Lesson 23
ON THE END FOR WHICH THE HOLY EUCHARIST WAS INSTITUTED

251 Q. Why did Christ institute the Holy Eucharist?
A. Christ instituted the Holy Eucharist:

(1) To unite us to Himself and to nourish our souls with His divine
life.
(2) To increase sanctifying grace and all the virtues in our souls.
(3) To lessen our evil inclinations.
(4) To be a pledge of everlasting life.
(5) To fit our bodies for a glorious resurrection.
(6) To continue the sacrifice of the Cross in His Church.

"To nourish." The Holy Eucharist does to our souls what natural food
does to our bodies. It strengthens them and makes up for the losses we
have sustained by sin, etc. "A pledge," because it does not seem
probable that a person who all during life had been fed and nourished
with the sacred body of Our Lord should after death be buried in Hell.
"To fit our bodies," because Our Lord has promised that if we eat His
flesh and drink His blood, that is, receive the Holy Eucharist, He will
raise us up on the last day, or Day of Judgment. (John 6:55).

*252 Q. How are we united to Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist?
A. We are united to Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist by means of Holy
Communion.

253 Q. What is Holy Communion?
A. Holy Communion is the receiving of the body and blood of Christ.

Holy Communion is therefore the receiving of the Sacrament of Holy
Eucharist.

254 Q. What is necessary to make a good Communion?
A. To make a good Communion it is necessary to be in a state of
sanctifying grace, to be fasting for one hour, and to have a right
intention.

"Fasting"--that is, not having taken any food or drink for one hour
before the time of Communion. (Water and true medicine do not break the
fast and may be taken at any time.) What, then, are you to do, if,
without thinking, you break your fast? Do not go to Communion at that
Mass; you can remain in church and receive Communion at the following
Mass. Never, never, on any account, go to Holy Communion when you have
broken your fast. Never let fear or shame or anything else make you do
such a thing. It is no shame to break your fast by mistake; but it is a
great sin to knowingly go to Communion after breaking your fast.

"A right intention"--holy and spiritual motive, such as, to obey Our
Lord's command, to receive strength to resist temptation, or to be
united with Our Lord.

255 Q. Does he who receives Communion in mortal sin receive the body and
blood of Christ?
A. He who receives Communion in mortal sin receives the body and blood
of Christ, but does not receive His grace, and he commits a great
sacrilege.

"The body and blood," because the appearance of bread and wine is there
after consecration, and he receives it. He who receives the Holy
Eucharist in mortal sin receives Our Lord into a filthy soul. If a great
and highly-esteemed friend was coming to visit your house, would you not
take care to have everything clean and neat, and pleasing to him? And
the greater the dignity of the person coming, the more careful you would
be. But what are all the persons of dignity in the world--kings or
popes--compared with Our Lord, who leaves the beauties of Heaven to come
to visit our soul? and the purest we can make it is not pure enough for
Him. But He is kind to us, and is satisfied with our poor preparation if
He sees we are doing our very best. But oh, what a shame to receive Him
into our soul without any preparation! and more horrible still, to fill
it with vile sins, that we know are most disgusting to Him! No wonder,
therefore, that receiving Holy Communion unworthily is so great a crime,
and so deserving of God's punishment. Why should not the heavenly Father
punish us for treating His beloved Son with such shameful disrespect and
contempt?

*256 Q. Is it enough to be free from mortal sin, to receive plentifully
the graces of Holy Communion?
A. To receive plentifully the graces of Holy Communion it is not enough
to be free from mortal sin, but we should be free from all affection to
venial sin, and should make acts of lively faith, of firm hope and
ardent love.

*257 Q. What is the fast necessary for Holy Communion?
A. The fast necessary for Holy Communion is the abstaining for one hour
from everything which is taken as food or drink.

{T.N.: The reprint book, upon which this e-text is based, contains the
statement, "published . . . with minor revisions to conform with the new
regulations on fasting and indulgences, etc."}

"Food or drink." If you swallowed a button, for example, it would not
break your fast, because it is not food or drink.

*258 Q. Is anyone ever allowed to receive Holy Communion when not
fasting?
A. Anyone in danger of death is allowed to receive Communion when not
fasting.

"Not fasting." But then the Holy Communion is called by another name; it
is called the Viaticum, and the priest uses a different prayer in giving
it to the sick person. When a person dies, he goes, as it were, on a
journey from this world to the next. Now, when persons are going on a
journey they must have food to strengthen them. Our Lord wished,
therefore, that all His children who had to go on this most important of
all journeys--from this world to the next--should be first strengthened
by this sacred food, His own body and blood. The Latin word for road or
way is via, and Viaticum therefore means food for the way. Not only are
persons in danger of death allowed to receive when not fasting, but they
are obliged to receive; and the priest is obliged under pain of sin to
bring Holy Communion to the dying at any hour of the day or night.

When I speak of a great journey from this world to the next, from earth
to Heaven, you must not understand me to mean that it is a great many
miles from earth to Heaven, or that it takes a long time to go to the
next world. No. We cannot measure the distance, nor does it take time to
get there. The instant we die, no matter where that happens, our soul is
in the next world, and judged by God.

*259 Q. When are we bound to receive Holy Communion?
A. We are bound to receive Holy Communion, under pain of mortal sin,
during the Easter time and when in danger of death.

*260 Q. Is it well to receive Holy Communion often?
A. It is well to receive Holy Communion often, as nothing is a greater
aid to a holy life than often to receive the Author of all graces and
the Source of all good.

*261 Q. What should we do after Holy Communion?
A. After Holy Communion we should spend some time in adoring Our Lord,
in thanking Him for the graces we have received and in asking Him for
the blessings we need.