2009 Jun 14 SUN:THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST S
Ex 24: 3-8/ Ps 115(116): 12-13. 15-16. 17-18 (13)/ Heb 9: 11-15/ Mk 14: 12-16. 22-26
From today’s readings: “All that the LORD has said, we will heed and do.... I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.... When Christ came as high priest of the good things that have come to be, passing through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made by hands, that is, not belonging to this creation, He entered once for all into the sanctuary.... While they were eating, He took bread, said the blessing, broke it, gave it to them, and said, ‘Take It; this is My Body!’ ” Cautions about Receiving Holy Communion Both the wicked and the good
eat of this celestial Food:
but with ends how opposite!
With this most substantial Bread,
unto life or death they're fed,
in a difference infinite!
These words of warning are found in St. Thomas Aquinas’ sublime sequence in praise of Corpus Christi, the august Sacrament of the Body of Christ. For his part, St. Thomas was simply repeating the constant teaching of the Church, which can be traced all the way back to the warning given by St. Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians (11:27-32), that anyone participating in the Eucharistic banquet who eats and drinks unworthily, without discerning the Body, eats and drinks judgment on himself!
In short, there is no such thing as a “Casual Communion,” because whenever a person receives the Body of Christ, there is a profound effect of one sort or another, leading to either salvation or condemnation. Truly, Christ wants to give Himself wholly to everyone, but logically, everyone should first prepare himself wholly to welcome this Little White Guest. That’s why going to Mass is an essential part of fulfilling the commandment to keep the Lord’s Day holy; however, it is not the expectation that everyone receive Communion every Sunday - in fact, there are clear cases when that should not happen.
And so, just as there are reasons not to take certain foods and medicines at certain times, there are also reasons not to receive Communion in certain circumstances. Dieticians and doctors and will detail the directives to follow in eating earthly food and medicine, and so priests and preachers must likewise faithfully present the precautions to observe in partaking of heavenly Medicine and Food, and thus this Feast of Corpus Christi is the right time to review four reasons which would impede one from receiving Holy Communion.
First of all, it’s never a good idea to eat something when you don’t even know what it is that you’re eating! One of the earliest lessons that babies need to learn is that you can’t just put everything in your mouth, and of course adults, for their part, rightfully insist that public health authorities monitor and certify that food processing and packaging is duly sanitized.
In the first several years of my own life, I did not receive Communion because I simply didn’t know what It was! I understandably regarded the Host as merely a small piece of bread or candy, and I failed to recognize It as truly the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ. And so, if the priest presented that to me with the words, “The Body of Christ,” I would not have been ready to honestly reply, “Amen!” for that little word precisely means, “I believe! Yes, this is so!” Clearly, given my lack of understanding, it would have been inappropriate and impudent for me at that time in my life to receive Communion.
Likewise, if you don’t yet know what the Eucharist is, if your idea of communion is separated in any degree from the Catholic Church’s teaching, then it would be most appropriate for you to wait to receive Communion until the time comes when your sincere “Amen!” would confess wholeheartedly, in communion with the whole Catholic Church, that the Sacrament is indeed more than just a symbol - it’s what Jesus Himself declared it to be, His Body, His Blood! For Christ Himself is the divine authority who, through His priests, still duly sanctifies the lowly bread and common wine and so certifies those elements after the consecration as His Body and Blood.
The second reason for refraining from eating at a particular time simply is in recognition that all food is less appetizing after a person has already just recently eaten, particularly if what is already digesting might disagree with something new. So, for instance, if a person has just finished a full meal topped with a dessert of ice cream and cake, he’s not going to have a good disposition to follow that with a vinegar salad. As another example, we’re all aware that some medicines must be taken on an empty stomach.
The Church’s practice calls those who intend to receive Holy Communion to prepare their bodies with a modest fast of one hour, refraining from earthly food and drink (although water or necessary medicines may be taken) for that short time in order to be better disposed to receive the Eucharist, which St. Ignatius of Antioch rightly called the “Medicine of Immortality.” I recall one time in my youth when my family and I went to Mass on some holy day right after our evening dinner. Since we had just eaten so recently, none of us approached the altar at Communion time, although in our silent prayers, we did express our hunger to receive our Lord into our hearts, and so in that time, we at least had the benefit of that spiritual communion with Jesus.
Likewise, if you’re neglecting to prepare your own body to receive the Body of Christ, if you’re forgetting to fast for at least an hour before Communion, then the best way to sharpen your appetite for receiving the Bread of Life is to hold back at this time from approaching the altar, and instead, prayerfully express your whole-hearted desire to receive the Eucharistic Lord, at least spiritually at this moment, but then sacramentally, when you have more fully prepared. This principle also holds for those who have been chewing gum or candy before Mass (or Heaven forbid, even during Mass!) or drinking coffee or soda or taking any snack less than an hour before Communion, because clearly it would be trivializing the Bread of Angels to eat or drink such things right before Holy Communion!
The third reason we occasionally forego a meal has to do with our frame of mind. When we’re intensely pre-occupied with a particular issue, that can lead to butterflies in the stomach, which would certainly curtail the appetite. Or there’s times when we’re completely engaged in some exciting activity, and so, we just don’t feel much hunger, even when dinner time approaches.
