The fact that an increasing number of the faithful no longer believe in the Real Presence has been a matter of great discussion for the Catholic Church in America. In response to this, the U.S. Bishops launched the National Eucharistic Revival, a campaign intended to increase belief in the Real Presence of Our Lord in the Eucharist. The campaign ends in 2025, after three years of various events and initiatives set to catechize the faithful, but I believe the National Eucharistic Revival is doomed to fail.
To tell the truth, I have been skeptical of the U.S. Bishops’ campaign from the start, and the details I have learned about the National Eucharistic Revival have only worsened my skepticism for it. Describing the reason why the Eucharistic Revival was first launched, Religion News Service reported, “A controversy about whether Catholic pro-choice politicians… should be allowed to receive Communion at Mass has fractured Catholic communities in recent years and led U.S. Bishops to launch a $28 million three-year process to “restore” and “revive” the Eucharist.”
Just to be clear: the National Eucharistic Revival was launched by the bishops in response to Catholics – who believe in the Real Presence! – asking that pro-abortion politicians be barred from receiving Holy Communion, deciding – in true USCCB style – to instead focus on another lavish, expensive campaign to catechize the faithful on the Real Presence, while they themselves do nothing and continue to allow pro-abortion politicians to commit sacrilege by receiving Our Lord in the Eucharist.
Now, I do not intend to say that focusing on increasing belief in the Real Presence among the faithful is not an important matter. It is, and I believe it with my whole heart. But I believe that this disbelief in the Real Presence was caused in the first place by an attitude in the clergy like the one we are seeing from the American bishops today. I also believe that the lack of belief in the Real Presence the Church is suffering at large (because it isn’t just in America) will not be eradicated with dollar bills, expensive video productions, or entertaining Masses. It will be solved through action. Let me make my case.
A few months ago, I found myself attending a Novus Ordo Mass at the nearby parish involved in the Eucharistic Revival. As I watched the priest haphazardly take his place at the front of the aisle to hand out Communion to the forming line of communicants, one thought came into my head: “Acta non verba'' – a Latin phrase I once heard used by a Traditional Catholic Youtuber in one of his videos, which translates to “deeds, not words.”
Recently, I wrote about how, ever since Vatican II, Catholicism has, in a way, become a religion “of words”. We can see this in the way the U.S. Bishops have decided to respond to the surge of disbelief in the Real Presence in America. Their focus is on giving talks, producing documentaries or films that explain the Real Presence, and giving away books (such as those of Bishop Barron). But is that enough? Setting aside the fact that in the pre-conciliar era there were many priests who did allow the denial of Transubstantiation to spread, it must also be considered that there were others who still preached about the Real Presence of Our Lord in the Eucharist, and yet disbelief seems to have spread far and wide over many, many parishes to the point where the problem is widespread through the Church as a whole. Why?
I believe that, ultimately, this widespread disbelief in the Real Presence comes as a result of “words, not deeds.” Yes, sermons are important — very important (anyone who knows me well knows how I love a good sermon), and it is important that they be good and Catholic, instead of opportunities to make people laugh. But at the same time people, as human beings, are guided just as much by the actions they see as by the words they hear. I can attest to this by experience, and I am sure every other human being can as well, which is precisely why the expression “words not deeds” exists: because we know that we can learn more about other people from what they do rather than what they say. It is easy enough to speak, but it is much harder to act.
And this extends to not only what we believe of a person, but to what we believe of things as a whole. Disbelief in the Real Presence only started to be a widespread issue in the Catholic Church after the introduction of Communion in the hand, Eucharistic ministers, irreverent Masses, etc. To sum it up in a few words: disbelief in the Real Presence became a problem only after disrespect to the Real Presence became widespread. And, does it not point to something that, in the era when we have the Mass in English — in the era when we understand every word the priest is saying — we understand much less than we did before?
I think the case of how much people gather from actions can be proved simply by examining the difference in belief between the people who attend the Novus Ordo and those who attend the Traditional Latin Mass. Why is it that, at the Tridentine Rite, even without understanding the words the priest is saying, or without having a hand missal to read from, you can immediately infer that the Eucharist is something special? The way the priest holds his fingers after the Consecration, the way every single particle of Our Lord’s body present in the Host is religiously guarded by the paten placed under every communicant's chin, how careful the priest is in everything he does to ensure that no particle be left forgotten… And this counting on the fact that many, if not most, of the priest’s actions during Mass are lost to the faithful because they cannot directly see what he is doing. Take children, as another example. They most certainly don’t understand the language, either, nor can they read a translation up until a certain age, but they still realize that the Consecrated Host is something special which ought to be treated with reverence because they perceive it from the actions they see.
The irreverence and widespread liturgical abuses which have taken place in the Catholic Church ever since the reforms of Vatican II are as much to blame for the crisis of disbelief in the Real Presence as bad catechesis. Experience tells us people learn as much from example as by words. I believe that if the U.S. Bishops truly want to instill belief in the presence of Our Lord in the Eucharist, the solution — at least what can be done humanely — is easy, and it will spare them 28 million dollars: make Masses reverent again. By this I don’t simply mean to have the priest speak more about the Eucharist or give instructions on how to receive it. Instead, eliminate Communion in the hand completely. Eliminate “Extraordinary Ministers”. It is here that our clergy should lead by example, demonstrating their own belief in Christ’s present in the Sacred Host and bring back the Communion rail, the paten, the reception of Communion kneeling and on the tongue. Bring back the Traditional Latin Mass, which fed the faith of our ancestors for thousands of years without the need for expensive campaigns or stylized video productions.
People do not believe in the Eucharist because they are not allowed to believe, or are, at least, not given the opportunity to.. They attend Sunday Mass and find that the Mass is not about Christ’s Sacrifice but about Father Bob’s nice jokes, and the “community”. They come in expecting (and wanting) a moment of prayer and are instead confronted with blaring, secularly-styled music and a brouhaha of disorder. This is unconducive to any sort of reflection or prayer whatsoever.
Many millions can be put into campaigns by the clergy for Eucharistic Revival, but ultimately nothing can – or will - work unless they perform their true duty as shepherds of souls both by word and action. As long as that is not done, I believe the National Eucharistic Revival will fail. Why? Because at the end of the day, actions do speak much, much louder than words.
(Image: First Communion by Pablo Picasso)
Miss Andrews, each word of this is correct. Part of the reason for the explosion of people seeking the Tridentine Mass is that real catechesis is happening again, here and there, due to apostolates like the Augustine Institute. Once people begin to glimpse the depth and grandeur of the faith, the Novus Ordo quickly becomes revealed for the clunky, cheap mess that it is - and was designed to be by a freemason with a red hat.
Beautiful article, and well stated!!