I recently attended a large Catholic funeral where many people present were either not practicing Catholics or were not Catholic at all. I knew the friends sitting beside me were not Catholic, so naturally I felt the responsibility to offer assistance in explaining the Mass to them if they had any questions. For anyone who isn’t super familiar with a Catholic Mass, it can seem very confusing, ritualized, and formal. Each and every word and action of the Mass is intentional and rooted in Scripture and Tradition, but many don’t understand the beauty of what is happening in front of them, especially if Catholicism is a foreign concept. While I knew I couldn’t possibly explain everything to my friends during the funeral Mass, there was one part in particular I wanted to make crystal clear: reception of the Eucharist.
I was surprised that the priest didn’t mention anything prior to Communion, being that there were so many non-Catholics present. So I took it upon myself to at least instruct my friends. As the pews in front of us began filing out to receive Communion, I gently leaned over to my friends and explained that they could either stay in the pew or come up and receive a blessing by crossing their arms. They decided to approach the priest for a blessing and were grateful for my explanation as they otherwise wouldn’t have known what to do.
However, as I got in line to receive the Eucharist, I was pained to see many non-Catholics and Catholics not practicing their faith receive Our Lord in Communion. Part of me wanted to scream, “NOOOOO!!!” or run up and stop them from receiving, but I remained silent as I filed up to the front of the Church.
For those of you who are not Catholic, or don’t believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, this may all seem foreign to you, and it may seem like I’m overreacting or have a “holier than thou” mentality. Heck, even if you were born and raised Catholic, you may have become so “ritualized” in the reception of the Eucharist that you’re apathetic toward this great gift and think it’s okay to receive Jesus whenever you want. But whatever your spiritual state, I hope to remind you of the sacredness of this sacrament, raise awareness of the requirements to receive Our Lord in the Eucharist, and why the sacrament should never be approached without proper disposition and sincerity of heart.
REQUIREMENTS FOR RECEIVING THE EUCHARIST
Catholics believe that the Eucharist is the True Presence of Christ, not a symbol, but actually His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. The reception of the Eucharist should always be taken seriously, with a supreme reverence for the God of the Universe. For this reason, proper disposition is necessary to receive.
To receive Our Lord in the Eucharist, one must be 1) a baptized and practicing Catholic, 2) in the state of grace (aka they cannot have a mortal sin on their soul), and 3) must have fasted at least an hour prior to receiving. These requirements are necessary to prevent sacrilege, or the irreverent treatment of sacred things. It also shows that those who receive the Eucharist validly are serious and intentional with the act—they are not merely receiving out of habit, but with a supreme reverence and worship of the Divine present in the Humble Host.
Non-Catholics are not permitted to receive Communion because they don’t believe in the True Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. If they did, they would be Catholic. If one who believes the Eucharist is merely a symbol receives Communion, they make light of the Divine and the height of the whole Catholic faith. Therefore, it is sacrilegious to receive without full faith.
Further, baptized Catholics who have a grave or mortal sin on their souls or are not practicing the faith are also not permitted to receive for the same purpose. In order to come back into the state of grace, these baptized Catholics must return to the sacrament of Confession prior to receiving. (Read more about guidelines and requirements for reception of the Eucharist here).
I’m not explaining this Church teaching because I wish to cut people off from reception of Our Lord. On the contrary, I believe this great gift should be received as often as possible to receive the graces God wants to impart on us!! BUT not without being in the correct state. We believe the Eucharist is a Gift so holy and divine, that we must approach this sacrament with reverence and remember to properly prepare our hearts. Not to mistake proper disposition with scrupulosity, we as Catholics, must be aware of the requirements to receive the Eucharist worthily in order to protect that which is sacred.
PROTECTING THAT WHICH IS SACRED
During the funeral experience I spoke about above, it was physically painful for me to witness so many receive Our Lord without proper disposition and desecrate that which is so precious to my soul. I left the funeral feeling deflated and, to be honest, a little responsible for so many of my brothers and sisters who received unworthily. Should I have done more? I know for many of them it wasn’t their fault, as many don’t truly understand the reverence and sacredness of the sacrament. But I was disappointed in the priest for not saying anything and also in myself for not offering a deeper explanation to people prior to the Mass.
As a Catholic Christian, the Eucharist is the pinnacle of my life here on earth. Jesus, made present—Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity—in the species of bread and wine through transubstantiation during Mass, gives His entire self to me (and all those Who receive Him in the Eucharist). As a woman who desperately longs to love and be loved, fully and entirely without reserve, I find the fulfillment of this desire in Christ made present through this sacrament. It’s an extraordinary gift and I don’t know that I could have the strength to carry on without Him.
So from this lens, you can understand how it pained me to see so many receive Our Lord unworthily. To offer a comparison, though very inadequate—it would be as if we were all gifted with brand new Ferraris, but some thought the gift was merely a toy matchbox car so threw it away, never to think of it again. To receive the Eucharist worthily, with a proper disposition and open heart, is to hop in that brand new Ferrari and allow Our Lord to transform your soul (and driving experience). In contrast, unworthy reception of the Eucharist by non-Catholics or those not in the state of grace is to take the Ferrari and leave it in a garage, never to experience the life changing adventure that it wants to take them on.
HE DESERVES TO BE HONORED
While that terribly meager comparison doesn’t do the situation justice, hopefully it can give you a small glimpse into why we cannot receive Our Lord unworthily.
When I receive the Eucharist, I approach Him with an intent to allow Him to transform my heart and be changed by my reception. The flippant, casual, and apathetic attitude of those who I knew were not in a state to receive during that funeral, took Our Lord, my everything, like He was just a piece of bread and flaunted back to their pew. They remained unchanged because they weren’t aware of the miracle they just received. They took the pinnacle of my life and consumed Him like He was a symbol. For Catholics, we must bring awareness to this issue and offer more opportunities for understanding for our non-Catholic brothers and sisters who attend Mass.
Obviously, we love to invite and welcome anyone and everyone to attend the Eucharistic feast. After all, the word “catholic” means universal—we are open to all! But don’t mistake openness for allowing sacrilege of the sacrament. Speak up. Instruct those around you who may be unaware. Or if you are Catholic and know that you aren’t in a state to receive, stay in your pew during Communion. Go to confession before you receive. To receive Our Lord in the Eucharist is the greatest thing we can do here on earth. Don’t take it lightly.
I’ll leave you with a quote from St. Maximilian Kolbe to express the supreme significance of this great Gift:
“If angels could be jealous of men, they would be so for one reason: Holy Communion.”
Let us never take Our Lord for granted. Approach Him with reverence, and receive Him often!
From the depths of my soul,
