S
sugarmouse
Guest
This is maybe a weird question, but it’s something that plays on my mind occasionally when I remember it…
I made my first communion when I was 8 years old. I went to a Catholic school where we received instruction etc. on making the sacraments during special lessons, but the lessons obviously weren’t clear enough for me at the time, and probably neglected some important information. For example, I recall eating a snack before going to Mass one day, and my mum telling me, “Well, you DO know that you can’t receive the Eucharist today, right?” This was a few weeks after my first communion, and I was so upset that my mum decided we’d go to a later Mass instead, so I’d have fasted long enough. The issue of fasting hadn’t even been mentioned, or at least, not enough for me to remember.
So you can see how the lessons weren’t sufficient. I knew that the Eucharist was the “Body and Blood of Christ”, because those were the words they’d used, but I don’t think I got the full meaning and implication of what that meant. They certainly didn’t explain that every crumb of the host is fully Jesus, and needs to be treated with the utmost respect.
A few months after my first communion, I was visiting a different parish while travelling. I went up for communion, but being inexperienced and still nervous, I didn’t open my mouth wide enough. I remember feeling the EMHC pushing the host into my mouth, but hitting my teeth instead. The whole Eucharistic host crumbled, and only about 1/3 ended up in my mouth, most of the rest going on the floor.
Now I had no idea what had just happened. The EMHC was staring at me looking absolutely terrified, and I just gave her a sort of half-smile “Oh, don’t worry, these things happen, not your fault” kind of thing, and went back to my seat (I don’t know what she did next, and whether she stopped to pick up the rest of the host, etc.)
I know I didn’t commit a sin, because I had no idea what was going on. But even today (12 years later), I do feel bad about it.
Does anyone know of anything I could do to try to make up for this? Perhaps there’s an act of reparation prayer for the Eucharist, or something? Because I know Jesus isn’t mad at me, or anything, but even so, He shouldn’t have ended up on the floor like that.
I made my first communion when I was 8 years old. I went to a Catholic school where we received instruction etc. on making the sacraments during special lessons, but the lessons obviously weren’t clear enough for me at the time, and probably neglected some important information. For example, I recall eating a snack before going to Mass one day, and my mum telling me, “Well, you DO know that you can’t receive the Eucharist today, right?” This was a few weeks after my first communion, and I was so upset that my mum decided we’d go to a later Mass instead, so I’d have fasted long enough. The issue of fasting hadn’t even been mentioned, or at least, not enough for me to remember.
So you can see how the lessons weren’t sufficient. I knew that the Eucharist was the “Body and Blood of Christ”, because those were the words they’d used, but I don’t think I got the full meaning and implication of what that meant. They certainly didn’t explain that every crumb of the host is fully Jesus, and needs to be treated with the utmost respect.
A few months after my first communion, I was visiting a different parish while travelling. I went up for communion, but being inexperienced and still nervous, I didn’t open my mouth wide enough. I remember feeling the EMHC pushing the host into my mouth, but hitting my teeth instead. The whole Eucharistic host crumbled, and only about 1/3 ended up in my mouth, most of the rest going on the floor.
Now I had no idea what had just happened. The EMHC was staring at me looking absolutely terrified, and I just gave her a sort of half-smile “Oh, don’t worry, these things happen, not your fault” kind of thing, and went back to my seat (I don’t know what she did next, and whether she stopped to pick up the rest of the host, etc.)
I know I didn’t commit a sin, because I had no idea what was going on. But even today (12 years later), I do feel bad about it.
Does anyone know of anything I could do to try to make up for this? Perhaps there’s an act of reparation prayer for the Eucharist, or something? Because I know Jesus isn’t mad at me, or anything, but even so, He shouldn’t have ended up on the floor like that.
