- Feb 5, 2002
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A New York Times/CBS poll some years ago found that two out of three adult American Catholics didn’t believe that at Mass the consecrated bread and wine truly became Jesus’ body and blood. Instead they supposed these were merely “symbolic reminders” of Christ. The Times headlined its story “Future of Faith Worries Catholic Leaders.”
And so it did. There was much hand-wring and crying of woe in response to this disturbing finding. But time passed, as it will do, hand-wringing and woe-crying ceased, as they will, and nothing was done about the problem.
A couple of years ago another widely noted poll produced nearly the same result — according to the Pew Research Center, only 31% of Catholics believe in the Real Presence. Nothing had changed since the earlier poll — except that then 26% of American Catholics attended Mass every Sunday, whereas by now the figure was 17%. Weekly attendance is of course the norm set by the Church.
Fresh hand-wringing ensued, but now with a difference. The American bishops launched an ambitious program called the Eucharistic Revival to face up to the problem and bolster faith in the Real Presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament — body and blood, soul and divinity, as an old formula has it.
Continued below.
www.oursundayvisitor.com
And so it did. There was much hand-wring and crying of woe in response to this disturbing finding. But time passed, as it will do, hand-wringing and woe-crying ceased, as they will, and nothing was done about the problem.
A couple of years ago another widely noted poll produced nearly the same result — according to the Pew Research Center, only 31% of Catholics believe in the Real Presence. Nothing had changed since the earlier poll — except that then 26% of American Catholics attended Mass every Sunday, whereas by now the figure was 17%. Weekly attendance is of course the norm set by the Church.
Fresh hand-wringing ensued, but now with a difference. The American bishops launched an ambitious program called the Eucharistic Revival to face up to the problem and bolster faith in the Real Presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament — body and blood, soul and divinity, as an old formula has it.
A positive approach
Continued below.
The timely Eucharistic congress points to truth amid rising ignorance
A good deal of non-belief in the Real Presence has its origin in simple ignorance. Seen in this light, the National Eucharistic Revival’s positive approach makes excellent sense.
www.oursundayvisitor.com
