Scripture Reading + Meditation + Prayer + Contemplation 

What page, what passage of the inspired books of the Old and New Testaments is not the truest guides for human life? 

(Saint Benedict, The Rule of Saint Benedict/73:3) (Twenty-Nineth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Mathew 22:15-21, 18 October 2026) Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?” Knowing their malice, Jesus said, “Why are you testing me, you hypocrites? Show me the coin that pays the census tax.” Then they handed him the Roman coin. He said to them, “Whose image is this and whose inscription?” They replied, “Caesar’s.” At that he said to them, “Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” (Mathew 22:15-21) 

Meditation: Whose Image Do We Bear? In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus acknowledges that we have responsibilities within civil society. We are called to respect legitimate authority, fulfil our civic duties, work for justice, and contribute to the common good. Faith does not remove us from these responsibilities; it teaches us to fulfil them with honesty and integrity. Yet Jesus also establishes a fundamental distinction: Caesar’s authority has its limits, because God alone is the ultimate source of human dignity, moral truth, and our final destiny. 

The philosophical depth of this Gospel emerges when we ask a more personal question: if the coin bears Caesar’s image, whose image do we bear? (Genesis 1:26–27). This truth speaks directly to the life of our Epiphany of the Lord Parish, especially at a time when our neighborhoods and parish communities face the challenges of changing demographics, declining participation, ageing populations, sickness, poverty, and increasing isolation. 

Some parishioners may find it difficult to attend Mass because of age, illness, or limited mobility. Others may experience the pain of loneliness, the loss of loved ones, financial insecurity, or the feeling that the community they once knew is gradually disappearing. Some who once worshipped regularly may have become distant from parish life, while others may be searching for a place where they can belong. 

In the midst of these realities, Jesus asks us to look beyond appearances and recognize the image of God in every person. A parishioner who no longer occupies a familiar place in the pews has not lost his or her dignity. An elderly person who can no longer contribute as before remains a precious member of the Body of Christ. A family struggling financially is not defined by its poverty. A person who feels forgotten is never forgotten by God. 

Our parish cannot measure its spiritual vitality merely by the number of people attending Mass, the resources available, or the activities organized. These matters have their importance, but the deeper measure of our faith is whether we recognize Christ in one another and make His love visible through our communal life. Empty pews should invite us not simply to count those who are absent, but to ask whether someone is lonely, ill, discouraged, or waiting for a personal invitation to return. 

To give God what belongs to God, therefore, begins with acknowledging that our lives, our parish, and every person entrusted to our care belong to Him. The Gospel calls us to become a community in which no one is reduced to a number, forgotten because of age, neglected because of sickness, or overlooked because of poverty. The image of God in each person is a sacred responsibility entrusted to us. 

Prayer: Lord, Teach Us to Recognize Your Image in One Another-Lord Jesus, we place before You our Epiphany of the Lord Parish, our communities of St. Stephen and St. Thomas Aquinas, and all those who worship, serve, and live within our parish neighborhoods. Bless our families, strengthen our parishioners, and renew in us a sense of belonging to You and to one another. 

Remember, Lord, our elderly parishioners who face the difficulties of advancing age; those who are sick, homebound, or recovering from illness; those who have lost loved ones; and those who live alone without the companionship they need. Comfort those who struggle with poverty, unemployment, family difficulties, or uncertainty about the future. Draw close to those who have gradually withdrawn from parish life and those who feel that they no longer have a place in our community. 

Lord Jesus, make us attentive to those who are absent from our gatherings, compassionate towards those whose burdens are hidden, and generous towards those who need our time and assistance. Inspire us to visit the sick, accompany the lonely, welcome newcomers, support struggling families, and encourage those whose faith has grown weak. 

Lord, help us understand that the strength of our parish is not measured only by the activities we organize, but by the love we share. May our Eucharistic celebrations unite us as one Body in Christ, and may our prayer lead us to concrete acts of service. Teach us to give You our time, talents, resources, and hearts, so that through our lives, others may discover Your presence. 

Contemplation: A Parish That Reflects the Image of God-“Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” These words invite us to reflect on the relationship between our earthly responsibilities and our ulti-mate belonging to God. We cannot separate authentic faith from the way we treat people, fulfil our duties, use our re-sources, and respond to the needs of our community. Giving God what belongs to God means offering Him not merely our prayers and religious observances, but our entire lives. Our parish faces genuine challenges. As neighborhoods change and people move away, familiar relationships may weaken. As parishioners grow older, sickness and limited mobility may make participation more difficult. Some families struggle to make ends meet, while others experience iso-lation even when surrounded by people. Participation in parish life may diminish, and the absence of familiar faces can leave us wondering how to renew our community. 

