Everyday language inevitably fails us when it comes to expressing the Mysteries of our holy Catholic Faith. The first sign that we are beginning to penetrate more deeply into the truths of Divine Revelation is when words fail us and we are left speechless in wonder before the Majesty of Almighty God.
When this happens, it is time to let the Church’s Sacred Liturgy take over. Never is this more true than on the great Feast of Corpus Christi. The flowers strewn in the path of the Blessed Sacrament, the incense and genuflections that accompany the procession, and the solemn enthronement of the Sacred Host in a monstrance over the altar all testify more poignantly than any words to our firm belief that the King of Kings is present.
But how is He present? And how can we possibly justify lavishing what appears to be the adoration reserved for God alone on something that seems to onlookers to be at best a humble symbol of the Body of Christ?
In order to explain why it is appropriate to offer the highest level of worship to the Blessed Sacrament – adoration, or latria – we have no choice but to resort to human language. The most basic answer we can offer must be something like this: “We offer the adoration due to God alone to the Sacred Host because we believe that the Sacred Host is God.”
In describing how God is present on earth we cannot do any better than revisiting what has been said already, by saints, Doctors, and the Church in Her own solemn definitions. Theologians talk about the Blessed Sacrament in terms of the “Real Presence”. This distinguishes Our Lord’s Presence on the Altar from all those other ways in which He is truly present. As The Second Person of the Trinity, He is of course everywhere at all times. He is also present in the Church which is His own Mystical Body, and He lives in the heart of anyone who is in a state of grace. When we talk about His Real Presence in the tabernacle, however, we mean that He is actually with us in His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.
This Real Presence is also referred to as a “Sacramental Presence”. This tells us that Christ’s Presence on the Altar is realised and remains hidden under the signs of bread and wine. It is only through faith that we know He is there: He has said “This is my Body”, and we take Him at His word.
The Church offers us an expression, one that actually describes the process by which Our Lord’s Real and Sacramental Presence comes about: Transubstantiation.
The doctrine of Transubstantiation describes how the substances of bread and wine are actually transformed into Our Lord’s Living Body and Blood. Only the “accidents” – the taste, smell, colour and texture – of bread and wine remain. This means that in the Blessed Sacrament there is not only a Real Presence, but also a real absence. The substances of bread and wine are no longer there. The little white wafer has given way to the Sacred Host. The liquid in the chalice has become the Precious Blood.
This is why we are able to offer to the Blessed Sacrament the worship due only to our Creator. To adore bread, however solemnly that bread had been blessed, would be idolatry; but we can, and must, adore the Host because the Host is the Living God.
Our Lord comes to the altar in this way primarily to feed us, so that we can enjoy a union with Him that is more complete and intimate than any other union this side of the Beatific Vision in Heaven. He also remains on the Altar outside of the Mass so that He may be carried to the sick and dying; and He abides on the altar so that we may worship Him.
We have Our Lord’s assurance that there is nothing demeaning about Christian worship: “I do not call you servants,” He says in the Gospel of St John; “I call you friends.” (Jn 15:15) This friendship with Christ is made possible because He shares His own Divine Life with us in the Sacrament of Baptism. The glory that we praise in God is a Glory in which we ourselves have been called to participate, and to be transformed by, in Heaven. The Blessed Sacrament is the token par excellence of Our Saviour’s friendship.
No friendship can survive for very long without communication. For this reason, the Church provides many beautiful prayers for us to use in front of the Blessed Sacrament. We need never be afraid, however, of using our own poor words, telling our Friend in the Blessed Sacrament what is on our minds. If we are afraid, ask His protection. If there is some recurring temptation that seems impossible to resist, ask Him to reach into our hearts to break the chains of bad habits with the invincible solvent of Divine Grace.
While there is a time for speaking, however, there must also be time for silence. The need for constant chatter in any relationship is a sign of insecurity. The ability to rest in the presence of the other indicates that our friendship has reached greater maturity.
These days we are blessed to have churches, in London at least, that are open during the day. Catholics who suffered during the centuries of persecution would have rejoiced to know that this would once again be possible. At Tyburn Convent near Marble Arch, close to the spot where so many of them were martyred, the Blessed Sacrament is even exposed for adoration throughout the night. Our forebears in the Faith surely plead with us now from Heaven never to take any of this for granted. When we see the open door of a Catholic Church and a light flickering before the Tabernacle, we should always go in, if only for a few moments. Open our hearts before our Friend in the Blessed Sacrament and allow Him to refresh us with His peace, His joy, His love.
Father Julian Large