Holy Communion(s)

Have you ever considered why we call the Body and Blood of the Lord Communion? The roots of the word communion lie in Latin: the prefix “con-,” (together) and the word “unus,” (one) combine to form a new meaning– sharing, community, an intimate relationship, or my personal favorite, oneness. 

Christ, truly and substantially present in tabernacles everywhere, invites us to commune intimately with Him, but in a fuller sense, to let this union spread outward from there: in His body, we are one not only with Him, but with one another in the communion of the Church. 

When I first began my personal exploration of the faith and relationship with Christ, I was extremely individualistic. Yes, I was seeking God, but I kept our relationship guarded, between God and me. In my youthful ignorance, I thought that “personal communion” meant shutting others out of that intimacy, and thus I did not open myself up to see others as members of His body, too. 

I didn’t fully realize the dual meaning of communion—that of Christ’s body present in the host and chalice and that of Christ present in His body the Church – until I attended BC. The winter of my sophomore year, I had the blessing of attending a Catholic conference with tens of thousands of other young people from across the nation and the world. 

To this day, the greatest memory I have of this experience was kneeling in Mass, watching hundreds of priests distribute the true Body of the Lord to thousands of people. To each and every one, they stated, “the Body of Christ,” to which the people replied “Amen,” “so be it.” 

Never had I seen so many young people gathered together, completely captivated by the presence of God. Saint Augustine, in his 272nd Sermon, observes that single grapes hang in a bunch, but their juice is mingled to create one wine. In the same way, bread, though baked into one loaf, is made up of many grains. 

Each person in that crowd of 17,000, though unique, shared in the oneness that Christ desires of us through the gift of His Body. Each person was loved and pursued intimately and individually by the Lord – but it was a communal experience, too. 

Our communion with Christ as His body, through His body, happens on smaller scales, too. As some of you might know, I am a pretty regular Mass-goer at St. Mary’s, and I often serve as lector at this Mass. 

A great perk of being a lector is that you get to stand all alone at the front of the congregation (no, I’m not a glutton for punishment, I’m serious). Because of this experience, I get to see the little body that the Lord has gathered together to share in His Body in the Eucharist. 

In the rhythm of the Mass—the responses, the movements, and the little waves thrown up at the sign of peace—I am drawn more deeply into the mystery of His Presence through the presence of His people. I typically sit on my own in the second pew from the front, but I am far from alone; the Lord comes to dwell in each of my brothers and sisters at Mass. 

Easily, my favorite part of the liturgy is sinking back into my second-row pew after receiving the Lord, closing my eyes, and—while giving my own thanksgiving—hearing each person after me receive Christ. I notice the steps taken–some humbly hushed, others confident–towards the altar, the voice of priest and celebrant—“”the Body of Christ,” then “Amen,” ”so be it,” and the still silence of the Son of Heaven descending into hungry hands, mouths, and hearts under the guise of a wafer of bread. 

This, I believe, is what communion is: to share the life of Christ with your brothers and sisters, and to be members of His body together. To recognize Christ’s individual thirst for our souls is also to acknowledge His desire that we be one in Him. 

St. Augustine invites us as the Body of Christ to “be what you see, receive what you are.” Jesus is fully and physically present in the Eucharist for us in every tabernacle in the world, but He also longs to dwell in our souls, gathering us as one in the heart of His Church. 

When we acknowledge the presence of Christ, what does that mean? I believe that it is a call for us all to be transformed from individual grapes and grains into one loaf and one cup, gathered together in oneness by the Lord.