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. A perception such as this is a dreadfully inaccurate and impoverished understanding of what is a significant religious action. Many of us would treat your claims skeptically as unsupported rumor and gossip. That rhetorical flow and its further implicit objections (i.e., take care lest XYZ) *could* be a setup for a generous grant of indults, but given the overall negative tone I dont think it accidental or inconsequential that the prospect of permission is only mentioned in these cases where contrary practice already prevails. There are many devout Catholics who find this practice helpful. We are encouraged to receive Communion devoutly and frequently. Blog Staff and Editorial Advisory Committee, http://www.kathpedia.com/index.php?title=Handkommunion, http://www.cultodivino.va/content/cultodivino/it/rivista-notitiae/indici-annate.html, From the Wires: U.S. Catholic Priests Are Increasingly Conservative as Faithful Grow More Liberal, Yale Organ Week: Now Accepting Applications, The North American Academy of Liturgy, 2023, New Open-Access, Ecumenical Journal Powered by the University of Vienna, Is the Eucharistic Revival a Liturgical Revival (Part 2), What Did Jesus Know? Its just BREAD!!. For example, Augustine writes, Someone might say that the Eucharist should not be received daily. 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. Now we feel our affluence threatened, and the Gospel gives no comfort on that front. Greg., Dial., I, III, c. iii). The Communion Procession is an action of the Body of Christ. Cyril of Jerusalem [c. 313-386], Catechetical Lectures, 23:21-22) Several more but no room here. 91). We have no nets to cast deeply. 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. Whatever procedure is adopted, care must be taken not to allow particles of the Eucharistic bread to fall or be scattered. 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. 13.3, trans. 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). The following norms must, therefore, be respected. 6. It is reported that a bishop shouted out, On the tongue or in the hand?. As seen above, the U.S. bishops were not among the first to permit Communion in the hand. More people have received Communion in the past century. Hence any baptized Catholic who is not prevented by law must be admitted to Holy Communion. 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). Nor did the Vatican interpret it that way, near as I can tell. If Communion is given only under the species of bread, the Priest raises the host slightly and shows it to each, saying, The Body of Christ. Canada, 12 February 1970 Because those vessels are made so for our sakes. FYI, the announcement that approval for Communion in the Hand was given (in 1969) to Belgium, France, Germany, Holland, and Chad appeared in Notitiae in v. 6 (1969), no. are on the side of Lucifer. [17] See Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, 7.9.4. [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. 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. 4. The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 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. My country is not on this list but holy communion is the norm. W.R., Goa, India. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCBs) mission is to encounter the mercy of Christ and to accompany His people with joy. Entries (RSS) and Comments (RSS) TOP Henry Percival and ed. Djibouti, 6 March 1970 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. Later that year approval was given to Luxembourg, Scandinavia (Scandia), North Africa, Bolivia, Uruguay, and Monaco (see Notitiae v. 7 (1970), no. In comparing the indult list provided in this post with the brief history of Fr. 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. 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. In North Africa (including Egypt) the practice is mentioned by Tertullian,[1] Cyprian,[2] Augustine,[3] Cyril of Alexandria,[4] and John Climacus. 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. The two ways of receiving communion can without question take place during the same liturgical service. It is therefore difficult in the context of this present letter not to mention the sad phenomena previously referred to. Roland Teske (Hyde Park, NY: New City Press, 2001). [2] 2 Accept Communion in a state of grace. The bishop, however, might sometimes deal with the religious priest through his superior in these matters. 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. It is a matter of particular seriousness that in places where the new practice is lawfully permitted every one of the faithful has the option of receiving communion on the tongue and even when other persons are receiving communion in the hand. 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. [23], The great and divine Apostle Paul with loud voice calls man created in the image of God, the body and temple of Christ. 915). Sacrilege is at an all-time high, yet use of the Sacrament of Confession is at an all-time low. North Africa,October 15 1969 A: The answer to this question is somewhat complex. 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. Pray Tell here documents two statements of the Congregation for Divine Worship issued under Pope Paul VI. Japan, 27 June 1970 Has done
