Eucharistic Reverence

 Two essays on the America  website (October 12, 2025) troubled me with regard to reverence for the Eucharist.

Eucharistic Procession at Chicago ICE Facility

"Eucharistic Procession Turned Back by Feds at Broadview ICE Detention Facility," by Kevin Clarke, describes that a procession, led by Jesuit Fathers Inczaukis and Harnett,  to the facility, famous now for confrontations and attempted deployment of National Guard, were denied entry. A Chicago archdiocesan priest, Father Dowling, described the refusal by authorities: "Evil is repelled, recoils in the presence of Christ." 

This disturbs at several levels.

First, mere respect for the integrity and protocols of the facility itself. I have some familiarity with jails: over the years I have been in such perhaps 50 or 60 times: visiting my Godson, Goddaughter, and doctor friend; in the 1970s with a charismatic Catholic ministry; and recently in Ocean County jail where we do a Catholic communion service. I have been trying to get into my own Monmouth county jail for some time, unsuccessfully. It can be as hard to get into jail as out of it. Security is the first concern in these facilities and many have had bad experiences with "holly rollers," of various faiths, unrestrained in enthusiasm and dismissive of rules.

Rules in jails are very strict. Obvi, they house the worst of us: sociopaths, sexual predators, murderers, gang members, child molesters and such. To get in, even as part of a Church ministry, you need to be thoroughly vetted, documented, approved and put through training. Rules vary, but where we go you dare not bring into the facility a cell phone, rosary bead, pen. You do not give your full name, address or phone number. If it turns out you know someone or even know someone who knows someone in jail, you report immediately. You do not carry messages for anyone. When the weather recently changed, I asked a guard if I could give a shivering woman my sweater (I have 18 at home) and was refused. You do not give a holy card to an inmate without explicit permission from the guard. A single violation and you do not enter again. I swing loose in my life with the trillions of rules around us; but with the jail I am serious and religiously compliant. This is a sacred thing: in that we are bringing the Eucharist and joining with each other in Christ; but also in that we are in the presence of substantial evil, and protections are absolutely necessary.

There is no way the authorities could have allowed entrance, responsibly, to this procession. Ministry to those inside is possible, but only with thorough vetting, regulation and the establishment of serenity. To allow a rando group of activist do-gooders into a facility under siege would be ludicrous.

Secondly, but more sacrilegiously, this abuses the Eucharist, weaponizing it in an histrionic, melodramatic fashion. Common sense would assure these activists that they would be denied entry. This is a performance, a public relations stunt, a piece of ideological drama. 

Imagine a rightwing Catholic group planned a Eucharistic Procession as part of a prolife rally or a protest at an abortion clinic. This also would be a sacrilege. There is a profound, powerful interlink between politics and religion, but they are distinct arenas and need to stay in their respective lanes. 

Last, but not least, there is the demonization of the ideological opponent. The priests attribute Evil to the authorities. They wax self-righteously about the refusal of compassion, comfort and religious liberty. Those authorities are probably following the rule book, which they would be derelict in duty should they dispense themselves. The ICE agents are doing their jobs; they are working as directed. We can disagree about the Trump or Biden immigrant policy; we can argue; we can fight it our electorally. We can combat, respectfully and soberly, policies of Stephen Miller and Kristie Noem without demonizing personalizing, emotionalizing and melodramatizing. 

This procession is suggestive of a progressive clericalism which assumes a posture of moral superiority, consecrates its own ideology, demonizes that of the opponent, and rest upon an ignorance of the actual, complex, difficult realities of law enforcement, use of lethal force, running a business,  borders, taxes, health care, energy and environment policy. This clericalism is widespread in the upper echelon of the Church of Francis and Leo. Catholic laity do well to steep ourselves in the morals and dogmas we receive from the hierarchy, but receive with vigilant scrutiny the often uninformed clerical incursions into prudential, policy debates.

At the Catholic Eucharist we gather as brothers-and-sisters in Christ, across political, policy and ideological lines. It is a grave violation of our ecclesial unity to weaponize the Eucharist against the other side.

