Dear Friends,
Having spent enough time discussing various aspects of preparation for the reception of Holy Communion, it is now time to move into the actual reception of Holy Communion. Before reverently consuming the consecrated Host, the priest prays silently, “May the Body of Christ keep me safe for eternal life,” and before reverently consuming the Precious Blood, he prays, “May the Blood of Christ keep me safe for eternal life.” In Latin, these are translated as “Corpus Christi custodiat me in vitam aeternam,” and “Sanguis Christi custodiat me in vitam aeternam.” I mention the Latin translations of what is said because of how Holy Communion was distributed before the changes in the Mass after the Second Vatican Council. In the traditional Latin Mass, communicants (those receiving the Blessed Sacrament) would kneel at the altar rail, and the priest placed the Blessed Sacrament on a person’s tongue. As he did that, he prayed, “Corpus Domini Nostri Iesu Christi custodiat animam tuam in vitam aeternam. Amen.” In other words, as a person received the Eucharist, the priest was praying, “May the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ keep you safe for eternal life. Amen.” While the communicant did not verbally respond, what a beautiful prayer this was for the communicant!
A priest is an Ordinary Minister of Holy Communion, and so is a deacon, although the deacon has been considered the “minister of the chalice”—in other words, he distributes the Precious Blood when it is available. Lay people are permitted to distribute Holy Communion—many are committed to bringing the Blessed Sacrament to the homebound and to those in hospitals and nursing homes—but they are called Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion. What all this means is that it is proper for a priest and deacon to distribute the Eucharist during the Communion Rite; basically, it’s part of their job, liturgically speaking. When need arises for more people to distribute Holy Communion, lay people may serve as Extraordinary Ministers.
When a person approaches to receive Holy Communion, the priest, deacon, or Extraordinary Minister states, “The Body of Christ,” and the communicant responds, “Amen.” As I previously mentioned, that response is, in essence, saying, “Indeed,” or “It is so!” “Amen” has been translated as “I believe,” but it is much more emphatic than a simple statement. To what are we saying “It is so!”? That what is held before us, what we are about to receive is indeed the Body (and Blood) of Christ.
It is also good for us to think about this: that Mass is the renewal of the new and everlasting covenant that God has enacted with us by virtue of Jesus’ Last Supper, Passion, Death, and Resurrection. By stating “Amen,” we are renewing our participation in that covenant to give ourselves fully, totally, and completely to God. Just as Jesus gives Himself to us truly, really, actually, substantially to us in the Blessed Sacrament, so we, by stating “Amen,” are giving ourselves back in return to Him. As Jesus has given up His life for our sake and our salvation, we are, by receiving Holy Communion and stating “Amen,” stating implicitly that we are willing to lay down our lives for Jesus, that we are willing to die for Jesus. It is for this reason that we should take approaching Holy Communion reverently and seriously.
Because of this, we now talk about receiving Holy Communion. We are doing just that: receiving, not taking, Holy Communion, so don’t grasp for or grab at the Eucharist. For centuries, people received the Blessed Sacrament at the altar rail, on the tongue. While this isn’t commonly done anymore, it’s worthwhile to think about the message this conveyed: that what is being received is infinitely valuable, precious, and sacred; that what is going on is completely different from anything else. Now, we commonly stand while receiving the Eucharist and are permitted to receive in our hands—the priest placing the consecrated Host in one’s hands. We bow before receiving the Eucharist because it is a sign of reverence before the Lord of Heaven and earth.
We are saints under construction, renewing our commitment to God in the new covenant in the Eucharist. Have a great week!
In Christ,
Fr. Matt