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34. The Extraordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in
1985 saw in the concept of an “ecclesiology of communion” the
central and fundamental idea of the documents of the Second Vatican
Council.[67] The Church is called during her earthly pilgrimage to
maintain and promote communion with the Triune God and communion among
the faithful. For this purpose she possesses the word and the
sacraments, particularly the Eucharist, by which she “constantly
lives and grows”[68] and in which she expresses her very nature. It
is not by chance that the term communion has become one of the names
given to this sublime sacrament.
The Eucharist thus appears as the culmination of all the sacraments in
perfecting our communion with God the Father by identification with
his only-begotten Son through the working of the Holy Spirit. With
discerning faith a distinguished writer of the Byzantine tradition
voiced this truth: in the Eucharist “unlike any other sacrament, the
mystery [of communion] is so perfect that it brings us to the heights
of every good thing: here is the ultimate goal of every human desire,
because here we attain God and God joins himself to us in the most
perfect union”.[69] Precisely for this reason it is good to cultivate
in our hearts a constant desire for the sacrament of the Eucharist.
This was the origin of the practice of “spiritual communion”, which
has happily been established in the Church for centuries and
recommended by saints who were masters of the spiritual life. Saint
Teresa of Jesus wrote: “When you do not receive communion and you
do not attend Mass, you can make a spiritual communion, which is a
most beneficial practice; by it the love of God will be greatly
impressed on you”.[70]
35. The celebration of the Eucharist, however, cannot be the
starting-point for communion; it presupposes that communion already
exists, a communion which it seeks to consolidate and bring to
perfection. The sacrament is an expression of this bond of communion
both in its invisible dimension, which, in Christ and through the
working of the Holy Spirit, unites us to the Father and among
ourselves, and in its visible dimension, which entails communion in
the teaching of the Apostles, in the sacraments and in the Church's
hierarchical order. The profound relationship between the invisible
and the visible elements of ecclesial communion is constitutive of the
Church as the sacrament of salvation.[71] Only in this context can
there be a legitimate celebration of the Eucharist and true
participation in it. Consequently it is an intrinsic requirement of
the Eucharist that it should be celebrated in communion, and
specifically maintaining the various bonds of that communion intact.
36. Invisible communion, though by its nature always growing,
presupposes the life of grace, by which we become “partakers of the
divine nature” (2 Pet 1:4), and the practice of the virtues of
faith, hope and love. Only in this way do we have true communion with
the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Nor is faith
sufficient; we must persevere in sanctifying grace and love, remaining
within the Church “bodily” as well as “in our heart”; [72] what is
required, in the words of Saint Paul, is “faith working through
love” (Gal 5:6).
Keeping these invisible bonds intact is a specific moral duty incumbent
upon Christians who wish to participate fully in the Eucharist by
receiving the body and blood of Christ. The Apostle Paul appeals to
this duty when he warns: “Let a man examine himself, and so eat of
the bread and drink of the cup” (1 Cor 11:28). Saint John
Chrysostom, with his stirring eloquence, exhorted the faithful: “I
too raise my voice, I beseech, beg and implore that no one draw near
to this sacred table with a sullied and corrupt conscience. Such an
act, in fact, can never be called 'communion', not even were we to
touch the Lord's body a thousand times over, but 'condemnation',
'torment' and 'increase of punishment'”.[73]
Along these same lines, the Catechism of the Catholic Church
rightly stipulates that “anyone conscious of a grave sin must receive
the sacrament of Reconciliation before coming to communion”.[74] I
therefore desire to reaffirm that in the Church there remains in
force, now and in the future, the rule by which the Council of Trent
gave concrete expression to the Apostle Paul's stern warning when it
affirmed that, in order to receive the Eucharist in a worthy manner,
“one must first confess one's sins, when one is aware of mortal
sin”.[75]
37. The two sacraments of the Eucharist and Penance are very
closely connected. Because the Eucharist makes present the redeeming
sacrifice of the Cross, perpetuating it sacramentally, it naturally
gives rise to a continuous need for conversion, for a personal response
to the appeal made by Saint Paul to the Christians of Corinth:
“We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (2
Cor 5:20). If a Christian's conscience is burdened by serious
sin, then the path of penance through the sacrament of Reconciliation
becomes necessary for full participation in the Eucharistic
Sacrifice.
