Copyright PrayTellBlog.com [6] Cyril of Jerusalem, Mystagogical Catecheses 5.13. 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. I do make the point that reverence, while important, is not the only or most important aspect of Communion. 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. Obviously, for better or worse, the NLM has an agenda. The left hand is extended, with the right hand under the left in support (left handed persons may wish to . Greg., Dial., I, III, c. iii). Their attitude of reverence must measure up to what they are doing. He said that he had checked with the then Apostolic Delegation and had been assured that the pope was giving the boy a rosary. Alternatively, it is permissible to adopt a simpler procedure, namely, allowing the faithful themselves to take the host from the ciborium or paten. Communion should not be received on the run, as you're walking back to your place; it should be consumed before you leave the area below the altar. The wind has left our sails and many of us are adrift on uncertain seas. A quick example will be found . Hence any baptized Catholic who is not prevented by law must be admitted to Holy Communion. Other way round, it was in the hand and changed to the tongue circa 900 in the west. The rite of communion in the hand must not be put into practice indiscriminately. [21] Theodore of Mopsuestia, catech. 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. Communion in the hand is legitimate only where permitted, and it remains in the realm of a permission. Think of what you receive in your hand and keep it clean of all greed and theft. The Holy Eucharist remits venial sins by disposing us to perform acts of love and contrition. The communicant may choose whether to receive the Body of Christ in the hand or on the tongue. 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. Indonesia, 27 March 1971 All of us should receive with great reverence and respect. But whatever the case, it is the Pope who decides to authorize it for countries, and it is indisputable that he did so. [11] In East Syria (what we would now call the Middle East) we have evidence from Ephrem the Syrian[12] and Narsai. 5. Objecting to Communion in the Hand | EWTN We are encouraged to receive Communion devoutly and frequently. They would find many more areas we all need to work on than just their main focus. Church Life Journal Who holds the wind in the palm of his hand? How to Receive the Eucharist | Catholic Answers in Eph 3, trans. 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. Your email address will not be published. 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. And of course Pope Paul VI was adamant that all the reforms carried out under him were faithful to the Second Vatican Council. 1. 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. Leo P. McCauley FotC 64 (Catholic University of America Press: Washington, DC, 2000 [1970]). But to us our Lord has given both . To lessen our evil inclinations. Todd, yes, the Church as a whole is growing thanks to the great efforts of missionaries in Africa and Asia (many are now coming back here), and yes, more people are receiving the Sacraments now than ever. 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 solely the result of some weird medieval form of reverence. What is the proper way of receiving Communion in the hand? What's at Stake in the Debates Swirling Around Eucharistic Coherence. 21. Since Christ is really, substantially, sacramentally present but not physically, being OC over crumbs is not devotion. 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. Aaron, this describes what the countries are to do where Communion in the hand was being practiced. Hard to believe that Catechesis has never been better if that fundamental is misunderstood. 48 (Sept/Oct), pg 361. The people administering the sacrament are asked to use hand sanitizer immediately before. Library : Holy Communion in the Hand? | Catholic Culture It must also increase their faith in the sublime reality of the Lords body and blood, which they touch with their hand. It is not appropriate to reach out with the fingers and take the host from the person distributing. 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. It may well be the case that the sudden change in practice after Vatican II decreased devotion towards the Eucharist and belief in the true presence, and it may well be the case that there were bad actors who in fact desired this result. Whatever procedure is adopted, care must be taken not to allow particles of the eucharistic bread to fall or be scattered. Many of us would treat your claims skeptically as unsupported rumor and gossip. My overarching point in all this (as someone who receives comfortably in both manners) is that I dont think common concerns with reception in the hand have been treated with adequate seriousness by many its defenders. 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. Part 4. [10] See John Damascene, On the Orthodox Faith, 4.13. The symptoms are myriadI certainly would assent to much of what you cite. We should rejoice in that. My country is not on this list but holy communion is the norm. 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. Fire consumed the offering The causes are myriad and often interconnected. 3. 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. It was designed: 1. 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. As with all historical practices, one must examine the context and circumstances which are usually not repeatable. 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. Devotion and reverence toward the Eucharist in the case of communion in the hand. 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 Gross Alexander NPNF 13, ed. 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. The Truth About Communion in the Hand | The Fatima Center 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. 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. Uruguay,October 15 1969 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. 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. 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. Alphonse Mingana (Gorgias Press: Piscataway, NJ, 2009 [1933]). The faithful receive Communion kneeling or standing, as established by the episcopal conference. 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. Notre Dame, IN 46556 USA. Reverence for the Most Blessed Sacrament | The Fatima Center Per The Baltimore Catechism: That said, there are dimensions to this discussion that I think are both valuable and havent been given much screen time overall. In comparing the indult list provided in this post with the brief history of Fr. 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. It is standard procedure so I wonder what the basis of this accusation is. This would be done especially if it is very difficult or impossible to fulfill the necessary conditions as outlined in the documents above. The person distributing Communion says audibly to each person approaching, "The Body of Christ." 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. Click herefor a handout that can be placed in your bulletin for your parishioner. Nowhere in this article did I see what the CHURCH says about Holy Communion, only the writers opinion. It should be noted that it is never permissible for a person to dip the host he or she has received into the chalice. Bishops allowing introduction of the new way of receiving communion are requested to send to this Congregation after six months a report on the result of its concession.. 