Later that year approval was given to Luxembourg, Scandinavia (Scandia), North Africa, Bolivia, Uruguay, and Monaco (see Notitiae v. 7 (1970), no. ODonaghues post, I note with interest that the countries in which Communion in the hand is alleged to have been most prevalent either did not apply for or at any rate receive an indult in these first 8 years of results. It is also difficult to ensure that the person who receives Communion effectively consumes the host. The rite of communion in the hand must not be put into practice indiscriminately. Receiving Communion The Sacrament of Holy Communion (also known as The Lord's Supper or Eucharist) has been precious and life-giving to Christians for 2,000 years. 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. Maybe this is part of a grand conspiracy by Satan to destroy the Church (ok, probably not that). October 13, 2022. England and Wales, 6 March 1976 I think youre right that, without an explicitly limiting clause, there is no canonically binding restriction to those countries, and that the subsequent granting of dispensation ultimately belied such restriction. Zambia, 11 March 1974 The life of Christ, the Holy Spirit, animates each of us individually, and all of us corporately and guides us together in our efforts to become one in Christ. 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. I quite deliberately eschewed entering the historical argument as it would have digressed from the main point of that article. Maybe this is due to decades of poor or heterodox catechesis on the Sacraments. 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. This is precisely why there are occasions when pastoral prudence can lead to suspend the permission. Yet even here, the experts sometimes forgot the unrepeatable reality of original circumstances so that restoration is never quite the same. The Pope grants that throughout the territory of your conference, each bishop may, according to his prudent judgment and conscience, authorize in his diocese the introduction of the new rite for giving communion. [] It is not permitted for the faithful to take the consecrated Bread or the sacred chalice by themselves and, still less, to hand them on from one to another among themselves. 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. Our bishops have argued that Communion in the hand is the proper way for the faithful to respond to our Lord's invitation: "All of you, take and eat this." What the bishops overlook is the fact . 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. 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. But to us our Lord has given both . [26] Augustine, Letter 54.3.4, trans. But as time passed it became the practice to receive Communion directly on the tongue in order to assure that the Host was received reverently. 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.". We are the Body of Christ, moving forward to receive the Christ who makes us one with himself and with one another. Whatever procedure is adopted, care must be taken not to allow particles of the eucharistic bread to fall or be scattered. After stipulating the historical practice of Communion in the hand, Memoriale Domini: defends the development of discipline that led to Communion on the tongue 96). The new manner of giving communion must not be imposed in a way that would exclude the traditional practice. The way you put it, it doesnt sound obsessive-compulsive but salutary. One could have perfect adoration of Real Presence in humble posture and, at least in theory, miss the point of Communion. As with all historical practices, one must examine the context and circumstances which are usually not repeatable.. Guidelines for Receiving Holy Communion. A. Christ instituted the Holy Eucharist: R. E. Heine FotC 21 (Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 1982). 6. [5] John Climacus, Ladder of Divine Ascent 28. For some, however, the experience of the Communion Procession is far more prosaic, analogous perhaps to standing in line in the supermarket or at the motor vehicle bureau. There are particles, and there are particles. Click herefor a handout that can be placed in your bulletin for your parishioner. The rite of communion in the hand must not be put into practice indiscriminately. To lessen our evil inclinations. Can you direct me to where you obtained this list? 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. 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. To continue the sacrifice of the Cross in His Church. Cyril of Jerusalem and Theodore of Mopsuestia liken the practice to that of receiving a king, and both of them note the method of reception was in joined hands (also described in other sources as hands in the form of a cross). [24] Trans. I think the Holy Spirit was nudging people closer to the problem, which was already in evidence decades before the Council. Because those vessels are made so for our sakes. 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. A priest who is not directly responsible for the care of souls should be even more respectful of local practice. [8] John Chrysostom, Homilies on Ephesians, Baptismal Instruction 12.1516, On the Incomprehensible Nature of God 6.36, and On the Priesthood 3.4. But we doyes, verily. I mean WHAT SPECIFIC REASONS were given for requesting it in the first place? They partake not of Him that is in them, they perceive Him not. [19] This list is by no means exhaustive, and it would be tedious to cite all of these references as a catalog, but let us turn to a few of them to see what the Fathers have to say about the meaning of this practice. 