Happy Easter! As we conclude our celebration of the Easter Octave on this Divine Mercy Sunday, we give thanks for the eternal life won for us by Christ’s Resurrection from the dead, and for the extraordinary mercy that He shows by extending this eternal life to sinners like us. I hope you all are having an extremely blessed and joyful Easter.
When you consider the Divine Mercy devotion, and in particular its prayer, “Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your Dearly Beloved Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world,” it seems fitting that this is the weekend we are reintroducing the Precious Blood at Masses. It’s hard to believe that it’s been more than 3 years since we have offered the chalice to the congregation, and I am so excited and edified that everyone will have the option of receiving Communion under both species once again.
Just a few thoughts and reminders as we make this wonderful addition to our Masses:
- All those receiving Communion will have the option of receiving under both kinds. If you choose to only receive under one kind, you are not receiving “less” – the Body and Blood of Christ are both fully present under each species.
- When you approach the minister of the Precious Blood, simply make a respectful bow just like you do when you receive the host. The minister will hand the chalice to you, you’ll drink a sip and hand it back to them, and then you’ll return to your pew to pray.
- EMHC’s, please note that we will likely need to pull extra ministers from the congregation until the new ministry schedule comes out in May, so please arrive at Mass a little early and dressed appropriately so that we can recruit you to assist if needed.
Also, we’re going to take this opportunity to look at how we organize our Communion line. Based on different parishioner feedback we’ve received, we might make some changes to avoid the congestion that occurs in the side aisles as people return to their pews. We’ll take a few weeks to observe how it goes.
Thanks for your patience as we’ve gone through this long process of persevering through, and then reemerging from, the challenges of the pandemic. It’s just another testament to the fact that through all of the trouble and turmoil in the world, the love of Christ will always remain, and our faith will always be secure.