In many Catholic churches throughout the world, Holy Communion is a time when everyone in the church gets up from their pew and shuffles to the front to receive a consecrated host.
While this certainly is a good thing, sometimes our own intentions aren't in the right place.
We may even feel a certain amount of pressure to join the communion line, especially if there are other people in the pew wanting to get past us.
Many of us simply don't want to be left out.
Why do you receive Holy Communion?
St. Francis de Sales explains in his Introduction to the Devout Life that our primary intention should be to grow in love of Jesus Christ:
Your main intention in Communion should be to grow, strengthen, and abound in the Love of God; for Love’s Sake receive that which Love Alone gives you. Of a truth there is no more loving or tender aspect in which to gaze upon the Savior than this act, in which He, so to say, annihilates Himself, and gives Himself to us as food, in order to fill our souls, and to unite Himself more closely to the heart and flesh of His faithful ones.
Holy Communion is meant to deepen our communion with God. It is entirely about our relationship with God and growing in love of him.
We need to ask ourselves if that is the primary intention that we have when we join the communion line, or if we are only doing it out of habit.
Jesus wants to give himself to us in the Eucharist, but we need to be open to his gift.
