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.". But we doyes, verily. St. 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. 5.21, trans. Who holds the wind in the palm of his hand? Q: When the bishop in a diocese allows the faithful to receive Communion in the hand or on the tongue, can a priest, who objects on the grounds of conscience, refuse to give the faithful holy Communion in the hand? Germany, 6 June 1969 We pray that these will lessen and finally disappear, in keeping with Christ's prayer for us "that they may all be one" (Jn 17:21). Over and over again the prayers of the liturgy and the norms of the General Instruction emphasize this fundamental concept of the unity of the baptized, stressing that when we come together to participate in the Eucharistic celebration we come, not as individuals, but as united members of Christ's Body. The wind has left our sails and many of us are adrift on uncertain seas. By this symbolic action, their denial would be clear to all. To increase sanctifying grace and all virtues in our soul. What is the proper way of receiving Communion in the hand? Timothy O'Malley on the meaning of Eucharistic coherence in the life of the Church. It should be noted that it is never permissible for a person to dip the host he or she has received into the chalice. The guidelines recommend against serving Communion until gatherings of more than 50 people are allowed. A quick example will be found . With regard to the second, we have many early witnesses including Paul (see 1 Cor 11:27) and the Didache (seechapter 14). He said that he had checked with the then Apostolic Delegation and had been assured that the pope was giving the boy a rosary. Others claim that in the context of the discourse St. Cyril was referring to the clergy and not to the faithful. 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. St. South Africa, 1971 [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. 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. 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. 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. Their attitude of reverence must measure up to what they are doing. O Solomon, the thing which the Lord of your father These need to be taken seriously if one wants to effectively engage in these discussions with the likes of Cardinal Sarah and others. If, for some reason, the communicant is not able or willing to drink from the cup then that person should receive only under the form of bread. 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. [] It is not permitted for the faithful to take the consecrated Bread or the sacred chalice by themselves and, still less, to hand them on from one to another among themselves. divine life. [5] In Jerusalem, we have the mystagogical catecheses of Cyril of Jerusalem (or perhaps of his successor, John). I mean WHAT SPECIFIC REASONS were given for requesting it in the first place? 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. Councils establish principles (and rarely go into specific points) and then leave it to a commission to carry out the detailed work after the Council. 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. awr. To unite us to Himself and to nourish our soul with His The two ways of receiving communion can without question take place during the same liturgical service. However, he should not refuse to administer Communion to those faithful desirous of availing themselves of a legitimate authorization. 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). 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. I am from India. This practice has been requested by individual episcopal conferences and has received approval from the Apostolic See. When we receive Communion, we become members of Christ's Body, the Church. 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. 895. It must be presumed that a priest has sufficient formation in moral principles so as to exclude an erroneous conscience in such matters. Featured Image: Rossano Gospels, Last Supper, 6th c.; Source: Wikimedia Commons, PD-Old-100. 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. God has come to live in us. So the authors claim that he is exactly Vatican II is doubtful. It is standard procedure so I wonder what the basis of this accusation is. Members of the Orthodox Churches, the Assyrian Church of the East, and the Polish National Catholic Church are urged to respect the discipline of their own Churches. To that which you are you respond Amen (yes, it is true!) and by responding to it you assent to it. I think the Holy Spirit was nudging people closer to the problem, which was already in evidence decades before the Council. The question has been asked for a long time since the Church has often allowed both methods of reception. We owe the Lord as much attention to detail. These views are sometimes strongly held. SACRED CONGREGATION FOR DIVINE WORSHIP, Letter En reponse a la demande, to presidents of those conferences of bishops petitioning the indult for communion in the hand, 29 May 1969: Acta Apostolicae Sedis 61 (1969) 546-547; Notitiae 5 (1969) 351-353. It was designed: 1. Scandinavia,October 15 1969 Whatever procedure is adopted, care must be taken not to allow particles of the Eucharistic bread to fall or be scattered. [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. Today, both manners of receiving Communion are worthy and licit. 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. Whatever procedure is adopted, care must be taken not to allow particles of the eucharistic bread to fall or be scattered. Communion in the hand is allowed in the United States by decision of the American Bishops. 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. Since the question involves human attitudes, this mode of communion is bound up with the perceptiveness and preparation of the one receiving. [27] John Chrysostom, Baptismal Instruction, 12.15-16, trans. They should be grave and objective questions related to good and evil. Alternatively, it is permissible to adopt a simpler procedure, namely, allowing the faithful themselves to take the host from the ciborium or paten. I think proponents of tongue/kneeling will get a better hearing if they uphold all aspects of Communion. When one receives from the chalice, the same proclamation is made by the person distributing Communion and the Communicant again responds, "Amen." 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. 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.. 896. Yugoslavia, 1971 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. So it is not just tiresome traditionalists who worry about particles. October 13, 2022. Fr. 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.. As with all historical practices, one must examine the context and circumstances which are usually not repeatable. In such cases, episcopal conferences should examine matters carefully and should make whatever decisions, by a secret vote and with a two-thirds majority, are needed to regulate matters. Several readers pointed out that I made no mention of a text of St. Cyril when mentioning the historical foundations of the practice. Or is there more context that is missing? The divine coal is a common image of the Eucharist in Syrian theology. 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). Have reverence for the honor which God has bestowed upon it, and do not lead it down to the vileness of sin.[27]. 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. Ireland, 4 September 1976 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. I used the wordnecessarilyas an equivalent to in and of itself. There is no inherent reason why Communion in the hand is less reverent. The host will then be laid in the palm of the left hand and then taken by the right hand to the mouth. Pakistan, 29 October 1976 Some scholars claim that this part of the Mystical Catechesis is not originally from St. Cyril but a later interpolation into the text. As with all historical practices, one must examine the context and circumstances which are usually not repeatable.. From a hygienic point of view, the hand carries a huge amount of bacteria. His blood now flows through our veins. Later that year approval was given to Luxembourg, Scandinavia (Scandia), North Africa, Bolivia, Uruguay, and Monaco (see Notitiae v. 7 (1970), no. 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. For the first few centuries of the Church, receiving Communion in the hand was a common practice. (Catholic Encyclopedia: Genuflexion) But back in the West, where most of us at PT are from, the Church is struggling. Never receive Holy Communion by extending only one hand. Im not aware of that limitation and would like to see proper documentation. 160-161; English translation here) For tell me, if any one gave you grains of gold, would you not hold them with all carefulness, being on your guard against losing any of them, and suffering loss? Among Catholics, there is a sincere difference of opinion with respect to the opportunity of this practice, as to its possible spiritual benefits or detriments. 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. 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.

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