The Catholic Prayer Book and Manual of Meditations/Holy Communion—Instruction for
Holy Communion
INSTRUCTION.
(Taken from the writings of St. Alphonsns Liguori.)
“ O sacred banquet, in which Christ is received, the memory of his Passion is renewed, the soul is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.”— The Church.
OF all the holy sacraments, the Sacrament of the Altar is the holiest, the most excellent, and the greatest. The other sacraments contain the graces and gifts of God, but the Sacrament of the Altar contains God himself. Hence the Angelic Doctor, St. Thomas Aquinas, says: 44 The other sacraments are established by Jesus Christ, in order to render men fit either for receiving or administering this most holy Sacrament, which is the complement of spiritual life, since the whole perfection of our soul proceeds from this same Sacrament. For, indeed, the whole perfection of man consists in his union with God; but there is no more powerful means of uniting us with God, than Holy Communion, through which the soul becomes one, as it were, with Jesus, as he himself declared when he said, 4 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, abideth in me, and I in him.’ ” (John vi. 57.)
The principal effect of this most holy Sacrament is, to preserve in man the life of grace. For this reason it is called bread, because, just as common bread sustains the life of the body, so this heavenly bread preserves the life of the soul, which life is the grace of God. Therefore, according to the Council of Trent, “ it is the most powerful remedy to free us from our daily faults, and to preserve us from mortal sin.” — Trid. sess. xiii. c. 2.
First of all, the Holy Communion infuses into our hearts the love of God Jesus Christ has expressly declared that he came into the world for no other cause than to kindle in our hearts the fire of his divine love. “ I am come to cast fire on the earth, and what will 1, but that it be kindled?” ( Luke xii. 49.) What is there now on the earth that can better inflame the heart of man with divine love, than the holy Sacrament of the Altar, where the divine Redeemer gives us himself entire? Therefore the holy Council of Trent teaches us that our Saviour in this Sacrament “ has poured out all the treasures of his love for us.” — Sess. xiii. c. 2.
Men should desire nothing more, or more ardently, than to receive Jesus Christ as often as possible in the Holy Communion.
How dear to the Church is the practice of frequenting the sacraments! How earnestly do the saints exhort us to go to confession and communion, not only when we are bound to do so, as the Church commands, but often besides. “ Let not,” says the Catechism of the Council of Trent, “let not the faithful imagine that it is enough to receive the body of the Lord once a year only — they should approach oftener; but whether monthly, weekly, or daily, cannot be decided by any universal rule.” And St. Alphonsus teaches that when the soul is a long time without this divine food, she scarcely has strength to resist temptations, and therefore she easily falls into sin. The most holy sacrament is called heavenly bread; because as earthly bread supports the life of the body, so this heavenly bread preserves the life of the soul. “ Hence,” the saint adds, “let every Christian communicate at least every eight days.”
It is known that the first Christians, as St. Luke declares, went daily to the table of the Lord. “ They continued daily with one accord in the temple, and broke bread from house to house.” (Acts ii. 46.) It is also known that the greatest saints made use often of Holy Communion as the most effectual means of advancing in piety and virtue.
What shall we say, then, of those Christians who do not conform to the wishes of Jesus Christ and of the Holy Catholic Church, and who will not imitate the example of all holy souls? Alas ! I know that they excuse themselves with the wretched pretext: we are not worthy to go so often to the table of the Lord.
O my God! if worthiness were to be considered, who would be found truly worthy to receive communion? No one but Jesus Christ would be so, because God alone is worthy to receive God. But I assure you, my dear Christian, that the longer you are absent from communion, all the more unworthy will you be to receive it; the more rarely you go to the table of the Lord, so much the more numerous will be your faults, because you are thus deprived of the principal means of freeing yourself from sin and amending your life, namely, the Holy Communion.
"What will people say,” you answer, “ when they see me going so often to communion? They will either look upon it as a profanation, and blame it, or ridicule me, and make a laughing-stock of me.” To this I answer, make your communion as often as your Father-Confessor permits, and with the good intention of advancing in virtue, and let people say what they will. The celebrated John of Avila says, that those who blame others for frequently approaching Holy Communion, perform the office of the devil; and will you be so foolish as to care for them?
Hear, too, what St. Francis of Sales says: "If the children of the world ask you why you so often receive Holy Communion, answer them: Two classes of men should go to communion often; namely, the perfect and the imperfect: the perfect, that they may continue so, and the imperfect, that they may attain perfection. The strong, that they may not become weak, and the weak, that they may become strong. The sick, that they may recover health, and the healthy, that they may not become sick. As for yourself, go often to communion, as one imperfect, sick, and weak.”
O my God! of what avail are all these miserable evasions and excuses? Speak the truth, say it outright, that you are not willing to go any oftener to Holy Communion, because then you must quit the vanities and sinful satisfactions of the world; and that you do not love this food of Angels, because you still love creatures with inordinate affection; that you do not dare often to receive Jesus Christ, because you fear the reproof which your Saviour might give you, on account of your disorderly and sinful way of life, if you were to receive him often in the most holy Sacrament. But take it seriously into consideration, lest your sinful lukewarmness should be your ruin. Fear not that on your deathbed you will reproach yourself on account of those communions which you have received with contrition and devotion; but fear, lest then—alas! perhaps too late!—you may repent of having robbed yourself of so many graces, which you might have obtained through the frequent worthy reception of Holy Communion.
Go to communion, then, often, dear Christian, as often as your Father-Confessor will permit you to do so. At least, never omit to receive it on the principal feast days.
Live, nevertheless, in such a way that you might go to communion daily; for, as St. Augustine teaches us, such is the desire of the Holy Catholic Church.
PREPARATION FOR COMMUNION.
To go to the table of our Lord, it is necessary: 1st, To be in a state of grace. Woe to him who would venture to approach the most holy table of the Lord with a conscience stained with mortal sin. Such a bad Christian would be guilty, like the traitor Judas, of sacrilege; for of such an unfortunate one it is written: “And after the morsel (the Holy Communion), Satan entered into him.”
Therefore St. Paul, in words of earnest warning, says to us : “But let a man prove himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of the chalice; for he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning the body of the Lord.” (1 Cor. xi. 28.)
By this is meant that he who receives communion unworthily, commits the greatest outrage against the body and blood of Jesus Christ, and, like the Jews who killed Jesus Christ, becomes also guilty of his murder.
2. One must live with his neighbours in peace and Christian unity. Communion means union, and is so called because it is the image of the perfect union and brotherly love of all the faithful in Christ. Jesus Christ teaches us that we must not bring our sacrifices to the altar, if we remember that our neighbour has anything against us; with how much greater reason are we bound not to approach the table of the Lord, if we ourselves cherish in our heart a hatred against our neighbour! We must first be reconciled with our enemy.
3. On the evening before communion, you ought to prepare for it by devout prayer, and by reading some pious book, and withdraw, in reverence for the Holy Sacrament, from all noisy and distracting amusements.
4. The body of Christ must be received fasting, that is, We must neither eat nor drink anything after midnight. But those who are dangerously sick, and receive this most holy Sacrament as a viaticum, are dispensed from this.
5. Every one should approach the table of the Lord with devotion, decently and modestly dressed, and without any vain ornaments or display of fashion.