PREAMBLE:
“The body and blood of Christ”, these
were the words of the priest that fateful Easter Sunday as I, clad in white
shirt and a pair of white trouser with my well-polished black shoe, kneeling
innocently and untainted in front of the altar responded “AMEN” in an angelic
tone. After undergoing rigorous catechetical classes, writing an examination
and going for confession, I was found worthy to have my soul as a dwelling
place for my Lord Jesus Christ. Days, months and years have passed and I have
frequently received Christ at Holy Communion. Often times I wonder why the
number of communicants is not usually equal the number of the congregation that
came for mass.
What draws us away from this heavenly and spiritual banquet?
Definition:
We know very
well what food can do for a hungry man. Food is any substance consumed to
provide nutritional support for the body. Our soul is hungry and yearning for
Christ our Lord. Holy Communion is a spiritual food for our soul; that is why
the outward sign of this sacrament (Bread and Wine) depicts nourishment. The
Eucharist which means ‘Thanksgiving’ is the body and blood of Jesus Christ
preset under the appearance of bread and wine .In John 6:53, Christ said
“Truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the son of man and drink his
blood, you have no life in you”, also in verse 56, He said “those who eat my
flesh and drink my blood live in me and I live in them” Now we can see that
Holy communion is very important for the spiritual growth of our soul.
Also in the old
testament, when the Israelites were in the desert, God gave them manna
(heavenly bread) and quails (cf. Ex. 16:12) which sustained them both
physically and spiritually in the desert. Furthermore, in (1Kings 19:5), when
Jezebel threatened to kill Elijah, Elijah flew to the wilderness where God also
fed him with the heavenly meal (Bread and Wine) which sustained him throughout
his stay there.
In Holy
Communion, something analogous happens to us spiritually but with a great
difference: in this case our soul is united with Christ and other members of
His mystical body. As a sacrament, the Holy Eucharist is the body and blood of
Christ really present on our altars after consecration, offered to the eternal
father, received by us in Holy Communion under the presence of bread and wine,
present in the tabernacle and adored by us outside the mass. The sacrament of
the Holy Eucharist does not cease after mass. Jesus remains truly present in
our tabernacle (our hearts). Holy Communion can also be given to a sick man
(Viaticum) to help alleviate his wounds and strengthen his soul for the journey
ahead. We Catholics are encouraged to attend holy hours of adoration and even
perpetual adoration where we encounter Jesus Christ present at the tabernacle.
The benefits
gotten from receiving Holy Communion frequently are enormous but the church in
her wisdom summarized and centered it on two ideas: A union with Christ by love
and a spiritual repast for our soul.
The effects of Holy Communion in
our soul.
The effects of
frequent reception of Holy Communion cannot be over-emphasized but I will like
to list some of the effects in a nutshell.
1.
A union with
Christ by love:
This is the first and principal effect of receiving Holy Communion. This union
consists in the spiritual and mystical union with Jesus by the theological
virtue of love.
2.
Spiritual repast
for our soul:
Worthy reception of Holy Communion serves as a spiritual food for our soul as
it provides spiritual nourishment for our soul.
3.
Remission of
Venial Sins: In the words of St. Ambrose he said
“This daily bread(Holy Communion) is taken as a remedy for daily infirmity
whatever the soul loses through venial sins”
4.
Protection
against future sins:
Holy Communion protects the communicants from the contagion of sins because it
as a “spiritual vaccine against sin”.
5.
It curbs the
urges of concupiscence: Concupiscence is the unruly desires of the will
and emotions of the body especially sexual lust. St. Thomas Aquinas once said
“The most effective remedy against sexual impurity amongst the youth is the
frequent reception of Holy Communion in a worthy manner”.
6.
Perseverance in
grace:
Final perseverance in grace is a special gift from God and we have to ask God
for it. The only guarantee for assurance of dying in God’s friendship is the
frequent and fervent reception of Holy Communion.
Receiving the Eucharist Properly.
In order to get
the full benefits from the reception of Holy Communion, we must observe the
following rules prescribed by the church:
1.
Desist
from receiving Holy Communion when not in a state of grace. We must unite to
the church through the sacrament of reconciliation.
2.
We
need to fully believe in the miracle of
Transubstantiation. We have to fully acknowledge the presence of Jesus
Christ in the Holy Eucharist under the presence of bread and wine.
3.
We
must observe the Eucharist Fast. The Catholic Church made it mandatory for
Communicants to fast from solid food or drink (except in medical cases) for an
hour before receiving Holy Communion.
Also, for Holy
Communion to be effective, we must not be under any ecclesiastical censure. The
church in one of its commandment states “You shall receive the sacrament of the
Holy Eucharist at least during the Easter season”.
Apostolate of the Holy Eucharist
An apostolate of Holy
Communion is one who shares with others his own deep experience of the
blessings received by frequent reception of Holy Communion. To do this, we must
be deeply motivated and fully convinced about the enormous blessings derived
from frequent reception of Holy Communion.
Final Words.
Looking at the
malevolent and evil vices that has predominated our society, one can say that
most of us Catholics have abdicated from the original teachings of the church
concerning the sacrament of Holy Eucharist. Catholics no longer believe in the
real presence of Christ in Holy Communion and many have abandoned their faith
in pursuit of “fake” miracles. The Holy Eucharist is our weapon of warfare
against the sins of the flesh. Anyone who receives the Holy Communion in a
worthy manner hardly succumbs to the sin. When we receive Holy Communion, we
are now ‘Christ Bearers’, our soul now becomes ‘mobile tabernacles’ and we must
be conscious of the fact that Christ now dwells in us, so we must watch our
thoughts, words and actions.
Again, I will
like to use the words of St. Paul in 1Corinthians
11:29 “He who eats the body and blood of Christ in an unworthy manner
brings judgement upon himself” to warn communicants who receive Holy Communion
unworthily. It would have been better for you to stay mute, than trying to
bring eternal condemnation to yourself. Beloved children of God, it’s high time
we asked ourselves certain questions. When was the last time you receive Holy
Communion worthily? What draws you away from receiving Holy Communion? What
efforts have you made to avoid these factors? These are questions that we must
ask ourselves and we must try to find solutions to the questions. The Church
offers us an opportunity to unite ourselves to the body of Christ through the
sacrament of Reconciliation. Let us avail ourselves of this wonderful
opportunity and unite ourselves with the body of Christ. The Eucharist is the
pride of our Christian faith.
Finally, thanks
to God for the gift of our Chaplains and the NFCS family who help in
propagating the importance of Holy Communion in our lives as Catholic students.
Beloved, Let us learn to pray for our enemies so that we may convert them from
their selfish treachery to the selfless practice of Christianity. We can only
achieve this through frequent reception of Holy Communion in a worthily manner
and living our lives as apostolates of the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.
God
Loves you.
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