The following pages aim to help us penetrate the profound meaning of the Mass and especially its second part, the “Table”[1] of the Eucharist. Every aspect of this second part converges toward the mystical moment of Communion, where we receive Christ and are immersed in Him and in his Love. We will try to highlight how the entire movement, whether of the Mass (especially in its second part) or of Communion, as well as that of the Prayer of the Heart, tend towards the gift of ourselves to God. These pages also aim to organically demonstrate the specific role of the Prayer of the Heart: in fact, it arises from Communion and can be said to be its prolongation. Thus, by contemplating Communion, we can better define the elements that constitute the Prayer of the Heart (the gift of ourselves, etc.) and thus “return” to Communion in a renewed way.
Contents
Prayer of the Heart and Communion
The conditions of this contact?
Steps to Partaking of the Body of Christ
The Moment of Communion and After it
1- Decision to Participate in the Divine Liturgy
2- Distant Preparation (fasting-prayer)
3- Immediate Preparation
4- Entry Into the Eucharistic Liturgy Proper
5- Communion
6- Thanksgiving
7- Extension into the Daily Life of the Received Grace
Development
The very moment of Communion
Communion and Prayer, Prayer and Communion
Teresa of Avila
Conclusion
In the Mass (the Synaxis[2]), we have a crucial moment when the faithful approach the priest to receive Communion[3]. We call this moment “Communion”, when we receive Christ, His Body, His Blood, and all of His being.
The big question that should occupy us is: “What happens at this precise moment?” or “What does it mean to receive communion?” In other words, we ask ourselves: “Why did God want to establish this moment?” Note that the entire second part of the Mass is dedicated to this question and culminates in Communion! Because once we have received the Body and Blood of Christ, the Mass is completed so to speak. In fact, it is (normally) a moment of fulfilment. The form chosen by God is a form of eating (manducation), which is a form that everyone can understand. However, in its basic simplicity, it contains great depths.
In his Gospel, in Chapter 6, St. John took care to emphasize the necessity of eating the flesh of Christ and drinking His blood! Note that St. John uses “flesh” and not “body”, which denotes in a strong way the physical reality of Communion! However, we have often focused on the “conditions” for communion[4], but we have paid little attention to the content of the act of Communion itself, considering this to be self-evident. We have also rightly focused on the “object” received (cfr. the post-Protestant debates on transubstantiation), but we have never focused on the moment of receiving Communion itself, on what happens at that moment, on the content of this “communication” that takes place between God and us! In the past, the faithful were also asked to recite a particular prayer after Communion, so as to emphasise this event. Often, now, songs are sung during this moment of Communion[5].
When we eat, scientifically we know what happens. We can follow the journey of food from the mouth to its transformation into useful energy for the body’s functioning[6]. However, regarding Communion, this is left to the discretion of the communicant. It seems that we dare not delve into the question! Yet, it is the greatest question we can ask[7], but we leave it to the discretion of the faithful. We behave in a similar way with the Resurrection of Christ. Everyone finds it extremely difficult to speak about it objectively—priests included—and yet it is the heart of our Christian life! St. Paul says: if Christ has not been raised, then everything falls apart[8]. Likewise, if there is no Communion, this presence of the Risen One among us who wants to give himself, Christian life is dangerously weakened.
Communion, as the Table of the Body and Blood of Christ, has at least two dimensions. On one hand, it has a dimension similar to the one of the Table of the Word of God’s: one feeds more particularly the soul, and the other—respectively—more particularly the spirit. On the other hand, the Liturgy of the Eucharist also has a more comprehensive dimension encompassing the whole human being: body, soul, and spirit[9].
So, of what does the moment of Communion consist? This is what we will try to see here. But already we can say that in it, God nourishes us, comes into contact with us, communicates himself to us: He feeds our body, our soul (our intellect, will, memory…), and our heart/spirit. The question we should ask ourselves now is what does it mean to “nourish”, “come into contact”, “communicate”? In fact, during Communion a mysterious contact is established between God and the human being! A direct, personal, intimate, profound, complete contact. Here are two very beautiful and deep quotes from the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
“The celebration of the Eucharistic sacrifice is wholly directed toward the intimate union of the faithful with Christ through communion.” (CCC 1382) “Communion increases our union with Christ. Receiving the Eucharist in communion bears as its principal fruit intimate union with Jesus Christ. For the Lord says, ‘He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him’ (Jn 6:56). Life in Christ has its foundation in the Eucharistic banquet: ‘As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me’ (Jn 6:57).” (CCC 1391)
The conditions of this contact?
Baptism is indeed an immersion/transformation into Christ, into the Trinity. Communion is a consequence of baptism, making it not a static event, but a dynamic one that extends, develops, and renews us. It is the axis of baptism and as an extension of it, “Communion”, that allows us to immerse ourselves in God, to nourish ourselves with Him.
Is merely receiving Communion enough? Does the very moment of Communion suffice? Should we give it space and time for it to occur?
If it is Christ our God who gives Himself to us directly, without intermediaries, how is it that we do not become Christ? How is it that we only receive crumbs of His being during Communion, as if God had diminished Himself in giving?
Why is our spiritual “mouth” or “stomach” so small that they cannot receive all of Christ? Is there possible growth for our inner “mouth” and “stomach”? (Most certainly yes!)
Steps to Partaking of the Body of Christ
The Moment of Communion and After it
“What material food produces in our bodily life,
the communion wonderfully achieves in our spiritual life.”
(CCC 1392)
In John: 6, Christ instructs us to eat his Flesh and drink his Blood. For his Flesh is real food and his Blood is real beverage. These quite graphic assertions are powerful, and their vital necessity (whoever does not eat will not have life) should hold our attention in our “analysis” of the process of “Partaking” itself.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.” (John 6:53-57)
The choice of a direct and unequivocal parallel between normal eating (manducation) and the act of Communion is clear. God chose the external forms of basic food – bread and wine – to enable us to receive Him. He did not use an abstract or meditative form; He used matter (edible food), thus honouring his Incarnation, his Death, his Resurrection, his Ascension, his “seating at the Right Hand” of the Father, as well as the Assumption of his Mother.
