7 rules for receiving communion in the hand 7 rules for receiving communion in the hand

6. These guidelines replace the guidelines approved by the Administrative Committee of the NCCB in November 1986. For this alone is the eating referred to by our Lord ( John 6:58 ). The symptoms are myriadI certainly would assent to much of what you cite. 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. It should be noted that it is never permissible for a person to dip the host he or she has received into the chalice. 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. awr. But back in the West, where most of us at PT are from, the Church is struggling. 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. 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. 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. 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. Jamaica, 12 March 1970 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. [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. The way we communicate the Gospel message is almost as important as the Gospel itself. Devotion and reverence toward the Eucharist in the case of communion in the hand. [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. Alternatively, it is permissible to adopt a simpler procedure, namely, allowing the faithful themselves to take the host from the ciborium or paten. The two ways of receiving communion can without question take place during the same liturgical service. Im skeptical of the claim that collecting absentee ballots for bishops conference votes is unlawful. The divine coal is a common image of the Eucharist in Syrian theology. Shapiro picked up an abused-looking iPhone from his desk. It preserves us from mortal sin by exciting us to greater fervor and strengthening us against temptation. It is advisable, therefore, that the rite be introduced gradually and in the beginning within small, better-prepared groups and in favorable settings. Liturgical Press | School of Theology Seminary | Saint John's Abbey | Comments Policy | Contact Us 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. I would like to remind people to indicate clearly how they wish to receive. 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. On the one hand, I think this evidence precludes describing communion in the hand as intrinsically irreverent. 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. Pope Paul Vl approved this Instruction, confirmed it with his authority, and ordered its publication, setting the day of publication as its effective date. 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. 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. Reverence can be good if it opens us to God & neighbor and makes us more loving. Church Life Journal As Catholics, we fully participate in the celebration of the Eucharist when we receive Holy Communion. Their attitude of reverence must measure up to what they are doing. For Catholics: As Catholics, we fully participate in the celebration of the Eucharist when we receive Holy Communion. However, cases of a deplorable lack of respect towards the Eucharistic species have been reported, cases which are imputable not only to the individuals guilty of such behavior but also to the pastors of the church who have not been vigilant enough regarding the attitude of the faithful towards the Eucharist. A priest who is not directly responsible for the care of souls should be even more respectful of local practice. (Original Latin text here, see pp. Pope Benedict XVI 1927-2022 tribute page and access to resources here. Paraguay, 27 September 1971 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. Holt Orders cannot sustain the Church, no matter how much traditionalists preach priests are of the utmost importance. I dont mean how did it come about. To signify, seal, and apply to believers all the benefits of the new covenant. The rite of communion in the hand must not be put into practice indiscriminately. It is not appropriate to reach out with the fingers and take the host from the person distributing. The problem of lack of reverence stems not from the manner of receiving Communion but from the lack of faith, awe, and gratitude before this great mystery. Copyright PrayTellBlog.com 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. Communion on the tongue remains the usual and common form of administering Holy Communion. 96). 895. 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. This formula should not be altered, as it is a proclamation which calls for a response of faith on the part of the one who receives. They would find many more areas we all need to work on than just their main focus. 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. 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? 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.". 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. When one receives from the chalice, the same proclamation is made by the person distributing Communion and the Communicant again responds, "Amen." The bishop, however, might sometimes deal with the religious priest through his superior in these matters. Finally, ensuring the application of liturgical law is above all the responsibility of the bishop and only indirectly the religious superior. Notre Dame, IN 46556 USA. Featured Image: Rossano Gospels, Last Supper, 6th c.; Source: Wikimedia Commons, PD-Old-100. 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. But whatever the case, it is the Pope who decides to authorize it for countries, and it is indisputable that he did so. So when received unworthily, it is not only useless, but it is harmful to oneself (a lifestyle of sin continues), our neighbors (increase of violence, arson, looting, murders), and society in general (take a look at the condition of our country), and is extremely offensive to God (hence the wide-spread suffering). 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: First, Chrysostom in one of his Homilies on Ephesians: What, do you not see the holy vessels so thoroughly cleansed all over, so resplendent? For this is what it is to receive unworthily: if one receives at that time when he ought to be doing penance. The following norms must therefore be respected. 915). 