Convert having difficulty with the Eucharist

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First, I assure you I believe I am consuming the body and blood of Jesus Christ.

I drive to Mass thinking and praying – okay, this time I’ll be conscious of it, this time I’ll really experience it.

During Mass I pray for it to be real for me.

I have problems with focusing in general; at any point in my day my mind will wander and I’ll realize five minutes later that while I thought I was listening, I wasn’t, and I have no idea what anyone around me has said. I don’t purposely not pay attention. It just happens. I have problems paying attention during Mass and will realize I’ve missed a few lines of the homily and have no idea why everyone around me is laughing, etc.

So I pray also for help with my focus. But when I get in line, even if I start out intending to really be conscious of what I’m doing as I receive the Eucharist, I get distracted. I’ll sing the hymn refrain, then I’ll almost step on a child who stops abruptly, I’ll see someone I wasn’t expecting to see at that Mass, I’ll have become so worried about doing everything right (I think I’ll worry about that for a decade or more). Then I realize as I get back to the pew that I’ve done it again.

“The body of Christ.” “The blood of Christ.” You’d think that would be enough to make me wake up, but I turn into a robot or something. I’m walking along and doing things but my brain is somewhere else.

Besides prayer–lots and lots of prayer–has anyone else found any helpful way of concentrating on what we’re receiving AS we receive it?
 
I cannot speak for others, but I know the pre-Mass fast helps a lot. Especially if you extend it beyond the one-hour requirement. For instance, I’m usually awake two hours before Mass. I neither eat or drink anything beyond an initial glass of water to parch my dry throat and help rinse out the toothpaste. After I leave the bathroom, nothing enters my mouth until the communion wafer is offered to me. Because I don’t eat much anyway (my roommates say I eat like a bird on a diet!), I typically refrain from snacking after dinner, so I’m generally going twelve or more hours before Mass without eating anything. It makes you hungry, it really does. And when that wafer hits your stomach, there’s a fullness that fills you completely. I usually am not hungry again until I get home or we decide to go to get donuts or breakfast after Mass, and then it’s not until I’ve actually ordered that I’m hungry again.

What also helps is spending some time in adoration. It’s not a question of kneeling while you wait to enter the line for communion, but to be meditating on the real presence and the transformation that has just happened on the altar. Humble yourself before it. When you say “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the words and I shall be healed” allow the power of that statement to resonate through you, to fill your mind and allow the meaning of what you have just said to hit you full force in the face. Those words are like a freight train, they really are. I remember the first time I really internalized that statement. You can not imagine the awe I felt as I received communion that day.

And congrats on your recent confirmation! 👍 Look forward to Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. You’re gonna love it.
 
First of all, welcome!!

Generally, I try to quiet myself as much as possible. Once I start to step out of the pew to receive, I stop singing, I keep my eyes lowered to avoid distraction from others around me, and try to keep a comfortable distance from the person ahead of me. As I approach to receive, I look up and focus intently on the Eucharist as the minister holds it up and says, “the body of Christ”, and I focus on the meaning of my “Amen”.

Having received, I turn my attention to the Real Presence of Christ within me and spend more time in quiet. I also find that, rather than leaving with the crowds, kneeling in the pew and spending extra time after Mass for a time of thanksgiving helps, especially if I did happen to get distracted during Mass.

Distractions will happen and when they do, don’t beat yourself up over it - just let them go and return your attention to Jesus. We are all growing in discipline and even the saints (St. Teresa of Avila comes to mind), constantly dealt with distraction in spiritual matters.
 
Actually the time I have most difficulty concentrating on the mass is the moment of transubstantiation… even though I will myself to concentrate.

I attribute this to spiritual interference.

One thing I have always thought was that what is important is to have faith in the matter, and not the slightest doubt. To not expect any feedback whatsoever, just to give what you can give, of your thoughts, and stirring up one’s feelings to be most suitable for the occasion.

I agree, pre-mass preparation matters a good deal! 🙂

Pray during the mass! The lack of distraction of the flow of the Latin mass helps with this I think.
 
