7th Sunday of Easter Year A

To recap and provide some form of continuity, last week’s homily was centred on the apostolicity of the Eucharist (or the apostolic character). There is a profound link between the Church and the Eucharist that what is described of the Church can also be described of the Eucharist. For example, like the Church, the Eucharist is apostolic because it is founded on the Apostles. Secondly, the Eucharist is apostolic because what the Church teaches on the Eucharist is always based on apostolic faith. Finally, the Eucharist is apostolic because it requires a valid priesthood for its celebration. A valid priesthood is dependent on apostolic succession.

Apostolic succession, a feature of apostolicity, is commonly understood as a tracing back to the times of the Apostles. It’s almost like tracing back one’s ancestry. Who ordained our Bishop and who ordained the Bishop who ordained our Bishop, and so forth? But, it is more dynamic than looking backward. It is dynamic and forward looking because we deal not with ordinary mundane things. We deal with “Holy Things” and we need apostolic succession to guarantee that an objective action can produce objective result. We want to know that the bread and wine becomes truly the Body and Blood of Christ. Apostolic succession is dynamic because it guarantees that every Catholic present here who receives Holy Communion receives truly the Body and Blood of Christ. Now, perhaps you understand why the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) does not allow the priest to simply adlib the Eucharistic Prayer.

Today, we cover the link between the "Eucharist and Ecclesial Communion", [that is, between the Eucharist and “churchy” communion, for want of a better phrase]. It ties in with our Gospel since it is set within the “High Priestly” prayer of Jesus where Jesus prayed for unity amongst His followers. The Church, as such, exists to foster [to nurture] communion or relationship with the Triune God and with one another. For that purpose, she possesses both the Word and the Sacraments, in particular the supreme sacrament of communion or unity, the Eucharist.

If the Eucharist aims at perfecting communion, this means that it cannot be the starting-point for communion. Basically, we do not celebrate the Eucharist in order to create community. Instead, the Eucharist functions to consolidate and perfect our existing union. In other words, the Eucharist is both an expression as well as an intensifier of communion with the Church.

Communion with the Church is both invisible and visible. Since both these dimensions are necessary for celebrating the Eucharist, let me begin by speaking first of the invisible dimension of our communion.

The invisible dimension expresses the unity which in Christ through the working of the Holy Spirit, unites us to the Father and to one another. This invisible dimension of our communion with God presupposes a life of grace expressed through the practice of the virtues of faith, hope and charity. Thus, every Christian who wants to receive Communion must ensure that he or she receives the Eucharist in a worthy manner. There is a strong relationship between Communion and conversion so much so that a person burdened by serious sin needs to confess before going for Communion. Otherwise, he or she would be profaning what he or she receives [1]. This relationship between Communion and conversion is a matter of one’s conscience, a matter between the person and God. Yet, the Church also has the duty to see that those who manifestly refuse to repent should not be given Communion. The fact that there are some Catholics who are not allowed to receive Communion is a particularly sensitive issue especially when it comes to those who live in “objectively immoral” situations, such as invalid marriages. These can arise when a Catholic marries outside the Church without a dispensation or remarries after divorce without an annulment. [2]

Such a reality that is less than perfect actually reveals the necessity that communion with the Church be visibly expressed. And this communion is expressed through the 3 Cs: Creed, Code and Cult meaning a visible communion in the teaching of the apostles (Creed), in the Church’s hierarchical order (Code) and in the sacraments (Cult). Every Eucharist we celebrate expresses visibly the communion we have with our Bishop and the Pope. In short, visible communion with the Church means that one accepts Catholic doctrine, receives the Church’s sacraments, and is subject to the Church’s governance. The phrase that best describes this visible communion with the Church is to be a practising Catholic.

Visible communion is important and this is one reason why the Church obliges the faithful to attend Sunday Mass and Pastors to make sure that it is possible for every Catholic to do so.