But this choice and physical parallelism does not stop there; it contains within it a multitude of lessons. By reflecting and meditating carefully on the normal process of eating food, we can discover the richness of this Gift that God gives us. It becomes therefore a question of taking a real meal! Indeed, the Body, Soul, Spirit, and Divinity of Christ are a true meal for our body, soul, and spirit. The word “meal” must be applied to the Eucharist (the “second” aspect of the Table of the Mass) without hesitation – of course not exclusively. I believe that the comparison with a meal should be resumed and developed! Indeed, it is very instructive. It helps us to better understand the steps of Communion, which is a true partaking, and our interaction with Christ!
Therefore, the comparison becomes a means of discernment: we follow the path of the food (the received Christ) and see where it is in its journey! Thus, by making this verification, we can know if our Communion has accomplished its purpose in us and through us, or not!
The comparison with a meal shows us that we interact with Communion at each stage of the partaking (manducation); this can be easily noted and followed, thereby fostering discernment. This is how we can discern! Indeed, if throughout its journey (see below), Communion ceases to interact with us and feed us, it does not accomplish its course and ceases at some point! If Communion is interrupted somewhere along its journey in us, it is like it is being “put aside”! By this I mean that it really enters our heart, but although stored there it is not “used” by us; it is not feeding us, it does not complete its path “in us”! Let’s take a closer look at the path of Communion (the daily bread) within us!
Seven steps can be distinguished for physical partaking and I propose the equivalent for “the daily bread” of Communion! Some flexibility of course can be used.
| Our Body’s Manducation | Our Heart-Soul-Body’s Manducation |
| 1- Choosing food, purchasing it | Decision to participate in the Divine Liturgy |
| 2- Preparing the meal, cooking | Remote preparation (fasting-prayer) |
| 3- Setting the table and sitting down to eat. Serving | Immediate preparation (Recollection) |
| 4- Receiving bite after bite, grinding and chewing the food | Entry into the Eucharistic Liturgy proper |
| 5- Swallowing and digesting by our gastric juices that interact | Communion |
| 6- Assimilating: the food passes into the blood | Thanksgiving |
| 7- Using it: brain, muscles, organs etc… | The extension into daily life of the Grace received |
Let’s delve into the details of the steps of the Eucharistic process:
1- Decision to Participate in the Divine Liturgy
We decide to attend Mass to receive Christ, who wants to give himself to us. However, we should be acutely aware that it is not just something innocuous that we are consuming but The Body and Blood of Christ, his entire Being, which is God’s Gift to us. We cannot substitute negligence or other spiritual nourishments, however spiritual they may be, not even Prayer (except in cases of force majeure[10]) for this act! Each activity has its own time. This provides a wider choice of “vitamins”, a richer nourishment. By following the journey of the Divine Bread in our “digestive system”, we are able to understand how truly communion is real bread, real vital nourishment, which enters into us through a process that requires our total and conscious participation! We can grasp more readily this Word from the Old Testament reiterated by Christ: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Lk. 4:4). And is not the Incarnate Word, Christ, the entirety of this Word that we receive in Communion? Let us ask our Father in Heaven every day for this Bread: “give us this day our daily bread”. The Body and Blood that Christ gives us are truly a divine and nourishing Bread for us!
2- Distant Preparation (fasting-prayer)
We receive the Body of Christ in the Mass of the day from the hands of Christ, through his Body, the Church! He carries Divine Life, the Grace of the day that makes us take a step today towards God the Father! It’s a choice we make. This will lead to a richer, deeper, more determined inner growth! Preparing for Mass is an important step, which unfortunately has been reduced to just the penitential liturgy. Before, one would prepare either for several days (the week) or at least from the day before (Saturday night). The only trace of this remains in the Eucharistic fast, which unfortunately has been reduced to its simplest legal form of one hour (still not clearly defined)[11]. It is important that true Christian fasting is always inseparable from Prayer.
3- Immediate Preparation
In Eastern liturgies, Mass is preceded by a preparation of the liturgy. The Priest prepares the offerings, i.e. the Bread. It is part of the rites the Priest has to perform (see the Byzantine Liturgy). In fact, it is an important step that invites both the faithful and the priest to recollect themselves. In some Eastern liturgies (Coptic liturgy), the offerings are prepared and brought to the Altar from the beginning of the Celebration. This shows how the Second Part of the Mass has a double meaning:
1- it is the Second Table of Manducation.
2- but also it encompasses and takes under its wing the entire Mass, since the offerings (Bread and Wine), which will become Christ in the Eucharist, are already present on the Altar from the beginning of the Divine Liturgy. It gives the Liturgy of the Word a Eucharistic dimension.
At the beginning of the Mass the Penitential Liturgy with its absolution is also a preparation for us to enter into the Mass. Also, in a way, extending the concept, we might say that the first part of the Mass (the Liturgy of the Word) can be considered as a “preparation” for the second part of the Mass. Of course, it is part complete in itself and has it fundamental meaning and necessity. But listening and keeping the Lord’s commandments (during the Liturgy of the Word) generates a new love from God to us: “”If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and we will come to him and will make a home with him.” (John 14:23). This incredible verse (and verse 21) summarises the entire Mass and shows almost the causality between the two parts of the Mass: as a result of our listening to the Word in the Liturgy of the Word, a new wave of God’s love will be triggered by his being pleased by our faithfulness to Him resulting in “they will come”, i.e. the reception of Communion.
