Communion in the hand vs. Communion on the tongue | Crux 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? Canada, 12 February 1970 The Council of Saragossa (380): Excommunicated anyone who dared continue . 86). Now we feel our affluence threatened, and the Gospel gives no comfort on that front. Fire and Spirit, contrary to nature Bishops Cannot Mandate Communion on the Hand or Forbid Communion on the From the point of view of liturgical law, the relevant documents are the following. 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. 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. And having hollowed your palm, receive the Body of Christ, saying over it, Amen. II], can. When one receives from the chalice, the same proclamation is made by the person distributing Communion and the Communicant again responds, "Amen." I am a daily witness at the Basilique du Sacr-Cur de Montmartre (Paris).. 4. 6. It was designed: 1. 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. 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. However, this is likely to lead to many embarrassing instances for the faithful who approach communion unaware of the situation. 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. And of course Pope Paul VI was adamant that all the reforms carried out under him were faithful to the Second Vatican Council. For some, however, the singing of this hymn is perceived as an intrusion on their own prayer, their private thanksgiving after Communion. Debunking the myth that today's Communion in the hand - LifeSite 5. The Holy Eucharist remits venial sins by disposing us to perform acts of love and contrition. (or: Which Heresy Will You Give Up for Lent? Luxembourg, October 15 1969 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. Your email address will not be published. Who holds the wind in the palm of his hand? Sacrilege is at an all-time high, yet use of the Sacrament of Confession is at an all-time low. Yugoslavia, 1971 One could have perfect adoration of Real Presence in humble posture and, at least in theory, miss the point of Communion. Maybe this is part of a grand conspiracy by . Biting, tearing, casting aspersions on the faith of other Catholics: this is a damnable situation in the Church. 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. Q. Because Catholics believe that the celebration of the Eucharist is a sign of the reality of the oneness of faith, life, and worship, members of those churches with whom we are not yet fully united are ordinarily not admitted to Holy Communion. 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. 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. The Eucharist fulfills this call: "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? Malaysia and Singapore, 3 October 1977, * * * * *. Receiving Holy Communion | EWTN Particularly in regard to this way of receiving communion, experience suggests certain matters requiring careful attention. 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. [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. I quite deliberately eschewed entering the historical argument as it would have digressed from the main point of that article. The causes are myriad and often interconnected. We owe the Lord as much attention to detail. 1. Guidelines for Receiving Holy Communion. 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. Has done [16] Bede, Ecclesiastical History of the English People, 4.24. Maybe this is due to decades of poor or heterodox catechesis on the Sacraments. How to Take Communion in the Catholic Church: 10 Steps - wikiHow This is the reason why you say after him: Amen.[21]. By this symbolic action, their denial would be clear to all. Leo P. McCauley FotC 64 (Catholic University of America Press: Washington, DC, 2000 [1970]). 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. "You're talking to someone who has only owned a smartphone for a yearI resisted," he said. Copyright PrayTellBlog.com Whatever procedure is adopted, care must be taken not to allow particles of the Eucharistic bread to fall or be scattered. In the context of the reception of Communion, this means a cognizance of both Church history and contemporary cultural nuances. The bishop, however, might sometimes deal with the religious priest through his superior in these matters. More people have received Communion in the past century. 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. Eucharistic sharing in exceptional circumstances by other Christians requires permission according to the directives of the diocesan bishop and the provisions of canon law (canon 844 4). Notre Dame, IN 46556 USA. Permission for administering Communion in the hand was granted by the Holy See to the following countries and regions under Pope Paul VI:[UPDATED 3-2-18], Belgium, 31 May 1969 A quick example will be found . It must also increase their faith in the sublime reality of the Lords body and blood, which they touch with their hand. October 13, 2022. 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. They would find many more areas we all need to work on than just their main focus. 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? Is the Catholic Church ever going to bring back communion wine? 2. Later that year approval was given to Luxembourg, Scandinavia (Scandia), North Africa, Bolivia, Uruguay, and Monaco (see Notitiae v. 7 (1970), no. 160-161; English translation here) Q. Hence any baptized Catholic who is not prevented by law must be admitted to Holy Communion. 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. 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. awr. Timothy O'Malley on the meaning of Eucharistic coherence in the life of the Church. There are particles, and there are particles. The Truth About Communion in the Hand | The Fatima Center Our souls ought to be purer than they, more holy, more brilliant. The guidelines recommend against serving Communion until gatherings of more than 50 people are allowed. And some who do have lost their strength or nerve. . The General Instruction of the Roman Missal says the following: 160. How should this evidence be brought to bear on the modern conversation? 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. With regard to the second, we have many early witnesses including Paul (see 1 Cor 11:27) and the Didache (seechapter 14). Indonesia, 27 March 1971 [26] Augustine, Letter 54.3.4, trans. 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). Your email address will not be published. This reply aged like Milk (currently January 2022). But we doyes, verily. Because, he says, one should choose the days on which one lives with more purity and self-control in order to approach so great a sacrament worthily. I do make the point that reverence, while important, is not the only or most important aspect of Communion. Phillip Schaff (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1889). Entries (RSS) and Comments (RSS) TOP This is precisely why there are occasions when pastoral prudence can lead to suspend the permission. Upper Volta and Niger, 20 February 1970 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. 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. 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. http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2014/03/truth-about-communion-in-hand-while.html#.Wpa2wdIUnGg. In the United States, the body of Bishops has determined that "[t]he norm is that Holy Communion is to be received standing, unless an individual member of the faithful wishes to receive Communion while kneeling"and that a bow is the act of reverence made by those receiving (no. Early Christian Communion in the Hand | Church Life Journal I did an internet search about the history of communion in the hand in the U.S. and the only thing I found was an article by the NLM. For the first few centuries of the Church, receiving Communion in the hand was a common practice. It is now August 2020 and I can say that you have been proven wrong. The following norms must, therefore, be respected. All of us are only grasping a hint of it. 