A person approached me a couple of weeks ago asking about why we called people up to receive pyxes (there’s a real Scrabble word!) after Communion.  Now, a pyx is the round metal container used to carry the Eucharist to people who are sick or cannot be with us.  We do this ceremony in a very visible way, so that you and I can be aware of others whom we may not see, but are no less a part of our community.

The bringing of that Communion to people is a very important ministry.  The person bringing the consecrated host is, in a way, just as important as the Communion itself.  As the Eucharist is the presence of Jesus to His people, the minister bringing Communion to others is the presence of our community—the Church.  The real presence of Jesus is always tied to the community for whom Jesus has come.

The Eucharist is not some magic pill.  It should always be shared in community, even if that community consists of just two people.  [Remember last week’s Gospel, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in their midst (Mt 18:20).]   It is so important to see the consecrated host as much more than a thing.  It is the presence of God in our midst, as promised by the Lord in the Last Supper.  And the minister is the presence of that Church for whom Christ has come.

So when you see it taken, understand that we are sending forth, not just Jesus, but a piece of our very selves!