The judgment of one's state of grace obviously belongs only to the
person involved, since it is a question of examining one's
conscience. However, in cases of outward conduct which is seriously,
clearly and steadfastly contrary to the moral norm, the Church, in
her pastoral concern for the good order of the community and out of
respect for the sacrament, cannot fail to feel directly involved. The
Code of Canon Law refers to this situation of a manifest lack of
proper moral disposition when it states that those who “obstinately
persist in manifest grave sin” are not to be admitted to Eucharistic
communion.[76]
38. Ecclesial communion, as I have said, is likewise visible,
and finds expression in the series of “bonds” listed by the Council
when it teaches: “They are fully incorporated into the society of the
Church who, possessing the Spirit of Christ, accept her whole
structure and all the means of salvation established within her, and
within her visible framework are united to Christ, who governs her
through the Supreme Pontiff and the Bishops, by the bonds of
profession of faith, the sacraments, ecclesiastical government and
communion”.[77]
The Eucharist, as the supreme sacramental manifestation of communion
in the Church, demands to be celebrated in a context where the outward
bonds of communion are also intact. In a special way, since the
Eucharist is “as it were the summit of the spiritual life and the goal
of all the sacraments”,[78] it requires that the bonds of communion in
the sacraments, particularly in Baptism and in priestly Orders, be
real. It is not possible to give communion to a person who is not
baptized or to one who rejects the full truth of the faith regarding the
Eucharistic mystery. Christ is the truth and he bears witness to the
truth (cf. Jn 14:6; 18:37); the sacrament of his body and
blood does not permit duplicity.
39. Furthermore, given the very nature of ecclesial communion and
its relation to the sacrament of the Eucharist, it must be recalled
that “the Eucharistic Sacrifice, while always offered in a
particular community, is never a celebration of that community alone.
In fact, the community, in receiving the Eucharistic presence of the
Lord, receives the entire gift of salvation and shows, even in its
lasting visible particular form, that it is the image and true presence
of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church”.[79] From this it
follows that a truly Eucharistic community cannot be closed in upon
itself, as though it were somehow self-sufficient; rather it must
persevere in harmony with every other Catholic community.
The ecclesial communion of the Eucharistic assembly is a communion
with its own Bishop and with the Roman Pontiff. The Bishop, in
effect, is the visible principle and the foundation of unity within his
particular Church.[80] It would therefore be a great contradiction if
the sacrament par excellence of the Church's unity were celebrated
without true communion with the Bishop. As Saint Ignatius of
Antioch wrote: “That Eucharist which is celebrated under the
Bishop, or under one to whom the Bishop has given this charge, may
be considered certain”.[81] Likewise, since “the Roman Pontiff,
as the successor of Peter, is the perpetual and visible source and
foundation of the unity of the Bishops and of the multitude of the
faithful”,[82] communion with him is intrinsically required for the
celebration of the Eucharistic Sacrifice. Hence the great truth
expressed which the Liturgy expresses in a variety of ways: “Every
celebration of the Eucharist is performed in union not only with the
proper Bishop, but also with the Pope, with the episcopal order,
with all the clergy, and with the entire people. Every valid
celebration of the Eucharist expresses this universal communion with
Peter and with the whole Church, or objectively calls for it, as in
the case of the Christian Churches separated from Rome”.[83]
40. The Eucharist creates communion and fosters communion. Saint
Paul wrote to the faithful of Corinth explaining how their divisions,
reflected in their Eucharistic gatherings, contradicted what they were
celebrating, the Lord's Supper. The Apostle then urged them to
reflect on the true reality of the Eucharist in order to return to the
spirit of fraternal communion (cf. 1 Cor 11:17- 34).
Saint Augustine effectively echoed this call when, in recalling the
Apostle's words: “You are the body of Christ and individually
members of it” (1 Cor 12: 27), he went on to say: “If you
are his body and members of him, then you will find set on the Lord's
table your own mystery. Yes, you receive your own mystery”.[84]
And from this observation he concludes: “Christ the Lord...
hallowed at his table the mystery of our peace and unity. Whoever
receives the mystery of unity without preserving the bonds of peace
receives not a mystery for his benefit but evidence against
himself”.[85]
41. The Eucharist's particular effectiveness in promoting
communion is one of the reasons for the importance of Sunday Mass. I
have already dwelt on this and on the other reasons which make Sunday
Mass fundamental for the life of the Church and of individual
believers in my Apostolic Letter on the sanctification of Sunday
Dies Domini.[86] There I recalled that the faithful have the
obligation to attend Mass, unless they are seriously impeded, and
that Pastors have the corresponding duty to see that it is practical
and possible for all to fulfil this precept.[87] More recently, in my
Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio Ineunte, in setting forth the
pastoral path which the Church must take at the beginning of the third
millennium, I drew particular attention to the Sunday Eucharist,
emphasizing its effectiveness for building communion. “It is” – I
wrote – “the privileged place where communion is ceaselessly
proclaimed and nurtured. Precisely through sharing in the Eucharist,
the Lord's Day also becomes the Day of the Church, when she can
effectively exercise her role as the sacrament of unity”.[88]
42. The safeguarding and promotion of ecclesial communion is a task
of each member of the faithful, who finds in the Eucharist, as the
sacrament of the Church's unity, an area of special concern. More
specifically, this task is the particular responsibility of the
Church's Pastors, each according to his rank and ecclesiastical
office. For this reason the Church has drawn up norms aimed both at
fostering the frequent and fruitful access of the faithful to the
Eucharistic table and at determining the objective conditions under
which communion may not be given. The care shown in promoting the
faithful observance of these norms becomes a practical means of showing
love for the Eucharist and for the Church.
