Tag Archives: Holy Communion

June 16, 2014

The Body and Blood of Christ

By Fr. Andrew Ricci

Holy Communion

Study:  Reflect on the last time you received Holy Communion.  Were you attentive to the great gift of Jesus Christ – body & blood, soul & divinity – that you received?

Pray:  The next time you are at Mass, take a moment to prepare yourself to receive the Lord with an open heart.

Serve: Communion gives us strength to do the Lord’s work; who in my life could use a helping hand today?

The Body and Blood of Christ Readings

I love pasta.  I love to cook it; I love to eat it; and I can spend hours talking with family members and friends in order to learn more about how different sauces and seasonings affect flavor and taste.

In addition, I enjoy the numerous shapes and styles of pasta.  Spaghetti is a timeless classic, but there is also vermicelli, cappelini, fettuccine, conchiglie, tagliarini, cappelletti, tortellini, ravioli, rigatoni, ziti, m0staccioli, farfalle, cannelloni, campanelle, lasagna, penne rigate…….!

The list goes on and on in an immense and diverse variety of forms.  Different sauces work better with particular shapes, and cooking styles differ from one pasta to another.

And yet with all of this variety, pasta is still a very simple food.  While it has a place of honor in Italian cooking (did I mention I am Italian?), it can be found in most cultures – each sporting unique ways to prepare this basic form.

Food is an essential need in all life.  We need food to survive physically, yet food is more than just sustenance. When people gather to eat, food often becomes the means to draw others into conversation, companionship, and celebration.  Thus, food can nourish the body and the soul.

Jesus knew this simple fact.  He fed people when they were hungry (Mt 14:13-21, Mk 6:30-44, Lk 9:10-17, Jn 6:1-15, Mt 15:32-39, Mk 8:1-10).  The Lord met this basic need repeatedly, helping people to be physically sustained by giving them bread to eat.

Yet Jesus makes an astonishing claim.  He says that he is the living bread (Jn 6:51).  Thus, Jesus not only gives the people food, but he tells them that he is the food they need for eternal life.  This claim is underscored in the Gospel today, and it is supported by the words of Jesus at the Last Supper (Mt 26:17-29, Mk 14:12-25, Lk 22:7-20, and 1 Cor 11:17-34).

Every time we gather for Mass we follow the Lord’s command to take bread and wine and in His name receive His Body and Blood.  The Lord becomes food for us that we might have life in this world and in the next.  As we receive Communion may we recognize that the Lord Jesus is near, offering us his very self that we might have the food of eternal life.

1 Comment   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in Feasts & Solemnities

April 28, 2014

3rd Sunday of Easter – In the Breaking of the Bread

By Fr. Andrew Ricci

Pita Break

Study:  Recall profound moments of Holy Communion in your life – your First Communion; Communion at a major event; Communion when you faced a particular need.

Pray:  The next time you receive the Body of Christ, open your heart to the grace and power of the Lord.

Serve:  Perhaps you know someone who is not able to get to Mass; consider ways to bring Communion, have a visit, or arrange a way to get to Mass.

3rd Sunday of Easter Readings

They were two disciples.  They had followed Jesus, believed in Jesus, and now were on the road to Emmaus after the death of the Lord.  While we do not know what they were saying to each other, I can only imagine their doubt, fear, and confusion.  They had placed their hope in Jesus, and he had died.

They meet a stranger.  We know he is Jesus, but we are told that “their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.”  The stranger begins talking with them, listening to them, and then he begins to teach and explain.

On the road we learn that the stranger shows all the prophecies and messages within the Scriptures.  He tells them that it was necessary that the messiah would suffer death and then enter into glory.  He talked for most of the seven mile walk about Moses and all the prophets, and when they reached Emmaus he looked like he was going farther.

Still they did not recognize him.  Yet he spoke with such fire and insight the disciples begged him to stay with them.  At the meal he:

  • took bread,
  • said the blessing,
  • broke it,
  • and gave it to them.  (Luke 24:30)

And their “eyes were opened” and they knew that it was the Lord.  In the breaking of the bread the disciples recognized Jesus in their midst.  He had taught them through the Scriptures, and he was revealed to them through the meal.

This is what we do at every Mass.  First, we open our hearts to the Scriptures, that like the disciples we might hear how God continues to speak to us today.  Then we put into practice the command of Jesus to take bread and wine which we:

  • Take
  • Bless
  • Break
  • Give

in his name that we might receive the Body and Blood of Jesus himself (this is in Mt. 26:26-29; Mk. 14:22-25; Lk. 22:19-20;  Jn. 6:51-58; 1 Cor. 11:23-24).

This weekend we welcome our 2nd grade children at the Cathedral to join us as we follow the command of Jesus Christ.  We pray that these children and their families will continue to grow closer to the Lord through their communion.  And we pray that all of us will continue to recognize the Lord in our midst, through the breaking of the bread.

1 Comment   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Easter

April 16, 2014

Holy Thursday – Sacrament & Service

By Fr. Andrew Ricci

Holy Thursday - 1

Study:  Where do you find strength in your spiritual life?

Pray:  Ask the Lord for guidance and wisdom to recognize his face in the poor, the suffering, and those in need.

Serve:  Are you being drawn to help another right now?  How can you serve those God has placed in your life today?

Holy Thursday Readings

Growing up in rural northern Wisconsin, I had the opportunity to work on several dairy farms.  The work was hard, but we were always well fed.  Many times I recall hearing the words, “Eat up, we’ve got work to do.”

It’s a simple message really.  There is work to be done; it will be demanding and require a lot of energy.  If you don’t have the necessary strength you won’t be able to follow through.

The same holds true for the spiritual life.  Life makes many demands upon us, and as we serve and love others we, too, require sustenance for the work before us.

The Lord knew this.  He left us the Sacrament of his Body and Blood – food that nourishes our souls and gives us the grace and strength of Jesus himself.  Receiving Holy Communion, as the apostles did at the Lord’s Supper, is the primary way that we are fed spiritually.

But this grace has a purpose.  At the Lord’s Supper, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples and gave them an example of service to direct their actions toward one another.  As modern day disciples, we witness our faith every time we genuinely serve others with sincerity and respect.

Consider this:

  • We receive the Body of Christ (Holy Communion) to become the Body of Christ (the Church).
  • As the Body of Christ is transformed (at the altar) we are transformed (in the world).
  • As the Body of Christ is broken (in shared communion) we are broken (sharing our lives in service for others).
  • As the Body of Christ nourishes us (in communion) we nourish others (in action that brings help, strength, and comfort).

In other words, receiving Holy Communion – instituted at the Lord’s Supper – strengthens us for the Lord’s work as his disciples.  May our next reception of the Lord’s Body and Blood give us the grace we need to recognize the face of Jesus and respond with loving service.

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1 Comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , , | posted in Lent