It would be a good idea to read some books about the Mass which would give you a deeper insight into exactly what’s happening… We can all believe in transubstantiation and that we truly receive Christ in Holy Communion, but understanding what is really happening in the Holy Mass - the fact that Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary is being re-presented to us before our eyes - may well ensure that you will not be able to look at or think about anything else but what’s happening at the altar. At the moment I’m reading The Incredible Catholic Mass by Fr Martin von Cochem - thought it was first published in 1704, it is a very readable book and it will give you some deep insights into the Mass (whether you attend the Ordinary or Extraordinary Form). It is published by TAN Books. You could also read Calvary and the Mass by the Servant of God, Fulton Sheen - although it too was written before the Ordinary Form came into being, it is still relevant and worth reading. It is available for free HERE.
 
It doesn’t matter how you “feel” or what your perception is at the time that you receive the Lord.

He is the Lord in the Eucharist, Truly Present, and you receive Him Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity whether you fully comprehend this or not, and no matter how you “feel.”

This is why it’s a sacrilege for someone who doesn’t believe to receive Holy Communion in a Catholic Church–they are truly consuming the Lord, even though they don’t believe it.

As a convert, you are probably familiar with the “Fact-Faith-Feeling Train.” (See Four Spiritual Laws by Campus Crusade for Christ) Remember that the FACTS are the engine–the Eucharist IS truly Jesus.

Faith is the coal car–we have to accept this and believe it, not through any kind of human “logic”, but through our souls and spirits.

Finally comes the Feeling Caboose. The Train will run just fine without a caboose. If you don’t feel a thing when you receive the Lord in Holy Communion, you’ve still received Him.

It sounds like your intent is good and pure when you attend Mass and receive Holy Communion. You’re not deliberately choosing to think about other things than Jesus. I’m guessing that you have a problem with ADHD or ADD (adults have these conditions, too), or perhaps Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, or some other neurological condition that has a name that hasn’t become popular yet. This is a cross that you must bear and ask the Lord for grace to deal with.

And yes, it could be that you have gotten into the habit over your lifetime of not disciplining your thought life. This isn’t something that will go away all at once; you need to work at it. If you are a convert from evangelical Protestantism, you have been taught all your life that we don’t need to “do” anything to be saved; in fact, “works” are sinful. So you haven’t been highly motivated to “do” anything about your thought life. Now you are a Catholic, and you have powerful sacraments as Holy Communion and Reconciliation to help you learn to discipline your thought life. Use them and start working on it.

One thing I will caution you about–DON’T blame everyone else around you in the Mass. You will never, ever find a Mass where EVERYONE is doing it “right.” There will always be beautiful young women (even in a TLM–sometimes modest dress can be tantalizing, too). There will always be talkative old folks. Always crying babies. Always teenagers fidgeting. Always cell phones going off. Always people getting up and down to go potty. Always a bad organist or bad piano player or priest who allows irregularities in the Mass like applause. Always, always, always.

If you start blaming others for your own lack of ability to concentrate during Mass, this will get you off the hook, and you will never have to work on developing the ability to shut out all distractions and just pray and concentrate on the Lord. Don’t go down this road. Learn to shut out the distractions (if it is possible for you to do so) and worship the Lord in the midst of any noise and confusion and situation.
 
NPC said:
It would be a good idea to read some books about the Mass which would give you a deeper insight into exactly what’s happening… We can all believe in transubstantiation and that we truly receive Christ in Holy Communion, but understanding what is really happening in the Holy Mass - the fact that Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary is being re-presented to us before our eyes - may well ensure that you will not be able to look at or think about anything else but what’s happening at the altar. At the moment I’m reading The Incredible Catholic Mass by Fr Martin von Cochem - thought it was first published in 1704, it is a very readable book and it will give you some deep insights into the Mass (whether you attend the Ordinary or Extraordinary Form). It is published by TAN Books. You could also read Calvary and the Mass by the Servant of God, Fulton Sheen - although it too was written before the Ordinary Form came into being, it is still relevant and worth reading. It is available for free HERE.
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Thanks NPC, I would like to suggest also,Vinny Flynn’s “7 secrets of the Eucharist” I keep it close to my bedside, It is a jem of a little book!:)Peace, Carlan
 
Carlan said:
Thanks NPC, I would like to suggest also,Vinny Flynn’s “7 secrets of the Eucharist” I keep it close to my bedside, It is a jem of a little book!:)Peace, Carlan
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Great - there have been so many times that I have been very close to purchasing that book when I’m browsing online; unfortunately I have to stop myself each time because I’m reminded that I already have so many books on my shelf that I haven’t yet read! Maybe I’ll get round to reading it someday:)
 
some very good advice here, but as usual most of it is personal and subjective, what works for me, and that coincidentally may work for you

my take is a bit different but still subjective, but colored by experience in walking with RCIA candidates over the years

do not go into this looking for an “experience” of the Presence of Christ, in other words, do not try to dictate how it will “feel” when Christ does come to you. Subtly change the focus to an attitude of openness and receptivity to Christ in whatever way he chooses to manifest himself to you at any given time. Include in your expection that many times that presence will be obscured to the senses and emotions, and real only to the soul at a level we cannot yet even discern.

