Episode 3051: Defending Reverence - Morning Episode

“Athanasius contra mundum” (Athanasius against the world) reflects his courageous stand for the truth even when many Church leaders opposed him.

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Speak Lord for your Servant is Listening
Book Recommendation of the Day
“On the Incarnation of the Word” (De Incarnatione Verbi Dei)
This text, written around 318 AD, is a masterful defense of the Christian doctrine of the Incarnation and a foundational work in traditional Catholic theology. It explains why God became man in the person of Jesus Christ and the significance of the Incarnation for the salvation of humanity.
Defending Reverence: A Traditional Catholic Response to Archbishop Forte
On Easter Sunday, Archbishop Bruno Forte of the Archdiocese of Chieti-Vasto, Italy, declared during his homily that “Communion on the tongue is an act of pride and disobedience.” His remarks targeted three parishioners who reverently knelt to receive Our Lord on the tongue, a gesture long held as a sign of profound humility and reverence in the Roman Rite. From a Traditional Catholic perspective, such a statement is not only historically and liturgically unfounded but also spiritually harmful.
1. The Deep Reverence of Communion on the Tongue
To accuse the reception of Holy Communion on the tongue as “prideful” is to misunderstand the very essence of this centuries-old practice. This method of reception became the norm in the Roman Rite not out of superstition or hygiene concerns but as a manifestation of Eucharistic reverence, shaped by saints and affirmed by councils.
“Out of reverence towards this Sacrament, nothing touches it but what is consecrated.” — St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, III, q. 82, a. 3
The faithful who kneel and receive on the tongue do not seek to elevate themselves above the Church but rather to humble themselves before the Real Presence of Christ. This posture of bodily humility reflects the interior disposition the Church has always encouraged when approaching the Sacred Mysteries.

