Ominous. It is the only word which can adequately describe the 2020 Pew Research Study. It polled Catholics on their belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist. Almost 70 percent polled said no. Chilling, but not surprising. Even a casual glance at parishioners receiving Holy Communion in most Catholic parishes reveals a nonchalance that is telling.
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One need not be a trained phenomenologist to appreciate the importance of symbolic acts in man’s self-disclosure. Insouciance in the presence of the Holy Eucharist is a damning sign—not only of the total absence of rudimentary piety, but of a withered belief in the doctrine itself. One flows from the other as certainly as day follows night. If a Catholic shows as much attention to the Holy Eucharist as he does to collecting his order at Starbucks, something is awry.
FOUR PROPOSALS FOR EUCHARISTIC REVIVAL
| 1. | Tabernacles returned to the center of every church. |
| 2. | Abolish communion in the hand. |
| 3. | Eliminate Extraordinary Ministers of the Holy Eucharist. |
| 4. | Reception of Holy Communion should always be kneeling. |
The American bishops seemed to have noticed this alarming anomaly in the past year. Odd that they should have detected this doctrinal collapse so recently, since it has been glaringly evident for over a half-century. It is rather like a man being bitten by a shark and only screaming an hour later.
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