Middle Africa, 3 February 1970 It is standard procedure so I wonder what the basis of this accusation is. Phillip Schaff (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1889). Yugoslavia, 1971 In order to be properly disposed to . For real reception of the Blessed Eucharist it is required that the sacred species be received into the stomach. This is the reason why you say after him: Amen.[21]. 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. South Africa, 1971 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. And having hollowed your palm, receive the Body of Christ, saying over it, Amen. Alternatively, it is permissible to adopt a simpler procedure, namely, allowing the faithful themselves to take the host from the ciborium or paten. In this he shows a great fear, and since the hand that is stretched out holds a higher rank, it is the one that is extended for receiving the body of the King, and the other hand bears and brings its sister hand, while not thinking that it is playing the role of a servant, as it is equal with it in honour, on account of the bread of the King, which is also borne by it. The condition is the complete avoidance of any cause for the faithful to be shocked and any danger of irreverence toward the Eucharist. Particularly in regard to this way of receiving communion, experience suggests certain matters requiring careful attention. 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? (I dont direct this at you, I mean it to everyone on all sides.). [6] Cyril of Jerusalem, Mystagogical Catecheses 5.13. 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). 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. It is also difficult to ensure that the person who receives Communion effectively consumes the host. For example, Augustine writes, Someone might say that the Eucharist should not be received daily. 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] Here is what Theodore says: Whatever procedure is adopted, care must be taken not to allow particles of the Eucharistic bread to fall or be scattered. Communion received on the tongue and while kneeling. Click herefor a handout that can be placed in your bulletin for your parishioner. 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. 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. Follow-up: Objecting to Communion in the Hand (10-16-2018), Pursuant to my reflections on Communion in the hand (October 2), a reader from France claimed that It is totally justified to claim that Communion in the hand is necessarily less reverent or inevitably leads to abuses. [23] John Chrysostom, hom. It preserves us from mortal sin by exciting us to greater fervor and strengthening us against temptation. 95% of parishes shrinking, seminaries empty, young people disengaged: it will happen in Africa and Asia too when the culture of the secular West overwhelms the Third World. With your hand hollowed, receive the Body of Christ and answer Amen. So whats missing? 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. O Solomon, the thing which the Lord of your father 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. There are many devout Catholics who find this practice helpful. The elements were placed in the hands (not in the mouth) of each communicant by the clergy who were present, or, according to Justin, by the deacons alone, amid singing of psalms by the congregation (Psalm 34), with the words: The body of Christ; The blood of Christ, the cup of life; to each of which the recipient responded Amen. (eminent Church historian Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church: Ante-Nicene Christianity: A.D. 100-325 [Vol. Several readers pointed out that I made no mention of a text of St. Cyril when mentioning the historical foundations of the practice. Whatever procedure is adopted, care must be taken not to allow particles of the eucharistic bread to fall or be scattered. A person who is conscious of grave sin is not to receive the Body and Blood of the Lord without prior sacramental confession except for a grave reason where there is no opportunity for confession. 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. July 2, 2020 ( LifeSiteNews) Many bishops around the world are attempting to compel Catholics, who are in the right dispositions to approach the Holy Eucharist, to receive Our Lord in the. 1. In the context of the reception of Communion, this means a cognizance of both Church history and contemporary cultural nuances. 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. 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 . awr. It is not appropriate to reach out with the fingers and take the host from the person distributing. It must also increase their faith in the sublime reality of the Lords body and blood, which they touch with their hand. Madagascar 2 March 1970 Many pathogens are transmitted through the hands. Why? 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. Paul W. Harkins ACW 31 (Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1963). More people have received Communion in the past century. The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 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. 5.21, trans. The history of the liturgy, however, makes clear that rather early on a . To continue the sacrifice of the Cross in His Church. http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2014/03/truth-about-communion-in-hand-while.html#.Wpa2wdIUnGg. All who are not receiving Holy Communion are encouraged to express in their hearts a prayerful desire for unity with the Lord Jesus and with one another. A Journal of the McGrath Institute for Church Life, by Elizabeth Klein The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCBs) mission is to encounter the mercy of Christ and to accompany His people with joy. The rite of communion in the hand must not be put into practice indiscriminately. Timothy O'Malley, Copyright 2023 Think of what you receive in your hand and keep it clean of all greed and theft. All of us should receive with great reverence and respect. With regard to the second, we have many early witnesses including Paul (see 1 Cor 11:27) and the Didache (seechapter 14). It is not clear as to how widespread it was or if it was a regular practice. The divine coal is a common image of the Eucharist in Syrian theology. I have come to realize in the last few weeks how many of my Roman Rite brethren are actually understanding the Eucharist in a heretical way. 