Sacrilege is at an all-time high, yet use of the Sacrament of Confession is at an all-time low.
Library : Holy Communion in the Hand? | Catholic Culture Has the Holy Eucharist any other effect? The list obviously is not complete, for this article says that Germany and France both received permission from the Holy See on the same day in 1969: It is therefore difficult in the context of this present letter not to mention the sad phenomena previously referred to. We are the Body of Christ, moving forward to receive the Christ who makes us one with himself and with one another. Wherefore, if any one wishes to be a participator of the immaculate Body in the time of the Synaxis, and to offer himself for the communion, let him draw near, arranging his hands in the form of a cross, and so let him receive the communion of grace. To be honest, I dont really belong to either camp on this, and like you, I think the polarization on this issue is doing more harm than good. They partake not of Him that is in them, they perceive Him not. Just look at what making donating money an indulgence-eligible corporal work of mercy resulted in during the Renaissance. Since Christ is really, substantially, sacramentally present but not physically, being OC over crumbs is not devotion. If one is right handed the left hand should rest upon the right. First, Chrysostom in one of his Homilies on Ephesians: What, do you not see the holy vessels so thoroughly cleansed all over, so resplendent? They are also to be instructed not to omit after communion the sincere and appropriate thanksgiving that is in keeping with their individual capacities, state, and occupation. In order to be properly disposed to . Guidelines for Receiving Holy Communion. Luxembourg, October 15 1969 [6] Cyril of Jerusalem, Mystagogical Catecheses 5.13. Space doesn't allow all the details, but the propaganda in the 1970s that was used to sell Communion in the hand to a trusting, vulnerable people was a campaign of calculated half-truths that didn't tell the whole story. Maybe this is part of a grand conspiracy by Satan to destroy the Church (ok, probably not that). It is now August 2020 and I can say that you have been proven wrong. This is precisely why there are occasions when pastoral prudence can lead to suspend the permission. My overarching point in all this (as someone who receives comfortably in both manners) is that I dont think common concerns with reception in the hand have been treated with adequate seriousness by many its defenders. This catechesis must succeed in excluding any suggestion that in the mind of the Church there is a lessening of faith in the Eucharistic presence and in excluding as well as any danger or hint of danger of profaning the Eucharist. 3. Now we feel our affluence threatened, and the Gospel gives no comfort on that front. The recent survey asking Catholics about Holy Communion indicates that 70% DO NOT BELIEVE that Holy Communion is the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus. Whether to receive Communion in the hand or on the tongue are liturgical disciplines, not dogmas. [2] 2 Accept Communion in a state of grace. [2] Cyprian, On the Good of Patience 14, On the Lapsed 16 and 26,and Letter 55.9. Excelling, therefore, every sensible creature, he who by the saving Passion has attained to the celestial dignity, eating and drinking Christ, is fitted in all respects for eternal life, sanctifying his soul and body by the participation of divine grace. In the light of the above, we can come to the heart of the matter as to whether a priest may invoke the question of conscience in order to refuse to distribute Communion in the hand. The communicant should audibly respond, "Amen," indicating by that response his or her belief that this small wafer of bread, the wine in this chalice are in reality the body and blood of Christ the Lord. A parish priest, or the rector of a sanctuary, might have objective reasons for not applying the permission if there is any danger of profanation or lack of respect. Councils establish principles (and rarely go into specific points) and then leave it to a commission to carry out the detailed work after the Council. Can you direct me to where you obtained this list? If, for some reason, the communicant is not able or willing to drink from the cup then that person should receive only under the form of bread. When receiving in the hand, the communicant should be guided by the words of St. Cyril of Jerusalem . Why? I used the wordnecessarilyas an equivalent to in and of itself. There is no inherent reason why Communion in the hand is less reverent. The missal of 1570 eliminated almost all sequences and moved the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar to the beginning of the Order of Mass though the Council of Trent never said a word about either. First, Cyril: Coming up to receive, therefore, do not approach with your wrists extended or your fingers splayed, but making your left hand a throne for the right (for it is about to receive a King) and cupping your palm, so receive the Body of Christ; and answer: Amen.[20], To receive the Sacrament which is given, a person stretches out his right hand, and under it he places the left hand. The sad fact that in recent years hosts consecrated by a Pope have been offered for sale on the Internet further motivates this precautionary measure. Archbishop Anthony Fisher, OP, of Sydney published an excellent paper on the topic of conscience and authority which can be found at:https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=7833or, in a slightly briefer form athttps://zenit.org/articles/bishop-fisher-on-conscience-and-authority/. In the case of communion under both kinds by way of intinction, it is never permitted to place on the hand of the communicant the host that has been dipped in the Lords blood. Communion received on the tongue and while kneeling. In the context of the reception of Communion, this means a cognizance of both Church history and contemporary cultural nuances. St. Copyright 2023 Eternal Word Television Network, Inc. Irondale, Alabama. Jamaica, 12 March 1970 We pray that these will lessen and finally disappear, in keeping with Christ's prayer for us "that they may all be one" (Jn 17:21).