160). The causes are myriad and often interconnected. For Catholics: As Catholics, we fully participate in the celebration of the Eucharist when we receive Holy Communion. Come see, What is the proper way of receiving Communion in the hand? So whats missing? 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. The author claims that Communion in the hand could only be authorized in countries where it was an established practice but doesnt give a citation. Since the question involves human attitudes, this mode of communion is bound up with the perceptiveness and preparation of the one receiving. Q: When the bishop in a diocese allows the faithful to receive Communion in the hand or on the tongue, can a priest, who objects on the grounds of conscience, refuse to give the faithful holy Communion in the hand? [10] See John Damascene, On the Orthodox Faith, 4.13. Their attitude of reverence must measure up to what they are doing. are on the side of Lucifer. 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. What if our reception made us all more loving of one another, whatever our views on how to receive? This was the law of the Church for almost 14 centuries, and is still the general norm today. Paul W. Harkins ACW 31 (Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1963). This would be done especially if it is very difficult or impossible to fulfill the necessary conditions as outlined in the documents above. The very idea of people regularly receiving Communion (and even receiving Communion as part of the liturgy to the Eucharist itself) were relatively new ideas at the time of the Council. What is the proper way of receiving Communion in the hand? 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. IMHO no, contrary to what some real traddies may say. We would also do well to teach, as the Fathers do, that reverence is not only about proper reception of the Eucharist, but also about living the kind of life to which the Eucharist commits us. Church Life Journal 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. The condition is the complete avoidance of any cause for the faithful to be shocked and any danger of irreverence toward the Eucharist. 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. As Catholics, we fully participate in the celebration of the Eucharist when we receive Holy Communion. [T]hose who restrict communicants to receive Holy Communion only in the hands are acting against the norms, as are those who refuse to Christ's faithful [the right] to receive Communion in the hand in dioceses that enjoy this indult. And of course Pope Paul VI was adamant that all the reforms carried out under him were faithful to the Second Vatican Council. The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Featured Image: Rossano Gospels, Last Supper, 6th c.; Source: Wikimedia Commons, PD-Old-100. 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. 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. awr. The faithful should consume the host before returning to their place; the ministers part will be brought out by use of the usual formulary, The body of Christ, to which the communicant replies: Amen. 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. 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. And having hollowed your palm, receive the Body of Christ, saying over it, Amen. Per The Baltimore Catechism: For you believe, and correctly, that you are answerable if anything falls from there by neglect.[25]. 5. Take a step or two to the side to make way for the next communicant, then receive our Lord. Has done When one receives from the chalice, the same proclamation is made by the person distributing Communion and the Communicant again responds, "Amen." All rights reserved. Nowhere in this article did I see what the CHURCH says about Holy Communion, only the writers opinion. 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 . Take this from someone who receives in the hand sometimes, I would never do it if I thought it was enabling Lucifer to corrupt my soul. Fire and Spirit, contrary to nature I am just wondering what the reason or reasons were for allowing reception of Communion in the hand to begin with? This practice has been requested by individual episcopal conferences and has received approval from the Apostolic See. 3. The [Seraph] did not hold it, and [Isaiah] did not eat it From the point of view of liturgical law, the relevant documents are the following. Phillip Schaff and Henry Wace in NPNF Second Series, 14 (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1900). 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. Today, both manners of receiving Communion are worthy and licit. Communion on the tongue remains the usual and common form of administering Holy Communion. It is not clear as to how widespread it was or if it was a regular practice. In order to be properly disposed to . The General Instruction asks each country's Conference of Bishops to determine the posture to be used for the reception of Communion and the act of reverence to be made by each person as he or she receives Communion. Ive updated the post. 86). At the same time, it is not justified to claim that Communion in the hand is necessarily less reverent or inevitably leads to abuses. 284-287 is to be followed.. 