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. So they reintroduced the practice of Communion in the hand (it had been originally introduced as a widespread practice by the Arian heretics of the Fourth Century to deny that Jesus is God). So then after having carefully hallowed your eyes by the touch of the Holy Body, partake of it; giving heed lest you lose any portion thereof; for whatever you lose, is evidently a loss to you as it were from one of your own members. 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. Aaron, This is the reason why you say after him: Amen.[21]. This blog is not associated with Pray Tell: An open forum on faith in South Texas. To unite us to Himself and to nourish our soul with His If one is left-handed this is reversed. June 29, 2021 | It was proved that belief in the Real Presence is abysmal. Q. awr. Fast forward to 2004, when The Congregation for Divine Worship in its new Instruction named Redemptionis Sacramentum, stated: "Although each of the faithful always has the right to receive Holy Communion on the tongue, at his choice, if any communicant should wish to receive the Sacrament in the hand the sacred host is to be administered . The new manner of giving communion must not be imposed in a way that would exclude the traditional practice. What some call discipleship, others evangelizationnew or whatever, or some speak of discernment and application of spiritual gifts. We should rejoice in that. What if our reception made us all more loving of one another, whatever our views on how to receive? The sad fact that in recent years hosts consecrated by a Pope have been offered for sale on the Internet further motivates this precautionary measure. [26] Augustine, Letter 54.3.4, trans. I am just wondering what the reason or reasons were for allowing reception of Communion in the hand to begin with? [8] John Chrysostom, Homilies on Ephesians, Baptismal Instruction 12.1516, On the Incomprehensible Nature of God 6.36, and On the Priesthood 3.4. 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. vehementer hortatur retention of current practice while invoking the common good of the Church. It must also increase their faith in the sublime reality of the Lords body and blood, which they touch with their hand. 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. Greg., Dial., I, III, c. iii). We should weigh very well the matters in which we appeal to conscience. God has come to live in us. 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. 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. 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. Yet even here, the experts sometimes forgot the unrepeatable reality of original circumstances so that restoration is never quite the same. The most ancient practice of distributing Holy Communion was, with all probability, to give Communion to the faithful in the palm of the hand. [12] Ephrem the Syrian, Hymns on Faith 10 and Hymns on Virginity 33.7. These need to be taken seriously if one wants to effectively engage in these discussions with the likes of Cardinal Sarah and others. Phillip Schaff and Henry Wace in NPNF Second Series, 14 (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1900). Was changing the mode reception of Communion one of them? I think that settles it. Since the question involves human attitudes, this mode of communion is bound up with the perceptiveness and preparation of the one receiving. England and Wales, 6 March 1976 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. 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. Yugoslavia, 1971 Chad, 18 September 1969 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. I mean WHAT SPECIFIC REASONS were given for requesting it in the first place? 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.. How should this evidence be brought to bear on the modern conversation? 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. Since the question involves human attitudes, this mode of communion is bound up with the perceptiveness and preparation of the one receiving. cites vote tallies to defend a claim that a large majority (longe plurimos) of bishops not only oppose introducing Communion in the hand but consider it tum sensui tum spirituali cultui [] offensioni 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. 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. The Communion Procession is an action of the Body of Christ. For you believe, and correctly, that you are answerable if anything falls from there by neglect.[25]. It is simply reading too much into this practice, and it is not correct to support something one favors by denigrating another practice. Whatever procedure is adopted, care must be taken not to allow particles of the eucharistic bread to fall or be scattered. In this way, the practice of Communion in the hand is different from other liturgical elements restored after centuries of disuse, such as the prayer of the faithful and the exchange of peace. 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. But there is more to the story. Communion in the hand is allowed in the United States by decision of the American Bishops. Eccl., VII, ix). Entries (RSS) and Comments (RSS) TOP 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. These views are sometimes strongly held. Theres no simple solution to this issue. Fire came down and consumed the sacrifices of Elijah It is always helpful to review instructions for receiving Communion. Particularly in regard to this way of receiving communion, experience suggests certain matters requiring careful attention. It is bad if it makes us prideful/judgmental and distracts from more important things. Indonesia, 27 March 1971 They probably never foresaw its subsequent, and occasionally chaotic, development in some parts of the Church. What if our way of calling our fellow Christians to a higher way were based on loving example and not polemics? For example, Augustine writes, Someone might say that the Eucharist should not be received daily. This was the law of the Church for almost 14 centuries, and is still the general norm today. Pope Paul Vl calls attention to the purpose of the InstructionMemoriale Dominiof 29 May 1969, on retaining the traditional practice in use. Scotland, 7 July 1977 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. Middle Africa, 3 February 1970 [10] See John Damascene, On the Orthodox Faith, 4.13. 