There was a guest essay on Rorate Caeli today by Veronica A. Arntz entitled: Remaining Faithful to Christ.
Sarah gets to the heart of the issue: within the Catholic Church, there is a crisis of faith in the Real Presence of the Eucharist. The devil knows that, if he can take away the people’s faith in Christ’s Presence, then he is taking away the strength of the Church. The insistence on receiving the Eucharist while standing and in the hand was nowhere in the documents of the Second Vatican Council; rather, it was a practice that arose after the Council due to the anthropocentric liturgy. If, as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger writes in The Spirit of the Liturgy (Ignatius Press, 2000), the liturgy has become a “self-enclosed circle” (p. 80) because of the increased involvement of lay people, then it naturally follows that one should be able to receive the Eucharist as one wishes, rather than in accordance with the tradition of the Catholic Church.
Indeed, the attacks made against Sarah for this preface are a sign that the devil is winning the hearts of many, for it is a sign of pride that we should want to receive Christ in the hands while standing. It is a sign of pride because many are unwilling to humble themselves, kneel, and receive Christ without touching His Precious Body and Blood. If we only knew and believed in His Presence—then we would not insist on our own way in this matter. As Sarah himself writes, “[Receiving kneeling and on the tongue] is much more suited to the sacrament itself. I hope there can be a rediscovery and promotion of the beauty and pastoral value of this manner…. This is a further act of adoration and love that each of us can offer to Jesus Christ.” Notice the difference in approaches: one group wishes to continue to receive him as they think is best, while Sarah is concerned about showing the proper love and reverence for Jesus Christ.
