Understanding Catholic faith

THE EDITOR: The Gospel reading tomorrow, John 6:24-35, presents an opportunity for reflection on what it means to be a disciple of the “true bread,” “the bread of life.” In the Gospel Jesus tells us: “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never be hungry; he who believes in me will never thirst.”

For Catholics, Jesus, the bread of life, is literally present – body, blood, soul and divinity – in the Eucharist, under the appearance of bread and wine. This is what we refer to as the doctrine of the real presence. Our catechism tells us that the Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life” (CCC, 1324).

In his recent apostolic exhortation on holiness (Gaudete et Exsultate – Rejoice and be Glad), Pope Francis reminds us that “when we receive him (Jesus) in Holy Communion, we renew our covenant with him and allow him to carry out ever more fully his work of transforming our lives… Holiness is not based on prayer alone but on also serving those in need and in self-control.”

We need the Eucharist to help us live lives of service/charity. The words of St Thomas Aquinas remind us: “The Eucharist is the sacrament of love; it signifies love. It produces love. The Eucharist is the consummation of the whole spiritual life.”

The world is sorely ill, and unless we nourish ourselves with the Eucharist, unless we develop our spirituality by receiving the Eucharist regularly and praying for God’s grace to live as faithful witnesses to Him, we will not achieve our goals. Indeed, we can do nothing without God’s grace; without the “bread of life.” The Eucharist will help us to attain eternal life.

We cannot talk about the “bread of life” without referring to the dogma of transubstantiation. Paragraph 1377 of our catechism states: “The Eucharistic presence of Christ begins at the moment of consecration and endures as long as the Eucharistic species subsist. Christ is present whole and entire in each of the species and whole and entire in each of their parts, in such a way that the breaking of the bread does not divide Christ.”

The manner in which the change occurs, the Catholic Church teaches, is a mystery: “The signs of bread and wine become, in a way surpassing understanding, the body and blood of Christ” (CCC1333). Unlike some Christian denominations, Catholics believe that through transubstantiation, the risen Jesus becomes truly present in the Eucharist.

I am a former member of the English Anglican Roman Catholic Committee. The first meeting of English ARC took place in April 1970 at Westminster Cathedral Library in London.

In April this year I was invited by the current co-chairs of the English ARC, Bishop Christopher Foster and Bishop Robert Byrne, to celebrate the committee’s 100th meeting. The celebration took place on July 2 at Lambeth Palace, London. Following tea and presentations, participants joined the Lambeth Palace community for evening prayer in the chapel. Unfortunately, I was in TT and was unable to attend the celebration.

Anglicans do not accept the definition of the nature of Christ’s presence in the Eucharist, as defined by the Catholic dogma of transubstantiation. As I stated during my address to participants at a service in Belmont last November, involving the faithful in the Anglican and Roman Catholic communities there – organised by Fr Thomas Lawson OP and Rev Canon Ronald Branche to remember the 500th anniversary of the Reformation: “Let us pray that the Holy Spirit will help us to remove whatever obstacles stand in our way to unity.”

Building peace involves understanding our own religious belief and respecting the beliefs of others. May our faith strengthen our resolve to build a better TT/world.

LEELA RAMDEEN

chair, CCSJ

director, CREDI