To compare supernatural food, think of natural food, we do not immediately feel a rush of good feelings as we ingest antioxidents, vitamins and minerals, they go to work quietly without our knowledge and perceptions, rebuilding cells, nourishing the components of our bodies at a micro level, the operations of which are never apparent to us w/o a microscope or MRI scan. We simply accept what science has proven to the extent it is able to explore that hidden level that eating good food will have good resuls, build us up and keep us healthy. We may not see the cumulative good effect until years later, as we enjoy relative health in old age. Nor will we experience the cumulative bad effect of bad food until we begin to deal with the results as lifestyle diseases such as diabetes or heart disease later in life, when we realize the damage apparent now has been going on for years undetected.

Except for rare and fleeting moments, what goes on when we ingest the Spiritual Food of the Eucharist works at the same level, deep within the soul at a level of operation to which we are usually oblivious. We simply take on faith, because Jesus said so, that His Body and Blood are our spiritual food and drink and continue to receive this gift on his terms, not ours, and let him do his work in us through the Holy Spirit.
 
puzzleannie said:
some very good advice here, but as usual most of it is personal and subjective, what works for me, and that coincidentally may work for you

my take is a bit different but still subjective, but colored by experience in walking with RCIA candidates over the years

do not go into this looking for an “experience” of the Presence of Christ, in other words, do not try to dictate how it will “feel” when Christ does come to you. Subtly change the focus to an attitude of openness and receptivity to Christ in whatever way he chooses to manifest himself to you at any given time. Include in your expection that many times that presence will be obscured to the senses and emotions, and real only to the soul at a level we cannot yet even discern.

To compare supernatural food, think of natural food, we do not immediately feel a rush of good feelings as we ingest antioxidents, vitamins and minerals, they go to work quietly without our knowledge and perceptions, rebuilding cells, nourishing the components of our bodies at a micro level, the operations of which are never apparent to us w/o a microscope or MRI scan. We simply accept what science has proven to the extent it is able to explore that hidden level that eating good food will have good resuls, build us up and keep us healthy. We may not see the cumulative good effect until years later, as we enjoy relative health in old age. Nor will we experience the cumulative bad effect of bad food until we begin to deal with the results as lifestyle diseases such as diabetes or heart disease later in life, when we realize the damage apparent now has been going on for years undetected.

Except for rare and fleeting moments, what goes on when we ingest the Spiritual Food of the Eucharist works at the same level, deep within the soul at a level of operation to which we are usually oblivious. We simply take on faith, because Jesus said so, that His Body and Blood are our spiritual food and drink and continue to receive this gift on his terms, not ours, and let him do his work in us through the Holy Spirit.
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Thank you Annie,while growth in our spiritual walk will give us a sense of that, you have described it beautifully.🙂 Peace, Carlan
 
The Eucharist is beyond our senses. Most of us have to labor in faith. “What our senses fail to fathom/Let us grasp through faith’s consent.” Moreover, feelings are not meritorious; acts of the will, however (when they are good) are.

Still, our surroundings and the atmosphere in which we find ourselves may help or hinder us in concentrating on worship. I don’t want to start a discussion about the relative merits of the TLM versus the Novus Ordo, but I will say that I find the TLM much more conducive to focusing on where I am and what I’m doing when I receive Holy Communion. The Novus Ordo Mass, celebrated properly and by the book will also get me there, but I think the content of the prayers, the gestures and the style of the TLM are even more effective.
 
Victorious said:
The Eucharist is beyond our senses. Most of us have to labor in faith. “What our senses fail to fathom/Let us grasp through faith’s consent.” Moreover, feelings are not meritorious; acts of the will, however (when they are good) are.