The Gospel invites us to respond to these realities not with discouragement, blame, or resignation, but with renewed faith and pastoral responsibility. We cannot solve every difficulty, reverse every social change, or bring every absent parishioner back immediately. Nevertheless, we can begin by recognizing the person whom God has placed before us and asking what love requires of us today. Perhaps giving God what belongs to God means telephoning a parishioner who has not been seen for several Sundays. Perhaps it means arranging a visit to someone who is homebound, offering a ride to Mass, preparing a meal for a struggling family, or simply listening patiently to someone who needs to speak. It may mean welcoming a new family without expecting them to know our customs, inviting a young person to partici-pate in parish ministry, or reaching out to someone who has become distant from the Church. Sometimes the most im-portant pastoral action is not organizing another activity, but making one person feel that he or she has not been for-gotten. 

These gestures are not insignificant. They express a profound theological truth: because every person bears the image of God, love for our neighbor is inseparable from our love for the Creator. A parish becomes missionary when it learns to see beyond its own needs and reaches towards those who are vulnerable, disconnected, or searching for hope. 

Ultimately, Jesus calls us to return to God what already belongs to Him: our hearts, our relationships, our community, and our future. When our parish places God at the center, civic responsibility becomes an expression of justice, worship becomes a source of mission, and concern for one another becomes a testimony to the Gospel. 

The coin bears Caesar’s image, but we bear God’s image. Therefore, our greatest contribution to society and to our par-ish is to allow that divine image to shine through our lives. We do so whenever we choose compassion over indiffer-ence, communion over isolation, generosity over selfishness, and hope over discouragement. 

The challenge of this Gospel is both personal and communal: if we truly belong to God, then no person bearing His image should feel forgotten in our parish. 

Fraternally, 
Fr. John Peter Lazaar SAC, Pastor 

Pre-Mass Catechetical Instruction 

The Catholic Church gives very specific liturgical norms for receiving Holy Communion. The important point is that both receiving on the tongue and receiving in the hand are legitimate forms of receiving Holy Communion where the latter is permitted. What matters most is faith, reverence, and the proper liturgical gesture. 

What exactly happens when we receive Communion?-The minister presents the consecrated Host and says: “The Body of Christ.” The communicant responds: “Amen.” This is not merely a polite response. “Amen” is an act of faith. It means, in effect: “Yes. I believe that this is truly the Body of Christ, and I believe in Christ whom I receive.” 

What does the Roman Missal actually say?-The key norm is General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM), no. 160. 

It says that when approaching for Holy Communion: “the communicant bows his or her head before the Sacrament as a gesture of reverence and receives the Body of the Lord from the minister.” Then it explicitly says: “The consecrated host may be received either on the tongue or in the hand, at the discretion of each communicant.” Therefore, in the United States, the Church’s ordinary norm is: Approach → bow the head → say Amen → receive → consume immediately. The Church does not require everyone to receive on the tongue. Nor does it require everyone to receive in the hand. 

What do I do when receiving on the tongue?-A reverent procedure would be: 

Step 1 — Approach prayerfully. As you come forward, remain recollected. You are approaching not merely an object or a piece of bread, but Christ truly present in the Eucharist. 

Step 2 — Make the prescribed bow. Before receiving, bow your head as the liturgical gesture of reverence. GIRM 160 specifically requires this gesture. 

Step 3 — Stand before the minister. The minister says: “The Body of Christ.” 

Step 4 — Respond. You say clearly: “Amen.” 

Step 5 — Receive on the tongue. Open your mouth sufficiently and extend your tongue appropriately so that the minister can place the Host safely on your tongue. 

Step 6 — Consume the Host. After receiving, consume the Eucharist immediately. GIRM/ 161 explicitly says: “As soon as the communicant receives the host, he or she consumes the whole of it.” Then return prayerfully to your place. 

What do I do when receiving in the hand?-This is also explicitly permitted by the Roman Missal. It gives the practical norm: If you are right-handed, place your left hand upon your right, forming a kind of throne or platform for the Host. The Host is placed in the palm of the upper hand, and then: Take the Host with your other hand and immediately place it in your mouth. 

So, for a right-handed person:-Left hand on top of right hand → bow → “Amen” → receive Host in left palm → take Host with right hand → consume immediately. For a left-handed person, the arrangement can simply be reversed. An important point: The communicant does not reach out and take the Host from the minister’s fingers. The minister places the Host in the communicant’s hand. The GIRM specifically says: “It is not appropriate to reach out with the fingers and take the host from the person distributing.” 

