Corpus Christi

I went up to commmunion recently, only to be greeted with silence from the minister and a host placed in my hand. I decided to say "The Body of Christ, Amen".

The words of the minister are vital to the importance of receiving holy communion.

The Words "Body of Christ" is similar to being questioned: "The body of Christ?" To which we reply Amen (yes it is true/I believe/so be it/it is true...).

This questioning has a two-fold part: "Do you believe this is the body of Christ?" and "Are you the body of Christ?" If we can answer yes (Amen) to these, we may receive communion. Perhaps communion should not be given to those then that do not respond to the question. It shows they are probably not catholic, or not aware of the importance of the eucharist, or just asleep (excusing those in special circumstances such as the mentally ill).

Therefore, in order to receive the eucharist, the church tells us we must believe it is the body and blood of christ, and be in full communion with the catholic church (being at once a baptised catholic who is free from mortal sin).

This expresses a deep sign of division for our christian brethren. Many of them believe receiving communion together is a way to "communion" between us. For for us however, the eucharist is so precious, it displays not the way to communion, but the very fact of it: The summit of communion. The summit of our faith: the person of Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour himself before us, not to be "throwing our pearls at swine, for them to be trampled over" as scripture tells us.

My own personal belief is that one cannot enter heaven without receiving communion in some way. Jesus tells us in the book of John: "if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his Blood, you will not have life within you." I think that in some mysterious way, those who have yet to receive the eucharist do so in purgatory, and those who have yet to be baptised, are baptised in purgatory. Although the form of this baptism and eucharist must be different from what we have had here on earth.

Lord, bless those of our christian brothers and sisters and those good people of other or no faith, who are at this time, unable to recieve you. May we ourselves merit heaven by your free gift and by our perseverance in your love, and see these brothers and sisters of ours in heaven Amen.