Preparing for the Eucharist

Father Louis Petruha OFM.Cap.
Pastor

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Our late Pope, John Paul II, wrote a superb encyclical letter entitled "Ecclesia de Eucharistia".  It is a beautiful presentation on "The Eucharist".  In this Encyclical letter to the whole Church, our Holy Father draws our attention to the Presence of Christ in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and also in His abiding Presence in the Tabernacle.  In short he says that "The Eucharist is both a mystery of faith and a mystery of light. Whenever the Church celebrates the Eucharist, the Faithful can in some way relive the experience of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus: ‘their eyes were opened and they recognized him’."  When we come into our Church to celebrate the Eucharist or, for that matter, any of the other Sacraments, we are blessed to be greeted by this Emmaus scene depicted in our sanctuary.  Our eyes are continually opened to this encounter with Christ in the Sacred Liturgy and in all the Sacraments we celebrate in our beautiful church. Because of the Eucharist we celebrate, the abiding Presence of Christ remains in the Tabernacle and our Church is a holy place.

The Church is a holy place.  Holy things are carried out here. As with all holy places or in those special spaces where great events have taken place, we need to enter with profound respect and reverence.  For these reasons I want to call attention to the Holiness of our Liturgies and the sacredness of our Liturgical space with the hope that all of us can be imbued with deep reverence for what we do here and for what we believe happens in our sacred space.  With this in mind, I would like to make the following points so that our faith and actions will aid us in our spiritual journey and that our decorum will reflect our faith in the Eucharist, Christ’s Presence in the Blessed Sacrament and in reverence for all the holy actions that occur in our Church.

Spiritual Preparation                            

First of all, reverence for the church, along with understanding the Eucharist, begins at home with spiritual preparation in our hearts. Knowing that we come to celebrate the Sacraments, and particularly the Mass, we need to begin preparation with a prayerful attention and intention to enter into what we are about to do. Prayerful attention and intention means:

-that we decide well enough in advance which Mass we will attend and prepare enough time so that we can come to Church with a peaceful heart and be prepared to enter the Liturgical spirit of the day:

-that our heart and soul should be free of serious sin; if we have serious sin or if we "have something against our brother" it should be resolved before we come to Church as far as possible. Usually this means receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This may not always be possible, but we need to make the effort or at least pray an Act of Perfect Contrition with the intention of receiving Reconciliation as soon as possible;

-fasting from food and drink, with the exception of water and medicine, an hour before Communion is also the rule of spiritual etiquette called for by the Church.

-gum should be discarded well in advance of entering the Church;

- making bathroom stops beforehand needs to be a regular part of our preparation routine;

- dress appropriately for the occasion. While it is true that God doesn’t care what we wear, it is also true that what we wear shows how much we care about God, the people we are with and what we are doing. Proper clothes and good taste also reflect reverence and respect;

- patience with each other, and patience for the other, needs to occupy our hearts.

Church is a Habit of the Heart   

All of us need our own routines. Personal, as well as agreed upon rituals, should be part of our Church routine. Rituals encourage our faith and reflect our faith. Even when Rituals become routine, they still have a part to play in our spiritual lives. They become Habits of the Heart. Here are some rituals that should be routine, which reflect and refresh our faith:

-observe respectful silence upon entering the Church proper;

- bless yourself with holy water, which recalls our baptism, purifies us, and reminds us of the basic Creed of our faith;

-genuflect or bow toward the tabernacle before you enter your pew.  Place yourself in the presence of God. Acknowledge the Presence of God.  Remember what you are about to do.

-say a simple prayer after being settled. St. Francis used this one: "We adore You O Christ and we bless You, here and in all the churches of the world."

-thank God for being present and put your needs before the Lord;

-use the Missalette to find the readings of the Day; prepare to hear God’s Word;

-listen to the Homily for your personal message.

Personal Participation                                   

The Celebration of the Mass is always enhanced by our "personal" participation.  The participation includes praying the Responses with the other members of the congregations: singing the hymns and responsorial psalm, as well as other parts of the Mass, which call for a sung response.  Each of us celebrates the Liturgy along with the priest who is the "presider" of the Liturgy. Participation by word, song and attention creates a personal enthusiasm for worship and spreads to other members of the congregation.  Parents especially need to give this example to their children and all children.

Individual Prayer                              

The celebration of Mass also gives us the opportunity for personal prayer and quiet as well. Such times include:

-a short quiet time to reflect at the Penitential Rite;

-a period of quiet after the priest says: "let us pray" before the first prayer;

- a period of quiet after each of the readings;

- a longer period of personal prayer after Communion while the priest "purifies" the sacred vessels. This special time of quiet prayer concludes with the Prayer after Communion.

Communion is the Heart of the Eucharist

Communion is a very special Ritual and gift in the Catholic Church because we believe that we receive the Body and Blood of Christ. Receiving Communion not only allows us to become one with Christ, but also one with each other in a Communion of belief. Catholics may receive Communion when they attend Mass provided they are:

-properly disposed: that is spiritually motivated to receive the Eucharist;

-fasted for an hour before Communion;

- are not conscious of any grave sin.

