896. To be a pledge of everlasting life. But back in the West, where most of us at PT are from, the Church is struggling. Will you not then much more carefully keep watch, that not a crumb fall from youSt. Therefore, it is not licit to deny Holy Communion to any of Christ's faithful solely on the grounds, for example, that the person wishes to receive the Eucharist kneeling or standing" (Redemptionis Sacramentum, no. 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? St. 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. In North Africa (including Egypt) the practice is mentioned by Tertullian,[1] Cyprian,[2] Augustine,[3] Cyril of Alexandria,[4] and John Climacus. The person distributing Communion says audibly to each person approaching, "The Body of Christ." 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. 161. Luxembourg, October 15 1969 Fire and Spirit, contrary to nature Pope Benedict XVI 1927-2022 tribute page and access to resources here. 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. Particularly in regard to this way of receiving communion, experience suggests certain matters requiring careful attention. [18] Moreover, an early illuminated gospel, the Rosanno Gospels, depicts the last supper as a communion line, where the disciples receive in cupped hands while bowed. We also welcome to this celebration those who do not share our faith in Jesus Christ. Gross Alexander NPNF 13, ed. If he is a religious priest, what actions can a legitimate superior take as regards the member who denies Communion in the hand? 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. 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. Pakistan, 29 October 1976 Several readers pointed out that I made no mention of a text of St. Cyril when mentioning the historical foundations of the practice. 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. Nor did the Vatican interpret it that way, near as I can tell. 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. 284-287 is to be followed.. If Your Hand/Hands are Impeded . When one receives from the chalice, the same proclamation is made by the person distributing Communion and the Communicant again responds, "Amen." 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. Fire came down and consumed the sacrifices of Elijah 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. Ive updated the post. 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. After receiving Communion our bodies become holy chalices. I wholeheartedly agree with your comment on another thread that this ongoing discussion is frivolous and is only causing needless division. [20] Cyril of Jerusalem, myst. Australia, 26 September 1975 A frequent reception of the Sacrament of Penance is encouraged for all. I think the Holy Spirit was nudging people closer to the problem, which was already in evidence decades before the Council. 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. 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. The rite of communion in the hand must not be put into practice indiscriminately. 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. [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. With your hand hollowed, receive the Body of Christ and answer 'Amen'. I do make the point that reverence, while important, is not the only or most important aspect of Communion. [18] See Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, 6.43.18. October 13, 2022. enough bread and wine are made ready for the communication of the faithful at each Mass.45 As a general rule, Holy Communion is given from hosts . Paraguay, 27 September 1971 [16] Bede, Ecclesiastical History of the English People, 4.24. 1996, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Come see, 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. Maybe this is part of a grand conspiracy by Satan to destroy the Church (ok, probably not that). 86). The custom of placing the Sacred Particle in the mouth, rather than in the hand of the communicant, dates in Rome from the sixth, and in Gaul from the ninth century (Van der Stappen, IV, 227; cf. Or is there more context that is missing? This norm is supported by an Instruction by the Holy See regarding the Eucharist: "In distributing Holy Communion it is to be remembered that 'sacred ministers may not deny the sacraments to those who seek them in a reasonable manner, are rightly disposed, and are not prohibited by law from receiving them'(Code of Canon Law, can. St. Later that year approval was given to Luxembourg, Scandinavia (Scandia), North Africa, Bolivia, Uruguay, and Monaco (see Notitiae v. 7 (1970), no. Communion in the hand is no more hygienic than Communion in the mouth. In fact, each time we move forward together to receive the Body and Blood of the Lord, we join the countless ranks of all the baptized who have gone before us, our loved ones, the canonized and uncanonized saints down through the ages, who at their time in history formed a part of this mighty stream of believers. 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. 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). 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. His blood now flows through our veins. The author seems to think that liturgical reforms should consist of only what an ecumenical council prescribed. So whats missing? W.R., Goa, India. . 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. 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. 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. A quick example will be found . The wind has left our sails and many of us are adrift on uncertain seas. Chad, 18 September 1969 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. I am a daily witness at the Basilique du Sacr-Cur de Montmartre (Paris).. However, it was a brief exchange with ones immediate neighbors and at a time when men and women occupied separate aisles in the church. When receiving in the hand, the communicant should be guided by the words of St. Cyril of Jerusalem . My sense is that if theres something demonic in all this it is the Galatians moment in which many Catholics find themselves, especially those on the traditional side. Thanks for this, Dennis. Since Christ is really, substantially, sacramentally present but not physically, being OC over crumbs is not devotion. [11] In East Syria (what we would now call the Middle East) we have evidence from Ephrem the Syrian[12] and Narsai. 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. Their attitude of reverence must measure up to what they are doing. And why so? 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. It preserves us from mortal sin by exciting us to greater fervor and strengthening us against temptation. There are particles, and there are particles. It is still the practice of millions of committed Latin-rite Catholics all over the world and of many Eastern Churches who administer the Eucharist under both species on the tongue. This practice has been requested by individual episcopal conferences and has received approval from the Apostolic See. 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). Catholics use birth control, get divorced and fornicate at the same rate as society in general, with the sin of using birth control rarely confessed. As to the way to carry out the new rite: one possible model is the traditional usage, which expresses the ministerial functions, by having the priest or deacon place the host in the hand of the communicant . Theres no simple solution to this issue. 