Please remember that there is no "right" way to receive. The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Thanks for this, Dennis. . 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. It is standard procedure so I wonder what the basis of this accusation is. All rights reserved. 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 Scandinavia,October 15 1969 Communion on the tongue is recommended and considered the most consonant way to receive the Eucharist, while Communion on the hand is permitted, provided that certain precautions are observed, such as checking to see if any fragments of the Host remain on the palm of the hand. South Africa, 1971 161. Maybe this is due to its similarity to practices in most Protestant churches, many of which (Anglicans and Lutherans notwithstanding) fundamentally dont believe in a sacramental Communion substance. Fire consumed the offering The rite of communion in the hand must not be put into practice indiscriminately. CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Holy Communion - New Advent Communion on the tongue remains the usual and common form of administering Holy Communion. 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 . To commemorate the death of Christ: "This do in remembrance of me." 2. 48 (Sept/Oct), pg 361. 896. Communion in the hand vs. Communion on the tongue | Crux Instruction on the Manner of Distributing Holy Communion St. 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. Saint Stephen's Episcopal Church: Receiving Communion To unite us to Himself and to nourish our soul with His The Holy Eucharist remits venial sins by disposing us to perform acts of love and contrition. 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. The rite of communion in the hand must not be put into practice indiscriminately. Later that year approval was given to Luxembourg, Scandinavia (Scandia), North Africa, Bolivia, Uruguay, and Monaco (see Notitiae v. 7 (1970), no. 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. 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. 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. There are many devout Catholics who find this practice helpful. Battered Gargoyles & The Human Future - Rod Dreher's Diary If one is left-handed this is reversed. Who holds the wind in the palm of his hand? Never receive Holy Communion by extending only one hand. However, he should not refuse to administer Communion to those faithful desirous of availing themselves of a legitimate authorization. I am from India. Communion received on the tongue and while kneeling - Vatican.va Phillip Schaff and Henry Wace in NPNF Second Series, 14 (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1900). 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. Can We Be Required to Receive Communion in the Hand, Because of the [5] John Climacus, Ladder of Divine Ascent 28. Whatever one thinks about the practice today and its reemergence after Vatican II, it is important that our conversation be grounded in an accurate picture of the history of this practice. Leo P. McCauley FotC 64 (Catholic University of America Press: Washington, DC, 2000 [1970]). Greg., Dial., I, III, c. iii). To fit our bodies for a glorious resurrection. Still, while not the direction eventually taken, I believe restriction to be the more natural reading of the Vaticans intent at that moment in time. 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. Roland Teske (Hyde Park, NY: New City Press, 2001). Malaysia and Singapore, 3 October 1977, * * * * *. 843 1; cf. [9] Theodore of Mopsuestia, Catechetical Homilies 6. Whatever procedure is adopted, care must be taken not to allow particles of the Eucharistic bread to fall or be scattered. It is not appropriate to reach out with the fingers and take the host from the person distributing. They would find many more areas we all need to work on than just their main focus. Paraguay, 27 September 1971 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. And some who do have lost their strength or nerve. Click herefor a handout that can be placed in your bulletin for your parishioner. 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. On November 14, 1996, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops approved the following guidelines on the reception of Communion. And having hollowed your palm, receive the Body of Christ, saying over it, Amen. Pope Benedict was asked why he chose to distribute Communion only to those kneeling and on the tongue and he responded, because it highlights "the truth of the real presence [of Christ] in the Eucharist, helps the devotion . After receiving Communion our bodies become holy chalices. 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. Copyright 2023 Eternal Word Television Network, Inc. Irondale, Alabama. Notre Dame, IN 46556 USA. 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. http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2014/03/truth-about-communion-in-hand-while.html#.Wpa2wdIUnGg. (Original Latin text here, see pp. 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 must also increase their faith in the sublime reality of the Lords body and blood, which they touch with their hand. June 29, 2021 | I mean WHAT SPECIFIC REASONS were given for requesting it in the first place? 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. 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. But to us our Lord has given both . 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. 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.. 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. We also welcome to this celebration those who do not share our faith in Jesus Christ. It is not clear as to how widespread it was or if it was a regular practice. [5] In Jerusalem, we have the mystagogical catecheses of Cyril of Jerusalem (or perhaps of his successor, John). Have reverence for the honor which God has bestowed upon it, and do not lead it down to the vileness of sin.[27]. It is not solely the result of some weird medieval form of reverence. 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]. 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: And of course Pope Paul VI was adamant that all the reforms carried out under him were faithful to the Second Vatican Council. 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. Communion on the Tongue is an Apostolic Tradition, and - Catholic365 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. Madagascar 2 March 1970 Part I - Holy Communion: The Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus - USCCB 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. With your hand hollowed, receive the Body of Christ and answer 'Amen'. [12] Ephrem the Syrian, Hymns on Faith 10 and Hymns on Virginity 33.7. Aaron, Pray Tell here documents two statements of the Congregation for Divine Worship issued under Pope Paul VI. You should thus draw near with great awe and love, according to the greatness of that which is given: with awe, because of the greatness of (its) honour; and with love, because of (its) grace. [23], The great and divine Apostle Paul with loud voice calls man created in the image of God, the body and temple of Christ. 