Where is My Mind?

To sum it all up, what generally happens during the Rite of Communion?

Once the priest(s) and other ministers (ordinary and/or extraordinary) make their way to their stations of distribution for communion, the congregation flows in an orderly and respectful way to the front of the church where they receive the Eucharist.  This should be done in a very reverent and prayerful way so that we can prepare our hearts and minds on our way up to receive the Risen Christ in the Eucharist.

How do we make sure we are reverently and prayerfully processing?  Well, for the most part, that’s between you and God.  Just talk to Him and ask for the gift of recognition of the gifts and blessings that come along with receiving Christ truly present in the Eucharist.  However, I CAN point out that a good way to DISTRACT yourself from what’s going on is to shake hands with and wave to everyone you see on your way up.  If you’re reading this, and you’re an usher at a church that uses ushers to guide each individual pew up to communion (which, for the record, seems a TAD unnecessary...most people sitting on the ends aren’t completely oblivious as to what’s going on with the pew in front of them…but that’s just my opinion—like so many other things I’ve said in this blog), PLEASE note that being an usher isn’t meant to be an easy way to mingle and say “hello” to everyone you see going up to communion.  Ushers shaking hands with people going up to communion is incredibly distracting to not only the people having their hands shaken, but also those who witness the conversation happening right in front of them while they’re trying to be prayerful.  It’s also distracting when you feel “obligated” to shake hands with an usher because you happen to know them and would normally shake hands with them under normal circumstances.  Just sayin’…

So once we prayerfully, reverently, and hand-shaking-less-ly make our way up to the Ordinary or Extraordinary Minister of Communion, this is where it gets back into our “lack of official guidance” category.  In the area I happen to live in, the norm directed by our neighboring archdiocese is that once you come face-to-face with the Minister of Holy Communion, you should bow to the Eucharist before you receive it, then once the minister says “The Body/Blood of Christ,” you respond, “Amen.”  After that, you consume the Eucharist, then make a sign of the cross (if you so desire), and make your way back to your pew to follow whatever post-communion activity your parish happens to partake in (see Too Much Confusion, I Can’t Get No Relief for that spiel). 

The Eucharist is regarded by the Catechism of the Catholic Church as the “source and summit of the Christian life.” (CCC 1324)  The graces that are attached to receiving the Eucharist that were promised by Jesus are way too numerous to mention in this blog, but I’d encourage you to do a bit of reading on your own.  (The link to the Catechism of the Catholic Church page on the Eucharist above is a good start.)  With all the graces that come from the Eucharist, it’s important that we make sure our minds and hearts are in the right place when we go up to receive the sacrament.  If not, we fall into the general concept of the “vain repetition” St. Paul talked about in 2 Timothy 2:16.  We need to be ACTIVELY participating in the liturgy so that we don’t just “go through the motions,” but we fully understand and realize what blessings we’re receiving by participating in the liturgy.  Don’t forget, the Eucharist (paired with the Penitential Rite and a repentant conscience) forgives venial sins.  (Check out Please Forgive Me, If I Can't Stop Lovin' You for a refresher on that concept.)

So just remember next time you’re going up to communion, that who you see along the way is not at all important.  What’s important is what you’re about to receive from thy bounty, through Christ our Lord, Amen….wow…that just sort of rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it?  Anyway, what’s important is what you’re about to receive in the gift of the Eucharist.  Think about that, and ONLY that on your way up to communion, and you’ll be on your way to getting the most out of your Mass.