As a follow-up to last weekend’s talk on the reception of Holy Communion at Mass, the appropriate response to the priest’s declaration of “the Body/Blood of Christ” by the communicant is “Amen!,” which in Hebrew means “I believe!”

There are other numerous traditions of the Church which have fallen out of practice over the decades but are no less still of importance and of reverence. “Tradition can never change. ‘Jesus is Lord’ is a statement of Catholic Tradition. All Catholic doctrine is Tradition (and “doctrine” is really the same thing as “Tradition”). So the Sacraments, the Communion of Saints, the Trinity - that’s all Tradition. (t) tradition is under the authority of the Church. i.e., not eating meat during Fridays of the year used to be a regulation of the Church. It was a (t) tradition for a long time. Now it is for the Friday’s of lent. Saying the Mass in Latin was a tradition. It was changeable by the legitimate authorities. Tradition is only expounded and not changed. It is something that the Church has always believed and makes what is implicit in scripture explicit. (Catholic Answers, 2019)

There are other traditions, both cultural and Church-related such as Men not wearing hats or baseball caps in the church proper has long been a tradition—both of the Church and of culture which represents a sign of respect by recognizing the presence of the Lord in the Tabernacle, much like removing your hat (tipping it) to someone on the street; women are permitted to wear a head covering in the church as a sign of respect.

Not chewing gum or eating in the church, especially during Mass is a tradition too. According to Father Kenneth Doyle, Canon Lawyer and a columnist in The Catholic Forum, “Canon law (Canon 919.1) tells Catholics that they are to abstain from all food and drink (with the exception of water or medicine) for at least one hour before receiving Holy Communion. The reason, of course, is to remind us how special the Eucharist is, nourishing us for life eternal. Nowhere does canon law define precisely what constitutes food and what does not. Some, I suppose, might argue that since sugar-free gum has no nutritional value, it does not qualify. But I would tend to differ; in my mind, gum of any kind profanes the mouth as a receptor for Communion and should be avoided. As to your question, though, I would not as a priest refuse to give the young man Holy Communion. Why take the risk of embarrassing him and having him feel uncomfortable at that church or, perhaps, at any Eucharist? Why not instead seek him out after Mass and chat with him as to the appropriateness of chewing gum before receiving Communion? And if the problem is as common as you indicate, perhaps an occasional reminder in the church bulletin might help.” (ECHOES, January 29, 202; Faith)

Perhaps this is a good time to remind ourselves, especially as we live in an ever-more casual society, to remember that when we are in the Catholic Church we are in the House of God and amid the True Presence of Christ, surely deserving of our respect and reverence.