How to Take Communion in the Catholic Church: 10 Steps - wikiHow Ever since the InstructionMemoriale Dominithree years ago, some of the conferences of bishops have been requesting the Apostolic See for the faculty to allow ministers distributing communion to place the eucharistic bread in the hand of the faithful. Jeffrey T. Wickes FotC 130 (Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 2015). Reverence can be good if it opens us to God & neighbor and makes us more loving. Paraguay, 27 September 1971 When permitted, the choice as to the form of reception falls upon the communicant and not upon the priest. Still, while not the direction eventually taken, I believe restriction to be the more natural reading of the Vaticans intent at that moment in time. Ever since the InstructionMemoriale Dominithree years ago, some of the conferences of bishops have been requesting the Apostolic See for the faculty to allow ministers distributing communion to place the eucharistic bread in the hand of the faithful. The problem of lack of reverence stems not from the manner of receiving Communion but from the lack of faith, awe, and gratitude before this great mystery. On this point, I will leave you with a beautiful exhortation from the Golden Tongue: Think of what you receive in your hand and never lift it to strike another and never disgrace with the sin of assault the hand that has been honored with so great a gift.
The Proper Way to Receive Holy Communion - Shrub Oak, NY It seems appropriate to conclude this reflection on the Communion Procession and the reception of Communion with a quotation from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. I am a daily witness at the Basilique du Sacr-Cur de Montmartre (Paris).. The showing of tooth and claw by some traditional-leaning Catholics is a scandal that discourages neighbors, and puts a very ugly face on the Body for others to view. With your hand hollowed, receive the Body of Christ and answer 'Amen'. Instead this option must increase in them a consciousness of the dignity of the members of Christs Mystical Body, into which they are incorporated by baptism and by the grace of the Eucharist. Of note for the modern debate, both John Chrysostom and the Council of Constantinople in Trullo argue that human beings, made in the image of God and capable of communing with him, are more worthy to touch the Eucharist than vessels of gold and silver. At the same time he has taken into account the reasons given to support your request and the outcome of the vote taken on this matter. Per The Baltimore Catechism: The liturgical assembly of the baptized that comes together for the celebration of the Eucharist is a witness to, a manifestation of, the pilgrim Church. The symptoms are myriadI certainly would assent to much of what you cite. [5] John Climacus, Ladder of Divine Ascent 28. are on the side of Lucifer. Fire consumed the offering
St. They should be grave and objective questions related to good and evil. A. Featured Image: Rossano Gospels, Last Supper, 6th c.; Source: Wikimedia Commons, PD-Old-100. To unite us to Himself and to nourish our soul with His Have reverence for the honor which God has bestowed upon it, and do not lead it down to the vileness of sin.[27]. Holt Orders cannot sustain the Church, no matter how much traditionalists preach priests are of the utmost importance. As Catholics, we fully participate in the celebration of the Eucharist when we receive Holy Communion. It is not clear as to how widespread it was or if it was a regular practice. On the part of both the minister and the recipient, whenever the host is placed in the hand of a communicant there must be careful concern and caution, especially about particles that might fall from the hosts.
Abuse. Blasphemy. Communion in the hand? Catholic Insight We also welcome to this celebration those who do not share our faith in Jesus Christ. His blood now flows through our veins. Bishop Athanasius Schneider argued along the same lines at the end of February. Come see,
The two ways of receiving communion can without question take place during the same liturgical service. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal takes this hymn very seriously, mandating that it should begin at the Communion of the priest and extend until the last person has received Communion. The guidelines, which are to be included in missalettes and other participation aids published in the United States, seek to remind all those who may attend Catholic liturgies of the present discipline of the Church with regard to the sharing of Eucharistic Communion. I quite deliberately eschewed entering the historical argument as it would have digressed from the main point of that article.