2. A Flawed Historical Claim
Archbishop Forte referenced the Greek verb lambano, meaning "to take," to argue that early Christians received in the hand. While this may be partially true, historical scholarship confirms that such practices were highly regulated, and often involved the communicant bowing and receiving on a cloth or special object, with women covering their hands with veils.
Moreover, the Church, guided by the Holy Ghost, organically developed the practice of Communion on the tongue over centuries especially after the Council of Laodicea (4th century) and reaffirmed during the Middle Ages not due to hygiene but due to increased recognition of the Eucharist's sacredness.
“It is not lawful for the laity to touch the sacred vessels or receive the Holy Eucharist in the hand.” Council of Trent
3. True Obedience is Fidelity to Tradition
Archbishop Forte’s claim that Communion in the hand aligns with obedience to Church authority must be measured against the fullness of Catholic Tradition. True obedience is not blind compliance to every novelty but faithful adherence to what the Church has always believed and practiced. The practice of receiving on the tongue was not abrogated and remains the universal norm in the Traditional Latin Mass.
Moreover, Redemptionis Sacramentum (2004), issued under Pope John Paul II, affirms:
“Each of the faithful always has the right to receive Holy Communion on the tongue, at his choice.” RS, §92
To imply otherwise or worse, to pressure the faithful by public rebuke during the Holy Mass undermines both the Church’s teaching and the pastoral duty of the bishop.
4. The Crisis of Eucharistic Faith
This incident reflects a deeper crisis in the Church: a loss of belief in the Real Presence. Pope Benedict XVI himself stated:
“The way we treat the Eucharist should be a sign of our faith in the Real Presence of the Lord.” — Pope Benedict XVI, Sacramentum Caritatis
The decline in reverent practices has coincided with a widespread collapse in Eucharistic belief. Traditional Catholics insist that practices like kneeling and receiving on the tongue are not acts of nostalgia or pride, but a necessary antidote to this crisis.
5. A Tradition Rooted in the Saints
Saints across the ages confirm the sanctity and importance of receiving the Blessed Sacrament with awe and reverence:
“If angels could be jealous of men, they would be so for one reason: Holy Communion.” - St. Maximilian Kolbe
“When we receive Holy Communion, we experience something extraordinary a joy, a fragrance, a well-being that thrills the whole body and causes it to exalt.” — St. John Vianney
Would we dare receive such a mystery casually?
The faithful who choose to receive Our Eucharistic Lord on the tongue particularly when kneeling are not exhibiting pride but humility and fidelity. To shame them publicly under the pretense of obedience distorts both the nature of the liturgy and the heart of true Catholic tradition. At a time when reverence is desperately needed in the Church, such actions risk alienating the very souls striving to uphold the sacred.
In the spirit of true tradition, let us echo the words of the Psalmist:
“I will come into Thy house; I will worship towards Thy holy temple, in Thy fear.” — Psalm 5:7
Let every knee bend, and every tongue confess: Jesus Christ is Lord.
“St. Athanasius and the Courage to Preach Christ Crucified”
Opening Reflection
Today, May 2nd, we celebrate the feast of St. Athanasius, a towering figure in the early Church, defender of the true Faith during the Arian crisis, and confessor of the divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ. For his fidelity to truth, he was exiled five times by emperors and bishops alike, enduring slander, hardship, and persecution all for proclaiming what we profess every Sunday in the Creed: that Jesus Christ is consubstantial with the Father.
It is fitting, then, that the readings chosen for this day are from 2 Corinthians 4:5–14 and Matthew 10:23–28, which together form a bold call to missionary courage, theological clarity, and unwavering fidelity to Christ crucified.
Epistle: 2 Corinthians 4:5–14
"We preach not ourselves, but Jesus Christ our Lord: and ourselves your servants through Jesus."
Reflection on the Epistle:
St. Paul opens this passage by asserting the heart of all true apostolic preaching: not ourselves, but Jesus Christ our Lord.
The Apostle reminds us that our mission is not to build platforms or personal followings. We are clay vessels. Fragile. Breakable. Yet in us, God has placed His own treasure the Gospel.
"We are troubled on every side... persecuted but not forsaken... always bearing about in our body the mortification of Jesus."
These words ring powerfully in our time. Catholics today are not being welcomed by the world they are being opposed, silenced, or ridiculed. But this is not new.
Like St. Athanasius, who was accused of rebellion, heresy, and political subversion simply for defending the Nicene faith, we too must learn to suffer well for truth. His life gave flesh to St. Paul’s words:
“We who live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus may be made manifest in our mortal flesh.”
Let us not be ashamed to bear reproach for the truth, for by this witness, life is given to others.
Gospel: Matthew 10:23–28
"And fear ye not them that kill the body, and are not able to kill the soul."
Reflection on the Gospel:
In today’s Gospel, Our Lord prepares His apostles for the reality of persecution.
"When they shall persecute you in this city, flee into another." Christ is not counseling cowardice, but prudence. The mission must endure. The truth must be preached. Yet danger will come.
The heart of this reading is Our Lord’s charge:
"Fear ye not them that kill the body, and are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him that can destroy both soul and body in hell."
Here is the true battleground: not the body, but the soul.
• Our enemies may malign us,
• They may ban our speech,
• They may even take our lives
But they cannot touch the soul unless we hand it over through sin or cowardice.
St. Athanasius understood this deeply. He feared no emperor. He feared no exile. He feared only to betray the Truth of Christ.
He spent nearly 45 years as bishop, and more than 17 of those in exile, because he refused to sign the false creed of the Arians. He stood nearly alone against the world Athanasius contra mundum and yet he prevailed because the Truth is not ours to invent, but God's to proclaim.
Three Thematic Quotes for Reflection
St. Athanasius:
“Jesus, whom I know as my Redeemer, cannot be less than God.”
Sacred Scripture – Romans 1:16:
“For I am not ashamed of the Gospel. For it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believeth.”
St. John Chrysostom:
“Let the world be in confusion: I will not be troubled. What can I fear? I have the Gospel.”
These voices across time echo the theme of today’s readings: Do not fear. Do not retreat. Speak Christ. Live Christ. Defend Christ.
St. Athanasius
Born around 296 A.D. in Alexandria, Egypt, St. Athanasius became a deacon under Bishop Alexander and served at the Council of Nicaea in 325, where the Nicene Creed was formulated to defend the divinity of Christ.
Later made Patriarch of Alexandria, Athanasius endured fierce opposition from the Arians, who taught that Christ was not fully divine. He was exiled repeatedly, hounded by false accusations, and forced to live in hiding for years.
But his pen never stopped writing, and his lips never ceased proclaiming:
“Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
He died in peace in 373 A.D., and the Church honors him as a Doctor of the Church one of the greatest theological minds and confessors of all time.
In our own time, when even bishops and theologians sow confusion, St. Athanasius remains a model of unshakeable fidelity to Christ and His doctrine.
Conclusionary Prayer
O God, Who didst raise up Thy holy confessor and bishop Athanasius to defend the divinity of Thine only-begotten Son, grant us the grace, through his intercession, to love the truth, to confess the name of Jesus boldly, and to suffer all things rather than fall into error.
Strengthen Thy Church, O Lord, in this hour of trial. Grant that we may, like Thy faithful saints, be found loyal to Thee in life and in death. May our lives reflect the truth that we preach not ourselves, but Jesus Christ, and ourselves Thy servants.
O Mary, Mother of the Incarnate Word, pray for us.
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.