CHAPTER FOUR
THE EUCHARIST
AND ECCLESIAL COMMUNION
34. The Extraordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops
in 1985 saw in the concept of an “ecclesiology of communion” the central and
fundamental idea of the documents of the Second Vatican Council.67
The Church is called during her earthly pilgrimage to maintain and promote
communion with the Triune God and communion among the faithful. For this
purpose she possesses the word and the sacraments, particularly the Eucharist,
by which she “constantly lives and grows”68 and in which she
expresses her very nature. It is not by chance that the term communion
has become one of the names given to this sublime sacrament.
The Eucharist thus appears as the culmination of all the sacraments in
perfecting our communion with God the Father by identification with his
only-begotten Son through the working of the Holy Spirit. With discerning faith
a distinguished writer of the Byzantine tradition voiced this truth: in the
Eucharist “unlike any other sacrament, the mystery [of communion] is so perfect
that it brings us to the heights of every good thing: here is the ultimate goal
of every human desire, because here we attain God and God joins himself to us
in the most perfect union”.69 Precisely for this reason it
is good to cultivate in our hearts a constant desire for the sacrament of
the Eucharist. This was the origin of the practice of “spiritual
communion”, which has happily been established in the Church for centuries and
recommended by saints who were masters of the spiritual life. Saint Teresa of
Jesus wrote: “When you do not receive communion and you do not attend Mass, you
can make a spiritual communion, which is a most beneficial practice; by it the
love of God will be greatly impressed on you”.70
35. The celebration of the Eucharist, however, cannot
be the starting-point for communion; it presupposes that communion already
exists, a communion which it seeks to consolidate and bring to perfection. The
sacrament is an expression of this bond of communion both in its invisible
dimension, which, in Christ and through the working of the Holy Spirit, unites
us to the Father and among ourselves, and in its visible dimension,
which entails communion in the teaching of the Apostles, in the sacraments and
in the Church's hierarchical order. The profound relationship between the
invisible and the visible elements of ecclesial communion is constitutive of
the Church as the sacrament of salvation.71 Only in this
context can there be a legitimate celebration of the Eucharist and true
participation in it. Consequently it is an intrinsic requirement of the
Eucharist that it should be celebrated in communion, and specifically
maintaining the various bonds of that communion intact.
36. Invisible communion, though by its nature always
growing, presupposes the life of grace, by which we become “partakers of the
divine nature” (2 Pet
1:4), and the practice of the virtues of faith, hope and love. Only
in this way do we have true communion with the Father, the Son and the Holy
Spirit. Nor is faith sufficient; we must persevere in sanctifying grace and
love, remaining within the Church “bodily” as well as “in our heart”; 72
what is required, in the words of Saint Paul, is “faith working through
love” (Gal 5:6).
Keeping these invisible bonds intact is a specific moral duty incumbent
upon Christians who wish to participate fully in the Eucharist by receiving the
body and blood of Christ. The Apostle Paul appeals to this duty when he warns:
“Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup”
(1 Cor 11:28). Saint John
Chrysostom, with his stirring eloquence, exhorted the faithful: “I too raise my
voice, I beseech, beg and implore that no one draw near to this sacred table
with a sullied and corrupt conscience. Such an act, in fact, can never be
called 'communion', not even were we to touch the Lord's body a thousand times
over, but 'condemnation', 'torment' and 'increase of punishment'”.73
Along these same lines, the Catechism of the Catholic Church
rightly stipulates that “anyone conscious of a grave sin must receive the
sacrament of Reconciliation before coming to communion”.74 I
therefore desire to reaffirm that in the Church there remains in force, now and
in the future, the rule by which the Council of Trent gave concrete expression
to the Apostle Paul's stern warning when it affirmed that, in order to receive
the Eucharist in a worthy manner, “one must first confess one's sins, when one
is aware of mortal sin”.75
37. The two sacraments of the Eucharist and Penance
are very closely connected. Because the Eucharist makes present the redeeming
sacrifice of the Cross, perpetuating it sacramentally, it naturally gives rise
to a continuous need for conversion, for a personal response to the appeal made
by Saint Paul to the Christians of Corinth: “We beseech you on behalf of
Christ, be reconciled to God” (2 Cor 5:20).
If a Christian's conscience is burdened by serious sin, then the path of
penance through the sacrament of Reconciliation becomes necessary for full
participation in the Eucharistic Sacrifice.
