In a pastoral letter written by His Grace Bishop Mark Davies of Shrewsbury in the Province of Birmingham, he reminded that receiving Holy Communion is “the most radical call to holiness” that any person can encounter. The pastoral letter will be read out in the Churches of the diocese in the coming weekend, in which His Excellency Bishop has highlighted the significance of Holy Communion and has warned the faithful against viewing the Blessed Sacrament in terms of “secular inclusiveness” as this diminishes its true significance to little more than a “token of our hospitality”.
As reported by Catholic Herald, In the pastoral letter, His Grace Bishop Davies noted that “Catholics must realize instead that through the Real Presence, the gift of Christ’s Body and Blood is the means to become the saint each of us is called to be. Holy Communion restores strength to the faithful, breaks disordered attachments, separates Catholics from sin and helps them root their whole lives in Christ.” Further, His Excellency Bishop added, “Catholics must also repent of any mortal sin or lifestyle which contradicts their calling as Christians before they can receive Communion. We see why we can never approach Holy Communion casually, still less if we have not confessed and repented of any mortal sin or of a lifestyle in contradiction with our Christian calling.”
His Grace Bishop concludes his letter by urging the faithful to ask themselves how they seek to receive the Lord Almighty with the deepest reverence and love, and how they spend the precious moments after receiving Holy Communion.
Source: Catholic Herald
