The Eucharist

The Eucharist is one of the Sacraments in the Church that was unmistakably celebrated by Jesus himself in almost the same way as we do today.

Then, from time to time it is important for all of us to reflect on how we celebrate Eucharist together because our behavior and attitude speak volumes to others.

To assist in this reflection, allow me to suggest a few areas to consider. Is Sunday truly the "Lord's Day" for you and your family? For many of us Sunday is just another day to rush around and attempt to catch up on all the tasks we left undone during the week.

How do you gather for Eucharist? Many of us tend to wait to the last minute to "get to church" and "take care of an obligation." Arriving ten minutes early, spending time in quiet prayer before Mass begins, settling down in church with the family, etc. are simple things that can assist us in celebrating the Eucharist.

What sense of awe and reverence do we convey to our fellow worshipers? Common courtesy should lead us to treasure silence as we enter the sanctuary and prepare our hearts to worship our Lord.

How do we approach the Lord when we come forward for Holy Communion? The Church recommends that we join in singing the communion hymn as an expression of our common faith and that we receive either in the hand or on the tongue with reverence and gratitude.

At the end of Mass, do we wait to be dismissed together and sent on mission to bring Jesus to our neighborhood and to the world? Unfortunately many of us are eager to get back into the rat race and continue rushing from one thing to another.

Let us allow sometime today to reflect and choose to alter some of our behaviors to better convey to family and friends that we are the Body of Christ for others.