We begin the Liturgy of the Eucharist with an introductory period. Bread and wine are brought forth to be placed on the altar. Along with these offertory gifts we also bring up our sacrificial offering, our tithe for the maintenance of our parish and for the needs of others. In the early days of the Church, the Eucharistic banquet was celebrated in the context of a meal. Jesus had instituted the Eucharist at a meal called the Last Supper and told his followers to do what he was doing in memory of him. So they had a full meal during which bread was blessed and at the end of this meal a cup of wine was blessed. This Eucharistic Memorial was celebrated with a full meal. In time the Christian community realized that what was most important at this meal was the bread and wine that was offered so the meal aspect was dropped and instead of bringing all the ingredients for a meal, they brought a monetary contribution to the assembly. We continue this practice.

The bringing up of the bread and wine and the collection is more properly called the Preparation of the Gifts. These are God’s gifts to us and our gifts to God. Even though we call this the “offertory procession” it is basically just a preparation rite for the actual offertory which is the Eucharistic Prayer. When the priest offers up this bread and wine to God the Father, we should be so united with this offering that we place ourselves, as it were, on the paten (dish) that contains the bread and wine. We offer ourselves, our hurts and pains, our thanks and adoration to God for all that God has done for us through his Son Jesus.

Along with prayers, the basic pattern of the Eucharist consists of four parts in imitation of what Jesus did; Jesus took bread and wine; said a prayer to bless these gifts; broke the bread; and then gave the broken bread and the cup to his disciples to eat and drink.

With the invocation of the Holy Spirit to change these gifts into the Body and Blood of Christ and the narrative of the Institution at the Last Supper, the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ. It is our faith that believes this because we believe in the words that Jesus used at the Last Supper. We pray to the Holy Spirit that we will become more united with God and with one another.

It is the Eucharist that unites us, makes us a communion, a common union. It is the Eucharist that converts us to a deeper life with God. St. Paul tells us (1 Corinthians 10:17) “because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.”

After the prayers that the priest/celebrant makes on our behalf, we prepare ourselves to eat and drink in obedience to Jesus command at the Last Supper. We prepare for this by using the words that Jesus taught us, the Our Father. It teaches us to call God our father. Our God is the God of all of us so we should respect each other as members of God’s family. We pray for our daily bread, the Eucharist, that sustains us. We beg forgiveness from God as we pledge that we will be as forgiving. We exchange some sign of peace as an act of reconciliation, love and friendship with all our brothers and sister in the Church.

As Jesus gave the consecrated bread and wine to his disciples, we have our communion rite where we receive the consecrated “fruit of the earth,” and “fruit of the vine and work of human hands.” The actual breaking of bread is seen most visibly when the priest and deacon break bread consecrated at that particular Mass. Since Jesus told us to eat and drink, the restoration of the cup is made available as often as possible and we are invited to partake from the chalice. At most meals we eat and drink, so too at the Eucharistic meal we should eat and drink even though we believe that the “totus Christus” (the whole Christ) is contained under either species of bread and wine.

The documents coming from the US Bishop’s Office of Liturgy, over the years, are very explicit in recommending communion under both forms: The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) 1970 & 1975 emphasizes in paragraph (#56): “It is most important that the faithful should receive the body of the Lord in hosts consecrated at the same Mass and should share the cup when it is permitted. Communion is thus a clearer sign of sharing in the sacrifice which is actually taking place.” With this one cup and one bread concept always before our mind, we need to look at receiving the consecrated wine that has become the real sacramental Jesus on our altars. The GIRM tells us: “Holy Communion has a fuller form as a sign when it is distributed under both kinds. For in this form the sign of the Eucharistic banquet is more clearly evident and clear expression is given to the divine will by which the new and external Covenant is ratified in the Blood of the Lord, as also the relationship between the Eucharistic banquet and the heavenly banquet in the Father’s Kingdom” (GIRM no. 281, see also Norms, #20.2).

The Bishops urge us to receive from the cup so more ministers of Holy Communion are needed for this to take place. The majority of congregants will not receive from the cup but why deprive those who want to partake of the chalice? Is God calling you to be a Eucharistic Minister? Why not accept this ministry?

After a communion song and/or a period of silence to commune with the Lord, the communion rite concludes with a prayer and a dismissal rite. Before the community disperses brief announcements and community business can be brought to the attention of the congregation. We are then sent forth to bring the Christ we have received to the waiting world. As Blessed Pope John Paul II said: “The dismissal at the end of each Mass is a charge given to Christians, inviting them to work for the spread of the gospel and the imbuing of society with Christian values.”

Very Rev. Michael T. Driscoll, O. Carm.
Administrator Pro-Tem