Is it okay to refrain from Holy Communion during Lent to appreciate Him more on Holy Thursday?

[Andreas_and_Sam]

Hey everyone.

I was just talking to my fiancee about lent and the Eucharist, as I thought of this last night, and we wanted to ask on here to see what you guys thought.

Alright, well we were just wondering if it would be wrong to not receive the Eucharist during lent (until Easter, and Holy Thursday!) and walk with Christ in our faith as we approach the day of the Last Supper, and to then receive the Lord on that very day?

Please know, that we are not asking if it is okay to ‘give up the Eucharist for lent’, because we would never even consider that. It is mainly just in hope of growing with Jesus, and becoming more mature as to what the Eucharist actually is. – Yes, we do know and are very well aware that it is Jesus Christ our Lord Himself, but we want to grow and hunger for God even more.

So what are your thought’s on this? And if you need anything clarified please feel free to ask! Thank you very much!

Andreas & Sam.

 

[Fr.Vincent_Serpa]

Hi,

What you are suggesting is actually very similar to having a starving person wait for forty days before eating so that he will appreciate the food more on that day. The Lord left the Eucharist to a spiritually starving human race. Frankly, I’m not strong enough for such self-denial. I need Him too much—and I am not alone. As with all the sacraments, the Eucharist gives us sanctifying grace which is a strength that we can get nowhere else. But most of all, the value of receiving the Eucharist, which is the holiest of communions, comes from that union itself and not from its absence. The more (not the less) frequently we receive Him in Holy Communion, the more we are enabled to love Him. We need His help even to love Him.

Fr. Vincent Serpa, O.P.