4- Entry Into the Eucharistic Liturgy Proper
The offertory allows us to begin offering ourselves to God already, because the bread and wine we present are in fact a summary of what we are and what we do, our daily life and all that it entails[12].
Indeed, the second part of the Mass (from “Pray, brethren that my sacrifice and yours…”) powerfully disposes us to receive Christ. In fact, the priest invites the faithful to “lift up their hearts”, so as to enter into the movement of the heavenly liturgy. Indeed, Heaven opens, and we unite with the Angels and Saints in their constant adoration, veneration, and worship (Holy, Holy, Holy…).[13]
This “entry” into the heavenly liturgy opens our entire being, our heart, our depths to the Gift of Jesus to us in the Consecration that we are about witness and later to receive in Communion. It is much more than a distant preparation; it is already placing ourselves in the Presence of the One who loves us and wants to give himself to us.[14]
5- Communion
The moment of Communion is the sacred moment par excellence, the mystical exchange between Christ and ourselves[15] and the fulfilment of the Synaxis[16]:
* We say “Amen” to the Priest who presents us with the Body of Christ[17].
* We receive the whole Christ.
To receive Him properly, we give ourselves entirely to Him[18]. Thus, our “Amen” becomes real and opens the door of our hearts truly to Christ. Communion is indeed a mutual gift, between Christ and us, and this mutual Gift allows Christ to communicate Himself to us. In fact, the Fire of Christ’s Love is “nourished” by the Gift we make of ourselves to Him.
6- Thanksgiving
After Communion, in the Byzantine Liturgy we sing: “We have seen the true Light and have received the heavenly Spirit.” “Every time the Church celebrates it, the faithful can in some way relive the experience of the two disciples of Emmaus: ‘Their eyes were opened, and they recognized him’ (Luke 24:31)”[19].
The first possible thanksgiving can take place right after Mass: 10 to 15 minutes, says St. Teresa of Avila. Bringing this Bread down into us, offering ourselves to Him, we let Him transform our being deeply, by his “eating” us in turn, assimilating us (making us become like Him), giving back to us the lost Likeness. His work is most sacred, realised in the depths of our being. Like water nourishing the deep and invisible roots of a tree, so the Body and Blood of Christ nourishes the depths of our being, purifies them, and transforms them into Christ. It is during Thanksgiving that we let Christ work deeply within us.
If we are fortunate enough, we can be in a place where we can do it in silence for ten to fifteen minutes. It is not uncommon however to have it reduced (by tradition, with a lowercase “t”) to a kind of recitation of prayers we have learned by heart!
In fact, this moment of thanksgiving (like any other moment of heartfelt prayer that follows) is the moment when our only language that effectively matters is the gift we make of ourselves, because the main Actor here in our heart is the Lord, and therefore it is wise to let Him act!
Reciting learned prayers, if done quietly but from the heart, can aid in the gift of ourselves! But if done in a forceful/“activist” manner, it has the opposite effect of pulling us out of the immersion in the Lord and, worse, giving us the impression that we have fulfilled our duty after Communion! If we look closely, under a microscope so to speak, we will understand that returning to the mind and to the outer shell of our conscience cuts the flow of the direct communication with Christ in our heart, and therefore it is pure and simple “abortion”. Yes, the Divine Seed of this Communion, which has barely entered into us, is already out, and by whom has this been facilitated? By us! Ignorance indeed, and there is no fault here, but ignorance doesn’t change the fact and therefore doesn’t excuse! Our duty is to educate ourselves!
In fact, the time after communion called “thanksgiving” is not, as its name suggests, a time for giving thanks, in the sense that we have not as yet “digested” and “assimilated” Him in order to give him thanks! Swallowing the host is actually the moment of the mutual gift of ourselves, where the Lord pours himself into us. In fact, this gift opens the door to Christ and allows Him to enter us and therefore begin to “dine” with us as the verse from the book of Revelation suggests.
In sum then, this time is actually a moment of communion and not simply a moment to “say thank you.” Plus, Christ’s action during this moment (eating) takes place at a much deeper level than the one of our silent utterances to God. The place of contact with Christ is the sanctuary of the heart, while the place of attentive speech is that of the mind. So “saying prayers” at this moment is like moving to a different “floor”/level (the mind) rather than that of the heart! And if during this divine encounter we leave our heart to actively say prayers, it is like preventing Christ from acting deep within us!
Certainly, words can be spoken quietly, with one’s heart, and can thus help the spirit to remain collected, but during this time, spoken words are secondary to the main internal action: ours (of giving ourselves) and that of Christ (of giving Himself and “eating” us). In this case, spoken words can only play a supporting or catalytic role. The main driving action in this encounter is the gift of ourselves which allows Christ to “eat” us, to “have his dinner” so to speak, or take his delight in us.
Since this sacrament is “the sacrament of love” (CCC 1380), it is entirely normal to take the time to be loved and to love.
7- Extension into the Daily Life of the Received Grace
Prayer, the Prayer of the Heart (Contemplative Prayer), Jesus Prayer, Adoration, Arrow Prayer, are the necessary acts of deeper internalization of the last received Communion. They are like the space-and-time we offer so that Communion can continue to nourish us. In fact it is stored in the depths of our heart and can still give us much more. These forms of prayer are very similar, and they are an indispensable support for the incarnation of the received Communion in our daily lives. Our daily life is absolutely inseparable from the last received Communion.
In fact, we are called to live throughout the day this deepening of the last Communion received, opening the Tabernacle of our heart, finding Jesus there waiting for us, connecting ourselves to Christ. It is by repeating these prayers, these acts which allow us to enter into Him, He who is present in our hearts. Our entire being is then transformed as we grow spiritually.
