The Precious Blood At Communion

At some point during our lives we’ve all asked the same question: Why don’t we receive the Precious Blood at Holy Communion?  It’s a reasonable question if we don’t know our catechism—after all, the priest places the Host on our tongue as he says “May the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ keep your soul unto life everlasting, Amen.”  Those who follow the missal will also notice that the priest says the same words for himself, substituting, however, “Blood” for “Body” when he takes Communion from the Chalice.  A curious Catholic child will therefore naturally assume that the consecrated bread is the Body of Christ, while the consecrated wine is the Blood of Christ.  Two different substances are consecrated, so therefore, surely, they must turn into two different substances.  And if that’s the case, why do we receive only one of them?  We’re missing out on half the sacrament, no?

The answer, of course, is that that is not the case.  Both the bread and the wine become the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ.  When we receive Communion in the form of the Host alone, we are receiving the fullness of the same sacrament received by the priest at the altar when he receives both the host and from the chalice.  This may be a little confusing for children to understand and parents should take care to assure them that they are not receiving only half the sacrament.

At the Last Supper, Christ took and blessed the bread, saying “This is my Body.”  Then he took the chalice and blessed that also, saying “This is the Cup of my Blood.”  For many years, Christians received Communion in both forms.  Even today, our eastern brethren receive a small particle of the consecrated bread that is dipped in the consecrated wine and then administered to the communicant on a small spoon.  This form of presentation is known as intinction.  While it may appear less confusing than the Roman rite, it is considered as simply another way of receiving Communion, having no spiritual benefits or disadvantages over Communion under one species only.  Both eastern and western rites are equally valid and equally licit in their own context.

After Vatican II when everything was “up for grabs” and experimentation was the common order of the day, proponents of change reintroduced the custom in many places of passing around the chalice filled with what they still believed to be the Precious Blood.  They claimed that this was the ancient practice and should therefore be followed, despite the self-evident truth that the Western Church had already abolished Communion under both species.  Their thoughtless innovation proved to be a disaster, however, as the Precious Blood was subjected to spillage, contamination, and abuse, and the obviously unhygienic practice resulted in the spread of infectious diseases and ultimate, the avoidance of Holy Communion by the faithful.  The whole experiment was an unnecessary and sacrilegious attempt to improve on what was already perfect.

The bottom line of receiving Holy Communion, or indeed, any sacrament, is that it should be valid and therefore capable of providing the faithful with the graces that flow from its reception.  Catholics may be assured that receiving Communion that was consecrated by a valid priest at a valid Mass, they will be receiving the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ.  Our union with God at Communion is the closest we ever get in this life to that ultimate and eternal union that will be ours in heaven.  And only by receiving Holy Communion in this life according to the precepts of the Church will we ever be considered eligible to enter into that final union.  That simple little host on our tongue, worthily received, is both essential and sufficient to receive those graces.