LITURGY MATTERS: Singing our way to Communion

By Michael McKenna, Archdiocesan Master of Ceremonies

At Communion, the act of walking forward to receive the Sacrament is symbolic of the Christian journey toward God.

It is the Church’s tradition that the processions contained within the liturgy are accompanied by antiphons, almost always biblical texts, sung as refrains with psalm verses.

Singing in these processions mirrors our pilgrimage of faith, with music a companion on our way.

Distinct from any post Communion reflection, the Communion chant or hymn is far more than a musical interlude but an integral part of the liturgical action.

Ideally, it begins as the priest receives Communion and continues throughout the distribution to the faithful, concluding near to when the last person has received.

It is a vital expression of the Church’s faith, a means of fostering unity, and a vehicle for deepening the spiritual experience of the Eucharist.

Liturgically, the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) emphasises that the Communion chant should foster a spirit of unity among communicants, highlight the communal nature of the Eucharist, and express joy of heart.

Accompanying what is an otherwise very personal encounter for each communicant with Christ truly and substantially present in the Holy Eucharist, the Communion hymn draws together these individual moments into a communal celebration of the Paschal Mystery filled with thanksgiving, reverence, and joy.

Indeed, approached correctly the Communion hymn in the Mass is a powerful device for catechesis and spiritual formation.

Through repetition and melody, the faithful assimilate key theological truths and scriptural passages.

In this way, the Communion hymn becomes a form of sung theology helping the faithful to meditate on the mystery they are receiving and to internalise its implications for their lives, whilst embedding the Church’s teachings into their hearts and minds.

Take for example the phrase “One Bread, One Body” in Jesuit composer Fr John Foley’s well known Communion hymn.

The phrase is rich in theological meaning and Catholic Eucharistic theology, drawing directly from the sacred scripture: “Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.” (1Cor 10:17) Foley’s hymn points to the mystical reality that by sharing in the Eucharist – the one Bread – we are mystically united as the one Body, the Church.

Pope St John Paul II beautifully articulated that “when we sing, we experience God’s presence in a new way.” These words might lend pause when next we sing our way to Communion.