896. One could have perfect adoration of Real Presence in humble posture and, at least in theory, miss the point of Communion. II], Come see, The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCBs) mission is to encounter the mercy of Christ and to accompany His people with joy. The question has been asked for a long time since the Church has often allowed both methods of reception. 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. Some scholars claim that this part of the Mystical Catechesis is not originally from St. Cyril but a later interpolation into the text. [11] In East Syria (what we would now call the Middle East) we have evidence from Ephrem the Syrian[12] and Narsai. 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. The way you put it, it doesnt sound obsessive-compulsive but salutary. Leo P. McCauley FotC 64 (Catholic University of America Press: Washington, DC, 2000 [1970]). 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. When the bishops reassembled, Cardinal John Carberry of St. Louis, a determined opponent of Communion in the hand, was quick to get up to set things straight. 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. (or: Which Heresy Will You Give Up for Lent? When permitted, the choice as to the form of reception falls upon the communicant and not upon the priest. 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. I wholeheartedly agree with your comment on another thread that this ongoing discussion is frivolous and is only causing needless division. 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. The host will then be laid in the palm of the left hand and then taken by the right hand to the mouth. If he is a religious priest, what actions can a legitimate superior take as regards the member who denies Communion in the hand? [9] Theodore of Mopsuestia, Catechetical Homilies 6. It must be presumed that a priest has sufficient formation in moral principles so as to exclude an erroneous conscience in such matters. The wind has left our sails and many of us are adrift on uncertain seas. Jeffrey T. Wickes FotC 130 (Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 2015). For example, although Communion in the hand is generally permitted at the Vatican, in recent years ministers administrating Communion at large at papal Masses have been enjoined to distribute Communion only on the tongue. 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. Can you direct me to where you obtained this list? And to demonstrate reverence and. In approaching therefore, come not with your wrists extended, or your fingers spread; but make your left hand a throne for the right, as for that which is to receive a King. Copyright 2023 Eternal Word Television Network, Inc. Irondale, Alabama. The [Seraph] did not hold it, and [Isaiah] did not eat it 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 is precisely why there are occasions when pastoral prudence can lead to suspend the permission. 4. 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). [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. Your email address will not be published. Space doesn't allow all the details, but the propaganda in the 1970s that was used to sell Communion in the hand to a trusting, vulnerable people was a campaign of calculated half-truths that didn't tell the whole story. Pope Paul Vl calls attention to the purpose of the InstructionMemoriale Dominiof 29 May 1969, on retaining the traditional practice in use. 161. 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. 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). In comparing the indult list provided in this post with the brief history of Fr. What's at Stake in the Debates Swirling Around Eucharistic Coherence. 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. Communion in the hand is no more hygienic than Communion in the mouth. On reverence for the Eucharist and belief in the Real Presence among Catholic laity has greatly declined I dont think this has ever been proven. Receiving communion in the hand was the common practice of the Church in both East and West for the first 800 years of Christianity, and it was certainly considered reverent by the Fathers. 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. Basil the Great, 330-379 stated, "The right to receive Holy Communion in the hand is permitted only in times of persecution." This statement may very well have been made in response to St. Cyril of Jerusalem in 348. 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. Timothy O'Malley, Copyright 2023 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. 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. 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. [27] John Chrysostom, Baptismal Instruction, 12.15-16, trans. I think proponents of tongue/kneeling will get a better hearing if they uphold all aspects of Communion. Because those vessels are made so for our sakes. 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. 47), and says of the Communion Chant that "its purpose [is] to express the spiritual union of the communicants by means of the unity of their voices, to show gladness of heart, and to bring out more clearly the 'communitarian' character of the procession to receive the Eucharist" (no. ), Pray Tell: An open forum on faith in South Texas. Communion in the hand was officially permitted in the United States in 1977, following an indult that is, special permission given by the Congregation for Divine Sacraments in 1969. [6] Cyril of Jerusalem, Mystagogical Catecheses 5.13. Zambia, 11 March 1974 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. 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. 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. From a hygienic point of view, the hand carries a huge amount of bacteria. 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. Do we accept an experience of the Real Presence only when the externals and the lingo of 1950 are seen and heard? In each of the Eucharistic Prayers, though the petition is worded in slightly different ways, God is asked to send his Holy Spirit to make us one body, one spirit in Christ; the General Instruction admonishes the faithful that "they are to form one body, whether in hearing the Word of God, or in taking part in the prayers and in the singing" (no.