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 most ancient practice of distributing Holy Communion was, with all probability, to give Communion to the faithful in the palm of the hand. 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. 3. 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. On the other hand, this mode of communion is not anywhere associated with lay involvement or accessibility, nor is it thought to de-emphasize the role of the priest. And why so? 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. awr. 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. 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? IMHO no, contrary to what some real traddies may say. Communion received on the tongue and while kneeling. After stipulating the historical practice of Communion in the hand, Memoriale Domini: defends the development of discipline that led to Communion on the tongue [23], The great and divine Apostle Paul with loud voice calls man created in the image of God, the body and temple of Christ. Or is there more context that is missing? What if we were passionate about all that? [6] In Syria (what we now call Turkey and surrounding regions) it is witnessed by Basil the Great,[7] John Chrysostom,[8] Theodore of Mopsuestia,[9] John Damascene[10] and the Council of Constantinople in Trullo (also called the Quinisext council). 2023 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. No wonder so many people there have given up on Christianity. Sacrilege is at an all-time high, yet use of the Sacrament of Confession is at an all-time low. For this alone is the eating referred to by our Lord ( John 6:58 ). 4. Australia, 26 September 1975 [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. 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. Basil the Great considered Communion in the hand so irregular that he did not hesitate to consider it a grave fault. Ireland, 4 September 1976 Pray Tell here documents two statements of the Congregation for Divine Worship issued under Pope Paul VI. For some, however, the singing of this hymn is perceived as an intrusion on their own prayer, their private thanksgiving after Communion. 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. 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. Paul VI had a measure of it in 1974, and we hav emostly missed the wisdom of Evangelii Nuntiandi. On the one hand, I think this evidence precludes describing communion in the hand as intrinsically irreverent. Some may choose to receive the Lord on the tongue while others choose to receive in the hand. I honestly get sick of it too. St. [17] See Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, 7.9.4. England and Wales, 6 March 1976 The General Instruction of the Roman Missal says the following: 160. To signify, seal, and apply to believers all the benefits of the new covenant. Roland Teske (Hyde Park, NY: New City Press, 2001). [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. Particularly in regard to this way of receiving communion, experience suggests certain matters requiring careful attention. Shapiro picked up an abused-looking iPhone from his desk. Because those vessels are made so for our sakes. As seen above, the U.S. bishops were not among the first to permit Communion in the hand. 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. 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. 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. 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 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: 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). 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. 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. Monaco, 31 October 1969 Was changing the mode reception of Communion one of them? 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/. Nowhere in this article did I see what the CHURCH says about Holy Communion, only the writers opinion. 284-287 is to be followed.. Upper Volta and Niger, 20 February 1970 Has done 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. W.R., Goa, India. Phillip Schaff and Henry Wace in NPNF Second Series, 14 (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1900). [2] 2 Accept Communion in a state of grace. 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. . I happen to accept the role of darkness within the Church, but it strikes me as being perpetrated all too often by those who style themselves the most faithful or loyal to God. Pakistan, 29 October 1976 He said that he had checked with the then Apostolic Delegation and had been assured that the pope was giving the boy a rosary. They should be grave and objective questions related to good and evil. The two ways of receiving communion can without question take place during the same liturgical service. 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. Q. But whatever the case, it is the Pope who decides to authorize it for countries, and it is indisputable that he did so. The cultural backing. But there is more to the story. The following norms must, therefore, be respected. I dont read any statement with canonical force saying that only those countries may apply for an indult. 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 fire of mercy has become for us a living sacrifice 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. United States, 17 June 1977 86). If one is left-handed this is reversed. 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. Im not aware of that limitation and would like to see proper documentation. Luxembourg, October 15 1969 [2] Cyprian, On the Good of Patience 14, On the Lapsed 16 and 26,and Letter 55.9. All of us are only grasping a hint of it. 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. Eccl., VII, ix). During the debate by the conference in the 1970s, a bishop said that he had seen a recent photo of Paul VI giving Communion in the hand to a little boy. 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. 