While we near the end of this joyful Easter season that will follow the transition into Ordinary Time sandwiched in between with Jesus’ Ascension and Pentecost, there is another joyful celebration that will take place at our parishes over the next couple of weekends. Many of our second and third-graders will receive Jesus for the very first time in the reception of First Holy Communion.
Do you remember your first Holy Communion? I remember mine. It was the spring of 1987 on a sunny day that I first received Jesus in the Eucharist along with other second-grade classmates at my parish, St. Robert Bellarmine in Redford. I bet many of you have wonderful photos from that great sacramental moment in your own life. What a joyful memory it was for us, and we hope it will be the same for these kids who have been preparing for several months to receive Jesus.
In recalling this joyful moment, we also want to remind ourselves of how we can best receive Jesus in the Eucharist every time we come forward for Holy Communion. I would like to focus on some of the Do’s and Don’ts of receiving Holy Communion. First, here are a few Don’ts:
• Don’t receive the Precious Blood from the chalice if you are ill. Instead, just receive the Body of Christ on the hand, not on tongue.
• Don’t receive communion bread from another faith/church/religion. This can give scandal. In addition, what you communicate not necessarily by word, but by action, is that you profess belief in what that church/faith/religion stands for, and you express that the bread is the Body and Blood of Christ, which it isn’t (with the exception of receiving the Eucharist in the Orthodox Church). Instead stay in the pew and pray for unity “…that they may all be one…” (Jn.17:21) just as we would advise our non-Catholic guests to do in our Church.
• Don’t come up to receive Holy Communion if you know you are in a state of mortal sin. Instead, stay in your pew, and either pray for a spiritual communion, for others, or for a worthy intention/cause. Then go to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation as soon as possible. See 1 Cor. 11:27-30.
Here are a few Do’s for receiving Holy Communion:
• According to the General Instruction on the Roman Missal (GIRM), “When receiving Holy Communion, the communicant bows the head before the Sacrament as a gesture of reverence and receives the Body of the Lord from the minister. The consecrated host may be received either on the tongue or in the hand, at the discretion of each communicant. When Holy Communion is received under both kinds, the sign of reverence (bow) is also made before receiving the Precious Blood” (GIRM, 160).
• If you receive on the tongue, please stop in front of the minister (priest, deacon, lay person), bow (to Jesus), open your mouth, and extend your tongue straight out so that the minister can gently and slowly place Jesus flat on your tongue.
• If you receive the Eucharist on the hand, please stop in front of the minister, and bow (to Jesus). If you are right handed, please put your right hand under your left hand to receive Christ the King, and take Jesus out with your right hand to consume. Similarly, if you are left-handed, please put your left hand under your right hand with a heart of reverence and honor, and take Jesus out with your left hand to consume.
• Remember to say “Amen.”
These instructions aren’t meant to be childish, patronizing, or funny but rather simple reminders. The hope is that these helpful points will make the transfer of the Eucharist from the minister to the communicant less awkward and uncomfortable. Thank you for your attention to these important matters on the recognition and reception of the true presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. May we continue to do that with a spirit of reverence, honor, and love.
In The Joy of Jesus,
Fr. Jeff
"Speak The Truth with Love," A Catholic Blog by Fr. Jeff Allan 