Also, the Eucharist as the Sacrament of Ecclesial Communion has implications for our ecumenical activities. In longing for unity with our separated brothers and sisters, we pray at Mass that God the Father will grant all of us, the fullness of the Holy Spirit so that we may become one Body, one Spirit in Christ. But, since the unity of the Catholic Church with the other Ecclesial Communities is far from perfect, the Catholic Church is cautious in the matter of intercommunion. [3] For example, a common understanding is that in order to receive Communion, one must believe that it is truly the Body of Christ that one receives. In actual fact, when you receive Communion, you are also saying “Yes, I believe what the Church teaches on Mary, on the Saints. I believe that the Pope is the Vicar of Christ on earth”. When there is no acceptance of the Church’s teachings or governance, then it is a lie to receive Communion. [4]

We all want to be united. We all long to see visible unity. However, to use Eucharist as the “means” to unity is to short cut the long road to unity and in a way weaken our sense of how far more we are from the goal. Unity is a manifestation of truth. To short cut the long and winding road is to pretend that we are one. John Paul II concludes by saying that “the faithful observance of the body of norms established is a manifestation and a guarantee of our love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, for our brothers and sisters of different Christian confessions—who have a right to our witness to the truth—and it shows our love for the cause of unity”.

FOOTNOTES:
[1] St Paul is quite clear in teaching this in his letter to the Corinthians. “He who receives the Lord unworthily brings condemnation to himself”.
[2] The challenge in such a situation is “I can’t receive Holy Communion, so why come for Mass”? How does one reconcile our Sunday obligation and the fact that one cannot receive Communion? The Church's solution is found in the practice of “Spiritual Communion”.
[3] The Pope explains that if we ever give Communion to a baptised non-Catholic, “the intention in so doing is to meet a grave spiritual need for the eternal salvation of an individual believer and not to bring about an intercommunion which remains impossible until the visible bonds of Ecclesial Communion are fully re-established” (see #45). There are conditions to be fulfilled when a situation arises and they are set forth in the Code of Canon Law (CIC). In the case of Eastern Christians (Orthodox Churches) who have valid Eucharists, the Code provides that they may receive reconciliation, Communion, or the anointing of the sick “if they ask on their own for the sacraments and are properly disposed” (Check out CIC 844§2,§3, §4). The sacraments are principal means and signs of Ecclesiastical Communion—expressed through the 3 Cs: creed, code and cult. The other Christians (namely the Protestants) are divided from the catholic Church in varying degrees in faith (creed) worship (cult) and discipline (code) so that a general rule that applies is that the greater the measure of the difference in the creed, code and cult of an Ecclesial Community from that of the catholic Church, the stricter is the application of the restrictions. This is so that “indifferentism” may be avoided.
[4] Because of the differences in the expression and acceptance of creed, code and cult, free and general sharing of the sacraments would purport to be a sign of something which does not in fact exist. As an aside, the Church’s teaching on pre-marital sex follows along this reasoning too. Marriage between two baptised is a sacrament of Christ’s faithfulness to the Church. Sex before or outside of marriage is to call Christ and the Church to witness to a non-existent reality.

Novena of Grace (Day 2) Year A

In the Gospel today we hear Jesus speak of a unity between Him and His Father—a unity founded on affection that becomes the basis for the apostolic action of Jesus in the world. Jesus is united with His Father. That allows Him the freedom to engage in the ministry of drawing the world from the brink of annihilation/self-destruction back to the Father. Likewise, the members of the Society of Jesus are spread throughout the world engaged in the same apostolic ministry of reconciling the world with one another and with God—a ministry of consolation. Given the geographical spread, St Ignatius writes of the difficulty of maintaining unity in dispersion but insists on the importance of this unity for the efficacy of this apostolic endeavour. In the Constitution of the Society of Jesus it says: The Society (of Jesus) cannot be preserved or governed or, consequently, attain the aim it seeks for the greater glory of God unless its members are united among themselves and with their head. (655).

Today we enter the 2nd day of the novena. Let me focus on the subject of friendship expressed as affection and esteem for one another. The unity which St Ignatius envisioned is actually described by him as friendship in the Lord. The early companions were known as “friends in the Lord". It is perhaps an understated aspect of what a Jesuit is today. A critic of the Jesuits once said that the “Jesuits meet without affection and they part without regret”. It may be harsh but this truth can be explained by the fact that we have focused so much on carrying out our apostolic task that we forget that our apostolic endeavour is borne upon the shoulders of friendship and affection and not a burden shackled by duty. If you think about it, even the phrase “Jesus sent” lends itself to the idea that he is sent to carry out a duty. But, in reality, there’s an affection (or love) between the Father and Son which gave rise to the mission of the Son. I rephrase what I said earlier, there is a friendship founded on affection that becomes the basis for the apostolic action of Jesus in the world.

I would like to survey what little we know of the friendship between Francis and Ignatius and how it can help us reflect upon our daily Christian life.