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. And some who do have lost their strength or nerve. 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 . In the early Church, the faithful stood when receiving into their hands the consecrated particle can hardly be questioned. St. Dionysius of Alexandria [d. 265], writing to one of the popes of his time, speaks emphatically of one who has stood by the table and has extended his hand to receive the Holy Food (Eusebius [263-339], Hist. The Holy Eucharist remits venial sins by disposing us to perform acts of love and contrition. In order to be properly disposed to . Was changing the mode reception of Communion one of them? Alphonse Mingana (Gorgias Press: Piscataway, NJ, 2009 [1933]). The faithful must be taught that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior and that therefore the worship of latria or adoration belonging to God is owed to Christ present in this sacrament. What is the proper way of receiving Communion in the hand? At the same time, it is not justified to claim that Communion in the hand is necessarily less reverent or inevitably leads to abuses. Malaysia and Singapore, 3 October 1977, * * * * *. 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. To that which you are you respond Amen (yes, it is true!) and by responding to it you assent to it. http://www.kathpedia.com/index.php?title=Handkommunion. Today, both manners of receiving Communion are worthy and licit. Since the question involves human attitudes, this mode of communion is bound up with the perceptiveness and preparation of the one receiving. What if we were passionate about all that? Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), 2 October 1971 It is not clear as to how widespread it was or if it was a regular practice. On the one hand, I think this evidence precludes describing communion in the hand as intrinsically irreverent. Please take responsibility for the lies, the bile, and the sinful stuff. In comparing the indult list provided in this post with the brief history of Fr. These need to be taken seriously if one wants to effectively engage in these discussions with the likes of Cardinal Sarah and others. 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. Paul VI had a measure of it in 1974, and we hav emostly missed the wisdom of Evangelii Nuntiandi. 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 option offered to the faithful of receiving the Eucharistic bread in their hand and putting it into their own mouth must not turn out to be the occasion for regarding it as ordinary bread or as just another religious article. Canada, 12 February 1970 You should thus draw near with great awe and love, according to the greatness of that which is given: with awe, because of the greatness of (its) honour; and with love, because of (its) grace. I honestly get sick of it too. James Shapiro, a literature prof at Columbia, says the situation is catastrophic: One reason was the way of the world. For this is what it is to receive unworthily: if one receives at that time when he ought to be doing penance. Bishops who have been permitted to introduce the new rite of communion are asked to send a report to the congregation, six months hence, on the outcome. That said, there are dimensions to this discussion that I think are both valuable and havent been given much screen time overall. Why? For example, Augustine writes, Someone might say that the Eucharist should not be received daily. Timothy O'Malley, Copyright 2023 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 []. The debate was interrupted by lunch. [27] John Chrysostom, Baptismal Instruction, 12.15-16, trans. 895. (Catholic Encyclopedia: Genuflexion) 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. According to Roman Catholic discipline, the Code of Canon Law does not object to the reception of Communion by Christians of these Churches (canon 844 3). The condition is the complete avoidance of any cause for the faithful to be shocked and any danger of irreverence toward the Eucharist. However, when they receive Communion standing, it is recommended that the faithful make appropriate reverence, according to the norms established, before receiving the Sacrament. At Christ's invitation, extended by the priest acting in Christ's person: "Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb," the members of the community move forward to share in the sacred meal, to receive the Body and Blood of Christ which is the sign and the source of their unity. If our reader had said that he believed that Communion in the hand was more prone to dangers of accidents and profanation, I would accept the argument. I guess my point is that regardless of our internal reverence (or lack thereof), the way we verbally and literally communicate our faith to others, especially our children, is still very important. But we doyes, verily. For some, however, the singing of this hymn is perceived as an intrusion on their own prayer, their private thanksgiving after Communion. Elizabeth Klein is an Assistant Professor of Theology at the Augustine Institute. 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. If Communion is received in the hand, the hands should first of all be clean. And having hollowed your palm, receive the Body of Christ, saying over it, Amen. 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. He can freely share with the faithful his reasons for preferring to adhere to the traditional practice and encourage the faithful to continue doing so. They would find many more areas we all need to work on than just their main focus. Finally, the fact that the Communion Procession is a profoundly religious action tells us something about the way in which we should participate in this procession. Hence, my theory is that the wide granting of the indult exceeded its initially intended scope as continued prompting from advisors and larger-than-anticipated requests from conferences overcame the popes reluctance. 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. Required fields are marked *. It is standard procedure so I wonder what the basis of this accusation is. The Eucharist may not be received while a person has mortal sin in their soul. 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. It is also difficult to ensure that the person who receives Communion effectively consumes the host. In fact, however, this hymn is prayer, the corporate thanksgiving prayer of the members of Christ's Body, united with one another. Madagascar 2 March 1970 The problem is a lack of intentionality across the board, starting with the laity. 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.. However, while this text is undoubtedly ancient evidence of the existence of Communion in the hand, it is, like many patristic texts, fraught with interpretative conundrums. For pastoral reasons this manner of receiving communion has been legitimately established as the most common form in the Latin rite. [9] Theodore of Mopsuestia, Catechetical Homilies 6. The new manner of giving communion must not be imposed in a way that would exclude the traditional practice. 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. There is a twofold purpose here: that none will find in the new rite anything disturbing to personal devotion toward the Eucharist; that this sacrament, the source, and cause of unity by its very nature, will not become an occasion of discord between members of the faithful. Upper Volta and Niger, 20 February 1970 [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).