What is the proper way of receiving Communion in the hand? - AOD While we cannot admit them to Holy Communion, we ask them to offer their prayers for the peace and the unity of the human family. Others claim that in the context of the discourse St. Cyril was referring to the clergy and not to the faithful. Answered by Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy and dean of theology at the Regina Apostolorum university. This would be done especially if it is very difficult or impossible to fulfill the necessary conditions as outlined in the documents above. 6. If one is right handed the left hand should rest upon the right. Think of what you receive in your hand and keep it clean of all greed and theft. When one receives from the chalice, the same proclamation is made by the person distributing Communion and the Communicant again responds, "Amen." I think proponents of tongue/kneeling will get a better hearing if they uphold all aspects of Communion. Finally, to the end that their coming to this heavenly table may be completely worthy and fruitful, the faithful should be instructed on its benefits and effects, for both the individual and society, so that their familial relationship to the Father who gives us our daily bread, may reflect the highest reverence for him, nurture love, and lead to a living bond with Christ, in whose flesh and blood we share. 1. Devotion and reverence toward the Eucharist in the case of communion in the hand. Theres no simple solution to this issue. Whatever one thinks about the practice today and its reemergence after Vatican II, it is important that our conversation be grounded in an accurate picture of the history of this practice. It must also increase their faith in the sublime reality of the Lords body and blood, which they touch with their hand. But there is more to the story. Eucharistic sharing in exceptional circumstances by other Christians requires permission according to the directives of the diocesan bishop and the provisions of canon law (canon 844 4). The people administering the sacrament are asked to use hand sanitizer immediately before. The infamous coffee cup masses Dorothy Day describes in her book may have had good intentions behind them, but the way they appeared to trivialize the Holy Sacrifice of the mass lent no dignity to the then new Pauline mass. This is more a question of moral theology than of liturgy. Their attitude of reverence must measure up to what they are doing. Communion in the hand is legitimate only where permitted, and it remains in the realm of a permission. Rather maddeningly, it is the Anglicans who in the West have retained the practice as described by St. Cyril, while contemporary Latin-rite Catholics tend to consume the Host as if it were a potato chip., From the historical point of view, we can say that there is strong evidence that the practice existed in early centuries in some areas of the Church. Who holds the wind in the palm of his hand?
So it is not just tiresome traditionalists who worry about particles. All rights reserved. The two ways of receiving communion can without question take place during the same liturgical service. 5. in Eph 3, trans. Alphonse Mingana (Gorgias Press: Piscataway, NJ, 2009 [1933]). And to demonstrate reverence and. Entries (RSS) and Comments (RSS) TOP I honestly get sick of it too. The large numbers of faithful and the general hustle and bustle at the moment of communion make it quite easy for a host to fall to the ground. Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), 2 October 1971 It is reported that a bishop shouted out, On the tongue or in the hand?. The Council of Saragossa (380): Excommunicated anyone who dared continue .
Objecting to Communion in the Hand | EWTN [8] John Chrysostom, Homilies on Ephesians, Baptismal Instruction 12.1516, On the Incomprehensible Nature of God 6.36, and On the Priesthood 3.4. I similarly think Cardinal Sarahs frankly ridiculous comments about Lucifer are draining credibility from his cause (one that I admittedly align with sometimes), even if some of his proposals are good ones. [21] Theodore of Mopsuestia, catech. But back in the West, where most of us at PT are from, the Church is struggling. So whats missing? I would like to remind people to indicate clearly how they wish to receive. Q. What if our reception made us all more loving of one another, whatever our views on how to receive? When permitted, the choice as to the form of reception falls upon the communicant and not upon the priest. It describes one of the purposes of the opening song of the Mass as to "foster the unity of those who have been gathered" (no. In light of some genuinely moving testimonies on the merits of reception in the hand, we cannot ignore that reverence for the Eucharist and belief in the Real Presence among Catholic laity has greatly declined since around the time in which this practice reenterred the Roman Rite after a millennium of absence.