The seed for our reflexion began in Paris. It was here, in the college as a student, that Francis met two other students who would have a huge influence on his life, Pierre Favre and Ignatius of Loyola. In 1526 Francis Xavier met Pierre and they became college roommates and friends. In 1529 they were joined by Ignatius of Loyola, who was then just new to the college. Pierre Favre was easily impressed by Ignatius whereas Francis was described by Ignatius to be the toughest nut ever that he had to crack. Francis Xavier did not take too kindly to Ignatius, even though Ignatius often came to the financial assistance of Francis, who, as a student, liked to live as a noble, much beyond his means. Ignatius may have seen the potential that lay hidden beneath Francis’ big ambitions but if anything else, it is more likely that Ignatius’ persistent friendship and affection that won Francis over to his cause. The two would become life-long friends. In fact, mutual affection was characteristic of the early Jesuits which allowed them to overcome the tensions that came from their differing personalities and nationalities. There were perhaps as many nationalities as there were the members of the original Society.

The way to apostolic efficacy/effectiveness winds through the avenue of friendship. The very idea of St Ignatius that the Jesuits should be friends in the Lord is based on our creedal belief. The Communion of Saints we profess is not a loose congregation of saints whose commonality is that they have been canonised. They are there because of the sharing of what is good. “Since all the faithful form one body, the good of each is communicated to the others. There exists a communion of goods in the Church”. Of course, goods is not measured materially. Perhaps it’s not too far-fetched to say that within the Communion of Saints we find a sharing of affection. Is that not implied when we pray the Eucharistic Prayer III, “May he make us an everlasting gift to you and enable us to share in the inheritance of your saints, with Mary, the virgin Mother of God, with the apostles, the martyrs, St Francis Xavier and all your saints, on whose constant intercession we rely for help”? How else to explain the constant intercession if not because we believe in the mutual affection that exists between the Church Militant and the Church Triumphant?

If we ever envisage our parish to be efficacious, then perhaps, the idea of friendship should be explored even more because the pathway to Christ cuts through friendship and affection. The ancient philosophers recognised how important and essential friendship is for human development. They called friendship a necessity. With the exception of wisdom, Cicero views friendship as the "sun of life, . . . the best gift which the immortal gods have given humanity". Friendship can refer to many kinds of human relationships which are hardly worthy of the name. But, according to Aristotle, the true and perfect friendship has the good for its object, i.e., the friends each seek what is good for the other. They love each other not for what they can get out of the relationship but for what they are. St Thomas Aquinas would echo such sentiments.

Friendships are formed when we love others for their own sakes. For a true and genuine friendship to exist, something good has to be communicated. The higher and more noble this good is, the more noble the friendship will be. The best kind of friendship is the one in which "mutual and reciprocal communications relate to charity, devotion, and Christian perfection”. Perhaps now we see how friendship and affection really enriches our apostolic efficacy. The lack of friendship impoverishes us. Like Descartes’s “cogito ego sum”, we can say, “we are friendship”... for it is the essence of who we are.

It is through friendship and affection that a person becomes what he/she is. But, in order to enter into a friendship, people have to accept themselves as they are. We have to first be a friend to ourselves before we can become a friend to another. In this, we need courage to face our vulnerability. Jesus, hanging on the Cross was actually suspended in the vulnerability of the mutual affection between Him and His Father.

Thus, true friendship, which is modelled after that of the Trinity, accepts vulnerability and yet demands that we challenge our friends to be who and what they really are without ever implying in the challenge a withdrawal of our affection for them. Friends help Christians to be good Christians. And because friendship is who we are, a quality intrinsic to our human nature, think of how many people have been burnt in the furnace of friendship and the hurts they have suffered. If we are friendship, then broken friendship can only make the world a painful one. If the parish is not where it is supposed to be, it perhaps challenges us to a further reflexion on our various ministries. Are we friends? Dare we be affectionate? Do we hide our vulnerability behind the walls of duty?

I realise how far we are from our ideals. There is infighting in our ministries. We are by no means unique because it’s a sad phenomenon that affects every parish I know. This distance from our ideal is proof of sin active in our lives. It may be the occasion for criticism of hypocrisy that our actions do not match our ideals. But more and more, we need to come before the God who calls us to grant us that friendship, affection and esteem which we seek in order that our coming together may be apostolically fruitful and our parting always affectionate.

St Francis cut out the names of his companions and kept the parchment close to his heart and often wrote movingly of his love and affection for them. Tonight, let us pray for those who have been hurt by broken relationships and pray that we may never be afraid of the vulnerability of friendship but be granted affection in Christ to befriend and to love.