I know today a lot of people are very worried about Swine Flu and the prevention of this or any other disease. However, it really disturbed me tonight at Mass that our Pastor would actually suggest receiving the Body of Christ in our hand as opposed to on our tongues because it has less of a chance of spreading germs. Also, he gave us the option of not shaking hands during the sign of the peace and if we had a cold we should not receive the Blood of Christ.
In the fashion of a local California t.v. personality, Huell Howser,
Do you mean to tell me....that the Swine Flu is more powerful than the Body and Blood of Christ?
Think about it......
Okay now really think about that.....
Is it not a teaching of our faith that the bread and wine during the Consecration really turn into the Body and Blood of Christ? Yes, you say?
Then why on God's green earth would I be afraid of receiving the Body or Blood of Christ a certain way? Do you not think that God will or would protect us from such a virus while receiving Him? If His Body and Blood could take away the ugly sins of the world....don't you think He could protect us from a virus?
This is more than just the way you receive or not receive something....this is a matter of faith. You either believe or you don't and honestly if you were somehow meant to get this disease....you'll get it one way or another because it is part of God's will for you, not because you decided to receive the Holy Eucharist on your tongue or because you drank from the Chalice of Precious Blood! Come on!
Let's live our faith and show our faith through our actions....how can we defend our faith if we cannot even live it through times of adversity?
I'm sorry but this infuriated me and I took offense to it as I'm sure the Lord did! I do not get angry very often...but I felt I needed to vent this and get the Truth of the Eucharist out there and stop some of the offenses incurred on our Lord out of sheer ignorance.
God bless you all....and please Do not be Afraid to receive our Precious Lord!
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2 comments:
Today was my oldest's First Communion and our pastor read a letter from the Archbishop saying that reception of the Blood was banned due to the swine flu. I was so disappointed because even though I know that she received the totality of Christ in His Body, she only gets one First Communion. Our priest should've pushed for a dispensation IMHO to give the Blood just to the communicants and not anyone else attending the Mass.
The schools in our town are still open and IMHO that's a much more likely method of transmission than the Communion cup.
Persons with celiac disease mostly cannot receive a regular host without problems; alcoholics mostly cannot receive the consecrated wine without being affect. Of course Christ can take away these natural effects (they are natural because all the accidents of bread and wine remain, and therefore all the power and effects of bread and wine), but it is strictly speaking a miracle. And just as he doesn't miraculously cure everyone who prays, so he doesn't miraculously safeguard everyone from those natural harmful effects.
Similarly, drinking the Blood of Christ from a common chalice with have the same likelihood of spreading germs as if it was not the Blood of Christ, but real wine... unless Christ works a miracle, and most of the time he doesn't. If there are precautions we ourselves can take, he wants us to take them, just as we should go to the doctor if we are (badly) sick.
That said, I think the precautions are in fact overdone, and not so necessary.
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