We also welcome to this celebration those who do not share our faith in Jesus Christ. Cardinals Thorne (Peru) and Caffarra (Bologna) have banned Communion in the hand, citing reasons of abuse and disrespect. Above all it is necessary to have the introduction of the rite preceded by an effective catechesis, so that the people will clearly understand the meaning of receiving in the hand and will practice it with the reverence owed to the sacrament. St. Their decisions should be sent to Rome to receive the necessary confirmation, []. The document does not have numbered paragraphs to cite, but youll find it a few paragraphs after the tabulation of votes collected from bishops. Its just BREAD!!. [17] See Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, 7.9.4. awr. In such cases, episcopal conferences should examine matters carefully and should make whatever decisions, by a secret vote and with a two-thirds majority, are needed to regulate matters. (or: Which Heresy Will You Give Up for Lent? For whatever reason, reception on the hand does not appear to convey the same level of reverence in the public consciousness as reception on the tongue. St. Cyril of Jerusalem in 348 gave this instruction to his congregation: "When you approach Holy Communion, make the left hand into a throne for the right, which will receive the King. Among Catholics, there is a sincere difference of opinion with respect to the opportunity of this practice, as to its possible spiritual benefits or detriments. The US might have been little-touched by the scorched earth of world war, and perhaps our feel-good stance astride the planet delayed the decay somewhat. In order to be properly disposed to . It is not clear as to how widespread it was or if it was a regular practice. Their attitude of reverence must measure up to what they are doing. What if our way of calling our fellow Christians to a higher way were based on loving example and not polemics? 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. It also happens, on occasion, that the free choice of those who prefer to continue the practice of receiving the Eucharist on the tongue is not taken into account in those places where the distribution of Communion in the hand has been authorized. Whatever procedure is adopted, care must be taken not to allow particles of the eucharistic bread to fall or be scattered. Consider that you not only receive this gift in your hand, but that you also bring it up to your mouth, and keep your tongue clean of all disgraceful and outrageous words, blasphemy, perjury and all other sins of this sort. Dear Patrick, 5. Upper Volta and Niger, 20 February 1970 [21] Theodore of Mopsuestia, catech. Do we have faith in the efficacy of the sacraments or not? Back issue of Notitiae are accessible via the new website of the Congregation for Divine Worship at: http://www.cultodivino.va/content/cultodivino/it/rivista-notitiae/indici-annate.html. Christ himself at the Last Supper pleaded with his Father: "Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us" (John 17:11, 21).Baptism has joined us to Christ and to one another as the vine and its branches. [25] Origen of Alexandria, homily in Ex. Indonesia, 27 March 1971 (I dont direct this at you, I mean it to everyone on all sides.). For the first few centuries of the Church, receiving Communion in the hand was a common practice. The Holy See has made it abundantly clear that both manners of reception of Communion on the tongue and in the hand are permitted, that Communion should be received reverently, and that the manner of reception should not become an occasion of division in the church. For this alone is the eating referred to by our Lord ( John 6:58 ). Or is there more context that is missing? There is so much to Communion. We welcome our fellow Christians to this celebration of the Eucharist as our brothers and sisters. Surveys from CARA and Pew reflect this, though I admittedly doubted them until I attended mass with a fellow Catholic at church that predominantly received on the tongue and my friend jeering remarked, why dont they receive in the hand like normal people? 6, trans. [15] See the council of Auxerre, canon 36 (it directs women not to receive on their bare hands, but with their hand covered by a cloth). If, however, Communion is given under both kinds, the rite prescribed in nos. However, when they receive Communion standing, it is recommended that the faithful make appropriate reverence, according to the norms established, before receiving the Sacrament. The bishop, however, might sometimes deal with the religious priest through his superior in these matters. Personally, I think that when a priest with the care of souls holds the view that Communion on the tongue is preferable to the alternative practice, then the best thing he can do is inform the faithful of the bishops permission. In the context of the reception of Communion, this means a cognizance of both Church history and contemporary cultural nuances. With your hand hollowed, receive the Body of Christ and answer Amen. 