Regarding his genuine and not merely figurative presence, Jesus states: “I am the bread of life. Your forebears consumed the manna in the wilderness, yet they perished; this is the bread that descends from heaven so that one may partake of it and not perish. I am the living bread that descended from heaven; anyone who eats this bread will have eternal life; and the bread that I will provide is my flesh for the sake of the world” (Jn 6:49-51).

When the Jews express objections, as your Christian friend does, Jesus remains steadfast — he reinforces his stance. Scripture states: “The Jews argued among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us [his] flesh to consume?’ Jesus replied to them, ‘Amen, amen, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life in yourselves. Whoever consumes my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will resurrect him on the last day. For my flesh is genuine food, and my blood is genuine drink’” (Jn 6:52-55). During the Last Supper, Jesus also declares: “Take and eat; this is my body. … Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant” (Mt 26:26-28).

Therefore, it is quite difficult to maintain a solely symbolic presence as your friend suggests. She must overlook a significant amount of Scripture in order to support that view. Furthermore, considering the continuous teachings of the early Church Fathers, her stance is also quite unconventional.

We are not man-eaters. We accept a living and magnificent Lord who willingly presents himself to us for our sustenance so that we can transform into the one we partake. He is truly alive and eagerly wishes for us to accept him.

Sacrament of Penance

Question: Are non-Catholics permitted to partake in the Sacrament of Reconciliation?

— Paul VanHoudt, Erie, Colorado

Answer: No, not typically. Certainly, a priest is able to listen to anyone’s confession of wrongdoing, but he is only able to provide absolution to baptized Catholics. There are a few uncommon exceptions. When faced with imminent death, a non-Catholic may seek to have a priest grant him absolution if he is unable to communicate with a member of his own faith and shows belief in the authority of priests to pardon sin.

A part of the explanation for why a priest cannot provide absolution to a non-Catholic is that, to a certain extent, he lacks juridical authority over that individual since it has not been conferred. Juridical authority does not merely imply that the individual is seeking absolution; it signifies that the person has willingly submitted themselves completely to the authority of the Church, which embodies the Body of Christ. When a baptized non-Catholic joins the Church, they assert the following: “I believe and profess all that the holy Catholic Church believes, teaches and professes to be revealed by God.” This declaration of faith unlocks the juridical power of the priest to grant absolution and administer the other sacraments on their behalf — therefore, belief is not confined to specific doctrines but encompasses the entirety of the deposit of faith. This declaration is what qualifies one to receive the sacraments both validly and licitly.

Msgr. Charles Pope is the pastor of Holy Comforter-St. Cyprian in Washington, D.C., and writes for the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. at blog.adw.org. Send questions to msgrpope@osv.com.