Fasting Communion.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume XV, Issue 4, 1 October 1924, Page 442

Fasting Communion.

: ■_''"': (Coritribute'd) 1 ."•■ '■']' '■■'"•■ ■; To receive the Holy Communion before -any otfyer .£o.pd of ..the dajrifc a practice which may "be said" to have the as'sent-.. ,of ..the.. ..mniversal Church. Early Christian writers speak i of ■it .•in;. this' "way, : ■ , j-ie.g.y Terr tullian (200 A.1).) speaks of reception as taking place "before all food"; St. Basil (370) says no priest would venture to e.:el.ebr ; ate .unless he was fasting; ; . ,Sit.\Chrysostoni and St. Augustine both speak very pja inly on the 'matter. , v It is an act of /reverence which should help us.to-ca.: more worthy receiving. Our Lord did not.,fcomr maud it,, but He and His;; disciples had been fasting from j.the^.Wediies- 1 day up to the Passover ,• Feast on::the Thursday night ,■ . 'v/hen >|le.. instituted the Christian PassovGr^J^easJ;. =r> :; v The only. ......exception should be a matter of health;, and' then -if lam not strong; enbitgiivfa last, tlirlbugh the service, I should. ._ not have a full meal. That is. why we should come to the early celebration ; later celebrations avelfov,:! tilder.. and; invalid people who: cannot. .: come early,, for, those who live far away, 0r ... great' necessity. It 'seems • a natural piece- of reverence not. to smoke -before receiving 1 .--. :.. ■ ■.-.' •.- < •'- Let- us. use every means to do honor to the Mystery and to deepen our reverence, .: ■■. .. ■ .