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. A passage from St. Cyril of Jerusalem is used to persuade Catholics that Communion in the hand is an ancient practice legitimately restored after Vatican II. http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2014/03/truth-about-communion-in-hand-while.html#.Wpa2wdIUnGg. Communion should not be received on the run, as you're walking back to your place; it should be consumed before you leave the area below the altar. SACRED CONGREGATION FOR THE DISCIPLINE OF THE SACRAMENTS, InstructionImmensae caritatis, on facilitating reception of Communion in certain circumstances, 29 January 1973: AAS 65 (1973) 264-271; Not 9 (1973) 157-164. For you hear the words, the Body of Christ and respond Amen. Be then a member of the Body of Christ that your Amen may be true (St. Augustine, Sermon 272: PL 38, 1247). With regard to the second, we have many early witnesses including Paul (see 1 Cor 11:27) and the Didache (seechapter 14). The Church understands the Communion Procession, in fact every procession in liturgy, as a sign of the pilgrim Church, the body of those who believe in Christ, on their way to the Heavenly Jerusalem. Since the question involves human attitudes, this mode of communion is bound up with the perceptiveness and preparation of the one receiving. Jeffrey T. Wickes FotC 130 (Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 2015). This is the reason why you say after him: Amen.[21]. [2] Cyprian, On the Good of Patience 14, On the Lapsed 16 and 26,and Letter 55.9. And some who do have lost their strength or nerve. Churches are closing, priests are dying off, masses young people are dropping their faith, and the Church is slowly slipping into obscurity in its own homeland. The host will then be laid in the palm of the left hand and then taken by the right hand to the mouth. These guidelines replace the guidelines approved by the Administrative Committee of the NCCB in November 1986. On the other hand, if the sins are not so great that a person should be judged to deserve excommunication, he ought not to withdraw from the daily medicine of the Lords body.[26]. What a Priest Might Do If He Wants to Avoid It. I quite deliberately eschewed entering the historical argument as it would have digressed from the main point of that article. So the authors claim that he is exactly Vatican II is doubtful. For example, although Communion in the hand is generally permitted at the Vatican, in recent years ministers administrating Communion at large at papal Masses have been enjoined to distribute Communion only on the tongue. The way you put it, it doesnt sound obsessive-compulsive but salutary. Your email address will not be published. This is the quote that is always used: " make your left hand a throne for the right, as for that which is to receive a King. We are encouraged to receive Communion devoutly and frequently. Copyright 2023 Eternal Word Television Network, Inc. Irondale, Alabama. The symptoms are myriadI certainly would assent to much of what you cite. Not only was Communion in the hand started in disobedience, it was perpetuated by deceit. The Council was a start, but we have allowed ourselves to get sidetracked in silly and divisive banter. If one is right handed the left hand should rest upon the right. [10] See John Damascene, On the Orthodox Faith, 4.13. Fire came down and consumed the sacrifices of Elijah To be a pledge of everlasting life. This is precisely why there are occasions when pastoral prudence can lead to suspend the permission. 51 (Feb), pg 62). Im not aware of that limitation and would like to see proper documentation. For example, there is ample evidence that the exchange of peace between the people was practiced well into the Middle Ages in several European countries. I would like to remind people to indicate clearly how they wish to receive. 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. 6. If we follow the example of the Fathers, we will prioritize practices that prevent the dropping of the Eucharist and catechizing communicants not to receive in a state of mortal sin. 160). Because those vessels are made so for our sakes. When the communion is distributed under both kinds, it is never permitted to place in the hands of the communicants hosts which have first been placed in the Blood of the Lord. The oldest reference to the Eucharist in the New Testament occurs in chapters 11 and 12 of the First Letter to the Corinthians, which has no reference to receiving Holy Communion on the tongue. St. These considerations can perhaps help balance our perspective (whether in favor or against the practice of communion in the hand), and alert us to the fact