|
Holy Communion
is the reception of the Blessed Sacrament that has been confected
by a priest during the Holy Mass. The Blessed Sacrament may only be
received by one who:
-
is a living human
being
-
is baptized
-
has proper
intent
- has
fasted the proper amount of time: 3 hours from solid foods and
alcohol and 1 hour from other liquids. Water does not break the
fast. Holy Viaticum -- the "Food for the Journey" given during
Extreme Unction -- may be given at any time.
-
is in a state of
grace, i.e., is not in a state of mortal sin. If one is in a state of mortal
sin, he must go to Confession first lest he sin
further as St. Paul warns in I Corinthians 11:26-30:
"Therefore whosoever
shall eat this bread, or drink the chalice of the Lord unworthily, shall
be guilty of the body and of the blood of the Lord. But let a man prove himself:
and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of the chalice. For he that eateth
and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning
the body of the Lord. Therefore are there many infirm and weak among you,
and many sleep."
In addition,
because Communion is also a sign of Christian unity, those who
receive are declaring to the world that they accept all of the
dogmas of the Church. Canon Law affirms the Apostolic practice
of the Church in insisting that priests refuse Communion to
those who are "manifest, obstinate, persistent sinners" -- i.e.,
those who are public sinners (which includes those who publicly
disagree with Church teaching) who refuse to publicly repent
- lest they cause scandal and confuse others as to what Church
teaching is. Those who disagree with what the Church teaches
should not try to receive Communion.
Summary: one in grave sin is to police himself and refrain from receiving
Communion until he's received the Sacrament of Penance. If he fails to, his
spiritual father is to advise him in order to make him aware of his sin and
of the added sin of receiving Communion while not in a state of grace. If,
after being advised by his spiritual father, he still fails to police himself,
he is to be prevented from receiving the Eucharist, especially if the grave
sin is a public one.
The
Holy Eucharist must be received at least once during the Easter
Season, by those who've reached the age of reason, and shouldn't
be received more than once a day (unless it is given as Viaticum
during Extreme Unction).
The matter of the Sacrament itself are wheat bread made only of flour and
water, with nothing added (no leavening, no honey, no spices, etc. --
nothing may be added) and wine fermented from grape juice.
The former is confected by God through a true priest using the words:
This is My Body
Latin: Hoc est enim Corpus Meum.
The
latter is confected by the words "this is the Chalice of My Blood,"
spoken in the below context in the Traditional Mass:
For this is the
Chalice of My Blood, of the new and eternal Testament: the Mystery of Faith:
which shall be shed for you and for many unto the remission of sins
Latin: Hic est enim Calix Sanguinis mei, novi et aeterni
testamenti: mysterium fidei:
qui pro vobis et pro multis effundetur in remissionem peccatorum.
After the substance
of bread and wine are changed into His Body and Blood, the accidents -- the
appearance, taste, texture of bread and wine -- remain, but what looks like
"bread" and "wine" are, in substance, the Body, Blood, Soul,
and Divinity of Christ. In other words, outside of Eucharistic miracles which
have taken place over 2,000 years, what the eyes and mouth see and taste
are the accidents of "bread" and "wine," but what is truly received
is Christ and remains Christ until and unless the accidents change
such that they are no longer compatible with the species of "bread" and "wine."
By this we know, for example, that once the Host goes into one's stomach
and is digested, or if a liquid were added to the Precious Blood such that
the accidents are no longer recognizable as the accidents of "wine," the
Sacrament is no longer there.
Because of the above, it is not okay to refer to the Blessed Sacrament
as "bread" or to the Precious Blood as "wine." Once the bread and
wine have been consecrated, they are no longer "bread" and "wine";
they are Christ -- Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, and the proper
words to use to speak of them are "Blessed Sacrament," "Holy Eucharist,"
"Precious Blood," "Sacred Host" ("Host" comes from the Latin word
"hostia" meaning "victim"), etc. The consecrated Hosts
and Precious Blood are and will remain Christ regardless of the
faith of the people in the pews. They are and will remain Christ
whether on the Altar or in the tabernacle or in your mouth or, God
forbid, on the floor. They are and will remain Christ for ten years
or a thousand years, as long as the accidents of bread and wine
remain.
The Precious Blood is always consumed totally at the Mass, and the
priest will always consume one Sacred Host, distributing others
to the people, if present. Remaining Hosts are kept in a ciborium
inside the tabernacle between Masses, and this Divine Presence is
signaled to us by the sanctuary lamps that burn always outside the
tabernacles of our churches and invite us to adore Him and be in
His Presence to pray.