Persons who are conscious of grave sin, but cannot easily receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, may receive Communion after an Act of Perfect Contrition and with the intention of receiving Reconciliation at the first possible time. (Canon 916).

Christians of other denominations are normally excluded from receiving Communion.  The principle reason for this is not that they don’t believe in Communion as the Presence of Christ (although this belief varies widely), but rather that non-Catholics are not in full communion of faith with us.  Hopefully, this division in the Church will one day be reconciled.

                                                                           

Holy Communion Properly Received 

Currently, most Catholics receive Communion in the hand and then place the Host in their own mouths.  The proper way to do this is by placing the hand you will use to place Communion in your mouth under the hand that will receive the Host from the priest or minister.  The hands should be extended in an open fashion so that the Host can be placed properly.  The hands held open is a sign of our humility: we come to the Lord and receive Him with open hands. Never should you "take" the host between your fingers from the priest or minister.

The second way of receiving Communion is by extending the tongue and having the priest or minister place the Host on your tongue.  This too is a sign of humility and respect for the Body of Christ.

Receiving the Chalice with the Sacred Blood of Christ completes a fuller Symbol of the Communion Rite.  Persons receiving from the Chalice should firmly grasp the Cup from the minister and firmly hand it back after taking from the Chalice.

Before receiving the Host or receiving the Chalice, Communicants should bow their heads slightly, again as a sign of recognition and humility, and respond to the words "The Body of Christ" and "The Blood of Christ" with a simple "Amen".

Bowing rather than genuflecting at Communion is the protocol our National Bishops have approved as a communal sign of reverence for receiving the Eucharist.

After Communion                            

Upon receiving Communion, persons should return to their pews in simple silence and either kneel or sit for their personal Communion prayer or join in the Communion hymn.  After Communion is distributed to all the people, and when the priest is seated, there will be a longer period of silence for the whole congregation.  This period of total silence is a powerful sign of respect and reverence for the Presence of Christ within each of us.  The Communion Rite will conclude when the priest says:"Let us pray" and then proceeds to pray the Communion prayer.  Needless to say no one should leave the Church until this final prayer and blessing.

Leaving the Church before Communion or during Communion is counterproductive to the faith we profess in the Presence of Christ at Communion and is a bad example to younger people.  There may be times when necessity means leaving before Mass in completely over, but that should be rare for everyone.  Certainly, it should not be part of our routine

Preparing Children for Church 

Children are especially welcomed at our Church. We try to accommodate them with their own Liturgy of the Word as well as a Nursery for parents who have this special need.  While it may be difficult on Sunday morning to get everybody dressed and out of the house in good time, parents also need to prepare the hearts of their children for what they are about to participate in.  Parents can do this in the same way and with the same amount of time they may take to prepare children in anticipation for a visit to grandparents or a wedding reception.  First of all:

-Boundaries and rules need to be "age appropriate" and agreed on by both parents.

-Expectations ought to be clear and uncomplicated.

-Younger children especially learn well with a simple method of reward for actions done well or by punishment when the child fails to live up to expectations that are reasonable and age appropriate.  Expectations will become greater as children get older.

Preparation for Mass and basic Religious Education needs to begin at home with Mom and Dad.  Religious Education begins by speaking about God and Jesus on a daily basis and the reasons why we worship God on Sunday. Parents also need to teach their children the basic prayers of our faith:

- The Sign of the Cross, The Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory be along with an Act of Contrition.

- Words like "holy" and "sacred" should be used to show the importance of what takes place and where it will take place.

-Children should know the difference between going to the Theater or Ball game and going to Church.

Some Preparation is Needed 

The best way to do all this is by the family establishing a routine for coming to Mass or other functions that take place in Church, in God’s House, which demands certain respect and behavior. Don’t scare children, teach them respect as you would for any other special place or occasion. Some ideas to try:

-sit close to the front, if possible;

-try to get to Mass a little ahead of time and stay a few minutes after;

-use common sense in terms of noise – do not be too quick to jump if there is some little noise or murmuring, (they are children, not adults), but if your baby is wailing or your child is "having a melt down," take him/her to the hallway or narthex;

- leave the toys at home. If a child needs a blanket or favorite stuffed animal that’s fine (and quiet). If something else is necessary, bring a colorful Bible book or a book on a saint or, better yet, one on the Mass.

-"game boys", ipods and other electronic toys are not only inappropriate; in fact their use at Mass is disrespectful to God, to the priest and to other parishioners.

Parents should use opportunities to teach all the parts of the Mass – especially the reading of the Scriptures, the Eucharistic Prayer and the Communion Rite.  The more we know and the more faithful we are, the better we will be able to teach our children.  Start young and stay at it.  Sometimes it might not seem like they are getting it at all, but they will probably get a lot more than we realize and surprise us from time to time.  Children learn by routines and example.

Leaving the Church                             

The concluding blessing of the priest is: "The Mass is ended. Go in Peace to love and serve the Lord."  That indeed should be our parting thought and prayer.  Therefore, after the Mass is over, there should be a respectful quiet in the Church so that people who want to pray a little longer will be able to do so in relative quiet.  Discussion, conversation and other business needs to be done in the lobby or the narthex area.