that reverence is a complex phenomenon that, of course, does involve postures of the body, but most importantly, the attitude of the heart. In an even more elevated tone, Ephrem the Syrian, in a stunning passage, invites the Christian communicant to feel awe at what is placed in his or her hand, since even the Seraph did not take the divine coal with his hand, nor did the prophet Isaiah eat it (see: Isa 6:6). Paraguay, 27 September 1971 A quick example will be found . Care must also be taken that the communicants have clean hands and that their comportment is becoming and in keeping with the practices of the different peoples. It is advisable, therefore, that the rite be introduced gradually and in the beginning within small, better-prepared groups and in favorable settings. The wind has left our sails and many of us are adrift on uncertain seas. A letter from the Congregation for Divine Worship to presidents of bishops conferences on May 29, 1969: AAS 61 (1969) 546-547; Notitiae 5 (1969) 351-353: In reply to the request of your conference of bishops regarding permission to give communion by placing the host on the hand of the faithful, I wish to communicate the following. What if our reception made us all more loving of one another, whatever our views on how to receive? For it is a deed fraught with destruction to take the tongue which serve such awesome mysteries, which has become purpled with a blood so precious, which has become a sword of gold and to change its course to abuse, insolence and ribald jests. Bishop Athanasius Schneider argued along the same lines at the end of February. Communion received on the tongue and while kneeling. . Pope Benedict XVI 1927-2022 tribute page and access to resources here. In defending his push to give Communion to grave sinners, McElroy reiterated his belief that conscience has the "privileged place" over doctrine in decision-making and suggested that it can . Your email address will not be published. On the one hand, I think this evidence precludes describing communion in the hand as intrinsically irreverent. October 13, 2022. For some, however, the singing of this hymn is perceived as an intrusion on their own prayer, their private thanksgiving after Communion. [23], The great and divine Apostle Paul with loud voice calls man created in the image of God, the body and temple of Christ. Many of us would treat your claims skeptically as unsupported rumor and gossip. With regard to the first precept, Origen of Alexandria cautions, You who are accustomed to take part in divine mysteries know, when you receive the body of the Lord, how you protect it with all caution and veneration lest any small part fall from it, lest anything of the consecrated gift be lost. 2. I beg to differ. I did an internet search about the history of communion in the hand in the U.S. and the only thing I found was an article by the NLM. Take a step or two to the side to make way for the next communicant, then receive our Lord. Please remember that there is no "right" way to receive. Featured Image: Rossano Gospels, Last Supper, 6th c.; Source: Wikimedia Commons, PD-Old-100. Has the Holy Eucharist any other effect? Yet even here, the experts sometimes forgot the unrepeatable reality of original circumstances so that restoration is never quite the same. The Eucharist may not be received while a person has mortal sin in their soul. Timothy O'Malley, Copyright 2023 The Council of Saragossa (380): Excommunicated anyone who dared continue . But we doyes, verily. Communion in the hand is legitimate only where permitted, and it remains in the realm of a permission. Please take responsibility for the lies, the bile, and the sinful stuff. So then after having carefully hallowed your eyes by the touch of the Holy Body, partake of it; giving heed lest you lose any portion thereof; for whatever you lose, is evidently a loss to you as it were from one of your own members. Jamaica, 12 March 1970 The rite of communion in the hand must not be put into practice indiscriminately. What's at Stake in the Debates Swirling Around Eucharistic Coherence. [27] John Chrysostom, Baptismal Instruction, 12.15-16, trans. On reverence for the Eucharist and belief in the Real Presence among Catholic laity has greatly declined I dont think this has ever been proven. Those who receive Communion may receive either in the hand or on the tongue, and the decision should be that of the individual receiving, not of the person distributing Communion. The option must not turn out to be the occasion for regarding it as ordinary bread or as just another religious article., I feel this is a underrated point in recent discussions on the reception of Holy Communion, both here on PT and elsewhere. In order to be properly disposed to receive Communion, participants should not be conscious of grave sin and normally should have fasted for one hour. Finally, ensuring the application of liturgical law is above all the responsibility of the bishop and only indirectly the religious superior. And of course Pope Paul VI was adamant that all the reforms carried out under him were faithful to the Second Vatican Council. A: The answer to this question is somewhat complex. In fact, however, this hymn is prayer, the corporate thanksgiving prayer of the members of Christ's Body, united with one another. Communion received on the tongue and while kneeling. What some call discipleship, others evangelizationnew or whatever, or some speak of discernment and application of spiritual gifts. 