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. [1] This RCIA Process is the way in which you are prepared to be formally received by the Church; this is necessary before you can take Communion. They would find many more areas we all need to work on than just their main focus. I dont think reception in the hand is destroying the Church like what some prominent leaders in the Church have implied, but this practice has still had wide ranging [and not entirely positive] ramifications in the Church over the last half century, far beyond the obvious choice of the individual communicant. Roland Teske (Hyde Park, NY: New City Press, 2001). No wonder so many people there have given up on Christianity. Greg., Dial., I, III, c. iii). And to demonstrate reverence and. These guidelines replace the guidelines approved by the Administrative Committee of the NCCB in November 1986. 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. 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 . I do make the point that reverence, while important, is not the only or most important aspect of Communion. It also rules out arguing for an intrinsic link between a rejection of the true presence and communion in the handthe Fathers, on the whole, speak of Christs presence in the Eucharist in highly realistic terms and also received on the hand. Alphonse Mingana (Gorgias Press: Piscataway, NJ, 2009 [1933]). To that which you are you respond Amen (yes, it is true!) and by responding to it you assent to it. The communicant replies, Amen, and receives the Sacrament either on the tongue or, where this is allowed, in the hand, the choice lying with the communicant. 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 . It is always helpful to review instructions for receiving Communion. I am from India. 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. However, he should not refuse to administer Communion to those faithful desirous of availing themselves of a legitimate authorization. 896. 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. [11] Council of Constantinople in Trullo, canon 101. 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. Madagascar 2 March 1970 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. Then he saw that it was futile. Therefore I stand by what I wrote in the original: 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.. Some advocates of communion on the tongue, at least online, seem guilty of thinking that (however much more virtuous than I they probably are in their lives). 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 faithful receive Communion kneeling or standing, as established by the episcopal conference. From these documents, we can deduce the following points. This reply aged like Milk (currently January 2022). Basil the Great considered Communion in the hand so irregular that he did not hesitate to consider it a grave fault. I would like to remind people to indicate clearly how they wish to receive. In 1980 St. John Paul II wrote in the apostolic letterDominicae Cenae: In some countries, the practice of receiving Communion in the hand has been introduced. So it is not just tiresome traditionalists who worry about particles. 51 (Feb), pg 62). The problem is a lack of intentionality across the board, starting with the laity. 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! The Communion Procession is an action of the Body of Christ. He said that he had checked with the then Apostolic Delegation and had been assured that the pope was giving the boy a rosary. It was designed: 1. 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. Mingle and flow into the palms of his disciples![22]. [21] Theodore of Mopsuestia, catech. The most ancient practice of distributing Holy Communion was, with all probability, to give Communion to the faithful in the palm of the hand. The Council was a start, but we have allowed ourselves to get sidetracked in silly and divisive banter. [16] Liturgical evidence from Rome is always sparser than one would like, but Eusebius preserves a mention of communion in the hand in a letter written from Dionysius of Alexandria to Sixtus I, bishop of Rome,[17] and in a letter of Cornelius, bishop of Rome. The same Instruction contained a reminder that the laws of the Church and the writings of the Fathers give ample witness of a supreme reverence and utmost caution toward the Eucharist and that this must continue. The Council of Saragossa, 380, excommunicated anyone who dared continue to receive Holy Communion in the hand. With your hand hollowed, receive the Body of Christ and answer 'Amen'. 161. The liturgical renewal of St. Pius X which promoted the frequent reception of Communion were still quite young. Think of what you receive in your hand and keep it clean of all greed and theft. It must also increase their faith in the sublime reality of the Lords body and blood, which they touch with their hand. I wholeheartedly agree with your comment on another thread that this ongoing discussion is frivolous and is only causing needless division. Eccl., VII, ix). For this is what it is to receive unworthily: if one receives at that time when he ought to be doing penance. We should rejoice in that. They probably never foresaw its subsequent, and occasionally chaotic, development in some parts of the Church. COVID-19 Additional Questions for Catholic Schools, COVID-19 Finance FAQ for Catholic Schools, COVID-19 Personnel FAQ for Catholic Schools, COVID-19 Remote Learning FAQ for Catholic Schools, COVID-19 International Students FAQ for Catholic Schools, Forming a New Prayer and Intercessory Team at Your Parish, Resources for Existing Intercessory Prayer Teams, Mooney Real Estate Holding Company and Parish Incorporations, Stewards for Tomorrow/Archdiocese of Detroit Endowment Foundation. W.R., Goa, India. This blog is not associated with Pray Tell: An open forum on faith in South Texas. As further documentation,Pray Tell provides this excerpt from the 2002General Instruction of the Roman Missal in Latin and English on the reception of Communion.

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