Treat Him Well!

Hey folks! I am out in California with twenty priests praying, taking classes, studying, and hiking. I am remembering all of you in my Masses and prayers.

This week our Lord is affirming that the Eucharist is truly his Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. The catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us the following:

“In the most blessed sacrament of the Eucharist “the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained.” (CCC #1374)

After ordaining men to the priesthood, a holy bishop in Spain said with tears in his eyes:

“’Treat him well for me, treat him well‘! He was telling them to treat the Eucharist well because the Eucharist is Jesus. Jesus will say this weekend in the Gospel: “…and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the world.”

How do we treat Him (the Eucharist) well? We need to clean up, dress up, hold up…when we come to mass.

Clean up:  If an important person (like the Pope) were to come to our house for dinner we would make sure that all the rooms are clean before he came.  We must be clean of all mortal sins before we go to Holy Communion.  Mother Church teaches:

“Anyone conscious of a grave sin must receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation before coming to communion” (CCC 1385).

Dress up:  If we were going to a wedding or a funeral we would most likely dress up for the event. We ought to dress up for Sunday Mass. At the White House, there is a dress code to visit certain parts. In order to get a tour of the West Wing it says:

“No shorts, jeans, t-shirts…etc.”

The catechism of the Catholic Church does not get that explicit with dress code, but it does say the following:

“Bodily demeanor (gestures, clothing) ought to convey the respect, solemnity, and joy of this moment when Christ becomes our guest” – CCC 1387

Hold up:  We also are to observe the Eucharistic fast before Holy Communion. In Canon Law it states:

 “Canon No. 919: One who is to receive the Most Holy Eucharist is to abstain from any food or drink, with the exception only of water and medicine, for at least the period of one hour before Holy Communion.”

So, we need to hold up on food and drink for one hour before we receive Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament.

These are all ways to “Treat Him Well”!

Be Holy!
Fr. Larry