Spiritual Corner -- A Few Observations in Church

How many faithful can really appreciate the beauty of receiving Holy Communion? How many faithful, after receiving Holy Communion, will quiet down to be united with the Eucharist?

In the past few months, we had often found hosts abandoned and thrown on the floor or placed between pages of a hymn book. One day, while walking up the church steps, I could not believe what I spotted with my eyes. Out of curiosity, I bent down to see more clearly and a question floated out of my mind : “How can You be here?” It turned out that it was a host lying quietly and abandoned in a dirty corner outside the church’s main entrance.

Some faithful do not know that after receiving Holy Communion, they should immediately put the host into the mouth. Once during the 12 noon mass and after receiving Holy Communion, I inadvertently turned around and saw a sister of the Ministry of Hospitality negotiating with a parishioner who had just received a host and brought it back to his seat. She ultimately took back a host from that parishioner. I couldn’t help raising my thumb toward the sister as a sign of appreciation. She said, “It is not the first time. There were other occasions when I saw people bringing the host back to their seats. Every time I had to follow the person and advise him/her to put the host into his/her mouth. If they
refused to do so, then I had but to retrieve the host and return it to the priest. There was another occasion when a lady came to me, saying, “My husband is not a Catholic, but he received a host, what should I do?” I replied, “You are a good Catholic and it’s smart of you to come to seek advice regarding how to handle the host. May God bless you!”

An elderly parishioner once said, “When the priest announces ‘the mass is ended’, my mind has already flown to the restaurant, worrying if there is parking available, whether reservations have been made and wondering about carpool arrangement!” After a busy week, it seems the only moment people would feel “being one with God” is when receiving Holy Communion. After leaving the church and returning to the secular world, they will totally forget about the Lord.

Every time the priest says, “May God be with you”, he does not state it lightly. He then says, “May Almighty God bless you, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.” And when we make the sign of the cross, we, instantaneously, acknowledge and receive God’s blessings, right?

Dear parishioners, may the Lord be with us, and may the Almighty God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit bless us. All these are real.

The “King’s” words are to be taken seriously. Who then is this “King”? It is the Holy Trinity. Never say: “one who errs unknowingly is not sinful” There is no reason for any Catholic to say “one who errs unknowingly is not sinful”. Contemptuous attitude and lack of reverence are sinful, too.

May the Holy Trinity be with us, may the Holy Spirit shine upon us and drive away the darkness from our heart.

Yours,
Sr. Magdalena Yang