A new way of acting in God is born and develops. Our mind and will change their way of acting, our depths are more rooted and grounded in Him. “Just as bodily nourishment restores lost strength, the Eucharist strengthens charity which tends to be weakened in daily life” (CCC 1394). “By giving himself to us, Christ revives our love and enables us to break the disordered attachments to creatures and root ourselves in him” (CCC 1394). Even our body is purified, heals, and becomes stronger.
Development
We should not live the Eucharist and the Prayer of the Heart in a mechanical, unconscious way, lost in a fog of vague “contemplation”. To nourish our being (body, soul, and spirit), we are invited to fully live and “experience” these 7 physical stages mentioned earlier! While stages 6 and 7 may seem rather passive (we feel we are not “doing” anything), they actually purely involve the Holy Spirit, the author of every Incarnation of Christ within us!
Let us not confuse negative passivity with the participative “passivity” of these stages (especially 6 and 7), as there is indeed a part that depends on us in the process! Jesus’ Body “moving” (or descending into us) from one stage to the other depends on us, at each stage! Therefore, though unwillingly, we can in truth halt the Body at any stage as it journeys in us! Unlike physical consumption where once we have swallowed, we do not care about what happens, spiritual consumption (which is no less real and therefore also “physical”) requires our involvement at each stage of assimilation! In fact, God makes us friends, who know what they must do and choose to do it every day: “No longer do I call you servants (slaves), for the servant does not know what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because all things that I heard from My Father, I have made known to you.” (John 15:15)!
It follows then that the Bread, Communion, upon entering us, traces a specific and marked path, to accomplish its daily course, and thus to yield fruit (the transformation of our being and of our acts). It now becomes possible to assess how this nourishment leads to progressive fruits. Through the light physical consumption sheds on Communion, we can follow, “feel”, and verify the journey of the Eucharistic Bread in our internal “digestive system”. Therefore, to answer whether our practice of the Prayer of the Heart “works” or not, we simply need to track the interaction between the Divine Bread, Jesus, and ourselves and ascertain if something is missing, evaluate if we have halted his journey in us at any given stage! Our interaction is of paramount importance as the Bread meets us, enters us, and makes its way within us.
We integrate the Bread into our being by assimilating it! It becomes part of our living substance just as the food we eat does for our body. St. Paul said: “it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” (Gal. 2:20-21) As a result, our way of thinking, feeling, seeing, and acting changes! We feel a greater ease when acting “in Christ” because our roots are deeply nourished by Him and transformed by his effective action. He takes us out of ourselves and increasingly frees us from ourselves. Thus, we can better discern if the Divine Host is well received or not! At each of these 7 steps/stages, we can verify that the Bread is following its path and that each stage is being fulfilled. We need to be aware, however, that Jesus-the-Bread-of-Life can enter our mouth and remain hidden in our depths, without bearing fruits: Communion is merely superficial! What we need is for Him to enter through our mouth, to make his way within us to our soul and our heart, all the while nourishing our being – spirit-soul-body – becoming our very life.
Note: It is important to understand that our faithfulness to the first part of the Mass –the Liturgy of the Word— and its sacramentality, is key for a more fruitful “digestion of the Eucharist”. Let us note how this verse explains the relationship between the two: “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and we will come to him and will make a home with him.” (John 14:23). As we can see, our faithfulness in listening to the Word of God (through the Proclamation of the Word in the Liturgy of the Word) triggers a new love from the Father. Yes, it is true that He always loves us. But seeing our faithfulness to his Word, He loves us with a new wave of love, which should be received during the Communion that follows. It then becomes evident how the two parts of the Mass are interconnected and how one influences the other and makes it fruitful. In this case there is real growth and transformation.
As we have seen earlier, in these 7 stages of consumption, the Prayer of the Heart is inseparable from Communion. It is as if the latter has been extended in time and space, in order to give it the opportunity to realize all its transformative strength and effectiveness.
The Prayer of the Heart finds its gushing source of Divine Life and its point of reference in the moment of our last Communion. A moment certainly apparently brief but called to be extended, if we offer it space and time through the Prayer of the Heart. It then develops in depth, width, and height within us. The very moment of Communion is like a dot, a point, the smallest, like the mustard seed, but the more we give it space-time, i.e. “support”, the more this seed becomes a great Tree, Christ in us! We are thus constantly invited to delve deeper into this very moment where we receive Christ-Host, in order to find in it (this moment) a powerful and gushing source of Grace. Communion is in fact a vulnerable seed, the smallest, deposited in the fragility of our heart, but it depends on us to become Good Soil (cfr. Mt. 13:8), fertile ground, to give all the space and time necessary (through the Prayer of the Heart) for this Divine Seed to complete its course within us, grow within us, and become a great Tree.
Certainly, like Mary, with her and through her (she who is the Good Soil), we are called to give time to this Seed so that it may radiate throughout our being, and through us, to the ends of the earth.
Mary’s Divine Capacity affects the Divine Seed so that it can receive, conceive, gather within her, preserve, nurture, and cause growth, without any loss, so that it can bear fruits. It’s she who gives “body” within us (space and time) to this Seed that we receive. Thus, the Divinity of Christ and his Spirit (his Heart) nourish our spirit; his soul (his thought, his will) nourishes and vivifies our soul, his Body in toto nourishes our body and strengthens it.
This is why St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, at each Communion, asked Mary to come into her heart to receive Christ, thus He would believe He was resting in Her! And this is why the great masters of the French School of Spirituality (17thCentury) never went to Prayer without Mary.
To conclude this part, it’s important to realise that the process of consumption (manducation), which has at its centre the moment of Communion, does not stop just after Communion, but it needs to deeply nourish our being (body, soul, and spirit). The process of consuming the Body of Christ is a long process, with stages, and if it’s not completed in its entirety, its fruits are diminished or tragically curtailed.
