The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1959-10-02
When Will
We Listen?
JOSEPH BREIG-

can imagine how Pope John perhaps felt.
There he was, saying the same thing that Christ
said, that countless saints have said, that Pope ST Plus
X said with extraordinary fervor, and that all the
popes SINCE have been saying over and over.
And Pope John maybe wondered whether anv.
body was paying attention.
The Holy Father was speaking by radio to tens of
thousands assembled in Sicily for Italy's National
EuchariStic Congress.
He was talking about Holy Communion.
The 20 centuries of progress in science, art, euI.
fUre and economics, the changes i'm the political and
social fields, have not diminished the value of The
words of Christ: Amen, amen say to YOU. unless YOU
eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood,
you shall not have life in you This is The bread
that has come down from heaven He who eats
this bread shall live forever"
Reporters said there was strong emotion in the
p0pe's voice as he cried out:
"Oh, if the Eucharist were only better understood
hY Christians, and more w~orfhily and frequently re-
eeived, how much more full would be The fruits Of
concord, peace and spiritual life for the Church and
for the whole world"
True devotion to Christ in Communion. Pope John
went on, brings loyalty and moral rectitude, even
though at the price of personal sacrifice"
He might have added that the sacrifice is ordinari-
ly small, and the rewards beyond the power of words
to express.
What are the sacrifices?
Well. of course, confeSslng sins is one. If they
are grievous sins. If they aren't confession is not neces-
sary for Communion.
Confessing mortal sins takes backbone, all right.
But if the sins are there, c~onfessing them is something
that's got to be done, the sooner the better.
POOLING AROUND with grave sins is deadier
than Russian roulette. The thing to do is wipe them
out, pronto.
Easy? No. it's not easy. Pride. embarrassment and
foolish fears drag at our heels, We've got to take our
selves by the seat of the pants and escort ourselves
into the confessional.
But the thing to do is to do it. and go on doing it
until the sin is conquered. Otherwise, where are we?
Nowhere.
Aside from confession of grave sin Gf it's therel
the sacrifice involved in frequent Communion is usual
ly nothing to make a federal case out of.
1t amounts to getting out of bed in the morning
and getting to church.
| HOPE THIS won't sound preachy but the great
est beWilderment in my life, since / started kicking
myself out from under the covers for daily Commun-
ion, has been the dull thud every Easter Monday morn
ing.
All through Lent. churches and Communion rail.
lngs are thronged each morning.
The day after Easter thump - everybody is
gone except the same small year-around group.
Why? DO we think of Lent merely as a period of
penance and temporary spiritual activity, a spree of
vitamins for our souls?
That's shallow. Lent ought to be a beginning, not
an end.
EVERY LAST N of us knows that each day of
our lives is given to us only once. There are no sec.
ond ~helpings.
We know that on some day we can't foresee, it'll
all be over for us on this earth. Joe Blow Tor whatever
your name Isl will be gone into the next life. with or
without the Communions that can fill us with spiritual
beauty.
Why, then, do people receive Communion every
privilege 1.-THE greatest privilege anybody can have on
EARTH until the next Lent?
Blamed if | know. One thing I'm sure Gifts not
intelligent. Christ is waiting to load us down with good
things, and we're not there. We must be sick in the
head.