Jacob made the sign of the cross.
As the quaint Catholic Church shrunk in their rearview mirror, Abid shot him a skeptical glance. This was not unusual. These two engineers were often sent on business trips together, so Abid, a practicing Muslim, had become well-acquainted with Jacob’s “little custom.” However, this time (with a hint of exasperation) Abid spoke up. “Jacob, must you do that every time we pass one of your churches?” Jacob, unfazed, replied, “Hey, if you thought God was really present there—I mean, really present there—I bet you’d want to do something too to pay some respect.” Several seconds of silence passed. Then Abid sighed, responding in a much more serious tone, “My friend, if I were to believe that piece of bread was really God Almighty here on earth, each morning I would drag myself through the streets on my knees to worship him.”
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A recent Pew Research Center study reports that only about 30 percent of self-identifying Catholics believe that the Eucharist is really the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Many argue that this is the result of poor catechesis and that we must redouble our efforts in teaching. Although I agree good catechesis is extremely important, I don’t think the issue here is principally one of catechesis, but rather of reverence. Someone may be taught correctly in the classroom or from the pulpit about Jesus’ real presence in the Eucharist, yet he will find it incredibly difficult to take seriously if the teachers’ behavior around the Eucharist does not correspond to the teaching. Until he witnesses the teaching being lived, it will be nearly impossible for him to believe.
A wise elder friar once said, “If faith is not expressed in the knee, it will wither and eventually die.” We humans need to express what we believe through tangible signs. This is why a boy hugs his mom and kisses her goodnight: he needs such physical actions to say, “I love you!” Thus, we genuflect before the tabernacle (or, if our knees no longer work, we do what we can). The first step to reigniting faith in the Eucharist is simply to act with great reverence in all we do in his presence, most especially when celebrating the sacraments. Since familiarity can easily breed carelessness or complacency, we must frequently pour out our efforts anew to show Jesus, “I love you!”
Before the Eucharist, we stand in the presence of the Lord God Almighty, the King of the Universe! We show reverence because God deserves our reverence. We show reverence as a most powerful witness that the thing that looks like a bread-wafer is really Jesus Christ himself.
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Photo by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P. (used with permission)
