Dear Friends in Christ,
We have often heard it quoted that “the Eucharist is the ‘source and summit’ of the Christian life.” (CCC, 1324) And so it is! But we receive the Eucharist from the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Therefore, it is incumbent upon all of us to grow in our love and respect for the Mass. Accordingly, it is important that I offer a few reminders concerning our actions at the Mass.
The Fast before Mass. Canon 919 of the Code of Canon Law states, “One who is to receive the Most Holy Eucharist is to abstain from any food or drink, with the exception of water and medicine, for at least the period of one hour before Holy Communion.” The rule has two exceptions: 1) Priests who celebrate more than one Mass a day, are only bound to the fast for the first Mass they celebrate and 2) Those who are elderly (at least 60 years of age) or sick as well as their caretakers can receive Communion even if a full hour fast has not been fulfilled. A couple of Sundays ago I saw no less than three people, well under age 60, chewing gum in the church before Mass. Chewing gum breaks the required fast; chewing gum has no place in any Catholic Church.
Receiving the Eucharist. In several homilies, I have stressed that the Church still teaches that receiving on the tongue remains the preferred way for communion. You can however receive in the hand, but you must do so properly and reverently. You should place your left hand over your right hand (or vice versa if left-handed), make a throne to receive our Lord, then pick the host up with your right hand and place it in your mouth. Some of you are still attempting to snatch the host from me with a pincer’s movement. Others are popping the host into their mouths with one hand as they would a vitamin pill. These actions are disrespectful to our Eucharistic Lord.
Dress and Prayer at Mass. Imagine that you were invited to the White House to dine with the President. How would you dress? What would you wear? Would you pause, pray, and reflect before going there? We need to approach the Eucharist with prayer, reverence, and awe. You should dress in some of your best attire when coming to Mass. We can and should do better than shorts, flip-flops, and a T-shirt. At the very minimum, can we at least wear “business casual?”
“Every Holy Mass, heard with devotion, produces in our souls marvelous effects, abundant spiritual and material graces which we, ourselves, do not know...It is easier for the earth to exist without the sun than without the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass!” Padre Pio.
All the best…in Christ.
Father Wilson
BACK TO LIST