Preparation of the mind

Besides preparing our souls we must also prepare our minds.  Our last thoughts the night before our Communion should be about Jesus and his gift of himself to us in the Blessed Sacrament.  We should continue these thoughts when we are getting up the next morning and try and stay focused on our way to church and before the service.  If we don’t do this, the service may be half over before we have got control of our thoughts again and our mind is on our Communion.

You should get to church about 10 minutes before the service begins, and kneel down and say the prayers in your devotional book, and keep your eyes, either on your book or on the altar.  And when you go up to make your Communion and when you come back to your pew, you should keep your eyes on the floor.  We usually think about what we are looking at, and if you look up your mind will be on something else instead of on Jesus.  Of course, you should approach the altar with reverence – no slouching or hands in pockets, for example.