instruere...inlustrare...delectare Disputations

Friday, September 06, 2013

Pull yourself up

There's a bit of a bootstrap problem with talk of fruitful reception of Holy Communion by the faithful.

Okay, the bigger problem is that there isn't talk of fruitful reception of Holy Communion by the faithful. But let's pretend someone wanted to start a conversation on the subject. They would then encounter the problem that fruitful reception generally depends "on the disposition of the one who receives them."

It takes work to be disposed to receive the Eucharist fruitfully, and people don't work for things they don't desire. A lot of Catholics (I bet) don't desire to receive the Eucharist fruitfully, because (I bet) they don't know that receiving the Eucharist fruitfully is a thing to desire. They receive the Eucharist plenty often enough (even Christmas and Easter Catholics might receive the Eucharist twice as often as a lot of fervent Catholics in the years before Pope St. Pius X encouraged frequent Communion), and it's never a fruitful experience.

If you don't think there are any fruits of Holy Communion, then you won't desire them, and you won't work to be disposed to receive them, so you won't receive them, so your experience will confirm your impression that there are no fruits of Holy Communion.

The resolution to the problem, then, starts with telling people yes, there are fruits to be had from reception of Holy Communion, but since the Sacraments aren't magic, they require something from the recipient as well.

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