THE EUCHARIST AND JUSTICE: SIGN, SYMBOL, SUBSTANCE, SANKOFA MOMENT
Division in the Catholic Church caused by the sin of racism, takes the spotlight, and the unified “Body of Christ“ is once again wounded. Black Catholics in Atlanta are outraged that their schools are being closed and their children are to be bused to one school. Black Catholics and non-Catholics alike are furious that St. Sabina school children in Chicago were refused admission to a Catholic school league without agreeing to the special stipulation that home games would not be played at St. Sabina. White Catholics who voted against including St. Sabina expressed fear for their safety and the safety of their children, but showed no concern for the dignity, worth and well being of those Black Catholic school children who cope with living in a high crime area every day of their lives. At any rate, the decision to deny St. Sabina admission to the league was clearly made out of fear and not faith.
There is another serious problem in the Catholic Church that may explain why the church is faced with so many obstacles realizing the Jesus prayer that “the many may be one”, - and why we show little or no love and compassion for one another. The problem is seldom openly addressed, but it is at the very heart of the church.
One week following the news story surrounding St. Sabina, the Catholic News Service released a story reporting that during the June meeting of U.S. Catholic bishops a vote was taken to issue a statement concerning the core teachings of the church regarding the Eucharist. A recent poll of U.S. Catholics had revealed that over half of the respondents did not believe that during the Mass the bread and wine are “changed into the body and blood of Christ”. Instead, they felt the Eucharist was a “symbolic reminder of Christ”. (The Catholic New World, June 6/10-23/2001) The Eucharist, then, is something different to different Catholics, and over half of those polled held beliefs that are not consistent with the teachings of the Catholic Church. Perhaps it is not stretching it too far to conclude that a connection exists between divisions concerning the Eucharist and the problem of racism being faced by the Catholic Church.
The Old Testament prophets repeatedly warned Israel that worship and sacrifices were not acceptable to God unless justice had been attained. (Amos 5:21; Isa. 1: 13-15; Isa. 2:2-4; Mic. 4: 1-8; Ezekiel 36:26) Therefore, in Judeo-Christian tradition, justice is required for authentic worship. During the time of Jesus, a shared meal between people meant the sharing of one source of life - a kinship created and nourished by one food. The meal ministry of Jesus was based on this tradition of Jewish ritual meals grounded in justice. Scripture stories suggest that his meals were a form of social protest that upset the oppressive social order. Roman Catholics continue this tradition of the one common meal equally shared by rich, poor, healthy, sick, male, female, young and old alike. Furthermore, they believe that the One Life shared is God “truly present” through the body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ in the Eucharist. (This is what makes it important for some people to know what happens if the church mouse devours the host!)
The Gospels place the Last Supper and the institution of the sacrament of Eucharist at the time of the Jewish celebration of Passover. The lamb was sacrificed, and through its body and blood the Hebrew people were spared/saved. The exodus out of slavery and oppression, the ritual cleansing through the waters of the Red Sea, Jordan and baptism, the covenant with God and the establishment of a nation free of injustice is the history that lies behind the Eucharist. This history remains as the social statement of the Christian meal. One life in God shared with others. One freedom; one jubilee for all. So could it be, then, that the persistence of racism is symptomatic of a rejected and misunderstood Eucharist? And does continued racism contribute to the disbelief and confusion so many Catholics experience around the church’s theology of Eucharist ?
It is not by chance that African American ritual foods for the body and soul both give thanks and remind us of our common history and kinship in the struggle to realize justice in the world. It is sacramental food in that it achieves what it signifies, i.e., the shared “Soul Food” meal fortifies us for the trials we face together. The Sankofa Moment, or looking at the past for wisdom needed to live the future, is also African American spirituality embedded in scripture and Eucharistic theology. African American quest for justice sheds new light on church scandals in places like Atlanta and Chicago, but it should also enlighten the church’s response to so many Catholics who do not accept its teaching regarding the Divine Meal. The frequently over-looked, under-valued gifts that African Americans bring to the table have much greater importance than they have ever been given when the connection between Eucharist and justice are considered.
Sheila Bourelly
Sheila Bourelly is a
catechist and religious writer. She is a retired Program Director for Catholic
Charities. Her educational credentials include: a Masters Degree of Social Work
(MSW), University of Illinois-Chicago, a Masters of Divinity Degree, Loyola
University, Chicago, Illinois.
She is an instructor: Fostering Faith, Office for Catechesis.
Pastoral Associate, St. Ambrose Catholic Church, Chicago, Illinois.
Ms. Bourelly is the publisher of The Deliverance Newsletter.
Holy angels Church, An African American Catholic Church.