Kneeling and Standing at Mass

In "Why US Catholic Kneel During Eucharist and the Rest of the World Stands," the accomplished Thomas Reese S.J. does to me what I have come to expect from my Jesuit friends: educates me, but also disturbs me.

On the positive side: he explains the background of why Catholic outside of the USA stand. In the ancient Church, kneeling was associated more with contrition than praise so that kneeling was strictly prohibited on Sundays and Easter season. Standing erect in worship was considered more dignified and appropriate, expressing Easter freedom and joy. This makes a great deal of sense. We speak of "a standup guy." We encourage each other: stand strong. Stand up for yourself. I stand with ....! He notes that the Vatican II rubric calls for standing as the proper posture, with allowances for exceptions. The American bishops were granted such because we are associate kneeling with Eucharistic worship. This short history gave me a good attitude about "standing"...in worship and in life. I will more devoutly stand in worship going forward (even as age diminishes my stamina.) 

Catholics started kneeling in the 12th century, as the illiterate did not understand Latin, the mass became something like Benediction, visual worship, from a distance, increased sense of sin, less frequent reception of communion. Fr. Reese, less positive about this than many of us,  is arguing for a return to the ancient and still widespread practice. He makes a good case.

Personally, I cannot entirely buy it. I am formed in a practice: for example, returning from reception I kneel and pray. This is for me a posture of adoration and intimacy with Christ. I want to kneel, not stand or sit. The Church wisely allows both. The Catholic Eucharist is a Mystery of such transcendence, power and beauty that it is not contained in any single formula. I personally enjoy the Latin Mass, the Neocatechumenal Eucharist, and Charismatic celebrations as well as the normie parish rite. Unity in expression is valuable: I happily stand with the standing, kneel with the kneeling and sit with the sitting. What is distracting: Some stand, some kneel, some sit. Worse: everyone is kneeling except one guy in the front pew, who stands defiantly. Given the chance, I prefer to kneel at the rail and receive on the tongue. Regarding those who kneel, from the line, before receiving:  I respect their piety, but would prefer to be spared the distraction. These postures can mean different things in different cultures and contexts. I would not want to only go to the Latin mass (but my nervous physiology appreciates that we sit-stand-kneel about 36 times) or the Neocatechumenate so reminiscent of the Passover or mass served with prophesy and tongues.

So I liked Fr. Reese's history and would happily participate (to the degree that my 78 year old stamina allows) in his standing-friendly rite. 

Then he wrote: "The Eucharist, after all, is a prayer with Jesus to the Father, not a prayer to Jesus." Hold the phone!!! We are "...not praying to Jesus?" Are you kidding me? Are you exaggerating for impact? My whole life I have been praying TO JESUS at mass! Why would you set them against each other: Are you praying with or to Jesus...hard binary, one or the other. Yes we are praying with brother Jesus to the Father. But when we pray to the Father we are also praying to the Son. We are praying in and within Jesus, in the Holy Spirit, to Father-Jesus-Holy Spirit. This is the mystery of the Trinity and the Incarnation. Those few words, "...not to Jesus" reflect an Arian-leaning, low Christology and a weak Trinitarian theology. 

Conclusion

In the Eucharist, we participate, through the humanity of Jesus, in the very inner life of the Trinity. It is the most sacred thing on earth. The Church in her Spirit-inspired wisdom strikes a marvelous balance: First of all, she allows a valid variety and flexibility in  rites, postures, languages, and styles. So, Pope Francis erred gravely in repressing the Latin Mass which inspires many with its pronounced solemnity, silence, kneeling, chant, and formal reverence. The Neocats, the America Jesuits, the charismatics all bring varied styles: if they are reverent, they are acceptable to the Church.

At the same time, as the very embodiment of God on earth, the Eucharist has a super-sacred integrity, which absolutely must be respected. We noted that a jail has a firm, definite structure to it which cannot be dismissed. So much more does the Eucharist have such an integrity: we genuflect in the Presence, we fast one hour, we reserve it for baptized Catholics (with some exceptions), we surround it with reception of the Word, praise and prayers, song and silence. We receive the very life of the Trinity and then we return to ordinary, secular life where we do our works of mercy and fight our political battles.