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As we prepare to celebrate the great Solemnity of Corpus Christi, I thought this week might be a good time to review some basics for receiving communion which would answer questions and observations brought to my attention throughout the year by parishioners. I was blessed to have the opportunity to meet with the boys and girls who received their First Eucharist earlier this spring, and it occurred to me that most of us learn about Eucharist and receiving Communion when we are about 8 years old and then perhaps never have had much in the way of follow up. (And for some of us, being 8 years old was a LONG time ago…) So, as a public service announcement to the parish, here are some refreshers.

There are two types of preparation we should make for receiving Communion: remote and immediate. Remote preparation is that which is done long before you come into the church. One way to remotely prepare yourself for Mass would be to look at the readings used during that liturgy. Taking time to read through and pray with the readings will help you to see connections between the readings themselves and how the scriptures tie into the other prayers of the Mass as well as the text of the music. There are numerous ways to locate the readings in advance. Many people use the Magnificat, which is a monthly missal containing all the readings for an entire month, as well as daily reflections and prayers. Others prefer to use various missals, which will have either weekday readings for the entire year or just the Sunday readings and can be used year after year. Then, of course, there is my personal favorite — getting the readings on-line. (It’s my favorite because my computer is closer to my desk than my missal.) It is a quick resource and can be used to look at readings for today or any day in the coming months with the click of mouse. You will find them at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website at: http://www.usccb.org/nab/today.shtml

Another type of remote preparation is the one hour fast before receiving Communion. It helps to prepare your heart to receive Jesus by being conscious of what you are about to do — that means refraining from food and drink, other than water and medicine, for one hour before you receive the Eucharist. Exception is made for those who are infirmed and those who care for them, who often times have Communion brought to them where they are living.

The second type of preparation for Communion is immediate preparation. This refers to what you can do to prepare yourself just before the start of Mass — the most important being to arrive with time to settle yourself so you have a chance to transfer your thoughts from the outside world to what is happening in the church. Running down the aisle during the first reading is not necessarily the best way to be fully engaged in the Mass.

Another question that comes to me fairly regularly is “can a person receive Communion more than once a day?” The answer is that you are allowed to receive the Eucharist a second time in the same day (which is from midnight to midnight) as long as one of those times is within the context of Mass. In other words, you may receive once at a Communion service at a nursing home or hospital, but the other time must be at Mass. You may receive at two different Masses on the same day.

As we process forward to receive Communion, the Church invites the communicant to bow his or her head before the sacrament as a gesture of reverence. When it comes to receiving Communion, there are two ways in which you may receive: in the hand or on the tongue. To receive in the hand, bring both hands together, with one under the other, creating a place for Christ to be placed. Then with the bottom hand, you bring the Eucharist to your mouth. It is not appropriate to take the Eucharist from the hand of the minister who is distributing, but rather put your hands forward to prepare a place to receive the Lord.

These are just a few insights I hope will be helpful to you and beneficial in your participation at Mass. As we gather to commemorate the great Feast of Corpus Christi, I pray this celebration will lead you to take time to offer thanksgiving for the tremendous gift of the Eucharist. May the Body of Christ which we celebrate strengthen you in your love of God and service of neighbor.