Whenever I had the chance to travel as a seminarian, I would always include a visit to the local church, generally with enough planning to also attend and have ample time for Mass, and this was certainly the case for every Sunday, at least. And this was never resented as an imposition on my free time, for the sharing in the life of faith and the awe of praying in great cathedrals which were such monuments to the culture’s faith immeasurably enriched my travel experiences! But I do confess that there was one Sunday when I was touring England, I believe, and while I did stop at a rather plain church for Mass, I was a few minutes late. But worse still, throughout almost the whole liturgy, my mind was mostly engaged in reviewing my itinerary for the rest of the day: what I’d be seeing, where I’d be going next, what train connections I needed to make, and where I would spend the night. Well, there’s a reason that Communion comes towards the end of Mass, since everything before that point thus helps in our preparation of mind, body, and soul. So when I found myself kneeling down after the Lamb of God, I suddenly realized that I had no idea what the Scripture readings had been about, I hadn’t paid any attention to the homily, I couldn’t recall any degree of putting myself into the penitential rite or the offering, I hadn’t really prayed for others even during the intercessions, I hadn’t entered the sacrificial spirit of the liturgy, I couldn’t remember singing even one of the hymns - in short, I had missed out on nearly the entire experience of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. I was there in body, I guess, but my mind had been elsewhere. Because I had been lackadaisical before Mass, and so inattentive during Mass, even though it was unintentional, I had needlessly forfeited so many blessings that God had offered to fortify and ready me for that intimate encounter with His Son in the Eucharist. And so, it was my fault that I simply was not well enough prepared to receive Christ - if I had approached Him at that moment for Communion, the sincerity of my spoken “Amen” would have been compromised and at least partially contradicted by my disregard for Him in the earlier parts of the Mass. So that Sunday, instead of going to Communion, I just quietly knelt in place, and sincerely begged God to forgive me for my earlier lack of awareness, respect, and reverence, and implored the good Lord to help me in my thoughts, words, and actions henceforth to acknowledge His rightful and central place in every aspect and moment of my life.
If, like me on that sad Sunday, if you’re missing the divine message of the Scripture readings today, if your mind is focused elsewhere throughout the Mass, if you see no reason to personally commit to the penitential prayers, if you’re not ready to offer at least part of your heart at the altar, if you find yourself too distracted to pray for others (and yourself!), if you think the homily is for everyone else, but not for you, if you’re unwilling to enter the sacrificial mystery of the Mass, well, then my guess (and it’s a well-educated guess!) is that you’re simply not going to be at all ready to receive Christ, the King of Kings, in Communion, and so it would be much better instead to humbly beg God to forgive the misplaced priorities of the past, and help you to recognize and warmly welcome all the many blessings He sends to draw you to Himself.
And finally, there are times when we must turn down even the most wholesome food because of some serious sickness which prevents us from digesting as long as the disease continues to ravage our body. In such a situation, it’s counter-productive to even dare swallowing a morsel - in fact, we discover that everything else in our lives can be put on hold, and needs to be put on hold, while we focus on addressing such a grave illness, turning to God and a doctor for help in getting the awful germs cleaned out of our system.
There was one time in my life, long ago in my days as a student, when I recollect coming to Mass with a grievous weight on my heart. I had just left behind a horribly heated argument, and I had said some things I wish I had never said, and I had also been quite hurt by the other’s cruel remarks, which would in time come to be regretted tearfully as well. I struggled to biblically bind those gaping wounds with the wisdom of the Word of God, with the penance, and praise, and prayers of the whole Mass, but it wasn’t enough, for before such grievous injuries could even be bandaged up, they needed to be thoroughly washed clean, and salved with nothing less than divine mercy! I didn’t receive Communion at that Mass - indeed, I wouldn’t have been able to stomach Him in that way then, for my insides had been too upset, and soured and spoiled by sin. So after Mass, I went to confession as soon as I could to repent sincerely of my sins, and then apologized, and also shared the mercy and stretched the reconciling embrace to my partner in argument.
Likewise, if you’re in a state of grave sin - even if, and especially if, that’s not weighing much at this moment on your heart or nodding conscience, please, I pray, come to grips with the seriousness of your situation, and set aside everything to address the deadly disease of sin, for until you do, the wholesomeness of the Eucharist can only be counter-productive. So, for your own sake, do not compromise yourself further with a sacrilegious Communion! If you’ve inexcusably and deliberately missed Sunday Mass or otherwise failed in basic respect to God and God-given authority, if you’ve willingly inflicted severe harm of any sort on another person, if you’ve had or counseled another to have an abortion, if you’re divorced and married outside the Church, if you’ve fallen into adultery, habitual masturbation or pornography, if you and your spouse have embraced a contraceptive practice and mentality, if you’ve stolen or cheated in a big way, if you’ve been living a lie, if you’re coveting the lives and goods of others while neglecting to thank God and make the most of the blessings He provides for you - if any such serious sins or others are yet infecting your soul, then clearly, you’re not in the right state for intimate Communion with Christ until you’ve repented, and been absolved and reconciled with God in sacramental confession!
Indeed, there are these four and even other substantial reasons to refrain when necessary from receiving Communion, but all of those reasons should be recognized as ultimately temporary and provisional, for they only exist to lead us to the more eternal and substantial reasons for always preparing ourselves as best as possible to receive Communion, to welcome our loving God with heart, mind, and body, as we unite ourselves completely in Communion with the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
