We are to fast for one hour
before Communion. In practice this can easily mean virtually no fast at all!
While we should not become scrupulous about the issue – counting the
minutes or wondering whether this or that “breaks” the fast –
it is good to be aware of the value in the traditional fast before Communion.
There is value in having
some sense of being hungry as we approach our Sunday Liturgy. We need to come
with some hunger; we need to be reminded in our bodies of important spiritual
things.
The fast before Communion
is, at least in part, about anticipation. We are to be hungry for God’s
Word and for the Eucharistic food and drink. We come to the church gathering
hungry.
We need to be hungry for
nourishment of a sacramental kind. This means we need to be hungry for the
celebration of the presence of Jesus in our lives. We need to be hungry to
receive the proclamation of the Word; we need to be hungry for the support and
friendship of our gathered community; we need to be hungry for spiritual
nourishment, for intellectual stimulation, for useful information, for emotional
support. We need to be hungry for holy Communion.
This fast might well be
many-dimensional. We clear the eyes, the ears, the senses, as well as the
mouth. Does it really work to read the newspaper or a magazine or watch TV or
listen to the radio before Mass or Liturgy on Sunday? How do we prepare our
whole body for the sacred action of the Liturgy: a time of stillness
meditation? slow physical exercises? stretching? deep breathing? a solitary
walk?
I can remember hearing a
story about my grandfather in his old age choosing to walk by himself to Mass
on Sunday – a walk that might have taken him an hour or so. Transport was
available in the family vehicle, but he preferred to walk to Sunday Mass.
Such a practice could still
be a fitting preparation for Sunday Liturgy. How often do we come in a rush
(late!) almost out of breath, with our minds racing and distracting emotions in
turmoil?
We need to fast from rush and turmoil so
that we can enter into the community gathering and Liturgy with open and
well-disposed hearts and minds.
Fasting before Communion is a good idea.