During Covid when the churches were closed and we weren’t able to receive the Sacraments, our parish responded by offering appointments to come to the church singly and receive the Eucharist. How we missed our daily Mass and the easy access to communion! What a gift it was for our pastor to make this arrangement to allow us to receive Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament!
I’m often at church lately when it is empty (one of my favorite times and places 🙂 and the memory of that blessed Encounter always touches my heart. We had to enter by the front door, one at a time with a designated appointment. The church was empty and silent; the only person present was our pastor, who sat in the chancel near the tabernacle and awaited each solo arrival.
I arrived at my appointed time and entered the front door. Before me was the long aisle, with empty pews on both sides – the aisle seemed so long! The silence was palpable, and my footsteps seemed so loud as I gingerly made my way toward the chancel and the communion rail. It seemed such along way to walk! Fr Joseph rose from his chair, and awaited me as I knelt down to receive the Blessed Sacrament. It was a holy moment, with not a breath stirring in the church. Jesus came to me, from the hands of this holy priest, and I was so aware of the sacredness of this Encounter. A short pause, and then I exited by the side door as another soul came to receive the Eucharist.
How grateful I am for this memory, and how I want each reception of the Eucharist to carry the same reverential blessing as my Covid reception! How blessed I am to have an unlocked church where I can come in the quiet of its emptiness and stand there at the entrance, reliving this moment!
Lord God, how blessed we are to be able to receive You in the Blessed Sacrament! Thank you for the creative and generous ways your Church responded to the Covid desert, through the goodness and holiness of your priests! May I never take the reception of communion for granted, and keep this memory alive in my heart…
Spiritual Sun Pennies 