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. [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. 3. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCBs) mission is to encounter the mercy of Christ and to accompany His people with joy. Other way round, it was in the hand and changed to the tongue circa 900 in the west. [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. Aaron, From a hygienic point of view, the hand carries a huge amount of bacteria. Pope Benedict XVI 1927-2022 tribute page and access to resources here. Pray Tell here documents two statements of the Congregation for Divine Worship issued under Pope Paul VI. This is more a question of moral theology than of liturgy. These need to be taken seriously if one wants to effectively engage in these discussions with the likes of Cardinal Sarah and others. When permitted, the choice as to the form of reception falls upon the communicant and not upon the priest. Hard to believe that Catechesis has never been better if that fundamental is misunderstood. Devotion and reverence toward the Eucharist in the case of communion in the hand. We pray that our common baptism and the action of the Holy Spirit in this Eucharist will draw us closer to one another and begin to dispel the sad divisions which separate us. (Original Latin text here, see pp. What if our reception made us all more loving of one another, whatever our views on how to receive? 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. [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). Whatever procedure is adopted, care must be taken not to allow particles of the eucharistic bread to fall or be scattered. 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. 284-287 is to be followed.. It is clear that this mode of reception was considered reverent and was to be carried out in a reverent manner. Will you not then much more carefully keep watch, that not a crumb fall from youSt. Whatever procedure is adopted, care must be taken not to allow particles of the eucharistic bread to fall or be scattered. 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. If we follow the example of the Fathers, we will prioritize practices that prevent the dropping of the Eucharist and catechizing communicants not to receive in a state of mortal sin. This was the law of the Church for almost 14 centuries, and is still the general norm today. It is not appropriate to reach out with the fingers and take the host from the person distributing. I think proponents of tongue/kneeling will get a better hearing if they uphold all aspects of Communion. Communion on the Tongue is an Apostolic Tradition, and - Catholic365 Paul VI had a measure of it in 1974, and we hav emostly missed the wisdom of Evangelii Nuntiandi. So whats missing? Can We Be Required to Receive Communion in the Hand, Because of the 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. But whatever the case, it is the Pope who decides to authorize it for countries, and it is indisputable that he did so. Jesus wants to use our hands, which have now become His hands, to help those in need. Even if we presume the authenticity of the text we still do not know how long the practice lasted, whether leavened or unleavened bread was used and whether the practice was exclusive to the Church of Jerusalem. 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. The symptoms are myriadI certainly would assent to much of what you cite. A. Instead of receiving in my hand, thinking "the other way is better," and quickly gobbling up the Eucharist, I took the "popular way," as a gift: I put my left hand on top of my right . Since the question involves human attitudes, this mode of communion is bound up with the perceptiveness and preparation of the one receiving. The Council of Saragossa, 380, excommunicated anyone who dared continue to receive Holy Communion in the hand. This blog is not associated with Pray Tell: An open forum on faith in South Texas. Shapiro picked up an abused-looking iPhone from his desk. Alternatively, it is permissible to adopt a simpler procedure, namely, allowing the faithful themselves to take the host from the ciborium or paten. 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. 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. 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. 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. Basil the Great considered Communion in the hand so irregular that he did not hesitate to consider it a grave fault. 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. As soon as the communicant receives the host, he or she consumes the whole of it. Nowhere in this article did I see what the CHURCH says about Holy Communion, only the writers opinion. 161. The way you put it, it doesnt sound obsessive-compulsive but salutary. Im not aware of that limitation and would like to see proper documentation. It is standard procedure so I wonder what the basis of this accusation is. On November 14, 1996, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops approved the following guidelines on the reception of Communion. Many of us would treat your claims skeptically as unsupported rumor and gossip. 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.. At the same time, it is not justified to claim that Communion in the hand is necessarily less reverent or inevitably leads to abuses. [23] John Chrysostom, hom. United States, 17 June 1977 21. 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. 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. The congregation returned to this issue in the instructionImmensae Caritatis,January 29, 1973: AAS 65 (1973) 264-271; Notitiae 9 (1973) 157-164: Part 4. 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). 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. Please remember that there is no "right" way to receive. 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 . Featured Image: Rossano Gospels, Last Supper, 6th c.; Source: Wikimedia Commons, PD-Old-100. Pope Paul Vl calls attention to the purpose of the InstructionMemoriale Dominiof 29 May 1969, on retaining the traditional practice in use. It is not clear as to how widespread it was or if it was a regular practice. Please take responsibility for the lies, the bile, and the sinful stuff. Library : Holy Communion in the Hand? | Catholic Culture are on the side of Lucifer. If Your Hand/Hands are Impeded . Was changing the mode reception of Communion one of them? Communion on the tongue remains the usual and common form of administering Holy Communion. So Indian Bishop conference have not got any Indult for communion in 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. Or is there more context that is 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. The faithful receive Communion kneeling or standing, as established by the episcopal conference. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCBs) mission is to encounter the mercy of Christ and to accompany His people with joy. With your hand hollowed, receive the Body of Christ and answer 'Amen'. 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. The Church in Europe struggled mightilyand some might say in futilityagainst centuries of violence, sect on sect, nation vs nation. 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.

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