the greatest being the danger it gives of making a mere trifle out of receiving the Body and Blood of Christ. There is a grave danger in treating our Lord casually, something painfully evident in the casual and blasé way the Eucharist is treated at the Novus Ordo liturgy in many places. The Church says its a good thing for those who are properly disposed,and so I cannot berate those who do commune daily who meet the requirements necessary for worthy reception but I know that too much of a good thing is a danger to me so I am not a frequent Communicant.
For me it's more about receiving once in a blue moon, and only after a good and serious Confession. There is something beautiful and powerful about really preparing for Holy Communion and than in some way being touched by the grace of our Lord once you do receive. There is something palpable, yet intuitive, about the grace just spoken of. One has to have the Faith rooted in ones heart and be in a state of grace to notice it but it is there nonetheless.
It's as if there is some indefinable Presence that gives you just enough added strength to fight against sin and temptation until next time. Without a worthy Communion at least once a month I lose all strength to fight against the world, the flesh and the devil. Perhaps when our Lord said "unless ye eat my flesh and drink my blood you will not have life" He meant the life of grace, because one cannot possibly stay in a state of grace or grow in it for long without at least a monthly renewal of Gods own life in the Holy Eucharist. This is something I've noticed for years now and it's both terrifying and mysterious.
The Catholic Church has the Body and Blood of Christ, not symbolically, but actually, and she offers freely to her members who are properly disposed to receive it. This is a treasure we cannot afford to be without and cannot ever allow ourselves to take for granted.
The Magnificat antiphon for II vespers of Corpus Christi speaks of this mystery:
" O sacrum convivium, in
quo Christus sumitur:
recolitur memoria passionis
eus: mens impletur gratia: et futurae
gloriae nobis pignus datur, alleluia."
"O holy banquet in which Christ
is received, in which the memory
of His Passion is renewed, in which
the soul is filled with grace and a pledge
of future glory is given us, alleluia."
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