The parallelism with normal consumption in 7 stages: choosing the food, preparing it, setting the table and serving, receiving the bites/chewing, swallowing/digesting, assimilating, making use, isn’t just a simple image, but it aims to show how the Body of Christ that we receive is physically real and that it also needs to be chosen, prepared, received, digested, assimilated, and lived. In this sense, the Body of Christ has a “course” to accomplish within us, a journey, and if this journey isn’t completed (no matter if it’s due to ignorance), we lose much of the power and transformative effectiveness contained within it. The connection and continuity that exists between the 7 stages, especially the stages that follow Communion (6 and 7), are to be meditated upon at length. For if we halt the process of Communion after the 5th stage (after receiving Communion) – which often happens unfortunately – we lose a great deal. This is precisely the reason why we are writing these pages: it is to say that if we cut short the consumption process at the fifth stage (having received Communion but doing nothing thereafter, or doing little), we are losing much of the transformative effectiveness of the Body of Christ and we risk never understanding why Christ says: “whoever eats my Flesh will have Life,” and “my flesh is true food.” (see John 6) We will no longer be capable of truly nourishing ourselves. And what follows is rickets.
A heart that does not take the time to assimilate the Communion received, and a heart that does not unite itself with the Living Bread, is a heart that remains thirsty, weak, and rickety!
What’s the point of eating, eating, eating, if our “stomach” does not digest, or our “intestines” do not assimilate the food? Receiving it within us is one thing and giving time and space in our heart (through Prayer of the Heart) is something different! We can receive it and then do nothing more! We thus halt the Body in its journey, in its course in us, and it fails to penetrate, to “infiltrate” its divine Sap into our depths! This means it remains ineffective! It stays alone in our heart, imprisoned, without space and without time to express itself! Without Prayer of the Heart, we can say about Jesus: “He doesn’t have dinner, there’s no one to dine with Him, to give himself to Him! We abandoned our heart, and we left Him alone inside! What misery, what a tragedy!”
The very moment of Communion
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock;
if anyone hears my voice and opens the door,
I will come in to him and dine with him,
and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20)
What is Communion? What does it mean to go and receive the Body of Christ? When we open our mouth and heart to receive Christ, what actually happens within us?
This encounter is essentially a mutual gift. It’s a kind of renewal of Baptism. Christian marriage, as defined by Western theology, is the mutual gift of the two spouses to each other. Baptism is also the mutual gift of two spouses: Christ and each one of us. We renew the promises of our Baptism once a year, at the Easter vigil, but each Communion is so filled with riches (since the One we receive is the All, both God and man) that we are invited to deeply contemplate this profound Encounter, which is a “kiss”, a communication, a meeting, an exchange, a mutual gift between Christ and us!
The more fully we are there for Jesus, with our whole being, the more completely we give ourselves, the more we actually open the door of our entire being so that He may enter and truly feel at home! This moment of Communion (the moment of receiving the Body of Christ) is sacred and intimate.
What we need to understand is our infinite dignity as beings, free to choose Christ our God or not! We use our freedom to give ourselves to HIM so little – and yet it is the way to open the door of our heart to Him. He wants to dine with us, He wants to give himself to us, He wants to consume us and assimilate us to himself, to make us like Him, but He never forces the door of our being. He respects our freedom so much that He never crosses the sacred threshold of our heart if we do not renew the gift of ourselves to Him. He stands at the door (which is closed until we renew the gift of ourselves at every moment), and He knocks (see Rev. 3:20). The key to this door is on our side, not his.
He desires to “consume” us, to transform us into Him, but this requires our consent, as well as the gift of ourselves to Him. He only takes as much as we give Him! He never violates our freedom. But what do we give Him? At the moment of Communion and in the moments that may follow (and should follow), we are invited to give ourselves to Him, to offer ourselves totally to He who comes to meet us, ready to give himself totally to us! He gives everything, He wants to give everything, and withhold nothing for himself! The minimum we can do to meet Him is to do the same. But this is our decision, not his! He calls, He invites, He urges, He proposes, He seduces, but He cannot do more. Are we aware that the key that opens the door of our heart, allowing Him to enter, is in our possession? Are we aware that the time and space within us that we can give Him to penetrate deeply into our roots and give them his Sap depends on us?
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with me.” (Rev. 3:20) Do we realise the importance of our freedom? It is we who open the door of our heart! God never violates this door! He never touches the Tree[20] of our freedom and the gift of ourselves! Are we aware of the greatness of the gift of ourselves and how decisive it is at every step in our spiritual life[21] and especially to let Communion perform its transformative works?
So let’s return to what we were saying: Communion is in fact a mutual gift of Christ and us! It is the Wedding Feast, where the Divine Bridegroom gives himself to the Bride: us. He gives himself as food, but He waits, to give himself, for the Bride to give herself also. And during the time called Thanksgiving, after communion, the Bride gives herself again, as many times as is necessary to stay immersed in her heart in the Bridegroom’s Love and to nourish Him with herself! What a Mystery is the patient waiting of God, his desire!! What a mystery is this God who is a devouring Fire! Fire whose fuel is ourselves, the gift we freely make of ourselves and constantly renew! Who can understand the Desire of God?! “With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.” (Luke 22:15) In fact, He is saying: – I have desired/yearned to give myself to you and receive you. “I thirst” to give myself to you, but also to “consume” you. Who wants to be the food of my Love? Who wants to be my pasture? “I came to cast fire upon the earth” (Luke 12:49) a fire of Love, and I await the heart that wants to give itself to me, thus opening the door for this Fire to enter and assimilate it to me (making it like me, making it partake in my Divine Life). I am “a devouring/consuming Fire,” (see Deut. 4:24; Heb. 12:29) “I am a jealous God,” (see Deut. 4:24) because I want the whole human heart, but I cannot demand it, I can only beg for it, wait for it, seduce it! I am YHWH, Desire, Passion.