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. Sure, Ill go along with that. 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. (Original Latin text here, see pp. [16] Bede, Ecclesiastical History of the English People, 4.24. The new manner of giving communion must not be imposed in a way that would exclude the traditional practice. Wherefore, if any one wishes to be a participator of the immaculate Body in the time of the Synaxis, and to offer himself for the communion, let him draw near, arranging his hands in the form of a cross, and so let him receive the communion of grace. Part I - Holy Communion: The Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus - USCCB Required fields are marked *. Does anyone have an explanation for why France, Germany, and the Low Countries were not quickly regularized once the opportunity was available? These considerations can perhaps help balance our perspective (whether in favor or against the practice of communion in the hand), and alert us to the fact that reverence is a complex phenomenon that, of course, does involve postures of the body, but most importantly, the attitude of the heart. Our worship ought to create common unity under Christ, not destroy it. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCBs) mission is to encounter the mercy of Christ and to accompany His people with joy. [18] See Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, 6.43.18. These guidelines replace the guidelines approved by the Administrative Committee of the NCCB in November 1986. 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. This practice has been requested by individual episcopal conferences and has received approval from the Apostolic See. 843 1; cf. 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. The condition is the complete avoidance of any cause for the faithful to be shocked and any danger of irreverence toward the Eucharist. 896. Please take responsibility for the lies, the bile, and the sinful stuff. 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. To continue the sacrifice of the Cross in His Church. Later that year approval was given to Luxembourg, Scandinavia (Scandia), North Africa, Bolivia, Uruguay, and Monaco (see Notitiae v. 7 (1970), no. 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. There are many devout Catholics who find this practice helpful. Or is there more context that is missing? 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. [5] In Jerusalem, we have the mystagogical catecheses of Cyril of Jerusalem (or perhaps of his successor, John). 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. However, it was a brief exchange with ones immediate neighbors and at a time when men and women occupied separate aisles in the church. A Journal of the McGrath Institute for Church Life, by Elizabeth Klein 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. 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. This is the reason why you say after him: Amen.[21]. When receiving Communion in the hand can be sinful - LifeSite The rationale for Communion on the hands being an ancient practice is from St. Cyril of Jerusalem. Documentation: Approval of Communion in the Hand under - PrayTellBlog ADOM :: Communion: in the hand or the tongue As seen above, the U.S. bishops were not among the first to permit Communion in the hand. The host will then be laid in the palm of the left hand and then taken by the right hand to the mouth. 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. Fire and Spirit, contrary to nature Phillip Schaff and Henry Wace in NPNF Second Series, 14 (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1900). If one is right handed the left hand should rest upon the right. 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. 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. For some, however, the experience of the Communion Procession is far more prosaic, analogous perhaps to standing in line in the supermarket or at the motor vehicle bureau. A. The way you put it, it doesnt sound obsessive-compulsive but salutary. Receiving the Host in the Hand | Franciscan Media 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. England and Wales, 6 March 1976 This is in no way meant to refer to those who, receiving the Lord Jesus in the hand, do so with profound reverence and devotion, in those countries where this practice has been authorized.. It is a matter of particular seriousness that in places where the new practice is lawfully permitted every one of the faithful have the option of receiving communion on the tongue and even when other persons are receiving communion in the hand. After stipulating the historical practice of Communion in the hand, Memoriale Domini: defends the development of discipline that led to Communion on the tongue If one is left-handed this is reversed. 6. What if we were passionate about all that? Permission for administering Communion in the hand was granted by the Holy See to the United States on June 17, 1977 and has since become almost the universal norm in the Ordinary Form. 895. If one is right handed the left hand should rest upon the right. Madagascar 2 March 1970 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. What is the proper way of receiving Communion in the hand? - AOD Guidelines for the Reception of Communion | USCCB [5] John Climacus, Ladder of Divine Ascent 28. Liturgical Press | School of Theology Seminary | Saint John's Abbey | Comments Policy | Contact Us And having hollowed your palm, receive the Body of Christ, saying over it, Amen. If Communion is received in the hand, the hands should first of all be clean. The two ways of receiving communion can without question take place during the same liturgical service. 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. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal takes this hymn very seriously, mandating that it should begin at the Communion of the priest and extend until the last person has received Communion. 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: Others claim that in the context of the discourse St. Cyril was referring to the clergy and not to the faithful. 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. If Your Hand/Hands are Impeded . What some call discipleship, others evangelizationnew or whatever, or some speak of discernment and application of spiritual gifts. John Paul II and Mother Theresa on Communion in the Hand But such as, instead of their hands, make vessels of gold or other materials for the reception of the divine gift, and by these receive the immaculate communion, we by no means allow to come, as preferring inanimate and inferior matter to the image of God.[24]. 86). Ive updated the post. From a hygienic point of view, the hand carries a huge amount of bacteria. Yet even here, the experts sometimes forgot the unrepeatable reality of original circumstances so that restoration is never quite the same. 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. 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.
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7 rules for receiving communion in the hand