Word to the Wise
Saturday, September 10, 2016 - Saturday in the 23th Week in Ordinary Time
[1 Cor 10:14-22 and Luke 6:43-49]SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2016 SATURDAY IN THE TWENTY-THIRD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME [1 Corinthians 10:14-22 and Luke 6:43-49] The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the Blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the Body of Christ? Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one Body, for we all partake of the one loaf." [1 Cor.] Worship and eating are intimately related. Indeed our principal act of worship in the Catholic Church involves consuming bread and wine that have become the Body and Blood of Christ, as St. Paul says. We are also familiar with food being part of the occasion that could be celebrated, but consumed separately from the Eucharist. St. Paul is concerned that his Corinthian parishioners were going to banquets where the food was part of the worship itself. It would be as if the church supper had the Eucharist on the menu! Eating food that had been offered to idols gave the wrong impression and confused the public about what Christians believed. Because we have definite beliefs about the nature of the Eucharist, we do not "receive communion" at non-Catholic services that we happen to attend for whatever reason. As St. Paul notes, the Eucharist also is a symbol of unity that we do not share with non-Catholics, at least not yet. That is something we pray for. St. Paul's concerns about Corinthians attending these banquets might seem quaint since our non-Catholic friends are not usually pagans! But the matter of witness to our faith was important then and it is important now. AMEN
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