Catholic Communion During Coronavirus

Communion During Coronavirus (Covid19)

This is the second of 7 articles outlining how the Church ought to react vis-a-vis the sacraments during a time such as this, i.e. a worldwide pandemic. Should sacraments be offered? If so, how? What is the Church's responsibility and what is the most prudent way to act in these times.

Today we look at the Blessed Sacrament - i.e. the Eucharist i.e. Communion. Should communion be offered during this time?

First we must note the high importance that is placed on the Eucharist within the Church. The Catholic teaches that the Holy Eucharist is the true body, blood, soul and divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ. We do not believe it is a symbol, nor do we believe the Eucharist has only spiritual significance. We believe that besides appearance to our senses, the Eucharist is truly transformed during the celebration of the Sacrifice of the Mass.

So what is the Mass? Well the Mass is when this re-presentation of the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ takes place at the altar. The Sacrifice of Jesus Christ is the source from which all the sacraments flow which is why the Church calls the Eucharist the source and summit of the Christian life. Without the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, all the other sacraments would be ineffective and essentially not even exist.

So, needless to say, the Eucharist is of utmost importance when it comes to our faith. Therefore, if I advocate that at least one sacrament be offered the first would be the Eucharist. And since I already said that confession ought to be offered, although perhaps in innovative ways, I must automatically advocate for the offering of the Eucharist as well since it is uniquely the source and summit of our faith, right?

However, this is not necessarily the case. A few things must be considered. First of all, although the importance of the Eucharist cannot be understated, this does not necessarily mean that all must receive this sacrament on a regular basis. It is not a requirement for salvation that one receive the Eucharist every week. In fact, when we speak of our Sunday obligation, we do not mean that everyone is obligated to receive the Eucharist during the Mass on Sunday every week or else commit a grave sin. Rather, the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation refers only to attendance at Mass, i.e. participation. Participation does not necessarily mean partaking in communion.

In our modern Catholic world, one would be forgiven for believing that reception of Holy Communion is an absolute requirement for all attendees at Mass. At Mass nearly everyone receives the Eucharist every week. In fact, many do not realize that not doing this is even permissible. However, to even be allowed to receive the Eucharist, one must be a Catholic in the state of grace. Outside of this, no one is permitted.

As mentioned, the idea that communion is something all people must partake in at every Mass isn't something that has been universally held by all theologians and saints throughout history. In the olden days, when there was much less sin in the world, people had to be encouraged in a variety of ways to receive communion. The Church even made a rule stating that Catholics must receive at least once per year. Remember, this is a separate requirement from our requirement to attend Mass every single week at least.

There is an interesting history in the Catholic Encyclopedia which describes the frequently of reception of the Eucharist down through the ages. In the Early Church, some people participated in frequent reception, which others less so. The article, found here, describes how communion was received fairly frequently, perhaps once a week or more, up until the time of Charlemagne. In the middle ages, the articles describes how Communion became very infrequent. So much so that the 4th Lateran Council compelled the faithful, under threat of excommunication, to receive communion at least once per year.

The article describes how various religious orders and various saints received at different frequencies. Some as few as thrice a year, while others communicated much more often.

As we can see, reception of communion every week has not always been the norm and many holy saints were reluctant to frequently receive the Blessed Sacrament. On the other hand, many theologians recommended frequent reception including Thomas Aquinas. The Council of Trent speaks against very infrequent reception (specifically citing 3 times per year), but goes on to say whether communion ought to be received monthly, weekly, or daily will not be subject to a universal rule.

My point in going into all of this detail is basically to explain that while perhaps desirable, the reception of the Eucharist is not a mandatory action that must be undertaken weekly.

Given this fact, it would seem prudent that communion be limited or stopped during this time of pandemic if that means keeping people safe from a potentially very dangerous virus. Of course, our spiritual well-being is much more important that our physical well-being or safety. However, when possible, we must safeguard our bodies as well as our souls. We are not a dualistic religion, we believe in the importance of body and soul.

Finally, during these difficult times, we can remain a spiritual and Eucharistic people. We can watch the Mass on television and make a spiritual communion. Also many churches have once again been very innovative. Some have offered drive-in adoration. The monstrance (aka ostentorium) is on display either outside or behind a window, and people spend time before our Eucharistic Lord while maintaining a minimum distance.

Take care of one another during these difficult times and hopefully we will get back to full access to the Sacraments very soon. God Bless.