The Fruits and Responsibilities of a Holy Communion

We receive innumerable benefits from a Holy Communion; so many that we couldn't possibly be aware of all of them. Most of these blessings are taking place deep down inside of our souls beyond the reach of our senses so it can be tempting to think that nothing is happening because we do not feel anything. This article will mention some of the blessings that we receive every time we come to this sacrament with the right dispositions.

Keep in mind that the ultimate goal of the Christian life is for us to participate in the life of the Holy Trinity; this is the reason grace is given to us - to make us sharers of the divine nature. Baptism grafts us onto Christ and His Mystical Body, the Church, and makes us capable of living a divine, supernatural life. Every Holy Communion takes us deeper into that reality. 

But...this gift also places responsibilities upon us. One day we will have to give an account to God for how we responded to these blessings. So, it is helpful to know what the Church clearly teaches about the fruits of a Holy Communion so we can cooperate to the best of our ability with what God is doing. 

One of our responsibilities is to follow the Church teaching on a worthy reception of Holy Communion. We must be in the State of Grace to receive the Eucharist and experience the benefits listed below. The State of Grace is "the condition of a person who is free from mortal sin and pleasing to God. It is the state of being in God's friendship and the necessary condition of the soul at death in order to attain heaven” (Father John Hardon).

If we are not in the state of grace, coming to Mass might be helpful because of the homily, prayers, people, etc. but receiving the Eucharist will not be helpful because our souls are not in a position to benefit from it.

However, when we repent and receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation for our mortal sins, that places us back into the "state of grace" and then we can receive God’s help in a very real and personal way in Holy Communion. It is not easy to live the Christian life which is a life of sacrificial love for everyone including our enemies. 

To be able to love this way we need the grace we receive from Holy Communion as often as possible. Receiving Holy Communion once a week on Sundays and on Holy Days of Obligation is the bare minimum. 

The saints tell us:

“Daily receive with the best dispositions Him whom you so greatly need every day” (Saint Augustine).

“It is profitable to receive communion daily so as to receive its fruits daily. This sacrament is spiritual food; just as bodily food is taken every day, so it is a good thing to receive this sacrament every day” (Saint Thomas Aquinas).

The following are ten reasons from the Catechism of the Catholic Church about why frequent reception of Holy Communion is extremely beneficial. These are the potential fruits of a Holy Communion and each one calls for a personal response from us [possible responses are in brackets in red]:

1. HOLY COMMUNION AUGMENTS OUR UNION WITH CHRIST: the principal fruit of receiving the Eucharist in Holy Communion is an intimate union with Christ Jesus. Indeed, the Lord said: "He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him" (John 6:56).  Life in Christ has its foundation in the Eucharistic banquet: "As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me" (John 6:57). [We have a responsibility to do our best to keep this in mind as we go about our daily lives. We are united with Christ and can tap into his love for others at any moment. The regular practice of mental prayer and short prayers throughout the day will greatly help with this.]

2. WHAT MATERIAL FOOD PRODUCES IN OUR BODILY LIFE, HOLY COMMUNION WONDERFULLY ACHIEVES IN OUR SPIRITUAL LIFE. Communion with the flesh of the risen Christ...PRESERVES, INCREASES AND RENEWS THE LIFE OF GRACE RECEIVED IN BAPTISM. This growth in Christian life needs the nourishment of Eucharistic Communion, the bread for our pilgrimage until the moment of death, when it will be given to us as viaticum.

3. HOLY COMMUNION SEPARATES US FROM SIN. The body of Christ we receive in Holy Communion is "given up for us," and the blood we drink "shed for the many for the forgiveness of sins." For this reason the Eucharist cannot unite us to Christ without at the same time cleansing us from past sins and preserving us from future sins. [Our responsibility is to examine our consciences on a regular basis to see where we are sinning so that we can cooperate with this cleansing and truly repent and make amends.]

4. “As bodily nourishment restores lost strength, so the Eucharist STRENGTHENS OUR CHARITY, WHICH TENDS TO BE WEAKENED IN DAILY LIFE, AND THIS LIVING CHARITY WIPES AWAY VENIAL SINS” (The Council of Trent). [Our responsibility is to learn about the theological virtue of Charity so that we can understand how Jesus might be strengthening us in it. Who am I not loving? Not forgiving? How can I love them better?]

5. By giving himself to us Christ REVIVES OUR LOVE AND ENABLES US TO BREAK OUR DISORDERED ATTACHMENTS TO CREATURES AND ROOT OURSELVES IN HIM. [What am I attached to that I need to let go of? What steps can I take to cooperate with this grace and uproot this from my life?]

6. By this same charity that it enkindles in us, the Eucharist PRESERVES US FROM FUTURE MORTAL SINS. The more we share the life of Christ and progress in his friendship, the more difficult it is to break away from him by mortal sin. The Eucharist is not ordered to the forgiveness of mortal sins - that is proper to the sacrament of Reconciliation. The Eucharist is properly the sacrament of those who are in full communion with the Church.

