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Doris,
What you refer to as “the bread and wine” is not “ bread and wine” but actually the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of our Blessed Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It appears you received some poor catechesis when you entered the Church and for this I apologize.
I would make an appointment with your pastor and tell him that you are interested in taking a RCIA class to learn about what the Mass is and what the Eucharist is, (with one exception).
If the Catholic parish you currently go to is the same parish that you joined when you came into the Church and the same pastor is still there, it is worth finding another Catholic parish nearby where the catechesis would be better.
Being blessed to be in an internet culture, you can also do a lot on your own as there are many on-line resources where you can learn (by reading) and (by listening) to solid doctrinal books like the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC):
Once you have a proper understanding and reverence for the Blessed Sacrament, then you may participate in the Mass and go up and receive Holy Communion.
If your husband were interested in practicing the faith again, a faithful pastor will be able to guide him on the proper catechesis and other sacraments he would have to first receive (e.g. Confirmation and/or Confession)
Though neither you nor your husband can receive the Blessed Sacrament, you should always attend Sunday Mass to renew your covenant with the Lord. (Keeping the Commandments) At the highest point of every Mass, graces rain down on the faithful who are in the building.
For those like both of you, who can’t currently receive the Eucharist, you can still walk up in the Communion line with your arms crossed over your chest. This tells the priest that you can’t receive the Eucharist but want to instead receive a Blessing for that Sunday. He will understand.
I hope this helps,
Mike |
