Jun 18 Thu
How is the ceremony of Communion in the Mass?
In the Mass, before taking Communion, the priest genuflects. Taking the host, he raises it slightly over the paten, showing it to the faithful. He says aloud,
- Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.
This invitation to share in the sacred meal contains almost the same words John the Baptist used when he pointed out the presence of the Lord among men to John and Andrew.
Together with the priest, we continue with the same words of the centurion at Capernaum to confess our unworthiness:
- Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.
With gratitude, we declare our wonder before this great gift of God. With confidence, we ask our Lord to prepare our poor hearts. We desire to have the centurion's faith, humility, and simplicity, at least to make our Lord as happy as he was in that incident.
After taking Communion under both species, the priest takes the paten or ciborium and goes to the communicants, who usually approach in procession. He raises the consecrated host slightly and shows it to each one, saying, "The body of Christ." The communicants reply, "Amen," and, holding the Communion plate under their chin, receive the sacrament either on the tongue or, where this is customary and if the communicant so chooses, in the hand.
As soon as the communicant receives the host, he or she consumes it entirely. The faithful are not permitted to take the consecrated bread or the sacred chalice themselves, nor to hand them from one to another. The faithful receive Communion kneeling or standing if approved by the Bishops' Conference.
During the priest's and the faithful's reception of the sacrament, the Communion song is sung. Its function is to express the communicants' union in spirit through the unity of their voices, to give evidence of the joy in their hearts, and to make the procession for the reception of Christ's body a more complete act of the community.
The song begins when the priest takes Communion and continues for as long as it seems appropriate while the faithful receive Christ’s body. However, the Communion song should end in good time whenever a hymn follows Communion.
If there is no singing, the Communion Antiphon in the missal is recited either by the people, by some of them, or by a reader. Otherwise, the priest himself says it after receiving Communion and before he gives Communion to the faithful.
The Church has always required the faithful to show respect and reverence for the Eucharist at the moment of receiving it. The Church's prescription and the evidence of the early Fathers make this abundantly clear. St. Cyril of Jerusalem (ca. AD 315 ‑ 386), instructing the newly baptized, writes, "Come forward also to the chalice of his blood, not reaching out with your hands, but bowing and in an attitude of worship and reverence."
And St. Augustine exhorts, "Let not one eat the body of Christ without first adoring it."