Still, our surroundings and the atmosphere in which we find ourselves may help or hinder us in concentrating on worship. I don’t want to start a discussion about the relative merits of the TLM versus the Novus Ordo, but I will say that I find the TLM much more conducive to focusing on where I am and what I’m doing when I receive Holy Communion. The Novus Ordo Mass, celebrated properly and by the book will also get me there, but I think the content of the prayers, the gestures and the style of the TLM are even more effective.
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Yes, well I think that would be true for many , especially the older Catholics, however unfortunately, the TLM is not available for many living in the so called bible belt or other small city areas.:)Peace, Carlan
 
Carlan said:
Yes, well I think that would be true for many , especially the older Catholics, however unfortunately, the TLM is not available for many living in the so called bible belt or other small city areas.:)Peace, Carlan
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Yeah, I know: I have to make a 100-mile round trip to the diocese next door to get it, and I can’t get it every Sunday.
 
IHeartAquinas said:
I cannot speak for others, but I know the pre-Mass fast helps a lot. Especially if you extend it beyond the one-hour requirement. For instance, I’m usually awake two hours before Mass. I neither eat or drink anything beyond an initial glass of water to parch my dry throat and help rinse out the toothpaste. After I leave the bathroom, nothing enters my mouth until the communion wafer is offered to me. Because I don’t eat much anyway (my roommates say I eat like a bird on a diet!), I typically refrain from snacking after dinner, so I’m generally going twelve or more hours before Mass without eating anything. It makes you hungry, it really does. And when that wafer hits your stomach, there’s a fullness that fills you completely. I usually am not hungry again until I get home or we decide to go to get donuts or breakfast after Mass, and then it’s not until I’ve actually ordered that I’m hungry again.

What also helps is spending some time in adoration. It’s not a question of kneeling while you wait to enter the line for communion, but to be meditating on the real presence and the transformation that has just happened on the altar. Humble yourself before it. When you say “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the words and I shall be healed” allow the power of that statement to resonate through you, to fill your mind and allow the meaning of what you have just said to hit you full force in the face. Those words are like a freight train, they really are. I remember the first time I really internalized that statement. You can not imagine the awe I felt as I received communion that day.

And congrats on your recent confirmation! 👍 Look forward to Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. You’re gonna love it.
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This post is wonderful, and I make this my advice too, I could have never put this so well 🙂 I just want to add that same goes for Holy Week before Easter… do everything humnaly possible to experience it all! And also to add: I wouldn’t totally discount your emotional experiences with the Eucharist, these kind of things can help reinforce your belief if ever you were to doubt. Such as if a doubt enters your head, yet your heart starts beating faster and you feel a huge sense of love, you can confidently forget the doubt even existed. And a lot of times we can trick ourselves into playing mind games, such as getting in the mentality that: I doubt, I’m assaulted with impure thoughts, etc. As long as we think these things about ourselves, we’ll just keep experiencing them (Ex: For ten seconds don’t think about an elephant). If at all possible try and get yourself in a mindset of total belief, if you are able to trick yourself it will make it a lot easier 🙂 That’s worked very well for me anyway!

God Bless,
Ljubim
 
milkbar said:
First, I assure you I believe I am consuming the body and blood of Jesus Christ.

I drive to Mass thinking and praying – okay, this time I’ll be conscious of it, this time I’ll really experience it.

During Mass I pray for it to be real for me.
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I too, am a new Catholic, with an April 3 birthday 🙂 I am SO glad to hear that I am not alone in this. The week before Easter Vigil, my RCIA director told us that at the last minute, we might panic and think, “But how do I really know it’s Him?” Her response was, “You’ll just know.”

I don’t doubt that I am truly receiving Christ, but I understand the feeling of not really experiencing it. I pray about it beforehand, all the way up the aisle, and from the moment I say Amen til the Mass has ended. I think I am waiting to feel some huge sense of…something…I guess I don’t know what. Maybe it’s not as conscious as a feeling as I believe it should be and that’s my whole problem. I’ll be praying that the Lord releases us both from these difficulties!

Peace,

Brandi
 
Thanks for all the replies, they’ve been very helpful.

To clarify, I’m not so much wanting/expecting some sort of “bang!!” moment… I just get so caught up in going through the motions (I’m so new at this that I’m worried I’ll do something wrong). By the time I actually say Amen, I’m just not actually conscious of the fact that I am receiving Jesus when it happens. For all the mental focus I have, I might as well be taking communion at my old church, and that’s wrong to me. I feel like I ought to be able to concentrate long enough to just be present in the moment as I’m receiving the Eucharist instead of having my mind on something else. Praying that this morning will be the day.
 
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