The Communion

After the Agnus Dei, the priest invites the people to come up and make their Communion, that is, to receive the holy Food of the Blessed Sacrament.  As they leave their pews they genuflect to the Blessed Sacrament and go up to the altar rails where they kneel together in a row.

Making your Communion

Those of you who are already confirmed will know what to do.  You make the sign of the Cross and then place your right hand across your left so as to make, as St Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem, said in the year 348 AD, “a throne for the King of Kings”.  The priest places in your hand one of the Hosts or consecrated Wafers, and says, “The Body of Christ”.  You say “Amen” meaning, “This is what I believe”.  Then you raise your hand containing the Blessed Sacrament to your mouth.  Another way of communicating is to open one’s mouth so that the priest can place the Sacrament within it.  This avoids any risk of the Sacrament being dropped.  After you have communicated in the first part, the priest or a specially trained lay person comes to you with the chalice.  You make the sign of the Cross.  When the priest or lay person says, “The Blood of Christ”, you say “Amen” and then sip from the chalice.  Making the sign of the Cross reminds us that without the Crucifixion we would not have the Eucharist and the Blessed Sacrament.

It is a wonderful moment when Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament comes into your soul so that you and he are one.  You will never be closer to him in this life than you are when you make your Communion, for then you are part of his Ascended Body because his Ascended Body is part of you.

Communion and Christian fellowship

There is nothing which joins people together in true Christian fellowship more than Holy Communion.  Imagine yourself as a complete stranger in a foreign land, not even knowing the language of the people.  You would feel completely out of it.  But if there were a church there where you could make your Communion with them at the Eucharist, you would at once realise that you were one of them.  And it should be exactly the same among us all in this place.