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Ten
Practical Suggestions: Implementing Eucharistic Theology in
Our Daily Lives
By
Father Nicholas L. Gregoris
And now, here are
ten practical suggestions for implementing all of this Eucharistic
theology in your own life of faith and devotion.
1. Would you expect to be admitted to a fine, elegant restaurant
wearing jeans, sneakers, a tee shirt or shorts? No. Then strive
to wear your Sunday best when coming to the House of God,
especially for Sunday Mass. In this we can learn a great deal
from the good example of many of our Protestant brothers and
sisters and Jewish friends. And to those who say, “God
doesn’t care what we wear to Church,” let them
recall the parable Our Lord tells of the man who is evicted
from the wedding feast precisely because he is improperly
clad.
2. Mindful of the
heavenly provisions we receive in the Sacrament of the Altar,
we ought to have regular recourse to the Sacrament of Penance,
engage mind and heart in prayerful preparation and thanksgiving
for the reception of Holy Communion, and observe the Church’s
law of a one hour fast before Eucharistic reception. Remember
that to receive Holy Communion with mortal sin on one’s
soul means committing a sin of sacrilege. Consequently, we
should pray in a special way for those who neglect the Lord’s
Real Presence and make reparation for the many offenses and
sacrileges committed against it especially by so many thoughtless
and unworthy receptions.
3. Do you deliberately arrive late and leave early at a baseball
game of your favorite team or at a concert of your favorite
band? Rather, do you not rush to be in front of the television
for the beginning of your favorite show and sit there diligently
until the very end? Then why do so many Catholics think it
is “OK” to arrive late and leave early from Mass,
even doing so immediately after receiving Holy Communion?
Is not Our Creator and Lord worthy of the full hour of worship
that we should offer Him each Sunday? Is He not more important
than any sporting event, concert or TV show?
4. The tabernacle
is the dwelling place of God among men. It is the throne of
the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, yet so many come
into the throne room and fail to show the proper respect and
homage due its King. Therefore, be sure to genuflect properly
when entering and leaving the church and when passing before
Our Lord and King present in the tabernacle.
5. As the Church
directs, make a profound bow before receiving Holy Communion
as a visible reminder to yourself and others of the respect
and reverence one should have before the awesome, sacred,
real presence of the Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament of
the Altar.
6. Maintain a sacred silence in church, especially when no
verbal response is called for and when you are in proximity
to the sanctuary area and tabernacle. Have respect for God’s
presence and for your fellow parishioners who should be able
to pray without any undue distractions. After all, the purpose
of going to church is not to engage in frivolous socializing
but to pray and worship Our Eucharistic Lord. We need to allow
God to speak to us, as we hear in the beautiful hymn based
on the ancient Liturgy of St. James: “Let all mortal
flesh keep silence and with fear and trembling stand, ponder
nothing earthly minded for with blessing in His hand, Christ
Our God to earth descendeth, our full homage to demand.”
7. Make visits
to the Blessed Sacrament outside of scheduled liturgical events.
Our Lord patiently awaits us day and night in the tabernacle.
If we are not willing to spend time with Jesus now, what would
make us want to spend an eternity with Him in Heaven?
8. Attend Eucharistic
devotions like Exposition and Benediction, holy hours, all-day
or perpetual adoration, Eucharistic processions and congresses,
First-Friday devotions. These are means of continuing adoration
of the Lord beyond Holy Mass and serve as invitations to live
the fruits of the Mass.
9. Actively participate
in giving the responses and in singing during the Sacred Liturgy.
Some individuals come to Mass to be edified and entertained
as passive spectators, they are unwilling to make their own
contribution to enhancing the beauty of the celebrations.
What if everyone—including the priest—had the
same attitude?
10. Pray for vocations
to the priesthood at each celebration of the Mass and foster
them within your home, so that the mystery of the Eucharist
can continue to be renewed in our midst and we can reap its
eternal benefits.
On a personal
note, I must say how disedifying it has been for me during
these past ten years of priestly ministry to witness countless
people who do not receive Holy Communion with proper reverence,
who come to the altar chomping on gum, who grab for and handle
consecrated hosts as though they were potato chips, sometimes
disposing of them in pews and missalettes!
How distressing
to discover laity who feel compelled to become extraordinary
ministers of Holy Communion, even when there is no apparent
need for their service because they are wrongly convinced
that this is the most suitable form of a lay man’s actual
participation in the Eucharistic Mystery! How shocking it
is to hear people approach and say: “No wine for me,
today, Father!” or, “Just give me the plain bread!”
Their language leads me to ask myself: “Do such persons
actually believe the Church’s teaching on the Eucharist?
Should such individuals be receiving Our Lord in Holy Communion?
And, as an ordained steward of the sacred mysteries, should
I be giving Our Lord to such individuals?”
Let us use the
beautiful feast of Corpus Christi, first, to examine our consciences
and then to recommit ourselves to the proper respect and adoration
due to the Lord’s Real Presence in the Most Blessed
Sacrament of the Altar, to which the prayers and hymns of
St. Thomas Aquinas are such a sublime tribute.
Father
Nicholas L. Gregoris, a member of the Priestly Society of
the Venerable John Henry Cardinal Newman, holds a doctorate
in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical Theological Faculty
Marianum in Rome and serves as the managing editor
of The Catholic Response. He is the author of The
Daughter of Eve Unfallen: Mary in the Theology and Spirituality
of John Henry Newman, published by Newman House Press.
He is likewise the translator and editor of Father Giovanni
Velocci’s book Prayer in Newman, just released
by Newman House Press.
Also
by Fr. Gregoris:
“O
Sacred Banquet": St. Thomas Aquinas and the Office of
Corpus Christi
The
Sacrament of Charity: Homily for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi
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