Meaning of Holy Communion (What is it, Concept and Definition)

What is Holy Communion:

In Catholicism, the expression holy communion or simply comunion refers to the action and effect of commune , that is, the effective reception of the Eucharist by the believer.By extension, it is also called communion at the time of the Mass at which this action takes place.

Juan Martin Header: The communion of St.Teresa .c.1670.Oil on canvas.248 x 222 cm.

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

Holy communion is realized in the context of the Mass, which symbolizes the memorial of the Lord's Supper, that is, it is the remembrance 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 moment when he instituted the commandment of love and the priesthood.

See also the Catholic Church.

The rite of communion

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

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

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

• The Sunday prayer, in which our daily bread is requested, physical and spiritual;
• The rite of peace, in which l The faithful recognize themselves as part of the ecclesiastical family and humanity as preparation to consume the Bread;
• The fraction of the Bread, which is broken by the priest in representation of Christ.The gesture symbolizes the idea of that we are all part of the same body;
• The mixture or inmixion, that is, the process by which the presbyter drops pieces of the consecrated bread in the chalice with the wine that symbolizes the blood of Christ;
• The 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:

Andrea Imaginario

University professor, singer, Bachelor of Arts (Mention Cultural Promotion), with a Masters in Comparative Literature from the Central University of Venezuela, and PhD in History at the Autonomous University of Lisbon.