Jesus a source of unity not division of mankind

Jesus a source of unity not division of mankind

We must share our most precious gift – Jesus in the Eucharist

I thank those who had taken the trouble to comment on my letter “Why is the Eucharist only for Catholics?” published in the Herald dated 18 March 2007. I also thank Herald for willing to publish the letter.

I may not be an expert but I understand reasonably well the teachings and practices of the Catholic Church. Being a strong believer in the Eucharist and never did I ever question the sanctity of the Sacrament of Holy Communion. What I raised was what I perceived as an unjust reason for withholding Holy Communion to our separated brethren.

I have been accused as having an evil motive for raising this issue. What evil motive can I possibly have? Trying to bring down the Catholic Church?We must stop behaving like a political party where opposing are considered treacherous.

I agree that one has to be in a state of grace to receive Jesus in the Eucharist. It is even more important for the one who performs the act of consecration of bread and wine to be in TOTAL state of grace. No human can be in a total state of grace going by the standards set by Jesus himself. Even the thought of a sinful act is enough to destroy the state of grace in us. Ignoring the poor beggar at the entrance as we enter the Church every Sunday is sufficient to erase the state of grace. During mass especially when the priest repeats his long homily in 2 or 3 languages, we let our mind wander around our materialistic world. Doesn’t this also negate the state of grace in us?

How many of us can be truthful enough to admit we are sinless and really in a state of grace? No human, however great he may be, will be able to determine who is in a state of grace. It is the condition in our hearts alone that determines that. Being in a state of grace therefore is a very personal and private affair between us and God. The priest or the communion minister is not in a position to do that and they would be playing God if they did that.

There was also a comment about paying homage to the Eucharist by humbling ourselves physically. Physical submission is not wrong but again like Jesus, humility in our hearts to serve others is far more important than kneeling, prostrating or crawling in front of the Eucharist.

The Eucharist is God’s most precious gift to us and it would selfish of us not to share Him with others who yearn for Him. It would be unfair if one has to become a member of an exclusive club to experience the presence of Jesus.

Christian unity is what we all hope for one day. We go all out to pray that God will somehow unite us one day but not willing to compromise on our terms to achieve ecumenism. Unless we are willing to compromise and accept our separated brethren with love, achieving Christian unity would only remain a dream and will be remote as attaining peace in the Middle East.

Dr.Chris Anthony