiety and depression over time or, alternatively, the result of greater attention, awareness, diagnosis and acknowledgment of mental health is not clear. However, I suspect that it is a bit of both.  

Why might there be a generalised increase in symptoms among the ‘millennials’?  Received wisdom and research seems to suggest a multiplicity of factors including heightened uncertainty, precarious employment, housing affordability, social media stress, smartphones among other factors. While I do not claim expertise on all these matters I can confirm, based on my own doctoral research some 20 years ago, that social connectedness is a strong contributor to human satisfaction (and by implication mental health).  While specific evidence on the positive impacts of ‘religion’ is mixed the weight of evidence is that belonging, connection and purpose associated with religious affiliation have generally positive impacts. That is quite apart from the benefits of belief in a higher being and the hope of eternal life and communion with God.

The Blood of Christians is seed: the Eucharistic witness of the Korean Martyrs

Korea has had a long history of Catholic martyrdom stretching back to the late eighteenth century.  In recent times, Christians in North Korea have suffered hugely because of the communist regime.  Venerable Fr Emil Kapaun, a U.S. Army chaplain captured by communist forces in North Korea, continued celebrating Mass, praying with prisoners, and ministering to the dying in prisoner camps before his death in 1951. His cause for canonisation is ongoing.  His ministry revolved around the Eucharist under the most horrific conditions. Many missionariesincluding several Irish Columban priests stayed in Korea rather than flee andpaid the ultimate price.

In the course of the late 18^th and over the 19^th Century, thousands of Christians were put to death in Korea for their faith. During the ruling Joseon Dynasty Christianity was seen as a foreign threat to the political, social and religious foundations of the state.

Forever connected: Mary, Jesus and the mystery of fetal microchimerism

Science and faith are often thought of as enemies. Nothing could be further from the truth.  Science and faith complement each other. Though given by grace, faith uses the experience, knowledge and material of human life to show us the wonders of God who loves us infinitely and whose ways and thoughts are inscrutable. As it says in today’s first reading from Isaiah (55:9):

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

A fascinating insight has been offered by science into the mysteries of human reproduction.  The term fetal microchimerism refers to the persistence of a small number of fetal cells in a mother's body after pregnancy. Research has shown that these cells can remain in the mother's blood and tissues for decades after childbirth.

In mothers who have carried a male child, cells containing Y-chromosome DNA

Called at every hour of life

Sunday 20 September 2026

Lectio Divina:*

Isaiah 55:6-9 Psalm 145(144) Philippians 1:20-27 Matthew 20:1-16

Meditatio:

‘I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you’. (Matthew 20:14)

Commentary:

Many of us who live in relatively prosperous societies hope, with gratitude, to reach retirement in reasonable health. We may look forward to seeing children and grandchildren grow, enjoying friendships, and having time for interests that were often neglected during working life. Yet none of us knows what lies ahead. Some do not reach old age. Others encounter illness, loss, financial hardship, or loneliness. Life remains uncertain. As Christians, however, we do not place our ultimate trust in plans, pensions, or possessions. We live day by day in the providence of God.

The Eucharist: A crisis well beyond the USA

Source: Fear of ICE has created a Eucharistic crisis - Michael Fox

Some years ago, the bishops of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States launched a National Eucharistic Revival, an initiative aimed at renewing faith in and devotion to the Eucharist. One of its principal goals was to deepen Catholics' understanding of what the Church teaches about the Real Presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.

The timing was hardly accidental. In 2019, Pew Research found that only 31% of self-identified American Roman Catholics said they believed that the bread and wine used at Mass truly become the Body and Blood of Christ, while 69% regarded them as symbols. Even among Roman Catholics who attended Mass weekly, only 63% accepted the Church's teaching on the Eucharist. Clearly, there has been a disconnect between what the Church teaches and what many Catholics say they believe (even aside from what they actually believe which may not be entirely evident to themselves).  

Yet another early witness to the Eucharist

Now, dear reader, you might wonder why I keep repeating particular lines about the Eucharist over the course of these past 9 months since the start of the Bread for the Journey blog series.

You see, I need to bring home the same message again and again, namely, that the early Christian Fathers, Doctors, Saints, Mothers, Martyrs, theologians held to a shared understanding of the Eucharist that is decidedly catholic.  They held to:

1. The real presence of Christ in the Eucharistic Bread and Wine
2. The Eucharist as a sacrifice
3. The Eucharist as the means of unity in the Body of Christ.

St. Basil the Great (†379), Archbishop of Caesarea and one of the greatest Greek Fathers of the Church, is yet another witness to the truths of the Eucharist.  He left one of the most important early witnesses to Christian belief about the Eucharist. His teachings are especially significant because they come from the fourth century, long before later theological controversies divided Christians.