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. But is the impression they give generally correct? When we move in procession, particularly the procession to receive the Body and Blood of Christ in Communion, we are a sign, a symbol of that pilgrim Church "on the way.". Father, as to the limitation on what regions might request this indult, Memoriale Domini stipulated that Where a contrary usage, that of placing holy communion on the hand, prevails, the Holy See [] lays on those conferences the task of weighing carefully whatever special circumstances may exist there []. Over and over again the prayers of the liturgy and the norms of the General Instruction emphasize this fundamental concept of the unity of the baptized, stressing that when we come together to participate in the Eucharistic celebration we come, not as individuals, but as united members of Christ's Body. 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. However, this is likely to lead to many embarrassing instances for the faithful who approach communion unaware of the situation. [26] Augustine, Letter 54.3.4, trans. Luxembourg, October 15 1969 As soon as the communicant receives the host, he or she consumes the whole of it. There is also evidence that this was a contested subject (i.e., about what sins prevent someone from receiving), as it would continue to be throughout the history of the Church. In this case, the person is to be mindful of the obligation to make an act of perfect contrition, including the intention of confessing as soon as possible (canon 916). LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Catholics want to know if it is allowed for their bishops and priests to require Communion be received only on in the hand instead of on the tongue. I have celebrated Mass in places where there is no Communion in the hand and yet have observed some people approach the Eucharist in a slovenly and distracted manner with nary a trace of reverence in sight. 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. Members of the Orthodox Churches, the Assyrian Church of the East, and the Polish National Catholic Church are urged to respect the discipline of their own Churches. What if we were passionate about all that? Basil the Great, Doctor of the Church (330-379): "The right to receive Holy Communion in the hand is permitted only in times of persecution.". We should rejoice in that. Hence any baptized Catholic who is not prevented by law must be admitted to Holy Communion. To signify, seal, and apply to believers all the benefits of the new covenant. Eccl., VII, ix). I am from India. Answered by Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy and dean of theology at the Regina Apostolorum university. Instead of receiving in my hand, thinking "the other way is better," and quickly gobbling up the Eucharist, I took the "popular way," as a gift: I put my left hand on top of my right . This article has been selected from the ZENIT Daily Dispatch Innovative Media, Inc. ZENIT International News Agency Via della Stazione di Ottavia, 95 00165 Rome, Italywww.zenit.org, To subscribe http://www.zenit.org/english/subscribe.html or email: english-request@zenit.org with SUBSCRIBE in the "subject" field, Provided Courtesy of: Eternal Word Television Network 5817 Old Leeds Road Irondale, AL 35210www.ewtn.com, HOME - EWTNews - FAITH - TELEVISION - RADIO - LIBRARY - MULTIMEDIAWHAT'S NEW - GENERAL - RELIGIOUS CATALOGUE - PILGRIMAGES - ESPAOL, EWTN | 5817 Old Leeds Rd. 4. Do we accept an experience of the Real Presence only when the externals and the lingo of 1950 are seen and heard? Scandinavia,October 15 1969 SACRED CONGREGATION FOR DIVINE WORSHIP, Letter En reponse a la demande, to presidents of those conferences of bishops petitioning the indult for communion in the hand, 29 May 1969: Acta Apostolicae Sedis 61 (1969) 546-547; Notitiae 5 (1969) 351-353. From a hygienic point of view, the hand carries a huge amount of bacteria. This blog is not associated with Pray Tell: An open forum on faith in South Texas. To that which you are you respond Amen (yes, it is true!) and by responding to it you assent to it. So it is not just tiresome traditionalists who worry about particles. As I read above article, I didnt found name of my country India in the list of countries which have Indult for communion in hand. Interestingly, during the Middle Ages, the reception of Holy Communion was restricted to "on the tongue" because of abuses. 