43. In considering the Eucharist as the sacrament of ecclesial
communion, there is one subject which, due to its importance, must
not be overlooked: I am referring to the relationship of the
Eucharist to ecumenical activity. We should all give thanks to the
Blessed Trinity for the many members of the faithful throughout the
world who in recent decades have felt an ardent desire for unity among
all Christians. The Second Vatican Council, at the beginning of
its Decree on Ecumenism, sees this as a special gift of God.[89]
It was an efficacious grace which inspired us, the sons and daughters
of the Catholic Church and our brothers and sisters from other
Churches and Ecclesial Communities, to set forth on the path of
ecumenism.
Our longing for the goal of unity prompts us to turn to the
Eucharist, which is the supreme sacrament of the unity of the People
of God, in as much as it is the apt expression and the unsurpassable
source of that unity.[90] In the celebration of the Eucharistic
Sacrifice the Church prays that God, the Father of mercies, will
grant his children the fullness of the Holy Spirit so that they may
become one body and one spirit in Christ.[91] In raising this prayer
to the Father of lights, from whom comes every good endowment and
every perfect gift (cf. Jas 1:17), the Church believes that
she will be heard, for she prays in union with Christ her Head and
Spouse, who takes up this plea of his Bride and joins it to that of
his own redemptive sacrifice.
44. Precisely because the Church's unity, which the Eucharist
brings about through the Lord's sacrifice and by communion in his body
and blood, absolutely requires full communion in the bonds of the
profession of faith, the sacraments and ecclesiastical governance, it
is not possible to celebrate together the same Eucharistic liturgy
until those bonds are fully re-established. Any such concelebration
would not be a valid means, and might well prove instead to be an
obstacle, to the attainment of full communion, by weakening the sense
of how far we remain from this goal and by introducing or exacerbating
ambiguities with regard to one or another truth of the faith. The path
towards full unity can only be undertaken in truth. In this area, the
prohibitions of Church law leave no room for uncertainty,[92] in
fidelity to the moral norm laid down by the Second Vatican
Council.[93]
I would like nonetheless to reaffirm what I said in my Encyclical
Letter Ut Unum Sint after having acknowledged the impossibility of
Eucharistic sharing: “And yet we do have a burning desire to join in
celebrating the one Eucharist of the Lord, and this desire itself is
already a common prayer of praise, a single supplication. Together we
speak to the Father and increasingly we do so 'with one
heart'”.[94]
45. While it is never legitimate to concelebrate in the absence of
full communion, the same is not true with respect to the administration
of the Eucharist under special circumstances, to individual persons
belonging to Churches or Ecclesial Communities not in full communion
with the Catholic Church. In this case, in fact, the intention is
to meet a grave spiritual need for the eternal salvation of an
individual believer, not to bring about an intercommunion which remains
impossible until the visible bonds of ecclesial communion are fully
re-established.
This was the approach taken by the Second Vatican Council when it
gave guidelines for responding to Eastern Christians separated in good
faith from the Catholic Church, who spontaneously ask to receive the
Eucharist from a Catholic minister and are properly disposed.[95]
This approach was then ratified by both Codes, which also consider –
with necessary modifications – the case of other non-Eastern
Christians who are not in full communion with the Catholic
Church.[96]
46. In my Encyclical Ut Unum Sint I expressed my own
appreciation of these norms, which make it possible to provide for the
salvation of souls with proper discernment: “It is a source of joy to
note that Catholic ministers are able, in certain particular cases,
to administer the sacraments of the Eucharist, Penance and Anointing
of the Sick to Christians who are not in full communion with the
Catholic Church but who greatly desire to receive these sacraments,
freely request them and manifest the faith which the Catholic Church
professes with regard to these sacraments. Conversely, in specific
cases and in particular circumstances, Catholics too can request these
same sacraments from ministers of Churches in which these sacraments
are valid”.[97]
These conditions, from which no dispensation can be given, must be
carefully respected, even though they deal with specific individual
cases, because the denial of one or more truths of the faith regarding
these sacraments and, among these, the truth regarding the need of the
ministerial priesthood for their validity, renders the person asking
improperly disposed to legitimately receiving them. And the opposite
is also true: Catholics may not receive communion in those communities
which lack a valid sacrament of Orders.[98]
The faithful observance of the body of norms established in this area
[99] is a manifestation and, at the same time, a guarantee of our love
for Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, for our brothers and
sisters of different Christian confessions – who have a right to our
witness to the truth – and for the cause itself of the promotion of
unity.
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