M
y friend P---- was raised a Methodist. I remember discussing the Catholic Mass with him one time, and explaining that near the end of every Mass, we all receive communion. I recall him reacting with real scandal -- "What! That's way too often!"
I found this reaction utterly beautiful. P---- had not thought of himself as a Christian for a long time. As far as he'd be willing to metaphysically concede, Catholics eat a small unleavened wafer once a week. And yet his response to hearing of this ritual was akin to someone hearing of a terrible act of gluttony. And perhaps, so it is.
In the Methodist churches P---- attended as a child and young man, communion, or the Lord's Supper, is celebrated either seasonally, or up to once a month. I'm sure that, for P----, the time between these Suppers sharpened the meaning of the experiences when they finally arrived. However, his surprise in the weekly participation of Catholics did not sound like a prudent cautioning that a ritual done too often would start to feel banal. Rather, I think he felt in his bones the power of the Sacrament, across ecclesialogical divides, and even into his post-Christian state; and it seemed madness to him to dare to make the eating of the Flesh a weekly occurrence.
I think this feeling of overflowingness is very common when one takes a deep look into the Catholic Church. Things are never done in half-measures. We have been washed in the blood of the literal creator and sustainer of universe -- and while a drop of that blood would have been sufficient, he delivered it unto us via one of the bloodiest deaths possible. The Lord's act of salvation is so far above our own powers, so infinite in scope, that everywhere it touches our world feels like excess, feels overwhelming, and even occasionally unnecessary to our prosaic minds. It is scandalous that we consume the body of God every week. It is scandalous that the worst of the worst can be forgiven. It is scandalous that terrible things can happen to good people, and that the Lord can bring Good Works out of these tragedies. It is the mark of a keen mind and soul that P---- cared enough to be taken aback by such frequent reception of the Eucharist. It is important that we keep that scandalousness in mind; the worst thing we can do is have our hearts hardened to it, and forget to care.