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. We should weigh very well the matters in which we appeal to conscience. For this is what it is to receive unworthily: if one receives at that time when he ought to be doing penance. 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. In comparing the indult list provided in this post with the brief history of Fr. 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 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. 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. So whats missing? 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. He said that he had checked with the then Apostolic Delegation and had been assured that the pope was giving the boy a rosary. Scotland, 7 July 1977 The Truth About Communion in the Hand | The Fatima Center I think the Holy Spirit was nudging people closer to the problem, which was already in evidence decades before the Council. How to Take Communion in the Catholic Church: 10 Steps - wikiHow 1396: In Baptism we have been called to form but one body. 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. To be honest, I dont really belong to either camp on this, and like you, I think the polarization on this issue is doing more harm than good. 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. Phillip Schaff (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1889). [3] Augustine, Answer to Petilian 2.23.53and Against Parmenian 2.7.13. 4. 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. What is the proper way of receiving Communion in the hand? 96). A situation that, in the US certainly, was not necessarily governed by external uniformity (given the varieties of ethnic piety and cultural practices). 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. 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. The history of the liturgy, however, makes clear that rather early on a . It also happens, on occasion, that the free choice of those who prefer to continue the practice of receiving the Eucharist on the tongue is not taken into account in those places where the distribution of Communion in the hand has been authorized. [4] Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on John 6.1 and 12.1. So the authors claim that he is exactly Vatican II is doubtful. With your hand hollowed, receive the Body of Christ and answer Amen. Objecting to Communion in the Hand | EWTN Fire came down and consumed the sacrifices of Elijah Our worship ought to create common unity under Christ, not destroy it. 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. When permitted, the choice as to the form of reception falls upon the communicant and not upon the priest. 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. 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. In an even more elevated tone, Ephrem the Syrian, in a stunning passage, invites the Christian communicant to feel awe at what is placed in his or her hand, since even the Seraph did not take the divine coal with his hand, nor did the prophet Isaiah eat it (see: Isa 6:6). Luxembourg, October 15 1969 A priest who is not directly responsible for the care of souls should be even more respectful of local practice. The Eucharist may not be received while a person has mortal sin in their soul. 6. 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. Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread (1 Cor 10:16-17). 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. (I dont direct this at you, I mean it to everyone on all sides.). 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. Since Christ is really, substantially, sacramentally present but not physically, being OC over crumbs is not devotion. Since the question involves human attitudes, this mode of communion is bound up with the perceptiveness and preparation of the one receiving. It is simply reading too much into this practice, and it is not correct to support something one favors by denigrating another practice. 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. What is Communion? It's Meaning and Symbolism Explained - Bible Study Tools Canada, 12 February 1970 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. His blood now flows through our veins. As with all historical practices, one must examine the context and circumstances which are usually not repeatable.. [11] In East Syria (what we would now call the Middle East) we have evidence from Ephrem the Syrian[12] and Narsai. 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. 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. 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. O Solomon, the thing which the Lord of your father 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. 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. 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. St. Cyril of Jerusalem in 348 gave this instruction to his congregation: "When you approach Holy Communion, make the left hand into a throne for the right, which will receive the King. 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. But is the impression they give generally correct? Those who receive Communion may receive either in the hand or on the tongue, and the decision should be that of the individual receiving, not of the person distributing Communion. 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. Abuse. Blasphemy. Communion in the hand? Catholic Insight are on the side of Lucifer. ), Pray Tell: An open forum on faith in South Texas. And why so? Your email address will not be published. Guidelines for Receiving Holy Communion. 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. 5. "You're talking to someone who has only owned a smartphone for a yearI resisted," he said. There is so much to Communion. 5. 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. Whatever procedure is adopted, care must be taken not to allow particles of the eucharistic bread to fall or be scattered. ADOM :: Communion: in the hand or the tongue It is clear that this mode of reception was considered reverent and was to be carried out in a reverent manner. 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. As Catholics, we fully participate in the celebration of the Eucharist when we receive Holy Communion. For this reason, since the question of Communion in the hand is not a question of faith as such, and it has been approved by the legitimate authority, I do not believe that a priest can invoke conscience as a motive for refusing to apply a legitimate law.