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. 3. awr. 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. 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 commemorate the death of Christ: "This do in remembrance of me." 2. [13] In the far-flung regions of the empireGaul (modern-day France and Spain) we have the witness of Caesarius of Arles[14] and the council of Auxerre,[15] and in England, we have the Venerable Bede. Whatever procedure is adopted, care must be taken not to allow particles of the eucharistic bread to fall or be scattered. The Holy Eucharist remits venial sins by disposing us to perform acts of love and contrition. The Council of Saragossa, 380, excommunicated anyone who dared continue to receive Holy Communion in the hand. For real reception of the Blessed Eucharist it is required that the sacred species be received into the stomach. We welcome our fellow Christians to this celebration of the Eucharist as our brothers and sisters. I wholeheartedly agree with your comment on another thread that this ongoing discussion is frivolous and is only causing needless division. II], 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. Mingle and flow into the palms of his disciples![22]. Maybe this is due to its similarity to practices in most Protestant churches, many of which (Anglicans and Lutherans notwithstanding) fundamentally dont believe in a sacramental Communion substance. 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. 2. It is adoration of Christ, meal of fellowship, union with other communicants (hence the Church wants us to sing during reception), sharing in Christs self-sacrifice, mystical union with angels & saints, sharing even now in the heavenly banquet, having the life of the Risen Christ in oneself, a call to charity and works of justice and making real on earth the peace foreshadowed in Communion, etc. Alphonse Mingana (Gorgias Press: Piscataway, NJ, 2009 [1933]). This blog is not associated with Pray Tell: An open forum on faith in South Texas. 48 (Sept/Oct), pg 361. [5] In Jerusalem, we have the mystagogical catecheses of Cyril of Jerusalem (or perhaps of his successor, John). The Eucharist fulfills this call: "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? Reverence can be good if it opens us to God & neighbor and makes us more loving. To that which you are you respond Amen (yes, it is true!) and by responding to it you assent to it. [22] Ephrem the Syrian, Hymns on Faith 10, trans. 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. The traditional and preferred method is the reception of the Host on the tongue: Step forward and kneel at the Communion rail or station (if you stand, make a sign of reverencesuch as a bow or genuflection or Sign of the Crossbefore receiving the Host and take care not to disrupt the Communion line). [23] John Chrysostom, hom. They would find many more areas we all need to work on than just their main focus. In order to be properly disposed to . Whatever procedure is adopted, care must be taken not to allow particles of the eucharistic bread to fall or be scattered. This would be done especially if it is very difficult or impossible to fulfill the necessary conditions as outlined in the documents above. Holt Orders cannot sustain the Church, no matter how much traditionalists preach priests are of the utmost importance. 51 (Feb), pg 62). 3. [16] Bede, Ecclesiastical History of the English People, 4.24. 86). Their attitude of reverence must measure up to what they are doing. 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. From this brief historical survey, however, we know that this need not be the case, and we can look to the Fathers for a pious example as we seek to foster reverence towards the Eucharist in the liturgy today. The most ancient practice of distributing Holy Communion was, with all probability, to give Communion to the faithful in the palm of the hand. 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.. 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. 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. 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. 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 condition is the complete avoidance of any cause for the faithful to be shocked and any danger of irreverence toward the Eucharist. One said: When [the practice was] introduced in the U.S. Cyril of Jerusalem was quoted make your hands a throne for the King, take and eat.Is anyone denying the quote?, Concerning Communion in the hand, please consult the Mystical Catechesis of St. Cyril of Jerusalem for a description of the practice around A.D. 345. 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. This means that Jesus has no eyes but our eyes, no feet . Biting, tearing, casting aspersions on the faith of other Catholics: this is a damnable situation in the Church. (I dont direct this at you, I mean it to everyone on all sides.). 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. However, he should not refuse to administer Communion to those faithful desirous of availing themselves of a legitimate authorization.