The Communion Procession is an action of the Body of Christ. We should rejoice in that. 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.. W.R., Goa, India. That said, there are dimensions to this discussion that I think are both valuable and havent been given much screen time overall. [18] See Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, 6.43.18. Or is there more context that is missing? 2023 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. 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. What is Communion? It's Meaning and Symbolism Explained - Bible Study Tools 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. 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. (or: Which Heresy Will You Give Up for Lent? This is precisely why there are occasions when pastoral prudence can lead to suspend the permission. I dont read any statement with canonical force saying that only those countries may apply for an indult. 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. Im not aware of that limitation and would like to see proper documentation. 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. For the first few centuries of the Church, receiving Communion in the hand was a common practice. The Council was a start, but we have allowed ourselves to get sidetracked in silly and divisive banter. The faithful receive Communion kneeling or standing, as established by the episcopal conference. Please take responsibility for the lies, the bile, and the sinful stuff. Come see,
If a priest has great personal difficulty due to deeply and sincerely held views regarding this practice, he can always petition the bishop for a personal exemption or a permission to not apply this permission to his parish. Communion received on the tongue and while kneeling - Vatican.va Never receive Holy Communion by extending only one hand. My simple point is that the individual ways our Church evolves over history have a significant impact on its life thereafter, often in ways we dont expect. 3. However, he should not refuse to administer Communion to those faithful desirous of availing themselves of a legitimate authorization. If one is right handed the left hand should rest upon the right. 2. Thanks for this, Dennis. [24] Trans. 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). 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. There are many devout Catholics who find this practice helpful. 91). Has the Holy Eucharist any other effect? The wind has left our sails and many of us are adrift on uncertain seas. 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. The Truth About Communion in the Hand | The Fatima Center Instruction on the Manner of Distributing Holy Communion 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. 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. The practice of communion on the tongue with the use of patens in the West, and in both kinds on a spoon with a drop cloth in the East, moreover, are natural developments from the concern of the Early Church to prevent Eucharistic mishaps. Ive updated the post. [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. When receiving Communion in the hand can be sinful - LifeSite 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. The new manner of giving communion must not be imposed in a way that would exclude the traditional practice. [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. 160). 5. With your hand hollowed, receive the Body of Christ and answer 'Amen'. For example, to say that Communion in the hand is a sign of spiritual maturity, or that Communion on the tongue reduces the lay faithful to infancy, is belied by centuries of lay saints who received in this manner. 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. 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. 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. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCBs) mission is to encounter the mercy of Christ and to accompany His people with joy. 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. It must also increase their faith in the sublime reality of the Lords body and blood, which they touch with their hand. 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. This is the reason why you say after him: Amen.[21]. Roland Teske (Hyde Park, NY: New City Press, 2001). I think the Holy Spirit was nudging people closer to the problem, which was already in evidence decades before the Council. From a hygienic point of view, the hand carries a huge amount of bacteria. For Catholics: As Catholics, we fully participate in the celebration of the Eucharist when we receive Holy Communion. First, Chrysostom in one of his Homilies on Ephesians: What, do you not see the holy vessels so thoroughly cleansed all over, so resplendent? 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. 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. 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. Zambia, 11 March 1974 In order to be properly disposed to . Can We Be Required to Receive Communion in the Hand, Because of the Since the question involves human attitudes, this mode of communion is bound up with the perceptiveness and preparation of the one receiving. With your hand hollowed, receive the Body of Christ and answer Amen. [4] Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on John 6.1 and 12.1. After receiving Communion our bodies become holy chalices. 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 any danger or hint of danger of profaning the Eucharist. 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. 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. When the priest gives it he says: The body of Christ. He teaches you by this word not to look at that which is visible, but to picture in your mind the nature of this oblation, which, by the coming of the Holy Spirit, is the body of Christ. Church Life Journal Unless there is a sense of discipleship rooted in baptism. Interestingly, during the Middle Ages, the reception of Holy Communion was restricted to "on the tongue" because of abuses. Library : Holy Communion in the Hand? | Catholic Culture Uruguay,October 15 1969 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 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. Today, both manners of receiving Communion are worthy and licit. 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. Guidelines for the Reception of Communion | USCCB Germany, 6 June 1969 Your fire, O, Our Lord we have eaten in your offering
A priest who is not directly responsible for the care of souls should be even more respectful of local practice. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal says the following: 160. 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. The Proper Way to Receive Holy Communion - Shrub Oak, NY To that which you are you respond Amen (yes, it is true!) and by responding to it you assent to it. The liturgical renewal of St. Pius X which promoted the frequent reception of Communion were still quite young. Elizabeth Klein is an Assistant Professor of Theology at the, The Abandoned: Toward a Christocentric Phenomenology of Prayer, The Conclusion of Karl Rahner's Dissertation on the Origin of the Church from the Side Wound of the Crucified Christ. Henry Percival and ed. The way we communicate the Gospel message is almost as important as the Gospel itself. Have reverence for the honor which God has bestowed upon it, and do not lead it down to the vileness of sin.[27]. Take a step or two to the side to make way for the next communicant, then receive our Lord. 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. Devotion and reverence toward the Eucharist in the case of communion in the hand. 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. 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. I used the wordnecessarilyas an equivalent to in and of itself. There is no inherent reason why Communion in the hand is less reverent. My country is not on this list but holy communion is the norm. 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. October 13, 2022. The left hand is extended, with the right hand under the left in support (left handed persons may wish to . 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. Maybe this is part of a grand conspiracy by . 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. 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. The history of the liturgy, however, makes clear that rather early on a . 1396: In Baptism we have been called to form but one body. Objecting to Communion in the Hand | EWTN To lessen our evil inclinations. 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. Malaysia and Singapore, 3 October 1977, * * * * *. And some who do have lost their strength or nerve. Particularly in regard to this way of receiving communion, experience suggests certain matters requiring careful attention. 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. 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. 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. 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. Click herefor a handout that can be placed in your bulletin for your parishioner. 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. can. Just look at what making donating money an indulgence-eligible corporal work of mercy resulted in during the Renaissance. It is therefore difficult in the context of this present letter not to mention the sad phenomena previously referred to. Pope Paul Vl calls attention to the purpose of the InstructionMemoriale Dominiof 29 May 1969, on retaining the traditional practice in use. Copyright PrayTellBlog.com The following norms must therefore be respected. 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. Dear Patrick, Particularly in regard to this way of receiving communion, experience suggests certain matters requiring careful attention. The communicant may choose whether to receive the Body of Christ in the hand or on the tongue.