A sacred space in a place of healing

Yesterday, while visiting my local hospital in County Kilkenny I had occasion to drop in to say a little prayer in the oratory which is a small, single room hidden away down a long corridor.  In this little room, about the size of a small12-square-metre bedroom, patients, staff and visitors drop in for a few moments to pray in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. Saint Luke’s Hospital was founded as a public hospital in 1941 and was staffed by religious sisters among others for many decades.

According to a notice at the entrance, Mass is celebrated there three days a week and Holy Communion is brought to the wards on two days a week including Sunday. Due to a gradual reduction in chaplaincy services and shortage of  priests in the locality and diocese there is no full-time chaplain and it is no longer possible

The Eucharist : a revolution begins there

The venerable François-Xavier Nguyễn Văn Thuận (1928 to 2002) died, this day, 24 years ago.  His case for beatification was opened in 2007.   The Vietnamese cardinal spent 13 years in prison, from 1975 to 1988, including nine years in solitary confinement as part of the communist government's repression of Church leaders after reunification. It was a time in which he shared in the suffering of Christ as in his abandonment on the cross.

During his captivity he silently celebrated Mass with tiny amounts of bread and wine:

Every day, with three drops of wine and one drop of water in the palm of my hand, I celebrated my Mass.

He also wrote:

Eucharist: standing along with Mary at the cross

Source: Mary at the Cross: A Mother’s Unwavering Love – Life Lessons by Jenine Marie

In yesterday’s blog I reflected on the close association between the Holy Cross – celebrated each year on 14 September – and the Eucharist which makes the fruits and the power of the sacrifice of Calvary present in the here and now.  Today’s memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows follows immediately after the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross yesterday.  The liturgy invites us to stand with Mary at the foot of the Cross contemplating her Son who is given for us.  The evangelist, John, witnessed to what happened as follows:

When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, here is your son.’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home (John 19:26-27).

At this crucial moment in salvation history three important strands come together:

The Holy Cross and the Eucharist: living with a purpose

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Cross, the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The origins of this feast go back to the early centuries of Christianity and are associated with the dedication of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and the Church's veneration of the wood of the Cross on which Christ accomplished our salvation.

At the heart of every Eucharist stands the mystery of the Cross. The Eucharist makes present the one sacrifice of Christ, the true Paschal Lamb, who offered himself for us on Calvary. His sacrifice was offered once for all, yet its saving power reaches us whenever we gather to celebrate the Eucharist. Through this sacred mystery we are drawn into Christ's death and resurrection and share in the grace that flows from his redeeming love.

St John Chrysostom: honouring Christ in the Eucharist and the poor

St John Chrysostom was born in Antioch in Roman Syria (modern-day Antakya, Turkey) around A.D. 347. In the Roman Catholic Church his feast is celebrated on 13 September, while in the Byzantine tradition his principal feast falls on 13 November. Known as ‘Golden-Mouthed’ for his eloquence in preaching, he served as Archbishop of Constantinople and died in exile in A.D. 407. He is renowned for his sermons, biblical commentaries and the Divine Liturgy that bears his name, the most commonly celebrated Eucharistic liturgy in the Eastern Orthodox Church and in many Eastern Catholic Churches.. An example of this Liturgy (translated into English) in the case of the Antiochian Orthodox Church is provided here.

In the example given, the epiclesis, the prayer invoking the Holy Spirit upon the gifts, reads as follows:

Freeing the heart: the long road of forgiveness

Sunday 13 September 2026

Lectio Divina:*

Sirach 27:30-28:7 Psalm 103(102) Romans 14:7-9 Matthew 18:21-35

(See also Luke 17:4)

Meditatio:

‘So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart’  (Matthew 18:35)

Commentary:

This Sunday’s Gospel begins with Peter’s question: how often must he forgive a brother who sins against him? Jesus responds that forgiveness cannot be measured or limited. He then tells the parable of the unforgiving servant and concludes with a solemn warning that forgiveness must come ‘from your heart’.

Forgiveness cuts both ways: our forgiveness of others and God’s forgiveness of us. Jesus has already taught that reconciliation with our neighbour is inseparable from authentic worship (Matthew 5:23-24). Forgiveness is not cheap, nor is it limited to minor grievances. It reaches into the deepest wounds of human experience.

Hunger for truth

In his exhortation, Sacramentum Caritatis, Pope Benedict XVI reminds us that:

Precisely because Christ has become for us the food of truth, the Church turns to every man and woman, inviting them freely to accept God's gift.

It is by meeting Christ in the Blessed Sacrament and being nourished by his Word that are souls are strengthened for the journey ahead.  Each one of us, whether we know it or not, deeply desires truth, beauty and goodness.  One of the great legacies of Pope Benedict XVI was the emphasis he placed on faithful adherence to the liturgical rites of the Church. Beauty, reverence, sacred music, appropriate architecture and careful celebration help reveal the mystery being celebrated. The truth of Christ’s presence in the Sacrament can never be separated from the truth of Christian witness. We go out into the world from each Mass to be broken bread for all of humanity.  In a sense – not to be confused with the reception of the Sacrament – we become food for the world.

