Meaning of holy communion (what is it, concept and definition)

What is Holy Communion:

In Catholicism, the expression holy communion or simply communion refers to the action and effect of communion , that is, to the effective reception of the Eucharist by the believer. By extension, communion is also called the moment of the mass in which said action takes place.

Juan Martín Cabezalero: The communion of Santa Teresa . c. 1670. Oil on canvas. 248 x 222 cm.

Through holy communion, the believer expresses his desire to commit himself to following Christ and, furthermore, his desire to internalize his teachings and imitate him. That is, it expresses that it is in communion with Jesus and his message.

Holy communion is performed in the context of the mass, which symbolizes the memorial of the Lord's Supper, that is, it is the memory and revival of the experience of the so-called Last Supper of Jesus with his apostles.

According to the Gospels, the Last Supper was the moment when Jesus instituted the ritual of the Eucharist, that is, of the consecration of bread and wine as the body and blood of Jesus Christ. It was also the time when he instituted the commandment of love and the priesthood.

The rite of communion

Holy communion takes place, then, in the last part of the mass, called the Eucharistic liturgy, which follows the initial rites and the liturgy of the word. The Eucharistic liturgy is structured as follows:

• Preparation of the gifts. Eucharistic prayer. Communion Rite.

Within this structure, the communion rite has its own, and all the elements revolve around the symbolic value of bread. Let's see how the communion rite is specifically structured:

• Sunday prayer, in which our daily and physical bread is requested; The rite of peace, in which the faithful recognize themselves as part of the ecclesiastical family and of humanity in preparation for consuming the Bread; The fraction del Pan, which is broken by the priest in representation of Christ. The gesture symbolizes the idea that we are all part of the same body; the mixture or immixion, that is, the process by which the priest drops pieces of the consecrated bread in the chalice with the wine that symbolizes the blood of Christ; interior preparation of the priest; The formal presentation of the Eucharistic bread to the assembly and its distribution, to be consumed by the assistants.

See also:

• Mass. Sacrament.