The judgment of one's state of grace obviously belongs only to the
person involved, since it is a question of examining one's conscience. However,
in cases of outward conduct which is seriously, clearly and steadfastly
contrary to the moral norm, the Church, in her pastoral concern for the good
order of the community and out of respect for the sacrament, cannot fail to
feel directly involved. The Code of Canon Law refers to this situation
of a manifest lack of proper moral disposition when it states that those who
“obstinately persist in manifest grave sin” are not to be admitted to
Eucharistic communion.76
38. Ecclesial communion, as I have said, is likewise
visible, and finds expression in the series of “bonds” listed by the
Council when it teaches: “They are fully incorporated into the society of the
Church who, possessing the Spirit of Christ, accept her whole structure and all
the means of salvation established within her, and within her visible framework
are united to Christ, who governs her through the Supreme Pontiff and the
Bishops, by the bonds of profession of faith, the sacraments, ecclesiastical
government and communion”.77
The Eucharist, as the supreme sacramental manifestation of communion in the
Church, demands to be celebrated in a context where the outward bonds of
communion are also intact. In a special way, since the Eucharist is “as it
were the summit of the spiritual life and the goal of all the
sacraments”,78 it requires that the bonds of communion in
the sacraments, particularly in Baptism and in priestly Orders, be real. It is
not possible to give communion to a person who is not baptized or to one who
rejects the full truth of the faith regarding the Eucharistic mystery. Christ
is the truth and he bears witness to the truth (cf. Jn
14:6; 18:37); the sacrament of his body and blood
does not permit duplicity.
39. Furthermore, given the very nature of ecclesial
communion and its relation to the sacrament of the Eucharist, it must be
recalled that “the Eucharistic Sacrifice, while always offered in a particular
community, is never a celebration of that community alone. In fact, the
community, in receiving the Eucharistic presence of the Lord, receives the
entire gift of salvation and shows, even in its lasting visible particular
form, that it is the image and true presence of the one, holy, catholic and
apostolic Church”.79 From this it follows that a truly
Eucharistic community cannot be closed in upon itself, as though it were
somehow self-sufficient; rather it must persevere in harmony with every other
Catholic community.
The ecclesial communion of the Eucharistic assembly is a communion with
its own Bishop and with the Roman Pontiff. The Bishop, in effect,
is the visible principle and the foundation of unity within his
particular Church.80 It would therefore be a great
contradiction if the sacrament par excellence of the Church's unity were
celebrated without true communion with the Bishop. As Saint Ignatius of Antioch
wrote: “That Eucharist which is celebrated under the Bishop, or under one to
whom the Bishop has given this charge, may be considered certain”.81
Likewise, since “the Roman Pontiff, as the successor of Peter, is the
perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity of the Bishops and of
the multitude of the faithful”,82 communion with him is
intrinsically required for the celebration of the Eucharistic Sacrifice. Hence
the great truth expressed which the Liturgy expresses in a variety of ways:
“Every celebration of the Eucharist is performed in union not only with the
proper Bishop, but also with the Pope, with the episcopal order, with all the
clergy, and with the entire people. Every valid celebration of the Eucharist
expresses this universal communion with Peter and with the whole Church, or
objectively calls for it, as in the case of the Christian Churches separated
from Rome”.83
40. The Eucharist creates communion and
fosters communion. Saint Paul
wrote to the faithful of Corinth
explaining how their divisions, reflected in their Eucharistic gatherings,
contradicted what they were celebrating, the Lord's Supper. The Apostle then
urged them to reflect on the true reality of the Eucharist in order to return
to the spirit of fraternal communion (cf. 1
Cor 11:17- 34).
Saint Augustine
effectively echoed this call when, in recalling the Apostle's words: “You are
the body of Christ and individually members of it” (1
Cor 12: 27),
he went on to say: “If you are his body and members of him, then you will find
set on the Lord's table your own mystery. Yes, you receive your own
mystery”.84 And from this observation he concludes: “Christ
the Lord... hallowed at his table the mystery of our peace and unity. Whoever
receives the mystery of unity without preserving the bonds of peace receives
not a mystery for his benefit but evidence against himself”.85
41. The Eucharist's particular effectiveness in
promoting communion is one of the reasons for the importance of Sunday Mass. I have already
dwelt on this and on the other reasons which make Sunday Mass fundamental for
the life of the Church and of individual believers in my Apostolic Letter on
the sanctification of Sunday Dies Domini.86
There I recalled that the faithful have the obligation to attend Mass, unless
they are seriously impeded, and that Pastors have the corresponding duty to see
that it is practical and possible for all to fulfil this precept.87
More recently, in my Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio Ineunte, in
setting forth the pastoral path which the Church must take at the beginning of
the third millennium, I drew particular attention to the Sunday Eucharist,
emphasizing its effectiveness for building communion. “It is” – I wrote – “the
privileged place where communion is ceaselessly proclaimed and nurtured.
