My dear family of Holy Trinity Church.
Some years ago, as you probably know, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) made a survey and found that many Catholics in the United States do not believe in the real presence of the Lord in the Eucharist. According to an article from Pew Research Center (August 5, 2019), “Nearly seven-in-ten Catholics (69%) say they personally believe that during Catholic Mass, the bread and wine used in Communion ‘are symbols of the body and blood of Jesus Christ.’ Just one- third of U.S. Catholics (31%) say they believe that ‘during Catholic Mass, the bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Jesus’ (Pew Research).
For this reason, the USCCB has launched the National Eucharistic Revival in 2022. Three years where the Church has been working hard that all of us understand and believe this wonderful miracle: The Eucharist. Why do we celebrate the Eucharist? St. Paul explained why all of us should participate in the Mass. St. Paul says, “For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night He was handed over, took bread, and, after He had given thanks, broke it and said, ‘This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until He comes” (1 Cor. 11:23-26).
We celebrate the Eucharist because it is a mandate of the Lord. Jesus is present in it. I go to Mass to have an intimacy, a close relationship with the Lord, and receive His body and blood. It is true that we are not receiving the precious blood since Covid appeared (at least in the Diocese of Rochester), but the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus is always present in Holy Communion. Jesus is the Eucharist.
Therefore, when we come and receive Communion by the bishop, priest, deacon, or one of the
Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (EMHC), we should consume it; therefore, we should not walk with Holy Communion in our hands around the church. How to receive the Communion? According to USCCB, “Those who receive Communion may receive either in the hand or on the tongue, and the decision should be that of the individual receiving, not of the person distributing Communion. If Communion is received in the hand, the hands should first of all be clean. If one is right handed the left hand should rest upon the right. The host will then be laid in the palm of the left hand and then taken by the right hand to the mouth. If one is left-handed this is reversed. It is not appropriate to reach out with the fingers and take the host from the person distributing” (USCCB). Please, show your hands at the level of your chest with anticipation to the person who is distributing Holy Communion. That is very helpful to our ordinary or extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion. If your hands are not clean, use the restroom and wash your hands before Mass begins. Remember that we have restrooms in the church. It is very important to show respect for the Lord, who is present in the Eucharist.
Remember, The parish that we dream is the parish that I help to build.
God bless you, and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you always!
Fr. Jorge Ramirez
