Many Catholics in the Diocese of Columbus have asked about the possibility of the distribution of the Precious Blood of Christ at Mass. In this first of a series of articles on Holy Communion, I will address the topic and related issues.
In recent times, due to the pandemic, the policy in the diocese has been to refrain from distributing the Precious Blood of Christ as Holy Communion. Bishop Earl Fernandes has decided that the time has come to reconsider the possibility of the distribution of Holy Communion under both species of bread and wine at Mass as a fuller sign of participation in the Eucharistic banquet.
Bishop Fernandes is rightly concerned that we first refamiliarize ourselves with the Catholic teaching about the Eucharist as a preparation for the possibility for the distribution of the Precious Blood.
Today I want to speak to you briefly about our Lord’s presence under two forms: the Eucharistic Bread and the Eucharistic Wine. I use the capital “B” in Bread and capital “W” in Wine because these are not merely bread and wine after they have been consecrated by a Catholic priest.
The Mass is first of all the re-presentation of the one sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Our Lord instituted the Holy Eucharist on the night before He died as a sacramental sign of His Body and Blood given up for us. He wanted to be present among us through the ages by means of the Eucharist. He has also wanted us to have a means of participating in His sacrificial offering of Himself to the Father.
On Holy Thursday night at the Last Supper, Christ transformed the bread into His Body and the wine into His Blood, as we read in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, as well in St. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. He further gave the command that His words and actions at the Last Supper be repeated until He returns at the end of the world.
We believe that Christ instituted the holy priesthood on Holy Thursday night as the means of perpetuating His sacramental presence among us. The priesthood and the Eucharist are inextricably linked and given to us so that we might love and worship God properly and attain eternal happiness in heaven.
We speak of the Eucharist as having two species or kinds. The word “species” is important in Catholic theology. Species refers to the external appearances of Holy Communion. The two species, or kinds, of Holy Communion are the consecrated Host and the Precious Blood. Each one contains the fullness of Christ’s substance. Each one holds His Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity entirely. Even the smallest particle of each Host and the smallest drop of Precious Blood contains the whole Person of Christ.
There is a pernicious notion that has plagued the Church for centuries and which has arisen in recent times. It is the false idea that one must receive both species or kinds of Holy Communion to receive the whole Christ. Some mistakenly think that they are not receiving the entirety of Christ if they fail to receive the consecrated Host and the Precious Blood at every Mass.
The principle of concomitance, an infallible teaching of the Church, means that the entire substance of the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ are contained under each species and even in the smallest particle of each species. A person who receives one species receives the entire substance of Christ. Never does a recipient of Holy Communion receive only a part of Christ.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that because Christ is present under each species or “sign,” everyone who is rightly disposed to receive Holy Communion receives all the fruit of Eucharistic grace under the species of bread alone (#1390). We do not get “more” of Christ by consuming a larger Host, or do we receive “more” of Christ if we receive the species of wine, or the Precious Blood. It is, rather, that a fuller “sign” of a meal appears, but we do not receive more divine grace.
It might be that your pastor, with the permission of Bishop Fernandes, will reinstitute the distribution of the Precious Blood of Christ in a limited way for a period of testing in our diocese. The bishop is concerned that this reintroduction should take place in an orderly fashion. All priests are being given guidelines to follow during this phase to guide them in deciding when and how to implement the distribution of Holy Communion under both forms. Let’s join with and support our priests in seeking the one thing necessary for each of us: union with Christ Jesus.
Father Paul Jerome Keller, O.P., S.T.D., interim director of the diocese’s Office of Divine Worship, is a priest of the Dominican Province of St. Joseph. His doctorate is from Rome in sacramental theology. He currently assists at Columbus St. Patrick Church.
