Today is the fourth time I have witnessed the Precious Blood spilled on the floor during Communion at my parish (Novus Ordo, of course). Yet it is neither a problem of sufficient worry to stop Communion under both kinds nor the use of Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, presumably because The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass would take too long without them: after all they have to get back home and watch a football game. No prob.

Of course, in this enlightened age of total disrespect, lack of solemnity and disbelief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist (Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity) it is no longer a big deal. Since it is a simple a symbolic meal it takes on the same concern that one might have in cleaning up a spilt glass of wine at a cocktail party. ‘Let’s get the club soda out so that we don’t stain our new, expensive carpets.’ Who notices or really cares?

And of course since 99.9 percent of the congregation receives the Body of Christ in their hands, as though they find themselves worthy to do so, we have, like everyone else in Novus Ordo land, quit using servers with patens to prevent the Hosts and particles from falling to the carpet. But that’s no problem; isn’t that what they made vacuum cleaners for, after all? So nobody minds.

Now since I became a Catholic I have found personally 3 consecrated Hosts which were discarded. I suppose the people simply palmed them and went back to their pews. They left one in a hymnal and another under the pew and the third one I found under a bush right outside the door to the parish. I have found others, but at different parishes. But hey, they only think of it as a symbol these days (the Pew poll saying that only 30% believe in transubstantiation); no biggie. Why all the fuss?

The parishioners don’t care, the pastor doesn’t seem to care and I guess I’m not supposed to care either. Like I said in my last post, ‘what does it matter, and who cares’? I’ve talked and pleaded until I’m blue in the face and they think that I’m the nut. But those who view the Sacrifice of the Mass as a symbolic meal seem to find no problem with these things. I wonder if they were at the foot of the Cross with Our Lady and St. John if they would have composed themselves this way and simply looked upon our Lord hanging and bleeding from the Cross as a symbol too. Who’s to say?