The truth of Christ's presence in the Eucharist can never be separated from the truth of Christian witness. Having encountered Christ and received him in Holy Communion, we are sent forth to bring his love to the world. People may never read the Bible or attend Mass, but they encounter us every day. If our lives reflect Christ's self-giving charity, we become living witnesses to the Gospel and signs of the love we have received in the Eucharist.

Keeping watch with Jesus in the Eucharist

Credit: godongphoto | Shutterstock

The practice of the Forty Hours Devotion has deep roots in the Roman Catholic tradition. Adoration of Christ present in the reserved Eucharist, as we know it today, has been part of Catholic life for at least seven centuries. The devotion takes its name from the approximately forty hours during which Christ's body lay in the tomb between his death and resurrection, a symbolism strongly promoted by St Charles Borromeo and widely embraced in the Church's devotional tradition. The number forty also recalls other significant moments in salvation history, especially the forty days Jesus spent in prayer and fasting in the desert before beginning his public ministry.

At its heart, the Forty Hours Devotion is an extended period of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, inviting the faithful to contemplate the mystery of Christ's abiding presence among his people. Far from being separate from the celebration of the Mass, Eucharistic adoration flows directly from it and leads back to it.

Pope Benedict XVI wrote in Sacramentum Caritatis (2007):

The litmus test

A striking feature of modern political discourse – amplified by social media – is the lack of respect, civility and inclusion. The world is increasingly polarised into ‘them’ and ‘us’. ‘They’, who are different from ‘us’ whether by colour, creed, sexuality, political views or social class are deemed to be a threat.  ‘We’ are the victims while ‘they’ get preferential treatment in relation to goods, services and right of access. The ‘other’ is viewed as any or all of the following: suspicious, dangerous, lazy, violent, opportunistic, callous and deviant.

Christians are called to witness to the love of Christ, who offers salvation to all and excludes no person from the reach of his mercy.  We are called to view all of our neighbours as brothers and sisters of the human family.  It is appalling to witness cases such as that which was widely reported earlier this week when gangs of hooded, masked and uniformly dressed men shouted ‘Christ is King’ while they terrorised people who were trying to help other human beings. Resorting to violence and threats – online as well as offline – against the brave men and women who rescued human beings from the sea shows the depths to which hateful ideologies have entered our societies more and more. Not only that, but many of these ideologies have sought to hijack Christian religion for purposes completely inimical to the message of Jesus Christ.

The Eucharist as an antidote to the culture of power

The dominant narrative of our age is one of power: power over others, the triumph of the ego or the nation-state and the reduction of human persons to numbers, consumers or units of production. Against this backdrop, Pope Leo XIV offers a compelling witness to the Gospel, calling us back to the true source of human renewal: the Eucharist. In Magnifica Humanitas, he writes (#234):

The spirituality that we need is a Eucharistic spirituality, that is, a spirituality of ecclesial unity in love. The Incarnation and the Paschal Mystery reveal God entering into our human condition and transforming it through the gift of himself. This gift remains present and active in the Eucharist, in which the Lord gives himself and gathers the Church together, so that his offering becomes the principle of unity and source of new life. It is from this communion that Christian solidarity also arises, since “union with Christ is also union with all those to whom he gives himself.” 

Mary, the first tabernacle: celebrating the nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Towards the end of his long reflection in Magnifica Humanitas, Pope Leo XIV exhorts the faithful to join their prayers with those of the Blessed Virgin Mary (#299):

At the end of this reflection, I would like to propose a sober yet demanding program of Christian life with which we can navigate this epochal change in the light of the Gospel. This avenue emerges through contemplating God’s plan, living ecclesial unity by partaking of the Eucharist, building a world centred on the common good and praying in union with the Blessed Virgin Mary.

On this the birthday of Mary we celebrate the moment when Mary is born into a world awaiting its saviour.  Together with her son, Jesus, and cousin, John the Baptist, today is only one of three days in the liturgical calendar when we celebrate a birthday.  The seasons are marked in this way:

Beyond Babel: Eucharistic Solidarity in Magnifica Humanitas

 

Eucharist — Saint Patrick Catholic Church

Earlier this summer, Pope Leo XIV published a ground-breaking encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, in which he spoke of the urgent need to rise to the challenge of artificial intelligence.  The encyclical is like a condensed story of the development of Catholic Social Teaching (CST) since the 1891 encyclical of Pope Leo XIII, Rerum Novarum. In my view CST is a great and unique treasure of the Roman Catholic church. Together with the mystery of the Eucharist, CST is among the principal reasons that I remain within Roman Catholicism. In saying this I am painfully aware of the collective as well as many individual failures to live according to CST principles in the light of the Gospel. At the heart of CST are the principles of:

The intrinsic, infinite and equal dignity of all humans;