Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus,

As we continue on our journey of faith, I would like to dig deeper into the message of Holy Communion.  In the General Instruction of the Roman Missal we read about how “Holy Communion as an Act of Faith.”  This is part two of the message of  “Holy Communion as an Act of Faith.”

“The act of Communion, therefore, is also an act of faith.  For when the minister says, “The Body of Christ” or “The Blood of Christ,” the communicant’s “Amen” is a profession in the presence of the saving Christ, body and blood, soul and divinity, who now gives life to the believer.

The communicant makes this act of faith in the total presence of the Lord Jesus Christ whether in Communion under one form or in Communion under both kinds.  It should never be construed, therefore, that Communion under the form of bread alone or Communion under the form of wine alone is somehow an incomplete act or that Christ is not fully present to the communicant.  The Church’s unchanging teaching from the time of the Fathers through the ages – notably in the ecumenical councils of Lateran IV, Constance, Florence, Trent, and Vatican II – has witnessed to a constant unity of faith in the presence of Christ in both elements.  Clearly there are some pastoral circumstances that require Eucharist sharing in one species only, such as when Communion is brought to the sick or when one is unable to receive either the Body of the Lord or the Precious Blood due to an illness.  Even in the earliest days of the Church’s life, when Communion under both species was the norm, there were always instances when the Eucharist was received under only the form of bread or wine.  Those who received Holy Communion at home or who were sick would usually receive under only one species, as would the whole Church during the Good Friday Liturgy.  Thus, the Church has always taught the doctrine of concomitance, by which we know that under each species alone, the whole Christ is sacramentally present and we “receive all the fruit of Eucharistic grace.”                                                                                                                                                                                                        

At the same time an appreciation for reception of  “the whole Christ” through one species should not diminish in any way the fuller sign value of reception of Holy Communion under both kinds.  For just as Christ offered his whole self, body and blood, as a sacrifice for our sins, so too is our reception of his Body and Blood under both kinds as especially fitting participation in his memorial of eternal life.”

Through the reception of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ we are assisted in growing deeper in our faith!

Fr. David