Questions Answered about the Eucharist part 2
Jun
25
Written by:
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Questions Answered about the Eucharist
Pastor’s Column, part 2
June 21, 2009
What if I don’t “feel” anything as I receive communion?
Our belief in the Eucharist is not a matter of feelings -- but of faith. Our faith sometimes is led to greater maturity through God’s silence and at times, even through his apparent absence. On other occasions we will experience great joy as we realize just who it is we are receiving and how much he loves us. His divinity becomes one with our humanity as we receive him and this begins to transform us into the new creation we will share with Jesus forever in heaven.
What about after communion?
It is important that we take time to thank God for the graces we have received in the Holy Eucharist. We can do this by singing with all our heart or by remaining silent to pray. At this moment, right after receiving communion, Christ is physically present within your body and he longs to speak with you, and you to him (inwardly). Take advantage of this precious opportunity to talk with him as a friend. Confide your problems to him, thank him for his many blessings. The Eucharist brings many benefits to us if we take the time to hold onto them. When we reach out to Jesus in faith, he will come to us! Jesus will never force himself upon us.
When are we supposed to genuflect and why?
We genuflect when we pass in front of the tabernacle, or upon entering or leaving the pew when the Eucharist is reserved in the tabernacle. We do this as a way of reverencing Jesus Christ present among us. We do not pray only with our lips and minds, but with our bodies as well. A genuflection is a way of praying with your body – a way of saying that Jesus is the Lord of my life and that he is really present in this place.
Why is the Mass both a meal and a sacrifice?
The Mass is both a sacred meal and a sacrifice. Families gather together at the table as a way of being together, and they find unity through this action. In the Eucharistic celebration, this sacred meal takes on a sacrificial character because Christ’s body was broken for our salvation and is really present on the altar after the consecration. This sacrifice is not a “new” sacrifice – it makes present for us, in this time and place, the very same sacrifice on Calvary from almost 2000 years ago. Therefore, at each and every Mass we assist at, we too are present at Calvary with Christ and he is present with us!
Father Gary