Beloved Parish Family of St Anselm,
A frequent question these days is, “Just what does it mean to be a Catholic?” The readings this Sunday and the next provide a decisive answer. John 15 uses the symbol of the vine and the branches to describe the intimate union between Christ and his followers: "I am the vine; you are the branches . . . Without me you can do nothing.”
For us Catholics, the most important means of remaining in Jesus is through the correct understanding and worthy reception of the Eucharist. "The bread I will give is my flesh for the life of the world." The Church assures us, not by a twentieth-century interpretation but by an ancient abiding tradition, that the Eucharist is truly the body of Christ we receive in communion. Perhaps it is appropriate to refresh our knowledge of the Catholic understanding of the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church 1324 says, “The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life. The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch.”
Mainly applicable to Jesus as the vine and we the branches, CCC 1325 notes: The Eucharist is the efficacious sign and sublime cause of that communion in the divine life and that unity of the People of God by which the Church is kept in being. It is the culmination of God's action sanctifying the world in Christ and the worship men offer to Christ and through him to the Father in the Holy Spirit. Thus, the vine must be both nurtured and pruned to bear fruit that will lead to full discipleship, and unfruitful vines whither and are used only for firewood. This highlights one of the most distinctive Johannine theological concepts, "abiding – remain – stay," which appears over 40 times in the gospel.
Doctrinally, Catholics agree with, and assent to all the Catholic Church teaches and holds in receiving Holy Communion. When we say "amen" when offered the Holy Eucharist, we acknowledge that we believe everything the Catholic Church teaches. This is the reason why those who are not Catholic cannot receive Holy Communion: they do not believe everything taught by the Catholic Church. Protestants, for example, reject what the Catholic Church teaches about the sacraments, the role of the Pope, Mary, and the saints. Therefore, it would be contrary to the purpose of the sacrament for someone who is not Catholic to receive Holy Communion in the Catholic Church.
Jesus, our vine, invites us to be joined to him through the Eucharist, the sum and summary of our faith. This is our Catholic faith; it is not about exclusion or inclusion. “I am the vine; you are the branches . . . Without me, you can do nothing." May we find peace and fulfillment in the Eucharist.
Amen.
St. Anselm Catholic Church
97 Shady Lane, #1061, Ross, CA 94957
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