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). The General Instruction of the Roman Missal says the following: 160. 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.. In each of the Eucharistic Prayers, though the petition is worded in slightly different ways, God is asked to send his Holy Spirit to make us one body, one spirit in Christ; the General Instruction admonishes the faithful that "they are to form one body, whether in hearing the Word of God, or in taking part in the prayers and in the singing" (no. From these documents, we can deduce the following points. 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. But whatever the case, it is the Pope who decides to authorize it for countries, and it is indisputable that he did so. 2023 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Scotland, 7 July 1977 3. I wholeheartedly agree with your comment on another thread that this ongoing discussion is frivolous and is only causing needless division. For this reason, since the question of Communion in the hand is not a question of faith as such, and it has been approved by the legitimate authority, I do not believe that a priest can invoke conscience as a motive for refusing to apply a legitimate law. 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. Uruguay,October 15 1969 But back in the West, where most of us at PT are from, the Church is struggling. In this context, I think it is fair to say that the present practice of Communion in the hand is not a simple restoration of a historical custom but rather introduced a new practice in new circumstances which, while it has some historical justification, is essentially motivated by current pastoral concerns in some parts of the world. If he is a religious priest, what actions can a legitimate superior take as regards the member who denies Communion in the hand? A frequent reception of the Sacrament of Penance is encouraged for all. Your fire, O, Our Lord we have eaten in your offering The two ways of receiving communion can without question take place during the same liturgical service. Does anyone have an explanation for why France, Germany, and the Low Countries were not quickly regularized once the opportunity was available? Monaco, 31 October 1969 Germany, 6 June 1969 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. If Communion is received in the hand, the hands should first of all be clean. All our lives we who believe in Christ are moving in time toward that moment when we will be taken by death from this world and enter into the joy of the Lord in the eternal Kingdom he has prepared for us. Pope Benedict was asked why he chose to distribute Communion only to those kneeling and on the tongue and he responded, because it highlights "the truth of the real presence [of Christ] in the Eucharist, helps the devotion . Since Christ is really, substantially, sacramentally present but not physically, being OC over crumbs is not devotion. The problem is a lack of intentionality across the board, starting with the laity. The most ancient practice of distributing Holy Communion was, with all probability, to give Communion to the faithful in the palm of the hand. But "the sign of communion is more complete when given under both kinds, since in that form the sign of the Eucharistic meal appears more clearly." This is the usual form of receiving communion in the Eastern rites. A. Roland Teske (Hyde Park, NY: New City Press, 2001). Paul W. Harkins ACW 31 (Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1963). Another will say the opposite; he says, On the contrary, if the wound of sin and the attack of the disease is in fact so great that such medicines need to be postponed, one ought to be removed from the altar by the authority of the bishop in order to do penance, and one ought to be reconciled by the same authority. 48 (Sept/Oct), pg 361. This reply aged like Milk (currently January 2022). While we have the option of receiving holy Communion either on the tongue or on the hand, we must always be mindful of receiving our Lord respectfully. Some of the online advocates of kneeling/tongue seem to focus only on adoration of the Real Presence and now a cardinal has said that those who receive standing in the hand most Catholics by far! I dont mean how did it come about. Today, both manners of receiving Communion are worthy and licit. Most often when speaking of reverence, however, the Fathers emphasize two main things: 1) that every precaution should be taken lest the Eucharist fall to the ground and 2) that communicants should be from serious sin and quarrels with other Christians.
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