Holy Communion

05-01-2016Weekly ReflectionFr. Brian Jazdzewski

The obvious topic for this week's article is Holy Communion as we celebrate First Holy Communion for our Second Grade parish members. I hope that sometime today, if you are blessed to have one of the first communicants in your family, that you sit down with them and share the memory of your first communion. Otherwise, there is likely to be a young person in your life today, or this week and it will be beneficial to share your memory of first communion with them. These opportunities to reflect upon significant moments from our Catholic past will indeed remind our young people that holy communion means something to us since we've retained those memories for years. We need to do what we can to maintain our faith, and these seemingly insignificant ways can create a memory for our young people which will last a lifetime.

Considering what holy communion means to us as Catholics, there are some points to ponder. First of all, we ought to think about holy. Most of us can remember, even from a young age, having a desire to know Jesus better in our lives. We believed that being more like Jesus would help us get to heaven. We wanted to be there because we believed all dangers of life would be gone once we were in God's house. Those childlike thoughts continue to be a clear path to the truth. After all, Jesus reminds us to become child-like to enter the kingdom of heaven. So, as adults, we continue to desire salvation. And, the more we learn about Jesus and His Church, the more we realize the Church has all the components we need to be saved. So we continue to learn and transform our lives in the presence of the Holy Spirit so that we grow in holiness. Further, among the countless ways God makes Himself know to us, holy communion is one of the ways which distinguishes us as Catholics from other Christian denominations. So our reception of holy communion is a principle aid to help us be saved through the merits of He, who gives Himself to us both on the Cross and in the Eucharist. Jesus helps us become holy!

Then, regarding communion, we might briefly consider both the human (horizontal) and sacred (vertical) aspect of what communion means. First, we know that sharing Eucharist together is an outward way for us to express our unity or union with one another. I offer a reminder here that we need to take this gesture seriously. Sometimes I hear of friction and division among family, friends, or church members which causes me to wonder how these conflicts exist among members of the Body of Christ. We need to remain focused on our unity in this often divided world. Communion reminds us of that external pact we have with each other, a pact which we must foster. Then, we also know that sharing the Eucharist together is an outward way to express our union with Jesus and His Church. Our reception of Communion reminds us that we continue to look to Jesus. The Church He's provided for us is maintained through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The voice of the Church comes through the Scriptures along with our Pope and the clergy who are ordained to teach, govern and sanctify the Church's members. Our reception of Eucharist not only provides a private relationship with Jesus, our reception also demonstrates our belief in the teachings of the Church Jesus has entrusted to people throughout history. When we say "Amen," we are voicing our agreement with the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church; we are expressing our faith in Catholicism.

Holy communion – the Eucharist, has filled countless books and lectures over the centuries. The countless pieces of information, prayer and study convey our value on who we receive in this Sacrament. Daily, we continue to reflect upon our own personal understanding of who chooses to be with us in the Eucharist. Though we may never know all there is to know about Eucharist, we continue to invite the Holy Spirit to deepen our understanding. We will never know as much about holy communion as the person next to us, but we will know Jesus as He reveals Himself to each and every one of us in the way He chooses. So while we intentionally reflect upon this weekly, and possibly daily, gift of holy communion, we continue to approach our God in humility and faith. Jesus is the one who comes to us to help us grow in holiness; Jesus comes to us in a miraculous way to bring about unity and a source of grace. Our attitude toward holy communion will reflect who we believe in ways which are unique to our call to be Catholic.

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