"And they began all at once to make excuse" (Luke 14:18)

Pope Leo XIII once rebuked the propagators of restricted reception of the Holy Communion. Those people would say: "Holiness is for saints only" - typical logic of jansenism, the heresy which once emptied Catholic Churches in France and made many a faithful almost psychologically blocked from approaching Lord's table. It is true the Council of Trent declared the Lord's table can be approached only with utmost reverence and in state of personal holiness. This is christian holiness meaning the communicant should be in the state of grace and free from mortal sin. Exactly the same rule is prescribed by ecclesiastical law concerning receiving of the Blessed Sacraments. It is the state of mortal sin that excludes someone from approaching communion rails and in equal measure to any form of non-Christian, uncharitable behaviour. Nothing more than that. Another group of people would say that everyday routine makes something less attractive and desirable. Wrong again, for the Most Holy Communion is always equally effective and powerful in increasing sanctifying grace and heavenly glory. It should be always gratefully and eagerly received and the custom of daily Holy Communion zealously propagated among the faithful. Our Lord does not desire us to become 'super-humans' to receive him in Holy Communion. He gives himself up to us because of our nothingness and weaknesses. For this reason theology says, the Sacraments are for ordinary people like us. Not the other way around. Otherwise, heretics would be right declaring the more restricted receiving of the Holy Communion produces more desirable fruits. In other words, the more the soul is hungry the more eagerly it will approach Lord's table and with greater spiritual appetite. So this logic imply the most important would be for souls to become weak and deprived. What a nonsense! The Most Holy Communion should be for us the same as for the first Christians, the first beginning of the day. All fears and doubts should be gone for Our Lord says majestically: "Be of good heart: it is I, fear ye not." (Matt 14:27)

Today's image is Brussel's tapestry of Eucharist theme by Rubens:"Triumph of the Holy Eucharist over Idolatry"