Communion at Mass

By Jonathan Pinto

No, this is not about receiving Holy Communion at Mass. It is about the communion among the congregants. One of the most beautiful and least discussed aspects of Mass is the connection, togetherness, and community that is formed among the congregants at every Mass. People may not know one another, and may not interact before, after, or during (if the “sign of peace” is skipped, as it sometimes is), but their mere presence at the Eucharist unites them. And of course if they regularly attend the same service, these bonds can become very strong.

As you know, most weekdays I attend the 10 am Mass at the Brompton Oratory in South Kensington, London. Over the weeks, among others, I’ve noticed a somewhat distinguished looking and casually-though-smartly dressed gentleman at the Mass. And I also observed that he never went up to receive Holy Communion. Two weeks ago, I noticed him as I entered and the thought crossed my mind - I wonder why he doesn’t receive Holy Communion, let me pray for him at this Mass. Lo and behold, at Communion time, he walked up to the altar rail and received Communion. Yes, it could be a coincidence, but as I heard Joel Osteen say in one of his segments, “since I became a believer, a lot more ‘coincidences’ began happening”. And this is a gentleman I don’t know from Adams. I don’t his name, his calling, and since they never have a “sign of peace”, I have never shaken his hand or exchanged a friendly greeting or gesture with him. Maybe it was a coincidence, but I believe it was the Holy Spirit at work.

Yesterday, I was at 1 pm Mass at the Imperial College Chaplaincy prayer room. And as the priest and the rest of us entered from the lounge area (where we were lounging) a noticed a young man already seated. Obviously a student, he looked like he could be Indian, long hair tied in pony tail, with the most intense look in his eyes. Since it is a prayer room the seats are ranged along the walls, and I found myself seated close, and at right angles, to him. As Mass began I could just sense his intensity and that there was something stirring deep within him, and I just thought I should pray for him and for whatever is going on with him. This Mass is as informal as the Brompton Oratory Mass is formal, so after his homily, Fr. Geoff asked us if anyone wanted to say something, and for some reason, I curbed my chronic tendency to open my mouth, and thank God I did. After a typical silence that lasted 30 seconds or so, and just when you expected Fr. Geoff to continue with the service, my pony-tailed friend spoke up, his voice charged with emotion, “I want to ask something, which may not be related, ‘does God forgive everything if one repents’?” From that point on, none of the 10 or so of us (including the priest) could have failed to experience this boy’s struggle. Fr. Geoff answered his question and as Mass went on it became clear that the boy probably wasn’t Catholic or even Christian. He might have just been seeking peace by himself in the prayer room, when we trooped in for Mass. He kept observing the rest of us, and mimicking us in terms of kneeling, standing, sitting, hand gestures and the rest. He might have also have received Communion but the boy just to his right folded his arms to receive a blessing and this boy followed suit. That experience resonated with me the rest of the day. I have participated in thousands of Masses and perhaps have not experienced what this lad experienced. Through him I have experienced the Mass like I never have before. I saw him again today on campus. He looked so much at peace, almost radiant with peace. I tried to say hi to him, but he didn’t seem to remember me. Maybe I am reading too much into this incident, but I can’t help but feel that it was the Holy Spirit at work.