Communion

The Philadelphia Archdiocese will hold a number of in-person and online listening sessions in the coming weeks as part of preparations for the 2023 world Synod of Bishops on synodality.

The document explains the importance of Communion, often calling it a gift, and uses references from Scripture, prayers of the Church and Second Vatican Council documents to back this up. It also explains, citing words of the saints, how Communion is not just a symbol but the real presence of Christ.

The U.S. bishops, gathered for the first time in person since 2019, discussed the highly anticipated statement on the Eucharist without the heated discussion it stirred up in their previous meeting.

The U.S. bishops’ draft document on the Eucharist contains many moving quotes and passages that all of us could benefit from contemplating every time we go to Mass.

Pope Francis and U.S. President Joe Biden had an unusually long meeting at the Vatican Oct. 29, talking about the climate crisis and poverty, but not about abortion, the president said.

As Sister Anne sees it, discussion about the Real Presence is a way for God to work because it shows how “Catholics need to be awakened to the understanding —more than head knowledge” of what they are receiving in the Eucharist.

When the U.S. bishops meet this fall for their annual assembly, they will revisit the discussion they began in mid-June about the Eucharist and will be presented with a drafted document on the “meaning of the Eucharist in the life of the church.”

“Who are we becoming? Let us receive the gift of God himself. Let us become what we receive.”