The Destruction of Belief in the Real Presence

A recent survey of United States Catholics found that 7 out of 10 of them did not believe in the Real Presence. I do not know what the figures are for the UK but I am sure there would be only a marginal difference.    Yet I am not surprised.   There was a vicious attack in America and the UK on the Real Presence by many bishops and priests after Vatican II, when Modernists had taken over many departments in the Vatican and were issuing instructions, not written of course they were far too clever for that, about what Vatican II had taught and certain changes the Council had brought about.   The attacks surrounded the love and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and the first thing to go were the altar rails.   This was to stop people kneeling in adoration and receiving on the tongue.   As I say you will find nothing written about any of this for it was not discussed at the Council and indeed it was not even discussed with the laity - it was just done - in the name of Vatican II of course.   Now I am sure that in the early Church people did not receive on their knees, it was an act of humility for the wonderful gift the Blessed Sacrament, so kneeling or standing was not the issue, it was why the change was made that mattered    Wast it done to return us to the early Church or was it an attack on an act of love for the Blessed Sactament?   Again we were told to receive on the hand, of this I was not certain at first because in their hurry to convince people they quoted St Cyril of Jerusalem who having received in the hand stated that we should go on to touch our cheeks an our eyes with the host.  This part was left out and it would soon discovered that it was an Arian bishop who claimed St Cyril said this.   So a dispute raged - on the hand or on the tongue?   I eventually found an early Father St Cyprian who cleared up the matter.   "Those who receive the flesh of Jesus in sin" he said " add to their sin a sin of the hand and of the mouth"   This clearly meant that the community did receive with their hands.    But our Reformers did not stop there.   The next step was to remove the Blessed Sacrament in the Tabernacle from the altar and put it somewhere else.   Sometimes it was in another room out of the way, or in a side place in the Church, or if you wished just place it on a safe in the wall, that will stop people genuflecting.    And it was not just that these instructions were not written but 'scholars' from Universities came into the Churches and told us Jesus did not want to be adored in the Blessed Sacrament, He just wants to be received at Mass.   A very strange doctrine indeed.   But they were introduced as 'experts'  so you were being advised to keep your mouth closed.

But along with this there was the education of the children.    My children were young and at school so the parents were invited to a Saturday morning session in the school where a wonderful new Catechism was being introduced.    I picked up that the "Catechism' would say nothing about the Sacrament of the Eucharist nor encourage the young to give any thought to the matter.   I mentioned that if this was the case then they would destroy the faith of the children.   Of course they did not listen and went on to destroy the faith of the children.    But then there was the Holy Communion programme in the Church.   I eagerly asked what teaching there would be on the Real Presence.  "O they are far too young to understand such concepts"  I restrained the urge to ask "And do you understand "

So there we had it.  Children growing up in a Catholic School and in a Catholic Parish taught to ignore their parents and just look upon the Host as a symbol of the Presence of Christ.    God forgive us all.