The Eucharist in IKEA Bowls & Disposable Paper Cups: Enough is Enough!

On August 1st, according to InfoVaticana.com, "During the meeting of the Spanish on World Youth Day ( WYD ), held in Portugal, a Mass was held in which bowls of fried potatoes (potato chips) were used to distribute communion," they continue, "The curious event took place in Estoril, where thousands of young Spaniards gathered to participate in the mass presided over by Cardinal Omella. Instead of the traditional chalices and patens, bowls of fried potatoes or olives were used to distribute communion among the faithful. As can be seen in the photograph, the bowls were distributed to the priests with the plastic wrap and the Ikea barcode not removed."

Shockingly, this had the approval of the WYD organizers; InfoVaticana continues, "the WYD organizers have clarified that this decision was made by consensus and in full agreement with the ecclesiastical authorities." Shame on them. Shame on any practicing Catholic who would accept this sacrilegious abuse of the Holy Eucharist.

If anyone needs a refresher, according to the General Instruction on the Roman Missal,  "Sacred vessels should be made from precious metal. If they are made from metal that rusts or from a metal less precious than gold, they should generally be gilded on the inside." -- (Chapter VI: The Requisites for the Celebration of Mass, III. Sacred Vessels. 328) This is posted on the USCCB's own website.

I don't care if it's "World Youth Day." I don't care if this is a regular occurrence during these sorts of events. It is gravely wrong and needs to stop. The Mass at which this occurred was attended by "more than 30,000 Spanish pilgrims," and "was concelebrated by 64 Spanish bishops and more than 900 priests." 64 bishops and 900 priests and y'all thought this was a good idea!? I'd like to think someone spoke up about this abuse of the Eucharist...

Apparently this sort of thing is not new. In 2013, during the World Youth Day in Rio, the Holy Eucharist was put into disposable plastic cups to be distributed.

According to The Catholic Encyclopedia, "deliberate and notable irreverence towards the Holy Eucharist is reputed the worst of all sacrileges." 

Enough is enough.

Newsflash: the Eucharist is literally God and we are obliged to give Him proper respect. The Catholic Church has a plethora of information on this but to keep it short and sweet I will only highlight five things that can be applied in every single parish and diocese today. And to be honest they should already be in place.

1. "Holy Communion is only to be received by baptized Catholics in a state of grace." Code of Canon Law #916

2. "The universal law of the Latin rite is that we receive Communion on the tongue. To receive in the hand is an indult or special permission that does not exist in most parts of the world. By law, it is a right of the faithful to receive on the tongue, and the faithful must not have their rights denied."  (Catholic Answers) (Memorial Domini 1277, Dominicae Cenae 11.9)

3. "One is supposed to genuflect whenever one passes before the Blessed Sacrament reposed within a tabernacle." General Instruction of the Roman Missal 274

4. "Sacred vessels (which will contain the Eucharist) should be made from precious metal. If they are made from metal that rusts or from a metal less precious than gold, they should generally be gilded on the inside." General Instruction on the Roman Missal 328

5. The priest must use the utmost reverence for the Blessed Sacrament before, during, and after the Holy Mass. "(T)he wondrous mystery of the Lord’s real presence under the Eucharistic species, reaffirmed by the Second Vatican Council and other documents of the Church’s Magisterium in the same sense and with the same words that the Council of Trent had proposed as a matter of faith, is proclaimed in the celebration of Mass not only by means of the very words of consecration, by which Christ becomes present through transubstantiation, but also by that interior disposition and outward expression of supreme reverence and adoration in which the Eucharistic Liturgy is carried out." General Instruction on the Roman Missal 3

There are so many more things we can and should be doing, but this is a good start for now. The people must be educated in how to properly revere the Holy Eucharist!!

Let us also remember what Bishop Américo Aguiar, head of World Youth Day: Lisbon literally said just this July, “We don’t want to convert the young people to Christ or to the Catholic Church or anything like that at all.”  You can't make this stuff up. No faithful Catholic should have shown up to World Youth Day. It is very clear that the leaders have little care or respect for Jesus Christ, His Church, and His own Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, Truly present in the Holy Eucharist.

We must try to ignite a true love and respect for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. We must make acts of Reparation. We must ask God for a deeper love for Him. We must read more books on the Eucharist (I recommend, "Jesus Our Eucharistic Love," the writings of St Peter Julian Eymard, "Dominus Est: It is the Lord!" and "The Purity of Soul Necessary for Holy Communion" for starters)

Here are some video recommendations to get us all "in the mood" for a true Eucharistic Revival:

"The Eucharist is REALLY Jesus,"

"Emphasize the Eucharist: 5 Ways,"

"The Power of the Eucharist,"

"The Eucharist: A Reverence Revolution." 

Let us, like the boy martyr Saint Tarcisius, exclaim, "I'd Rather Die than Let the Eucharist Be Profaned!"

St. Tarcisius, martyr for the Eucharist, pray for us!

Prayer in Reparation for Eucharistic Abuses

I adore Thee profoundly, O my Jesus, in Thy sacramental form; I acknowledge Thee to be true God and true Man, and by this act of adoration I intend to atone for the coldness of so many Christians who pass before Thy churches and sometimes before the very Tabernacle in which Thou art pleased to remain at all hours with loving impatience to give Thyself to Thy faithful people, and do not so much as bend the knee before Thee, and who, by their indifference proclaim that they grow weary of this heavenly manna, like the people of Israel in the wilderness.

I offer Thee in reparation for this grievous negligence, the Most Precious Blood which Thou didst shed from Thy five wounds, and especially from Thy sacred Side, and entering therein, I repeat a thousand times with true recollection of spirit: O Sacrament most holy! O Sacrament Divine! All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment Thine.

From the "Acts of Adoration and Reparation." in the Raccolta. #89