Sacramental theology was the subject of the Colbert Report a while back and I missed it! I thought I might take some time to post my reflections, as “outdated” as they might be. Steven Colbert defends the doctrine of the real presence against Garry Willis, a catholic who denies it. I must say that Willis demonstrated a terrible understanding of both sacramental theology and Augustine’s thoughts on the sacraments. Augustine clearly believed that the Bread and Wine were the body and blood of Jesus. What he criticized was a faulty understanding of that transformation. Even when the formulation that we know today as “transubstantiation” was formulated centuries later it was made clear by Aquinas that if it does not appear to be bread and wine — that is, if no longer has the accidents of bread and wine — it’s no longer the Eucharist. Thus, a dried stain on the carpet is no longer a sign of the Real Presence.
This is a very serious and complex issue, but I think Colbert gets to the heart of it. It is a mystery.
I think Willis is coming from a place of real frustration. There is a great deal of misunderstanding, clericalism and superstition in the Catholic Church surrounding sacramental theology, but the solution to these problems is not to throw out sacraments altogether, but to move beyond the simplified similitudes one learns in Sunday School and study the real theology of the Catholic Church! Might I recommend starting here!
Watch the video below!
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