More on The Eucharist explained

By Fr Robert Christo

Vicar for Communications

Q: What exactly counts as being in a ‘state of grace’ before Communion?

Being in a state of grace means your friendship with God is alive and not separated by mortal sin. The Church teaches that if someone is conscious of grave sin, they should first go to Confession before receiving Holy Communion. A mortal sin usually involves a serious matter, full knowledge, and deliberate consent.

Examples may include serious hatred or revenge, adultery, pornography, deliberately missing weekend Mass without serious reason, deep dishonesty or exploitation, grave drunkenness, or violence. Not because God hates you.

Not because the Church wicked. But because Communion means union.

You cyah say: “Jesus, unite Yourself fully to me,” while deliberately holding on to serious sin.

Imagine inviting somebody into your house while the whole place is littered with garbage, confusion, and mess. Grace is allowing God to clean and restore the house of the soul.

And remember: The Eucharist is not a reward for perfect people. It is food for pilgrims honestly trying to walk with God.

Q: If while I am not in a state of grace, I sincerely intend to go to Confession after Mass, can I still receive Communion?

Normally, no. If you are conscious of mortal sin, the Church asks you to refrain from Communion until Confession. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that sacramental reconciliation should ordinarily come before Eucharistic Communion in such cases.

However, the Church recognises a very limited exception. If there is a grave reason to receive Communion and no opportunity for Confession, a person may receive only after making an act of perfect contrition and intending to confess as soon as possible.

This is meant for exceptional situations, not: ‘Ah planning to confess after Mass anyway, so leh me take Communion first.’

Not because God hates you. Not because the Church wicked. But because Communion means union.

Sometimes the holiest thing a person can do is remain seated, make a spiritual communion, and humbly seek Confession later. That humility itself is grace at work.

And parishioners should also be charitable to priests before and between Masses. A priest going from one liturgy to the next is not a fruit vendor trying to fill orders before lunchtime.

Q: If both Bread and Wine are available, can I choose only the Host or only the Chalice?

Yes. The Church teaches that Christ is fully present—Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity—under either species. So, if you receive only the Host, you receive the whole Christ. If you receive only from the Chalice, you receive the whole Christ.

No Catholic will be leaving ‘half blessed’.

Now some people feel: ‘Father, I hadda take both to get full package!’

No. This is not a combo with fries and a drink. The fullness of Christ is present in either form.

However, if one chooses to receive only one species, reverence should still be shown to the other. A simple bow or gesture of acknowledgment expresses respect for the fullness of the sacrament.

And while the Church permits reception under one species, Christ did say: “Take and eat… take and drink.” So, when possible, the faithful are encouraged to participate fully and reverently.

Q: What happens if the sacred Host falls or the Precious Blood spills?

Immediately, the minister or priest carefully picks it up or wipes it reverently with the white purifier. The purifier is then washed and the water poured directly into the ground or in the sacrarium (a special sink) usually in the sacristy.

Depending on the situation, the sacred species may be consumed or respectfully dissolved according to liturgical norms.

Why? Because Catholics believe this is not ordinary bread after consecration. This is the real presence of Christ. Not grab-and-go Eucharist.

This is why senior Catholics would nearly dive like West Indies fielders if they saw a fragment of the Host fall. They believed Jesus was truly present.

Q: During the Consecration should you stare at the elevated Host and Chalice or bow your head?

The Church allows both reverent gazing and silent prayer. Traditionally many Catholics look upon the elevated Host and Chalice in adoration and then bow possibly when the priest bows or genuflects because this is the sacred moment of Consecration. Some quietly whisper: “My Lord and my God.”

The key is not performance. The key is reverence. As St Thomas Aquinas beautifully wrote: “Sight, touch, taste fail with regard to Thee; only by hearing does one believe safely.”

Q: How late is too late for Mass?

Catholics are called to participate intentionally and reverently in the whole Mass.

The Mass has two major parts, the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. If someone deliberately skips major portions carelessly, that becomes spiritually problematic.

Now people always ask: “If I miss the Gospel, I miss Mass?”

The Church does not give a magical stopwatch rule like:

“Seven minutes late—hellfire.”

“Nine minutes late—escorted by ushers to outer darkness.”

Sometimes road traffic behaves like one of the plagues of Egypt. Sometimes children, sickness, emergencies, work shifts, or caregiving intervene.

God is not standing by the church door with a barcode scanner.

But habitual and laissez-faire lateness slowly forms the soul badly.

If someone misses most of the Liturgy of the Word without valid reason, it would generally be more appropriate not to approach the Eucharistic table.

The real question is not: ‘What is the minimum to get Communion?’

The real question is: ‘How can I give God my best?’

Q: Once you reach Mass can you automatically receive Communion?

No. Simply being physically present at Mass does not automatically mean someone should receive Communion.

One should be a baptised Catholic, believe in the Eucharist, be in a state of grace, observe the Eucharistic fast, participate reverently in the whole liturgy, and approach with faith and humility. That takes humility. And humility opens doors for grace.

Q: Should Catholics genuflect or bow when entering church?

Traditionally, if the Blessed Sacrament is present in the tabernacle, genuflect toward the tabernacle. If the tabernacle is elsewhere or not visible, bow toward the altar. A helpful sign is the eternal sanctuary lamp, the red light near the tabernacle.

Why? Because the altar represents Christ’s sacrifice. But the tabernacle houses the Blessed Sacrament.

Some Catholics nowadays walking into church like they entering the mall, phone in hand, chewing gum, scanning for space for the handbag. The church is sacred ground. Not social media with stained glass.

Q: When should people avoid moving around during Mass?

The Church encourages minimising unnecessary movement during sacred moments such as the Gospel, the Consecration, Communion prayers, and periods of silence after Communion.

If movement is necessary, it should be discreet and reverent. At a funeral, nobody waves to family or friend they have not seen in a long time, during the eulogy.

So too at Mass. Certain moments require stillness because Heaven is touching Earth. The Mass is not spiritual entertainment. It is Calvary made present sacramentally. Every gesture, bow, silence, kneeling, response, and sign of reverence trains the heart toward God.

As the Church says: Lex orandi, lex credendi: “The way we worship shapes what we believe.”

And maybe that is why the saints treated the Mass with awe. Because they knew: at every Eucharist, Earth does not merely pray to Heaven. Heaven comes down to Earth.