It is a wise practice to deepen our understanding of Jesus’ Name. Literally it means: God Saves (Yah (God) Shua (saves)) Delving deeper into the meaning of the action of “saving”, we find that “to save” also means “to bring back,” from the darkness into His light, “to assimilate” us into Him, “to consume” us with the fire of his love! In other words: “saving” entails taking us from where we are to where He is. In this sense we can say that Jesus’ name is in a way God’s Desire/Yearning for us made flesh. This is what Communion is. Received, it inaugurates a sacred Dinner!
Yet we receive it and stay there for two minutes and then leave! Communion, to give a greater effect in us, needs more time, i.e. we need to practise Contemplative Prayer for it. He has come into us to have his Meal in us, to consume us! And what do we do? We have already left, we have left the Sanctuary of our heart, and we have gone out to attend to our bits and pieces! St. Teresa of Avila is right to say: “let’s not leave him alone”, for by this she means: He is inside of you, and you go out of yourself to deal with your day. Her advice for us is not only “let’s keep him company,” but she goes further: “let’s give ourselves to Him” (for we are his meal)! If He gives himself as a meal, it’s because He expects us to do the same! There is nothing strange about this! St. Augustine says that it is not we who eat Him, it is He who eats us, who wants to assimilate us in himself!
“Lord, give us the intelligence to understand this Gift that you tirelessly make to us and teach us to draw out all its fruits and not to leave you just as you are entering our hearts to have your meal!” What a disaster our ignorance is!! We leave Christ at the very moment when He comes to visit us.
What do we do then? Give ourselves to Him, offer ourselves to Him, peacefully; redo it from time to time during the minutes that follow, peacefully. Take some time for Thanksgiving and practise Contemplative Prayer to extend this very moment of Communion.
Communion and Prayer, Prayer and Communion
As it is recommended to receive Communion because it is in line with the very meaning of the Eucharist (“It is fitting for the faithful to receive Communion whenever they participate in the Mass, provided that they are properly disposed” CCC 1388), it is important to understand that in coherence with this Communion, it is necessary to let it act within us! We must learn to do so. The Prayer of the Heart is the most direct, powerful, and lasting means of allowing Communion to unfold its full effectiveness in our entire being! Thus, we give Christ the time to “evangelize” our entire being, our deep roots, and not just the surface or the conscious part. Just as it makes no sense to attend Mass and not receive Communion, likewise, it makes no sense to receive Communion and not take the time afterwards to internalize the communion, to let Christ nourish our deep roots.
What Communion realises, prayer achieves, for it is its extension. Communion purifies, transforms into Christ, and unites us with Him, and consequently, this is what the Holy Spirit, imbued with the Body and Blood of Christ, accomplishes in us during prayer.
It purifies us not only from venial sins but also from sinful habits. “Just as bodily food restores lost strength, the Eucharist strengthens charity, which in daily life tends to weaken; and this enlivened charity erases venial sins. By giving himself to us, Christ revives our love and enables us to break our disordered attachments to creatures and to root ourselves in Him”(CCC 1394).
“The more we participate in the life of Christ, the more we progress in his friendship” (CCC 1395).
Teresa of Avila
Let’s now explore some passages from St.Teresa of Avila’s book “The Way of Perfection” where she explains the request of the Our Father (“give us this day our daily bread”) and speaks about Communion:
“10 We do not know what we ask for, but as His wisdom provides for it better! He reveals Himself to those whom He knows capable of benefiting from His presence; without their seeing Him with their bodily eyes, He has many ways of manifesting Himself to souls through great interior feelings and various means. Stay with Him willingly; do not miss the good opportunity to negotiate that is the hour following Communion[22]. If obedience, my sisters, commands you to do something else, try to leave your soul with the Lord; for if your thoughts immediately turn elsewhere, without considering that He is within you, how would He reveal Himself to you? This is the right moment for our Master to give us His lessons, for us to listen to Him, for us to kiss His feet in gratitude for His teaching; and beg Him, my sisters, not to depart from you. […]
“12 But when you have just received the Lord, since you have Him before you in person, try to close the eyes of the body, to open those of the soul, and to look into your heart. I tell you, I repeat it to you, and I would like to repeat it even more: if you make it a habit[23] every time you receive Communion – and try to ensure that your conscience is worthy of enjoying this Good often – you will find that, no matter how veiled He may be, it does not prevent Him, as I said, from manifesting Himself to us in many ways; to the extent that we desire to see Him; and you can desire Him[24] so much that He will manifest Himself fully.
“13 But if we pay no attention to Him, and immediately after receiving Him, we leave Him to go to lowly things, what can He do? Will He force us to see Him[25], He who desires to make Himself known? No, for we have not treated Him well enough when He showed Himself openly to everyone and clearly stated who He was; very few believed Him. His Majesty therefore shows great mercy to us all when He wishes us to understand who is in the Most Holy Sacrament. But God does not want to show Himself openly, to reveal His greatness, to give a share of His treasures, except to those He intends to desire Him fervently; for these are His true friends. I tell you, whoever is not among them and does not receive Him as such by doing all he can, should never trouble Him to reveal Himself. Hardly has he done what the Church prescribes than he leaves his house and tries to drive Him away. Engrossed in other affairs, other occupations, and worries of the world, he seems in a hurry to make sure that the Lord, his master, does not occupy his house.” (The Way of Perfection, Ch. 34,10. 12-13)
“1- I have discussed this subject at length, and yet, in speaking of the prayer of recollection, I have already said how important it is for us to withdraw into ourselves alone with God; when you do not receive Communion, my daughters, and you hear Mass[26], you can make a spiritual Communion[27], which is extremely beneficial, and then withdraw into yourselves; this deeply engraves the love of this Lord in us; when we prepare to receive, He never fails to find a way to give, even without our being aware of it. It is like approaching a fire; for when there has been a great blaze, if you move away from it, if you hide your hands, you will not get much warmer, but you will still be warmer than if there were no fire. If we want to approach Him, it is different, for if the soul is well disposed – I mean if it desires not to be cold anymore – and if it remains near the fire for a while, it will be warm for many hours.