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. Now we feel our affluence threatened, and the Gospel gives no comfort on that front. Jesus wants to use our hands, which have now become His hands, to help those in need. Obviously, for better or worse, the NLM has an agenda. Over the years I have read a multitude of opinions for and against, and occasionally perceived false arguments. In this ordinance Christ ratifies his promises to his people, and they on their part solemnly consecrate themselves to him and to his entire service. 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. awr. It is bad if it makes us prideful/judgmental and distracts from more important things. 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. Djibouti, 6 March 1970 Some scholars claim that this part of the Mystical Catechesis is not originally from St. Cyril but a later interpolation into the text. 13.3, trans. It was designed: 1. Jamaica, 12 March 1970 From a hygienic point of view, the hand carries a huge amount of bacteria. In comparing the indult list provided in this post with the brief history of Fr. June 29, 2021 | For you believe, and correctly, that you are answerable if anything falls from there by neglect.[25]. What some call discipleship, others evangelizationnew or whatever, or some speak of discernment and application of spiritual gifts. [8] John Chrysostom, Homilies on Ephesians, Baptismal Instruction 12.1516, On the Incomprehensible Nature of God 6.36, and On the Priesthood 3.4. 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. I would like to remind people to indicate clearly how they wish to receive. [12] Ephrem the Syrian, Hymns on Faith 10 and Hymns on Virginity 33.7. 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 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. OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF. Its just BREAD!!. 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. [11] Council of Constantinople in Trullo, canon 101. 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. From the point of view of liturgical law, the relevant documents are the following. Elizabeth Klein is an Assistant Professor of Theology at the Augustine Institute. Canada, 12 February 1970 When one receives from the chalice, the same proclamation is made by the person distributing Communion and the Communicant again responds, "Amen." Interestingly, during the Middle Ages, the reception of Holy Communion was restricted to "on the tongue" because of abuses. 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. I think that settles it. 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. Please take responsibility for the lies, the bile, and the sinful stuff. 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. 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. Later that year approval was given to Luxembourg, Scandinavia (Scandia), North Africa, Bolivia, Uruguay, and Monaco (see Notitiae v. 7 (1970), no. 7. Answered by Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy and dean of theology at the Regina Apostolorum university. What is the proper way of receiving Communion in the hand? 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. Ruff, I think we both agree that internal reverence is the most important aspect of this discussion (and therefore the ways each manner serves that) and I know many reverent people who do both. Can you direct me to where you obtained this list? 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. Never receive Holy Communion by extending only one hand. By this symbolic action, their denial would be clear to all. 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. It is difficult for some of us to embrace this emphasis on Mass as the action of a community rather than an individual act of my own faith and piety, but it is important that we make every effort to do so. Church Life Journal 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. 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. Part 4. Then he saw that it was futile. 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]. 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. Henry Percival and ed. Required fields are marked *. The question has been asked for a long time since the Church has often allowed both methods of reception. This means that Jesus has no eyes but our eyes, no feet . Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), 2 October 1971 The liturgical renewal of St. Pius X which promoted the frequent reception of Communion were still quite young. The usage of communion in the hand must be accompanied by relevant instruction or catechesis on Catholic teaching regarding Christs real and permanent presence under the eucharistic elements and the proper reverence toward this sacrament. Devotion and reverence toward the Eucharist in the case of communion in the hand. I suspect that Christ can cope with particles that get dropped but the care we show, or the lack of care, is what counts. It should be noted that it is never permissible for a person to dip the host he or she has received into the chalice. However, this is likely to lead to many embarrassing instances for the faithful who approach communion unaware of the situation. 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. It is simply reading too much into this practice, and it is not correct to support something one favors by denigrating another practice. It is clear that this mode of reception was considered reverent and was to be carried out in a reverent manner. The restorers of the rite probably had the beautiful simplicity and symbolism of the medieval rite in mind but did not take the changed circumstances sufficiently into account. 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. It is reported that a bishop shouted out, On the tongue or in the hand?. After receiving Communion our bodies become holy chalices. 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. Do we accept an experience of the Real Presence only when the externals and the lingo of 1950 are seen and heard? 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. . What if our reception made us all more loving of one another, whatever our views on how to receive? Indonesia, 27 March 1971