7. THE UNITY OF THE MYSTICAL BODY: the Eucharist makes the Church. Those who receive the Eucharist are united more closely to Christ. Through it Christ unites them to all the faithful in one body - the Church. Communion renews, strengthens, and deepens this incorporation into the Church, already achieved by Baptism. In Baptism we have been called to form but one body (1 Corinthians 12:13).  The Eucharist fulfills this call. [Our responsibility is to work and pray for this unity and to keep in mind that all members of the Church are our brothers and sisters in Christ.]

8. The Eucharist COMMITS US TO THE POOR. To receive in truth the Body and Blood of Christ given up for us, we must recognize Christ in the poorest, his brethren.

9. THE EUCHARIST COMMITS US TO PRAY DILIGENTLY FOR THE UNITY OF CHRISTIANS. Before the greatness of this mystery St. Augustine exclaims, "O sacrament of devotion! O sign of unity! O bond of charity!" The more painful the experience of the divisions in the Church which break the common participation in the table of the Lord, the more urgent are our prayers to the Lord that the time of complete unity among all who believe in him may return.

10. The Eucharist is also an ANTICIPATION OF THE HEAVENLY GLORY.  In an ancient prayer the Church acclaims the mystery of the Eucharist: "O sacred banquet in which Christ is received as food, the memory of his Passion is renewed, the soul is filled with grace and a pledge of the life to come is given to us." If the Eucharist is the memorial of the Passover of the Lord Jesus, if by our communion at the altar we are filled "with every heavenly blessing and grace,"  then the Eucharist is also an anticipation of the heavenly glory. [How can we be better examples of this reality?]

Here are some other quotes from the saints about the fruits and responsibilities of a Holy Communion:

JESUS WELCOMES OUR COMMUNIONS VERY MUCH: “He does not descend from heaven to remain in golden vessels, but to come into our souls” (Saint Theresa of Lisieux). [It is our responsibility to honor his desire.]

“If they only understood what the Eucharist is, souls would run to the altar rail faster than the thirsting deer run to a fountain” (The Curé of Ars, Saint John Vianney). [It is our responsibility to continue to learn about the Eucharist.]

Holy Communion is the "SOURCE OF LIFE AND FOUNTAIN OF GRACE. It forgives sin and weakens the hold of selfish desires” (Saint Thomas Aquinas). [What sins and selfish desires is Jesus trying to free me from?]

Holy Communion (/saint Thomas Aquinas):

• STRENGTHENS THE WEAK
• INCREASES VIRTUE 
• MAKES GRACE ABOUND
• PURGES AWAY VICES
• REFRESHES THE SOUL

But, our disposition matters!

The sacraments are not magic.  The sacraments are grace building on nature. God knows that our nature is broken, and he definitely takes that into account; but our efforts to remedy that by growing in natural virtue are an important preparation for the reception of a Holy Communion. This allows the grace of God to work more completely and fully in and through us. It is for this reason that we fast, pray, and perform actions that are good. 

The sacraments are also grace building on our desires. Our desire to follow God’s Will in our lives unconditionally and to love sacrificially the way he loves will open our souls to his grace. Our desire and willingness to carry the crosses we experience in our lives in a holy manner will open our souls to his grace and help. Our desire and our efforts to grow in virtue will make our souls good soil for the fruits of a Holy Communion to grow and develop. The saints tell us that we will receive according to the measure of our desires. The more we desire holiness, the more we will receive from Jesus in Holy Communion.

All of this helps us to do our part - to live up to our responsibilities for receiving this great gift:

“Whoever receives Jesus often in Communion MUST AFTERWARDS RADIATE HIM IN HIS OWN LIFE” (The Curé of Ars, Saint John Vianney).

 Each one of us OUGHT “TO SHOW FORTH THE LIGHT OF JESUS CHRIST IN WORDS AND ACTIONS, BY RADIATING CHARITY” (Saint Peter Julian Eymard).

“THE TONGUE ON WHICH THE HOST IS PLACED SHOULD NOT KNOW BITTER WORDS, NOR THE HEART IN WHICH JESUS DWELLS KNOW HATRED” (Blessed Timothy Giaccardo).

“Do you eat of Christ Truth and then lie about others? Do you eat Christ Love and then hate your neighbor?” (Saint Peter Chrysologus).

“The Eucharist is an ardent furnace of charity; let us go to him to inflame our hearts with his love” (Blessed Timothy Giaccardo). 

“Your main motive for receiving communion should be to advance, strengthen and console yourself in the love of God…Our Lord is never more loving and tender than when he humbles himself and comes to us in the form of food that he may enter…into intimate union with us” (Saint Francis de Sales).

Lastly, even the graces from Holy Mass and the sacraments will not bear any real fruit without the regular (daily) practice of mental prayer. Mental prayer - Christian Meditation . This type of prayer prepares our hearts for a fruitful reception of Holy Communion and it allows the grace we receive in Holy Communion to work more efficiently; if done well it will change our desires and empower us to act on our good desires. It actualizes the grace we have received - it stirs it up so to speak (read more about this here).

So, do your best to live up to your responsibilities and work on your prayer life and on your efforts to grow in virtue. Ask God to change your desires in to His desires and receive the Eucharist as often as you can. This is the best way to benefit fully from this wonderful gift!