This next part of Holy Mass goes beyond what words can describe. Our Lord Jesus gives Himself to us in Holy Communion. Most of this session will actually be very practical, but we first need to start with a simple reminder.

We really believe the bread and wine have been changed into the living Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus crucified and risen from the dead. We believe it is the same Jesus on the altar and offered to us in Holy Communion that lived and walked in Israel 2000 years ago, albeit in the form of bread and wine. A miracle of God’s grace has taken place even though we can’t experience the miracle with our bodily senses. Nonetheless, He is really present in the Holy Eucharist and gives Himself to you entirely as you come forward to receive Holy Communion with Him, His Body and Blood coming into union with yours. A person could spend a lifetime reflecting on this one reality. We all could spend more time reflecting on it. Many of the Saints spoke and wrote so eloquently about this sublime reality. I invite you to take some time to consider as fully as possible the gift of the Eucharist. From that consideration, we can think about how we may want to approach the altar of the Lord. Even while we speak about some practical details, it’s important to hang on to the wondrous reality at hand.

The posture of a person in receiving the Eucharist is a bit tricky. The norm established by the bishops of our country is that a person would make a profound bow prior to receiving Communion and then would receive while standing. However, people are most welcome to genuflect instead of bowing or even to receive Communion while kneeling. These are expressions of reverence that have been found in the Church throughout history. Some people experience an inner pull toward lowering themselves as a way to honor Christ. This does not make them better than anyone else, for they are only honoring Christ as they feel inspired to do. Perhaps surprisingly for us, the universal norm of the Church is to receive Holy Communion on the tongue, even though in the United States many people receive in the hand. I’d bet most of us would put it the other way around - the norm is on the hand, while it is allowed on the tongue. You are free to receive your Lord standing or kneeling, on your tongue or in your hand, provided you are seeking to show the greatest honor to Jesus. One little note, if you choose to receive Communion in the hand, please check for crumbs, for the smallest fragment of the Sacred Host still contains the whole Christ.

Similarly, it may surprise you that the general practice around the world is that people would only receive the Eucharist in the form of bread. The Precious Blood of Christ is not offered at Communion around the world. The Eucharist is the living Presence of Christ, which means that His Body and Blood are always together (you can’t have a living person with their body and blood separated). One Sacred Host contains the fullness of Christ. To be sure, offering the Precious Blood of Christ at Communion is allowed and is offered in many parishes in the United States. Some priests prefer to avoid the use of Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion if at all possible, for they are meant to be extraordinary and not an ordinary part of the Mass.