Bulletins

June 7, 2015

Download the Bulletin as a PDF

The Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Our Lord or Corpus Christi is a good time to be reminded of the nature of this mystery and how our faith in It is expressed. First of all, the Blessed Sacrament, the Most Holy Eucharist, is not something, it is someone. When we receive Holy Communion we are given the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ Incarnate, Crucified, Resurrected and Ascended into Heaven. Bread and wine really turn into Jesus. We receive Him in His entirety, not just a piece of His Body as though it were a cadaver with separable flesh and blood. Rather, He is alive. Moreover, Jesus is God. He is the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. Fittingly then, we worship God in the Blessed Sacrament. To do otherwise is to profane Him.

St. Paul reminds us that "Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup" (1Cor 11,27-28). As we prepare at home for Mass we not only bathe and dress well, we examine our consciences to make sure that our soul is clean, that we are in the State of Grace and, therefore, may receive Holy Communion. If so we can be deliberate in keeping the Eucharistic Fast and look forward to receiving Holy Communion. If not, please make a plan for confession soon. It should go without saying that we scrub our hands and brush our teeth. Please. Really. Brush your teeth and floss, too. A little bit of mouthwash wouldn't hurt either. With respect to the fast, I commend to you the ancient practice of not eating or drinking in the morning before you receive Holy Communion. Some describe this as fasting "from midnight on" but in reality it just fasting from the time you wake up until you go to Church. But if you break the fast and have breakfast (get it?) before Mass, the Church minimally requires us to refrain from food and beverage (other than water and medicine) for at least an hour before receiving Holy Communion.

The act of receiving also merits some guidance. If you receive kneeling, then walk up, kneel down, look up and open your mouth. If you receive standing, you need to make an act of profound reverence (a deep bow or a genuflection) while (not after) the person before you is receiving. When you receive Our Lord, just open your mouth deeply without straining and look up at Him. Your tongue does not need to protrude far from your bottom lip. But please do make sure that there is ample space between your tongue and your upper teeth. Practicing in the bathroom mirror is not such a bad idea. If you are in a diocese that permits Communion in the hand, please hold your hands flat, one underneath the other. Please do not cup your hands. Once you receive Jesus I beg you not to take your eyes off the Sacred Host for an instant. Watching you walk away with Jesus in your paws and your eyes somewhere else really does damage to a priest's heart.

Amen! God bless you!

Fr. Christopher J. Pollard