“2- Take care, then, my sisters, for at first you may feel no comfort; the demon may inflict heartaches on you, anguish, knowing the great harm it does him, and he will try to make you believe that you will follow other practices with more fervour than this one. Do not give up this method[28]; thus you will prove to the Lord how much you love Him. Remember that few are the souls who accompany Him and follow Him in trial; let us suffer something for Him, His Majesty will reward you. And remember also how many people not only refuse to stay with Him, but grossly drive Him away. We must therefore endure something so that He knows that we desire to see Him. And since He suffers and will suffer everything to find a single soul that receives Him and keeps Him within with love, let that soul be yours; for if there were not a single one, the Eternal Father would be right not to allow Him to remain with us; but He is so fond of His friends and so master of His servants that, yielding to the will of His good Son, He renounces preventing Him from accomplishing such an excellent work, which so perfectly shows His love for His Father.” (The Way of Perfection, Ch. 35,1-2)
These passages from St. Teresa are very instructive and show us the crucial importance of our behaviour after Communion! We clearly see from what she says that it is not enough to simply receive Communion! We must also desire Christ and His manifestation; we must remain with Him from within. She clearly states that “staying within” with Him is actually a habit to be formed. For this, it would be necessary to read chapters 28 and 29 of the same book where she explains how to form this habit and how God always gives us His grace to do so! This depends on us, and, as she clearly states in the paragraphs above, He will not force us, He will not reveal Himself to us!
This is indeed a clear invitation from St. Teresa, “Mother of all spiritual persons”[29], to form the habit of making the most of the hour following Communion.
Conclusion
I hope that the above reflections on the relationship between Prayer of the Heart and Communion will help you to enter more deeply into the Mass and live the moment of Communion and also the Prayer of the Heart more efficaciously. I personally deeply believe that not only can we not separate Prayer of the Heart from Communion, but that the Prayer of the Heart is the prolongation of our last Communion. It is visible in St. Teresa of Avila. Many of the graces she received occurred after Communion. Not only that, but as we saw above, her descriptions of the “Spiritual Communion” and the Prayer of Quiet are very similar. There is here a great lesson to be learned. The practice of the Prayer of the Heart will then gain tremendous strength and will move the minds of many to think of it not as an optional form of spirituality but as a core form of prayer. This is my deepest wish.
A further wish is that our understanding and experience of Communion will be enhanced by the movement of recollection which draws us closer to Jesus in Prayer. Hopefully many will move from a routine way of receiving Communion to something infinitely deeper, which will involve all their being in a movement of love and the gift of self. This greater recollection will then extend to the rest of the Liturgy of the Mass. A deeper and more fruitful way of participating in the Mass will emerge as the communicant’s reward.
Notes
[1] Here are two beautiful quotes that help us better understand the use of the word “table” here:
“For this reason, the Church has always venerated the divine Scriptures as she venerates the Body of the Lord. She never ceases to present to the faithful the Bread of Life, taken from the Table of God’s Word and the Body of Christ.” (CCC 103)
“The Eucharistic celebration unfolds according to a fundamental structure which has been preserved throughout the centuries down to our own day. It displays two great parts that form a fundamental unity:
– the gathering, the liturgy of the Word, with readings, homily, and general intercessions;
– the liturgy of the Eucharist, with the presentation of the bread and wine, the consecratory thanksgiving, and communion.
The liturgy of the Word and the liturgy of the Eucharist together constitute “one single act of worship”; in fact, the table set for us in the Eucharist is both the table of God’s Word and the table of the Lord’s Body.” (CCC 1346)
[2] “The inexhaustible richness of this sacrament is expressed in the various names given to it. Each of these names evokes certain aspects. It is called: Eucharistic Assembly (‘synaxis’) because the Eucharist is celebrated in the assembly of the faithful, the visible expression of the Church.”(CCC 1328-1329)
[3] “The inexhaustible richness of this sacrament is expressed in the various names given to it. Each of these names evokes certain aspects. It is called: […] Communion, because through this sacrament we unite ourselves with Christ, who makes us participants in his Body and Blood to form one body (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:16-17).” (CCC 1328 and 1331)
[4] The main condition is not being in a state of mortal sin, hence the necessity in this case of confessing. Moreover, until very recently (less than a hundred years ago, for example, during the time of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus), one did not receive communion whenever one wished, or every Sunday. Permission had to be sought from one’s confessor to do so. “First Holy Communion” was also restricted to a certain age thus depriving children (the Eastern Churches by contrast continue the ancient practice of giving Communion from very early on): “When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.'” (Mk. 10:14)
[5] Often, songs that have nothing to do with communion itself.
[6] I like this prayer before meals very much: “Bless us, Oh Lord, and these thy gifts which we are about to receive from thy bounty, and may this food we are about to eat serve your glory.”
[7] The Divine Liturgy (the Mass) is indeed the summit and source of our Christian life, of prayer, of evangelization, and of our day. The Council recalls this in several places (cf. Vatican II, L.G. 11, P.O. 5, and also in Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1324).
[8] “And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” (1 Corinthians 15:14)
[9] Of course, there are other dimensions in Communion, an important one is the communion it establishes with the rest of Christ’s mystical Body: our brothers.
[10] When bedridden we are invited, if possible, to follow the Mass through TV or Streaming and make a “Spiritual Communion”.
[11] It is said that the Eucharistic Fast is for one hour before communion and not one hour before Mass! This seems strange, because if Mass lasts for an hour, this means that the fast implies not eating inside the Church! Which is a bit ridiculous!