The effects of receiving the Sacrament are:
-
union, by love,
with Christ
-
an increase in
sanctifying grace in the soul when received by a "living member of the Church"
(i.e., one who is in a state of grace)
-
the blotting out
venial sin and preserving the soul from mortal sin, in proportion to the
communicant's devotion
-
the rewards promised
by Christ in His words, "He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, hath
everlasting life: and I will raise him up on the last day."
The
proper way to receive the Blessed Eucharist at the altar rail at
Mass is to kneel and fold one's hands in the "prayer" gesture (or
place them under the houseling cloth at the altar rail, if such
a cloth is used; don't touch the cloth or the rail in either case).
An altar boy will hold a paten underneath your chin so that no precious
particles will fall to the floor. The priest will bless you by making
a Sign of the Cross with the Sacrament (a small one in the air)
and then place the Sacrament on your tongue, all while saying these
words:
Latin:
Corpus Dómini
nostri Jesu Christi custódiat ánimam tuam in vitam æternam.
Amen. |
May the Body of
Our Lord Jesus Christ preserve your soul unto life everlasting. Amen. |
Open your mouth
wide enough and stick out your tongue far enough to easily receive the Sacrament
(once received, do not respond "Amen" as is done in the Novus Ordo Rite).
Most people make the Sign of the Cross after receiving
Communion.
Please note that the Holy Eucharist is not chewed, but allowed to
dissolve in the mouth. This is to avoid having the smallest particle
stuck in one's teeth where it might be desecrated later by coming
into contact with the profane. Having the very Body, Blood, Soul,
and Divinity of Christ mingle with a gulp of Mountain Dew is hardly
the treatment He deserves -- but pondering the very possibility
of such a thing is to induce gratitude for the amazing humility
with which He comes to us under the appearance of bread; why, if
He were to come to us in a way that revealed His glory to our senses,
we would no doubt die from being in the Presence of such obvious
Holiness.
The Holy Eucharist should never be touched but by consecrated hands
(i.e., the hands of a priest, who is the ordinary minister of the
Sacrament, or of an ordained deacon, who is the extraordinary minister
of the Sacrament.)
When offering the Holy Eucharist outside of the Mass (such as during
sick calls or Extreme Unction), the priest wears a surplice and
stole. If the communicant (the one receiving Communion) is able
to kneel, he should; if he is bedridden, a white linen cloth should
be laid over his breast to ensure no particles fall and are desecrated.
If one is unable to receive the Host, the priest may arrange for
some of the Precious Blood to be given instead. Either species --
i.e., either the Host or the Precious Blood - is "the entire
Christ" - Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, so one should
never feel as though one is being "deprived" by receiving Christ
in one form rather than the other.
A beautiful, traditional, partially indulgenced prayer to pray after
receiving Communion is the "Anima Christi" a favorite
prayer of St. Ignatius of Loyola. The origins of this ancient prayer
are unknown, but it dates to at least 1334 AD.
|
Soul of
Christ
|
|
Anima
Christi |
Soul of Christ,
sanctify me.
Body of Christ, save me.
Blood of Christ, inebriate me.
Water from the side of Christ, wash me.
Passion of Christ, strengthen me.
O good Jesus, hear me.
Within Thy wounds, hide me.
Permit me never to be separated from Thee.
From the malignant enemy, defend me.
At the hour of death, call me.
And bid me to come unto Thee,
That there with Thy Saints I may praise Thee
For all eternity. Amen. |
|
Anima Christi,
sanctifica me.
Corpus Christi, salva me.
Sanguis Christi, inebria me.
Aqua lateris Christi, lava me.
Passio Christi, conforta me.
O bone Iesu, exaudi me.
Intra tua vulnera absconde me.
Ne permittas me separari a te.
Ab hoste maligno defende me.
In hora mortis meae voca me.
Et iube me venire ad te,
Ut cum Sanctis tuis laudem te
in saecula saeculorum. Amen. |
First Communion
If one grows up in the Church, First Communion is offered at the
discretion of one's priest. It may be given to a lone child after
the priest has discerned that the child understands the Sacrament
and is able to form proper intent, or it may be given to a group
of children who've been properly prepared together, such as a second
grade class. In either case, the Sacrament of Confession is received
first before Communion.
