Thoughtful Reception of the Eucharist

At the Easter Vigil this year I gave five people who have been part of our Order of Christian Initiation (OCIA) group for the last year their First Communion in the Catholic Church. 

Next Sunday I will give four children their First Communion at our 10 am Mass. 

Then there are some people that have been away from the Catholic Church who have returned to the Sacraments and regular attendance at Mass. 

For each of these groups I think about what it was/will be like for them to receive their First Communion (or the first time they received Communion after years away). 

Do you remember your First Communion?  What do you remember about it?  I barely remember my First Communion.  I know it was at St. Mary Our Mother Church in Horseheads when I was in the second grade.  I remember dressing in a white shirt and tie.  I do not remember it as a spiritual moment.  I do not want to say it did not have spiritual significance for me.  I just do not remember it (49 years have passed). 

Do you have any idea how many times you have received Communion since the first time?  Do you realize that if you begin receiving Communion at the age of seven, live to the age of seventy-seven, and receive Communion every Sunday and Holy Day (six a year), you will have received Communion over 4,000 times?  What experiences do you remember of receiving Communion, receiving the Body and Blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? 

I remember when I returned to Church after sixteen years away.  I knew I was where I was supposed to be.  My experience in returning was a good one such that I went from not going at all to immediately going every week. 

After thinking about what your First Communion (or first time back after a long absence), ask yourself if receiving Communion has become routine for you.  What did it mean to you to receive Communion last Sunday? 

Did it feel routine?  Did it feel like an empty ritual?  Was it an encounter with God? 

Actually, I should not ask if it was an encounter with God because it is a fact that every time we receive Communion, it is an encounter with God because the bread and wine are transubstantiated into the Body and Blood of Jesus, the Son of God.  So, every single time we receive Communion it is an encounter with God.  The question then becomes do we feel it as an encounter with God or have we become complacent when receiving Communion.   

Or have we allowed sin to get in the way of experiencing the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist?  There is a remedy for this.  It is called the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  If receiving Communion is not an encounter with God for you, you should examine your conscience and give any sins over to God (see 1 Corinthians 11:27-30). 

Do you understand what we celebrate in the Eucharist? 

It is a meal we celebrate.  In earthly terms, what we receive is very little.  In spiritual terms, we are received the Body and Blood of Jesus as food for our souls. 

It is a sacrifice we celebrate.  It is the Sacrifice of Jesus giving his life on the Cross for us on the Cross.  It is the Sacrifice that makes possible the forgiveness of our sins.  Our venial sins are forgiven when we open ourselves to God’s mercy and the grace He offers us in the Eucharist.  Our mortal sins are forgiven in the Sacrament of Reconciliation through the power of this same Sacrifice. 

The Eucharist is a Sacrament of Initiation.  Certainly, it can be a very special moment the first time we receive the Eucharist.  It is an encounter with God every time we receive the Eucharist. 

What does receiving the Eucharist mean to you? 

For teaching on what the Eucharist is and means for us, see my “All Things Eucharist” page. 

Peace, 

Fr. Jeff