Reflections on the Eucharist during a time of lockdown
-
September 17, 2020What has happened to Catholics during the pandemic's long Eucharistic fast and live-streamed Masses? How have Catholics' theology of the Eucharist been affected in a time of live-streamed Masses and "spiritual communion"?
Thankfully, here in Ottawa, we resumed public Masses at Pentecost, albeit with various prudential public health measures. But I wonder if there has been lingering damage to our understanding that it is God Who is present, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, under the appearance of the Bread and the Wine of Holy Communion.
On social media, during the lockdown, I had occasionally quipped that "we are all evangelicals now" because we had to rely on spiritual communion, not unlike Evangelicals who believe Holy Communion is merely symbolic and the most important thing is having a personal relationship with Christ. To become Catholic, I had to come to believe much more about the sacraments, but to survive the lockdown, I had to recall how as an evangelical, I had nevertheless experienced the peace of Christ without the benefits of Catholic sacraments, and to press in to the Lord without them.
If Christ hidden beneath the bread and the wine of the Blessed Sacrament can be set aside for public health considerations, what does that do to us? I think it did set me back a little. The other day, I was on a Zoom call that included some priests and faithful Catholic women who were talking about the fear the pandemic has engendered, a fear that one of the priests said had extended even to receiving the Body of Christ in the Eucharist for fear of contagion.
One thing that helped renew my Eucharistic Catholic spirituality was listening to Adore Te Devote and pondering the meaning of the words. It helped me repent. Here is the music and below that I have the Latin text with a translation in English beside it.
ADORO te devote, latens Deitas, quae sub his figuris vere latitas: tibi se cor meum totum subiicit, quia te contemplans totum deficit. HIDDEN God, devoutly I adore Thee, truly present underneath these veils: all my heart subdues itself before Thee, since it all before Thee faints and fails. Visus, tactus, gustus in te fallitur, sed auditu solo tuto creditur; credo quidquid dixit Dei Filius: nil hoc verbo Veritatis verius. Not to sight, or taste, or touch be credit hearing only do we trust secure; I believe, for God the Son has said it- Word of truth that ever shall endure. In cruce latebat sola Deitas, at hic latet simul et humanitas; ambo tamen credens atque confitens, peto quod petivit latro paenitens. On the cross was veiled Thy Godhead's splendor, here Thy manhood lies hidden too; unto both alike my faith I render, and, as sued the contrite thief, I sue. Plagas, sicut Thomas, non intueor; Deum tamen meum te confiteor; fac me tibi semper magis credere, in te spem habere, te diligere. Though I look not on Thy wounds with Thomas, Thee, my Lord, and Thee, my God, I call: make me more and more believe Thy promise, hope in Thee, and love Thee over all. O memoriale mortis Domini! panis vivus, vitam praestans homini! praesta meae menti de te vivere et te illi semper dulce sapere. O memorial of my Savior dying, Living Bread, that gives life to man; make my soul, its life from Thee supplying, taste Thy sweetness, as on earth it can. Pie pellicane, Iesu Domine, me immundum munda tuo sanguine; cuius una stilla salvum facere totum mundum quit ab omni scelere. Deign, O Jesus, Pelican of heaven, me, a sinner, in Thy Blood to lave, to a single drop of which is given all the world from all its sin to save. Iesu, quem velatum nunc aspicio, oro fiat illud quod tam sitio; ut te revelata cernens facie, visu sim beatus tuae gloriae. Amen. Contemplating, Lord, Thy hidden presence, grant me what I thirst for and implore, in the revelation of Thy essence to behold Thy glory evermore. Amen.
