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Do You Refrain from Useless Chatter before the Tabernacle?
How About Dressing Modestly and Reverently for Mass?
by Monsignor Charles M. Mangan:
1. Attend Holy Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation, even daily if possible.
2. Prepare well for every Mass by: abstaining from
food and drink (medicine and water may be taken) for at least one hour
before receiving Holy Communion; going to Confession to a priest and
stating any and all mortal sins that you have not confessed before (a
mortal sin is a thought, word, desire or action that concerns grave
matter carried out with sufficient reflection and full consent of the
will); praying before Holy Mass and performing acts of charity and
self-denial Furthermore, only those persons who are practicing
Catholics, who believe as the Church does regarding the Most Holy
Eucharist and whose marriages are recognized as valid by the Holy
Catholic Church may receive Holy Communion.
 3.
Genuflect when entering and leaving the Church and whenever passing
before the Tabernacle or the Altar on which the Body and Blood of Christ
rest. Dress modestly—avoiding revealing and sloppy clothes—and do not
chew gum. Speak accurately about the Most Holy Eucharist, never
referring to It as “bread and wine.” And if you assist with the sacred
music in your parish, do all you can to ensure that the texts reflect
the truth about the Real Presence.
4. Refrain from useless chattering before the
Tabernacle before, during and after the Holy Mass in order to adore Him
and to concentrate attention on the Risen Lord Jesus. Talking
unnecessarily in the holy presence of the Most Blessed Sacrament
destroys a golden occasion to learn at the Feet of the Master.
5. Receive Holy Communion with joy and fervor. We
receive Jesus on our tongues or, in a country where it is permitted by
the Episcopal Conference, in our hands (a profound bow before receiving
Holy Communion is very appropriate). When we receive Jesus on our
tongues, we simply say “Amen” and permit the priest, deacon or installed
acolyte to place Christ there. If we receive in the hand, then we make a
throne for the Lord, placing our “stronger” hand on the bottom and our
“weaker” hand on top. Proclaiming “Amen,” we receive the Host (rather
than lunging for It), take a step to the side, stop and place the Host
in our mouth using the stronger hand underneath. We must never receive
the Sacred Host “on the run.”
6. Pass time with the Eucharistic Jesus outside of
the Holy Mass. The Eucharist is always to be adored—before, during and
after the Mass, whether exposed in the Monstrance or reposed in the
Tabernacle.
7. Make frequent Spiritual Communions in which we
invite the Lord into our souls in a similar manner as when we
sacramentally receive Holy Communion. These may be made anytime and
anywhere.
8. Cultivate a special relationship with Mary, the
Woman of the Eucharist. Pray her Most Holy Rosary. Wear her Brown
Scapular and her Miraculous Medal. Ask her for the virtue of chastity
for yourself and in all your dealings with your neighbors. Purity is
vital. If you fall grievously, go to Confession before receiving Holy
Communion.
9. Develop a friendship with the Saints who are
remembered for their incredible love for the Holy Eucharist. To become
aware of their affection for Holy Communion stimulates our capacity to
develop in love for and adoration of Our Eucharistic Jesus.
10. Request the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass to be
offered for the living and the dead. There is no gift more beautiful and
effective than the Holy Mass.
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