June 3, 2018

Solemnity of the Body and Blood of the Lord (Corpus Christi)

“Consider at Whose Table Your Eat”

Msgr. Thomas Gervasio

In the 4^th century, St. John Chrysostom, a Father and Doctor of the Church, wrote this about the Eucharist: “Consider at whose table you eat! For we are fed with that which the angels view with trepidation and which they cannot contemplate without fear because of its splendor.” He had what Saint John Paul II centuries later would call “a sense of Eucharistic amazement.” Today’s solemnity is a summons for us to rekindle this sense of amazement.
 
The Church has celebrated this feast for over seven centuries. We could say that it was established as a response to the need to solemnly proclaim our faith in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Corpus Christi also serves as a sort of antidote to our forgetfulness. When things become so routine in our lives, it is easy to forget, to become rather lax. This feast reminds us to guard against the danger of our reception of the Eucharist becoming far too familiar, too routine, becoming just “another thing” that we do. Today’s solemnity reminds us that the Church must never forget that the Eucharist is Jesus. It is not just “something,” but “someone,” the Person of Christ who gives Himself to us in the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.
 
Our reception of the Holy Eucharist requires discernment. As a child, I recall having to pass in front of the people in my pew to go to communion. I also recall people passing in front of me. People reflected on whether or not they should approach the altar. Today practically everyone receives. The Church surely encourages frequent reception of the Holy Eucharist (after all it is the source of all our strength) but we must discern and keep in mind the words of St. Paul. In his letter to the Corinthians he writes: “Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord. A person should examine himself, and so eat the bread and drink the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning, eats and drinks judgment on himself.” (1 Cor 11: 27-28) Powerful words!
 
The Eucharist is so awesome a gift that we should be acutely aware of what we are doing when coming to Holy Communion. Our Holy Communion must never be reduced to a meaningless routine. The Church has four expectations of those who wish to receive the Eucharist:
 
Faith: We must possess a firm belief in what the Church teaches—that the Eucharist is no ordinary bread and wine but really and truly Jesus in the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. At times I hear people ask the person nearest them at communion time, “Are you going to take the wine?” It is not wine but the Precious Blood of Christ! Once, I administered the Precious Blood to a young man who after consuming the Precious Blood, exclaimed, “Ah, delicious!” We need to rekindle our faith in the Eucharist.
 
Fasting: We should not take any food or drink for one hour before receiving (water and medicine are exceptions). Fasting enables us to focus on the fact that we shall soon encounter the Lord.
 
Sacramental Confession: Anyone conscious of any grave (mortal) sin (e.g. missing Mass) should make a sacramental confession before receiving. Recall that the Lord commanded us to be reconciled before bringing our gift to the altar.
 
Proper Reception: The Church established a particular manner in which to receive in order to preserve our unity and reverence at Holy Communion: making a bow, responding “Amen,” and (if receiving in the hand) placing our hands in the prescribed manner. The host is never to be taken from the minister. Allow the sacred host to be given, that is to be placed in our hands. We should never carry the host away but consume it before returning to our place.
 
If the Lord of the universe, the God of all majesty, humbles Himself by coming to us under the form of bread and wine, should we not humble ourselves by our discernment so that we might receive Him worthily? “Consider at whose table you eat! For we are fed with that which the angels view with trepidation and which they cannot contemplate without fear because of its splendor.”