[12] “The Eucharist is also the sacrifice of the Church. The Church, which is the Body of Christ, participates in the offering of its Head. With Him, she is offered entirely. She joins in His intercession before the Father for all men. In the Eucharist, the sacrifice of Christ also becomes the sacrifice of the members of His Body. The lives of the faithful, their praise, their suffering, their prayer, their work, are united with those of Christ and His total offering, and thus acquire a new value. The sacrifice of Christ present on the altar gives to all generations of Christians the possibility of being united with His offering.” (CCC 1368)
[13] “By the celebration of the Eucharist, we already unite ourselves to the liturgy of heaven.” (CCC 1326) “In celebrating the sacrifice of the Lamb, we are united to the heavenly liturgy and participate in it with the great multitude that cries out: ‘Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!'” (Rev 7:10). The Eucharist is truly a glimpse of heaven opening up on earth! It is a ray of the glory of heavenly Jerusalem, which breaks through the clouds of our history and illuminates our path.” (John Paul II, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, No. 19) “The liturgy is heaven on earth.” (John Paul II, Orientale Lumen, No. 11)
[14] If one seems to “skip” the Consecration, the Prayers which follow and the Doxology this doesn’t at all diminish their greatness. It is just not the direct purpose of the parallel we are trying to establish in a summarised way. For sure, the reader can find plenty of parallels, liturgical and spiritual.
[15] We give ourselves to Him, and He gives Himself to us. Of course, this doesn’t touch the sacredness of the Liturgical Sacrifice and all other parts.
[16] “Synaxis” (Greek “sunaxis”) etymologically means gathering, assembly, encounter. It is a term used by the Fathers to signify the Eucharist, Divine Liturgy, or Mass: a celebration that leads to communion in the divine mysteries. It also encourages personal unification of the believer with Christ and union of the faithful with each other. In patristic literature, Synaxis is also used to denote the prayer or worship of monks.
“In the Eucharist, the deep nature of the Church is revealed, a community of those who have been summoned to the synaxis to celebrate the gift of Him who is both the offerer and the offering: participating in the Holy Mysteries, they become ‘co-heirs’ with Christ, anticipating the experience of divinization in the now inseparable bond that unites divinity and humanity in Christ.” (John Paul II, Orientale Lumen, No. 10)
[17] “Therefore, there exists a profound analogy between the fiat with which Mary responded to the words of the Angel and the amen that each faithful person pronounces when receiving the body of the Lord.” (John Paul II, Ecclesia De Eucharistia, No. 55)
[18] We ask God that, through the Holy Spirit, He “make of us an eternal offering to” His glory (cf. Eucharistic Prayer III) precisely because the moment of the Offering par excellence will be the moment of Communion. It is there that the encounter between Christ and us takes place, and it occurs under the mode of mutual offering (or giving).
[19] John Paul II, Ecclesia de Eucharistia n°6.
[20] This is an allusion to another tree, the Tree of Life. God, after the original sin, forbade Adam and Eve to touch the Tree of Life: “After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.” (Gen. 3:24) Here, the allusion goes the other way around. It shows to which extent God respects our freedom, symbolised here by the tree, that He doesn’t want to touch it. Note: after union with God, we gain back access to the Tree of Life: “To the one overcoming, I will give to him to eat of the Tree of Life, which is in the paradise of God.” (Rev. 2:7)
[21] Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus says she wants to renew the Offering of herself at every beat of her heart. See The Act of Oblation to the Merciful Love: “I want, O my Beloved, at each beat of my heart to renew this offering to you an infinite number of times, until the shadows having vanished, I can repeat my Love to you in an Eternal Face to Face!” (Prayer, 6) One can read the excellent chapter, “The Gift of Self” in Fr. Marie Eugene of the Child Jesus, “I Want to See God”, pp. 361-376.
[22] In the Manuscript of the “Way of Perfection” at the Escorial (first draft), she says: “Do not fear, even if you do not see Him with the eyes of the body, that He might be hidden from His friends; stay with Him with a good heart; remember that it is a very beneficial hour for the soul, and from which – since you keep Him company – the good Jesus derives great profit; pay very close attention, my daughters, not to lose it.” (Way of Perfection Esc. 61,7) It is good to read the entire passage in the Escorial version.
[23] She alludes to the habit of introspection to find God, a habit she calls “recollection prayer,” and she believes that God always gives us His grace (the general aid of His grace) so that we can acquire this habit. It will bring us closer to God and more open to supernatural prayer.
[24] This desire is essential in the Prayer of the Heart. It is important to ignite desire. Spiritual authors throughout the ages have spoken of prayer as “desire.” Think of St. Augustine in his commentaries on the Psalms, but also think of “aspirations.” (Cfr. Dictionnaire de Spiritualité article “Aspirations” Vol. I, coll. 1017-1020), and to the very suggestive study of Piet Hoornaert, “L’aspiration contemplative chez le P. Jean de Jésus-Marie, ocd (1564-1615)”, Bruxelles, 1995.
[25] It is evident that the Lord does not compel us; looking to Him depends on us (of course, with the assistance of the ‘general help’ of the grace of God).
[26] In St. Theresa’s time, attending Mass did not automatically imply the possibility of receiving Communion; one needed permission from the Confessor to do so.
[27] In the inability to physically receive Communion, the Church recommends “spiritual communion,” which involves internally, through the heart, making a spiritual communion, receiving Christ into our hearts. Note the proximity of the three acts: communion, spiritual communion, and prayer!
[28] This means “do not give up on this practice”! It consists of entering within ourselves, into the sanctuary of our heart, which is the House that the Lord wants to dwell in, entering there to find Him and communicate with Him. This habit, in the language of St. Teresa, is called “prayer of recollection”.
[29] The title written on her statue in the basilica of St Peter Rome is: “Mater Spiritualium”, Mother of all Spiritual Persons.