David Ancell / Monday June 09, 2003
In our Frassati Society yesterday, we began a discussion of the Vatican II Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy. One of the thoughts that I had related to article 7, the article that I have seen abused the most. Click the link above and read it if you haven’t already.
It mentions that Christ is present in his Word because it is him who preaches. He is present “when the congregation prays and sings.” It also mentions the presence of Christ in the priest. However, notice the word “especially” attached to Christ’s presence in the Eucharist.
I have seen this statement treated as though it were defining some sort of new theology stating that we should de-emphasize the Eucharist. Supposedly, there are four levels of Christ’s presence that perhaps are equal in their minds: the priest, the people, the Word, and the Sacrament. Indeed, the Bishop of St. Petersburg, FL, issued this document in which the following question appears in the conclusion (among other problematic questions):
Are they as respectful and reverent toward Christ’s presence in the gathered Body, the Church, as they are to the presence of Christ in the Sacrament?
However, Vatican II is well known as a pastoral council. As a council of the Church, it is infallible. In the statement, the document was meant to assume knowledge of the Church’s teaching regarding the Eucharist. It was meant no more to teach the “other presences” of Christ any more than the Church already taught them. They are true to a certain extent, but they have been taken to an extreme. If the presence of Christ in one another is equal to that of the Blessed Sacrament, then we should all genuflect to each other. There is probably a looney parish somewhere who does just this.
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