Why do we say “Amen”?-This is perhaps the most beautiful part of the entire gesture. The priest or extraordinary minister does not say: “Here is some bread.” He says: “The Body of Christ.” The Church is asking you to make a personal profession of Eucharistic faith. 

Your: “Amen” means something like: “I believe.” “Yes, it is truly Christ.” “I believe that Jesus Christ is truly present here.” “I receive Him in faith.” The word Amen comes from the Hebrew root expressing firmness, trust, certainty and assent. The USCCB notes that it means essentially “So be it.” Thus, the dialogue is extraordinarily theological: Minister: The Body of Christ. Communicant: Amen. It is almost a miniature profession of Eucharistic faith. 

Why do we bow before receiving?-The bow is not a substitute for the Eucharistic Amen. They have different meanings. The bow expresses: Reverence. You acknowledge: “I am approaching a divine mystery.” The Amen expresses: Faith. You acknowledge: “I believe in the One whom I am receiving.” So there are two distinct actions: Bow = reverence Amen = faith And then: Receiving = communion with Christ. This is why GIRM 160 deliberately places the bow immediately before receiving Holy Communion. 

What if I receive Communion while kneeling?-This is also important. In the United States, the norm is that Communion is received standing, but an individual Catholic may receive Communion while kneeling. GIRM/ 160 states: “Holy Communion is to be received standing, unless an individual member of the faithful wishes to receive Communion while kneeling.” 

Therefore, kneeling is not forbidden. Nor is it proper for a minister to refuse Communion simply because a communicant wishes to kneel, assuming there is no other legitimate impediment. The communicant should nevertheless make the required reverence and respond: “Amen.” 

What if I receive the Precious Blood?-If Holy Communion is distributed under both kinds, the same principle applies. The minister says: “The Blood of Christ.” The communicant responds: “Amen.” Then the communicant receives from the chalice. If Communion is given by intinction, however, the procedure is different: the priest dips the Host partially into the Precious Blood and gives it directly into the communicant’s mouth. The communicant does not take the intincted Host in the hand. 

Sunday, October 18, 2026 Page 6 

What should we NOT say?-This is an important liturgical point. When the minister says: “The Body of Christ.” the com-municant should say: “Amen.” 

And Not: “Thank you.” 

“Thank you, Father.” 

“Amen, Father.” 

“I believe.” 

“Yes.” 

“God bless you.” 

Those may be good expressions in ordinary circumstances, but the prescribed liturgical response is “Amen.” The Church’s liturgical dialogue is intentionally precise: “The Body of Christ.” “Amen.” The GIRM says that the formula should not be altered because it is a proclamation requiring a response of faith. 

What should happen immediately after receiving?-After receiving the Eucharist, the communicant should return to his or her place reverently. There is no need to make another elaborate gesture immediately after receiving. One should then enter into silent thanksgiving and prayer. The GIRM notes that the Communion Rite allows time for silent prayer of thanksgiving. A simple prayer could be: “Lord Jesus Christ, I believe that You are truly present in the Most Blessed Sacrament. I adore You, I thank You, and I ask You to unite me more deeply to Yourself and to Your Church.” That pray-er, however, is personal devotion, not a required liturgical formula. 

A very important distinction: receiving vs. taking-The Eucharist is something we receive, not something we take. This is why GIRM/160 says: “It is not permitted for the faithful to take the consecrated Bread or the sacred chalice by them-selves…” Theologically this is very significant. We do not seize Christ. Christ gives Himself to us. 

The Eucharist is fundamentally gift. Therefore: The minister gives. The communicant receives. Faith says: Amen. Christ gives Himself. This is true whether the Host is received on the tongue or in the hand. 

The Church wants reverence in either form-The entire procedure in one simple sequence For parish catechesis, I would put it this way: Receiving Holy Communion 

Approach reverently. 

Bow your head before the Eucharist. 

Stand before the minister. 

The minister says: 

“The Body of Christ.” 

The communicant says: “Amen.” 

Receive either on the tongue or, where permitted, in the hand. 

If receiving in the hand: place one hand upon the other; receive the Host in the palm; take it with the other hand and consume it immediately. 

If receiving on the tongue: open your mouth and receive the Host reverently. 

Consume the Host completely. 

Return to your place prayerfully and give thanks to Christ. 

This is essentially the practical application of GIRM/160–161. One sentence that captures the whole theology: We bow because Christ is holy; we say “Amen” because we believe; we receive because Christ gives Himself; and we return in silence because the Christ we have received now sends us forth as His Body. 

Fr. John Peter Lazaar SAC 
Pastor