Little boys will dress in their finest suits, and little girls will often
wear special white First Communion dresses and veils (their dresses should
fit the rules of feminine modesty in Church -- nothing sleeveless, etc.).
On a mundane, sociological level, a child's "First Communion" is a rite of
passage, an acknowledgement that he
has reached the age of reason and is now liable for many of the penalties
involved in ecclesiastical censure; it is, in other words, a marker that
the child is growing up... Gifts are given to the new communicant (typically
Rosaries, prayer books, Bibles, etc.), and a party typically follows the
Mass during which he first receives the Sacrament.
While a child's First Communion should be memorable and very beautiful,
it should, above all, be holy and with all priorities in place.
On the more fundamental and profound level, First Communion is an
initiation into one of the Great Mysteries. Parents should prepare
the child by firmly grounding him in basic catechesis. While it's
the priest's decision as to whether or not your child is adequately
prepared, it is your job as a parent or godparent to do the preparing;
it is the parents and godparents who are ultimately responsible
for the Catholic education of the child. The child should understand
what Transubstantiation is. He should know that God, Who created
all things -- the Sun and Moon and Stars -- is able to speak things
into reality, and that at the Mass, this is what God, through His
priest does. The child should understand that though the accidents
of bread and wine remain, what the bread and wine truly become is
Sacrament. They will learn all of this best by watching the adults
around them, especially parents and godparents, who should ask themselves:
- Do
I treat and speak of the Blessed Sacrament with reverence?
- Do
I kneel toward the tabernacle when I enter a church?
- Do
I fast before receiving Communion?
- Am
I sure to never receive the Sacrament in a state of mortal sin?
- Do
I make visits to the Blessed Sacrament?
Your children will
learn more from your example than anything else.
As to preparation for the Rite itself, parents and godparents should consider
the natural intimidation that most children experience in such formal
circumstances (especially if the child is receiving his First Communion
alone) and affirm their child
emotionally, letting them know it's OK to be nervous. A "practice-run" with
everyday, ordinary bread might be helpful, with the parent or godparent showing
the child the proper posture and gesture. Anticipate the child's questions
("What will it taste like?" for example) and encourage the child to express
any concerns and fears he might have. Teach him to pray the sentiments expressed
in the Anima Christi prayer, if not the prayer itself, after receiving the
Host. Perhaps getting a holy card that contains
this prayer, or writing the prayer out for him on a small piece of paper
so he can refer to it after Communion will help.
I'll note here, too, that Pope St. Pius X, the "Pope of
the Eucharist" is one of the patrons of First Communicants
as it was he who encouraged frequent and early Communion -- as soon
as a child is able to understand the Sacrament -- in the Latin Church.
Teach your child about this great Pope and encourage him to pray
to him, asking St. Pius X to intercede in making your child's First
Communion most fruitful. One standard prayer to this holy man is
this one, the first part of which is most appropriate to the day:
Glorious
Pope of the Eucharist, St. Pius X, who sought to restore all things
in Christ, obtain for me a true love of Jesus that I may live only
for Him. Help me, that, with lively fervor and a sincere will to
strive for sanctity of life, I may daily avail myself of the riches
of the Holy Eucharist in Sacrifice and Sacrament. By your love for
Mary Mother and Queen of all, inflame my heart with tender devotion
to her.
Blessed model of the priesthood, obtain for us holy and zealous priests and
increase vocations to the religious life. Dispel heresy and incline hearts
to peace and concord, that all nations may place themselves under the sweet
reign of Christ. Amen.
St. Pius X, pray for me.
Another patron
of First Communicants is Blessed Imelda Lambertini (1322-1333 AD), who
died while receiving her First Holy Communion. Very much in love with Jesus,
she'd begged her family to let her live at the Dominican convent at the age
of nine. Her family relented, as did the Dominicans, but she still could
not yet receive Communion. She longed for it, however, would watch the Sisters
receive Our Lord, and would pray for spiritual
Communion. One day -- it was the Vigil of the Ascension -- she was making
her spiritual Communion, and the Sisters saw a beautiful light glowing over
her, and a Host at the center of it, hovering above her head. The priest
was summoned, and Imelda received the Eucharist at once -- but in such an
ecstasy that she literally died of love. Her incorrupt body can be seen in
Church of Saint Sigismondo in Bologna. Italy. Pope St. Pius X made her a Patroness of First
Communicants. |
|
