The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-05-17
is THIS YOUR LAST CHANCE?

My dear reader, writes Reverend
John M. Lyons, S. j., in the New
World, allow me to ask you a plain,
but for me, priest, fair question
Certainly you answer, what is it,"
Well, it is this: "Have you received
your Easter Communion this year,"
"Why, Father" perhaps you exclaim,
what a question! OF course l have.
l am, thank God, frequent COM
municant, and am even trying to re-
ceive every day" Happy the one who
can thus answer the above question!
But, alas, how many ones answer
must be quite the opposite! It must
in substance be: mo, Father, have
not yet received my Easter Com
munion; and, what is worse, am
sorry to say that it is years since
have been to the Sacramento"
Yes, such substantially must be the
answer of scores, and hundreds, and
thousands of our Catholics of every
nationality in various parts of the
country. It is shocking, it is appall-
ing, to learn on investigation how
vast is the army of men and women,
of young boys and girls, who allow
the Easter season to go by without
approaching the Holy Table. Can
we believe that they would act as
they do If they understood how seri-
Gus it is to neglect this duty, and how
easy to fulfill it?
What Kind Of Sin is It to Neglect
Ones Easter Communion?
You, yourself, can answer this ques,
ton. You have only to recall the
teaching of your catechism. The neg
lect of ones Easter Communion, as
you we'll know, is very great sin; it
it a mortal sin; it is sin which, II
found on your soul at the hour OF
your death, will exclude you from
heaven; it is a sin which will make
you deserve to hear those awful
words of condemnation from our mer'
ciful but just Judge: Depart from
Me, We cursed, into everlasting fire. -
St. Matthew, XIV. Al.
Truly, then, it is no slight matter
to keep away, through your own fault,
from your Easter Communion. "Ex'
cept YOU eat the flesh of the Son OF
Man, and drink His blood, you shall
not have life in you."-St. John, vi. 81
If you do not receive Holy Commu.
Mon once a year, and that during the
Paschal season, there is no life, nc
spiritual, supernatural life, in your
soul.
Love, Rather Than Fear Should
Prompt Us to Receive Holy
Communion.
But. of course, it is love mainly, anC
not fear, that should bring us to Holy
Communion, for the Holy Eucharis
is pre-eminently the Sacrament o
Love. 1t is the Sacrament In which
for love of us, the God OF Love Il
really and truly present, as food TO
eur souls. How can we, who hav'
faith in the Real Presence, resist ou
Savior's loving invitation? He says
Come to Me, all you that labor ant
are burdened, and will refresh you
st. Matthew, xi, %.
HOW i again dShS Call VIC hO5A0S
this loving invitation, even though HI
had not added to it strict command
But such command He has added
For, bear well in mind, it is Chris
Himself who commanded His follow
ers to receive Holy Communion. Ell
cept you eat of the Flesh of the Sol
of Man, and drink His blood, yo
shall not have life in you."-St. John
vi, "a. The Church has only deter
mined the time within which the com
mand of the Master is to be complies
with.
Limits of the Easter Season.
The Easter season in the Unite
States, by a special favor of our Hol
Father, extends over period of jus
about one hundred days. To be exaC
one may make his Easter duty an
time from the first Sunday of Lent, u
to Trinity Sunday. Trinity Sunda
is always eight weeks after Easte
Sunday. Surely these three and