This weekend we celebrate the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. I hope you like green because we will be in Ordinary Time from now until we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King on November 24. We can settle down and be ordinary in the meantime.
Let’s look at some ordinary things, specifically about receiving Holy Communion. Most people do this pretty well; it is not complicated. The Church suggests we commune in a way that shows we are a community, and this begins even as we approach the Sacrament. If there is a Communion Song, as we usually have here at most of our weekend Masses (except the 7:30 a.m.), we are encouraged to sing. The General Instruction on the Roman Missal (GIRM) # 86 states of the Communion Song, “its purpose being to express the spiritual union of the communicants by means of the unity of their voices, to show gladness of heart, and to bring out more clearly the communitarian character of the procession to receive the Eucharist.”
Communicants are encouraged to stop at the head of the line and make a slight bow as a sign of reverence, then proceed up to the priest, deacon, or Eucharistic minister to receive the host. I encourage you to look at the minister. Since we are celebrating the Body of Christ, it is important to recognize the Body of Christ in its several manifestations, including the person ministering the Eucharist. I encourage you to open your eyes and look at them. This inter-personal, eye-to-eye contact is not a distraction but rather an import or recognizing the full Body of Christ.
In the fourth century Saint Cyril of Jerusalem taught new Christians to “make your hands a throne for the Lord.” Place your dominant (that is, your right if you are right-handed) under the other hand and hold them up to receive the host. The minister states “Body of Christ,” and you respond with an affirming “Amen.” I urge you to hold your hands up, especially if you are young or short. Bending over constantly to reach your hands is hard on us senior folk. Also, do not be afraid to come close to the minister.
The more recent innovation of receiving the sacred host on the tongue is permitted ,ut in that case please be sure to OPEN your mouth and extend your tongue. Sometimes people hardly open their mouth, and it is tricky to get the host into their mouth. Be kind to the minister and open wide.
Because the emphasis in receiving is on the “communitarian” character of receiving, we strongly discourage kneeling to receive Holy Communion. While kneeling is an appropriate individual or personal posture of reverence and prayer, it detracts from the “communitarian” nature of the reception of Holy Communion and places emphasis on the individual’s stance. It is also a bit risky if the person in line behind does not pay attention and walks into you if you kneel. You have a wonderful opportunity to kneel and pray upon returning to your pew.
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