The Feast of Corpus Christi, or the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body & Blood of Christ as it is more commonly called today, is celebrated on Sunday, June 14. Traditionally, this celebration is held on the Thursday following Trinity Sunday; however, in the U.S. as well as some other countries, the feast has been moved to the following Sunday. This feast day is one that all Catholics should hold dear to their hearts. It is the day that we celebrate the gift of Jesus truly present in the Eucharist. As Catholics, this should be the most important part of our faith. As you have heard me say MANY times in Sunday school, it is the basis and reason for Holy Mass each Sunday and each weekday. Too many times the Eucharist is focused on as just a part of the Church and it should really be focused on as THE part of the Church. Because of this loss of focus, I think that the meaning and significance of this truly great gift has been put aside and even lost. It has just become mixed in with every other teaching.
I was having a conversation with someone this week concerning receiving communion. I'm sure we as Catholics all know that only Catholics who are not in a state of mortal sin may receive the Eucharist. The Catholic Church does not have an "open communion" as some churches do where anyone, including non-baptized persons, can receive communion. The reason that we do not have an "open communion" is the fact that Catholics believe that the Eucharist is not a symbol of the Lord's Supper but the Eucharist is TRULY the Body & Blood of Jesus Christ. It is NOT a symbol!!!!!
Sometimes this is hard for many people to accept, especially Protestant denominations. Protestants, with the exception of high church Anglicans (sometimes called Anglo-Catholic Anglicans), do not believe that Christ is truly present in the Eucharist. (I do want to quickly clarify that the Anglican church is NOT in communion with the Catholic Church even though some believe in transubstantiation. The reason for this is that Apostolic succession was broken when the King of England appointed his own bishops, but that is a whole other topic!) Also, for this same reason of theological differences, Catholics are not to receive communion in another church other than a Latin Rite Catholic Church or an Orthodox Church (if no Latin Rite is available) because a Protestant church's communion is not a valid communion.
Here are some other points of note regarding how we as Catholics should show our love for the Eucharist.
- Have you ever noticed how different people enter the pews before Mass and how they leave the pew after Mass? Some genuflect, some bow, some don't do anything. After researching this a bit (and also thanks to some great teachers in RCIA at St. Mary's) I learned the proper way(s) to enter the pew in a Catholic Church. If it is physically possible to do so, one should genuflect TOWARDS the tabernacle before entering and after exiting the pew. For example, if you enter the nave at St. Mary's and you are sitting next to the center aisle on the right (I'm using where I sit as an example), before entering your pew you would turn slightly to the left toward the Blessed Sacrament Chapel and genuflect. I'm sure you have seen many people genuflect toward the sanctuary and the altar, right? The reasoning behind this is that traditionally the tabernacle which houses the Blessed Sacrament was kept in the sanctuary front and center, so it is a common habit for people to continue to genuflect toward the front of the church. But if you wanted to be completely proper regarding it, you would always genuflect or profoundly bow if genuflection is not possible, toward the tabernacle. However, I have been in some more "modern" Catholic Churches where the tabernacle is kept a good distance from the altar or in an awkward place (such as when the Blessed Sacrament chapel is off to the side of the narthex). (I'll save my opinion of modern architecture in Catholic Churches for later.) If you ever find yourself in this situation, it is proper to simply give a profound bow (or bow at the waist) to the altar. Boy, I didn't mean for that to become that long!
- Now on to reception of the Eucharist. Traditionally, the faithful received the Eucharist kneeling at the altar rail. However, after Vatican II when the Novus Ordo Mass was introduced, many churches removed the altar rail because communion was now given with the faithful standing in lines as we do at St. Mary's. However, it is still allowed to receive the Eucharist while kneeling (you'll see some at St. Mary's do this as well as if you watch Mass on EWTN). One cannot be refused communion while kneeling either. Also it is proper to give a sign of reverence before receiving communion. In most cases this is dictated by the local bishop and is usually either a profound bow or a simple bow of the head/sign of the cross. If it does not interrupt the flow of the faithful to receive communion, then one may also genuflect. These signs of reverence were indicated in the document Eucharisticum Mysterium on May 25, 1967 and were also reiterated by Pope John Paul II's ordering the document Inaestimabile Donum on April 3, 1980. Also there are two acceptable ways to receive communion in the United States. One is the traditional way of on the tongue and the other is in the hand. It should be noted that communion on the tongue is the Universal Church's way of receiving the Eucharist and in most countries with the exception of the U.S. and some others, it is still done this way. The USCCB received permission for the faithful in the U.S. to receive in the hand. A communicant can also not be refused communion for wanting to receive on the tongue. Most parishes in the U.S. have pretty much adopted the custom of receiving in the hand, but many, like St. Mary's, have parishioners who receive either way. Just to give you a real life example, I'll use myself. When I am traveling, I normally ask or observe what the normal custom of reception of the Eucharist is. At St. Mary's, I sometimes receive on the tongue and sometimes in the hand. The first time I received communion on the tongue I was at Assumption Catholic Church in Nashville. This is a very old, beautiful, and VERY traditional Catholic Church. After entering the church and saying my prayers, I observed the regular parishoners for a bit. Most were dressed in their Sunday best (suits and ties for the men and almost all the women wore a dress/skirt). Many of the women wore chapel veils and mantillas or another type of head covering. So I knew immediately that this was a very traditional parish. And I was correct, so I felt that it was better that I receive on the tongue. And to be quite honest, I was REALLY nervous!! But it turned out fine and in fact, I prefer receiving on the tongue and most of the time when we are traveling, I do. If I attend a Mass in the Extraordinary Form (aka the Traditional Latin Mass) I make sure that I remember to wear a head covering, a skirt/dress, and to remember that I will be receiving the Eucharist kneeling at the rail and receiving it on the tongue. But if you are at a Mass in the Ordinary Form/Novus Ordo (like we have at St. Mary's) then either way that you choose to receive communion, whether it is in the hand or on the tongue, is acceptable. The only thing you need to remember is that you are to receive with reverence.
I hope that some of this has helped you, and I'm sorry that this particular post happened to be so long but the Eucharist and reverence for it is something that I'm very passionate about. And most of you probably have noticed that I tend to lean toward really traditional Catholic views (so I apologize if I step on any toes), but I do try to make sure I get you all the correct information on anything I tell you. But please feel free to ask me about anything I've mentioned in this particular blog or on any blog.
So here's my challenge for you this week, think about what the Eucharist means to you. Do you feel you have enough reverence for Christ's True Body & Blood? Do you feel you don't? Either way, why don't we try to spend some more time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament or simply say the following prayer after communion or any time we want to feel closer to Jesus in the Eucharist:
The Anima Christi
Soul of Christ, sanctify me
Body of Christ, save me
Blood of Christ, inebriate me
Water from Christ's side, wash me
Passion of Christ, strengthen me
O good Jesus, hear me
Within Thy wounds hide me
Suffer me not to be separated from Thee
From the malicious enemy defend me
In the hour of my death call me
And bid me come unto Thee
That I may praise Thee with Thy saints
and with Thy angels
Forever and ever
Amen
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