V-Devotions for Holy Communion

I. PREPARATION FOR HOLY COMMUNION

COMMUNION between friends is necessary to the continuance of friendship. Each earnestly desires the companionship of the other, and this desire must in some way be satisfied or the friends will gradually become estranged. Each wishes to enter more fully into the life of the other, so that the thoughts and plans and joys and sorrows of either may be shared by both. In spirit, perhaps, two good friends are always together; but they are nevertheless eager to meet again and to grasp one another by the hand and converse in a way that is impossible by letter.

If in a few days you are going to meet an older and a wiser friend, for whom you have deep affection and high respect, you find yourself wondering what he will think of you. You fear that you may have changed a little since the last meeting that you have allowed

your interest in his affairs to wane that you have formed some habit of which he will not approve. Almost unconsciously you use the days that remain as an opportunity to think more about him and his interests and to drive out of your mind and life whatever will

make you uncongenial to him. Perhaps you write to him once or twice telling him how eager you are to see him, and asking him to bring (it may be) some book of which you and he are fond, or reminding him of an interrupted conversation which you are anxious to

resume.

As the days go by you find that the prospect of the meeting grows more and more delightful to you. At last the day of his arrival comes. You are actually in the presence of your friend. You are sure that you will never forget the happiness of the handshake and the joy of the greeting. There is an inspiration in his presence which makes of you a new creature. In later days you will look back to the communion as one of the turning-points in your life.

Of course it is impossible to express in terms of mere human friendship the joy and the blessing that come from Communion with Our Lord. You will understand that this picture of the reunion of two human friends is only an imperfect type of the Holy Eucharist, intended merely to direct your mind toward the meeting with Our Lord in much the same way that a picture in a book on astronomy is designed to lead you to look at the heavens for yourself. Such a suggestion is, however, helpful, because in order to make a proper preparation for Holy Communion, we must strive to form a true conception

of what Holy Communion is. We are going to meet our dearest and best Friend. Our purpose is to get the spiritual strength and refreshment which come from contact with a nature of perfect purity, nobility, and love. That the contact may be close and intimate, our Friend will give Himself to us without reserve: He will invite us to receive the spiritual food of His Body and Blood. To hold such communion with Him we must make our state of mind as much like His as possible. We must try to make ourselves congenial to Him by imitating the purity, nobility, and love which are His characteristics.

In the Church Catechism we find this general statement of what is required of those who come to the Lord's Supper: "To examine themselves whether they repent them truly of their former sins, steadfastly purposing to lead a new life; have a lively faith in God's mercy through Christ, with a thankful remembrance of His death; and be in charity with all men."

In the second of the three Exhortations contained in the Communion Office as set forth in the Prayer Book we find the following more particular statement: "The way and means thereto [i. e., to be received as worthy partakers of that holy Table] is: First, to examine your lives and conversations by the rule of God's commandments; and whereinsoever ye shall perceive yourselves to have offended either by will, word, or deed, there to bewail your own sinfulness, and to confess yourselves

to Almighty God with full purpose of amendment of life. And if ye shall perceive your offences to be such as are not only against God, but also against your neighbors; then ye shall reconcile yourselves unto them; being ready to make restitution and satisfaction, according to the uttermost of your powers, for all injuries and wrongs done by you to any other; and being likewise ready to forgive others who have offended you, as ye would have forgiveness of your offences at God's hand; for otherwise the receiving of the Holy Communion doth nothing else but increase your condemnation."

We thus perceive that earnest and faithful preparation is insisted upon by the Prayer Book. Nothing can be farther removed from the Prayer Book standard than the thoughtless and hurtful practice of those who suddenly make up their minds to receive after they have reached the Church without previous self-examination and earnest prayer. To treat this solemn meeting with Our Lord in so light and careless a fashion is an insult to Him and a positive and serious injury to our own spiritual natures.

It is a safe and wise rule to make that your preparation shall last throughout the week preceding your Communion. To your regular morning and evening prayers there should be added special supplications for the pardon and the grace without which your Communion will be a hindrance to you and not a help. On Friday make

it your practice to examine yourself carefully and minutely on your life since your last Communion. Note down your sins and keep your list in order that you may determine from time to time what progress you are making. Pray earnestly for God's forgiveness. If you cannot by this means quiet your own conscience, do not hesitate to speak frankly and freely about your sins to your rector, and receive from him his godly counsel and advice. As to whether you should receive the Holy Communion fasting is a point upon which there is great divergence of opinion among us. All will admit that Fasting Communion is a practice of great antiquity, and that for centuries throughout Christendom it was a matter of obligation to abstain from food till after making one's Communion. That the practice has been observed by many in the Church of England since the Reformation as a reverent and ancient custom cannot be denied. The reasons given nowadays for setting aside the rule of Fasting Communion appear to many Churchmen, and to the writer among them, as wholly insufficient to warrant a departure from a practice which has for so long commended itself to Christians everywhere.

While theologians are discussing the matter on its theoretical side, let us be careful to note this point of great practical importance: that one who makes Fasting Communion his unbroken rule and experiences the