Precisely through sharing in the Eucharist, the Lord's Day also becomes the
Day of the Church, when she can effectively exercise her role as the
sacrament of unity”.88
42. The safeguarding and promotion of ecclesial communion
is a task of each member of the faithful, who finds in the Eucharist, as the
sacrament of the Church's unity, an area of special concern. More specifically,
this task is the particular responsibility of the Church's Pastors, each
according to his rank and ecclesiastical office. For this reason the Church has
drawn up norms aimed both at fostering the frequent and fruitful access of the
faithful to the Eucharistic table and at determining the objective conditions
under which communion may not be given. The care shown in promoting the
faithful observance of these norms becomes a practical means of showing love
for the Eucharist and for the Church.
43. In considering the Eucharist as the sacrament of
ecclesial communion, there is one subject which, due to its importance, must
not be overlooked: I am referring to the relationship of the Eucharist to
ecumenical activity. We should all give thanks to the Blessed Trinity for
the many members of the faithful throughout the world who in recent decades
have felt an ardent desire for unity among all Christians. The Second Vatican
Council, at the beginning of its Decree on Ecumenism, sees this as a special
gift of God.89 It was an efficacious grace which inspired
us, the sons and daughters of the Catholic Church and our brothers and sisters
from other Churches and Ecclesial Communities, to set forth on the path of
ecumenism.
Our longing for the goal of unity prompts us to turn to the Eucharist,
which is the supreme sacrament of the unity of the People of God, in as much as
it is the apt expression and the unsurpassable source of that unity.90
In the celebration of the Eucharistic Sacrifice the Church prays that
God, the Father of mercies, will grant his children the fullness of the Holy
Spirit so that they may become one body and one spirit in Christ.91
In raising this prayer to the Father of lights, from whom comes every
good endowment and every perfect gift (cf. Jas 1:17),
the Church believes that she will be heard, for she prays in union with Christ
her Head and Spouse, who takes up this plea of his Bride and joins it to that
of his own redemptive sacrifice.
44. Precisely because the Church's unity, which the
Eucharist brings about through the Lord's sacrifice and by communion in his
body and blood, absolutely requires full communion in the bonds of the
profession of faith, the sacraments and ecclesiastical governance, it is not
possible to celebrate together the same Eucharistic liturgy until those bonds
are fully re-established. Any such concelebration would not be a valid means,
and might well prove instead to be an obstacle, to the attainment of
full communion, by weakening the sense of how far we remain from this goal
and by introducing or exacerbating ambiguities with regard to one or another
truth of the faith. The path towards full unity can only be undertaken in
truth. In this area, the prohibitions of Church law leave no room for
uncertainty,92 in fidelity to the moral norm laid down by
the Second Vatican Council.93
I would like nonetheless to reaffirm what I said in my Encyclical Letter
Ut Unum Sint after having acknowledged the impossibility of
Eucharistic sharing: “And yet we do have a burning desire to join in
celebrating the one Eucharist of the Lord, and this desire itself is already a
common prayer of praise, a single supplication. Together we speak to the Father
and increasingly we do so 'with one heart'”.94
45. While it is never legitimate to concelebrate in
the absence of full communion, the same is not true with respect to the
administration of the Eucharist under special circumstances, to individual
persons belonging to Churches or Ecclesial Communities not in full
communion with the Catholic Church. In this case, in fact, the intention is to
meet a grave spiritual need for the eternal salvation of an individual
believer, not to bring about an intercommunion which remains impossible
until the visible bonds of ecclesial communion are fully re-established.
This was the approach taken by the Second Vatican Council when it gave
guidelines for responding to Eastern Christians separated in good faith from
the Catholic Church, who spontaneously ask to receive the Eucharist from a
Catholic minister and are properly disposed.95 This approach
was then ratified by both Codes, which also consider – with necessary
modifications – the case of other non-Eastern Christians who are not in full
communion with the Catholic Church.96
46. In my Encyclical Ut Unum Sint I
expressed my own appreciation of these norms, which make it possible to provide
for the salvation of souls with proper discernment: “It is a source of joy to note
that Catholic ministers are able, in certain particular cases, to administer
the sacraments of the Eucharist, Penance and Anointing of the Sick to
Christians who are not in full communion with the Catholic Church but who
greatly desire to receive these sacraments, freely request them and manifest
the faith which the Catholic Church professes with regard to these sacraments.
Conversely, in specific cases and in particular circumstances, Catholics too
can request these same sacraments from ministers of Churches in which these
sacraments are valid”.97
These conditions, from which no dispensation can be given, must be
carefully respected, even though they deal with specific individual cases, because
the denial of one or more truths of the faith regarding these sacraments and,
among these, the truth regarding the need of the ministerial priesthood for
their validity, renders the person asking improperly disposed to legitimately
receiving them. And the opposite is also true: Catholics may not receive
communion in those communities which lack a valid sacrament of Orders.98
The faithful observance of the body of norms established in this area
99 is a manifestation and, at the same time, a guarantee of
our love for Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, for our brothers and
sisters of different Christian confessions – who have a right to our witness to
the truth – and for the cause itself of the promotion of unity.
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