7 rules for receiving communion in the hand

The traditional and preferred method is the reception of the Host on the tongue: Step forward and kneel at the Communion rail or station (if you stand, make a sign of reverencesuch as a bow or genuflection or Sign of the Crossbefore receiving the Host and take care not to disrupt the Communion line). However, it was a brief exchange with ones immediate neighbors and at a time when men and women occupied separate aisles in the church. The fire of mercy has become for us a living sacrifice Hence any baptized Catholic who is not prevented by law must be admitted to Holy Communion. 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. With regard to the first precept, Origen of Alexandria cautions, You who are accustomed to take part in divine mysteries know, when you receive the body of the Lord, how you protect it with all caution and veneration lest any small part fall from it, lest anything of the consecrated gift be lost. And why so? 1396: In Baptism we have been called to form but one body. All of us are only grasping a hint of it. Some of the online advocates of kneeling/tongue seem to focus only on adoration of the Real Presence and now a cardinal has said that those who receive standing in the hand most Catholics by far! . For Catholics: As Catholics, we fully participate in the celebration of the Eucharist when we receive Holy Communion. The Communion Procession is an action of the Body of Christ. The two ways of receiving communion can without question take place during the same liturgical service. It also rules out arguing for an intrinsic link between a rejection of the true presence and communion in the handthe Fathers, on the whole, speak of Christs presence in the Eucharist in highly realistic terms and also received on the hand. The people administering the sacrament are asked to use hand sanitizer immediately before. Timothy O'Malley, Copyright 2023 After receiving Communion our bodies become holy chalices. 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 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCBs) mission is to encounter the mercy of Christ and to accompany His people with joy. This practice has been requested by individual episcopal conferences and has received approval from the Apostolic See. 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. Pope Paul Vl approved this Instruction, confirmed it with his authority, and ordered its publication, setting the day of publication as its effective date. 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. Alternatively, it is permissible to adopt a simpler procedure, namely, allowing the faithful themselves to take the host from the ciborium or paten. It is bad if it makes us prideful/judgmental and distracts from more important things. 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. 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] Here is what Theodore says: With your hand hollowed, receive the Body of Christ and answer 'Amen'. I think the Holy Spirit was nudging people closer to the problem, which was already in evidence decades before the Council. Gross Alexander NPNF 13, ed. This was the law of the Church for almost 14 centuries, and is still the general norm today. Timothy O'Malley on the meaning of Eucharistic coherence in the life of the Church. [17] See Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, 7.9.4. Nor did the Vatican interpret it that way, near as I can tell. His blood now flows through our veins. No wonder so many people there have given up on Christianity. Later that year approval was given to Luxembourg, Scandinavia (Scandia), North Africa, Bolivia, Uruguay, and Monaco (see Notitiae v. 7 (1970), no. 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. 1996, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. 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. The way we communicate the Gospel message is almost as important as the Gospel itself. [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. As a scholar of the early Church, I was surprised to learn that the practice of communion in the hand is such a hotly debated topic; it came to my attention during the early days of the pandemic, when many dioceses required communicants to receive in this way. [10] See John Damascene, On the Orthodox Faith, 4.13. [3] Augustine, Answer to Petilian 2.23.53and Against Parmenian 2.7.13. St. In order to be properly disposed to . When the priest gives it he says: The body of Christ. He teaches you by this word not to look at that which is visible, but to picture in your mind the nature of this oblation, which, by the coming of the Holy Spirit, is the body of Christ. 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. This blog is not associated with Pray Tell: An open forum on faith in South Texas. One could have perfect adoration of Real Presence in humble posture and, at least in theory, miss the point of Communion. This article has been selected from the ZENIT Daily Dispatch Innovative Media, Inc. ZENIT International News Agency Via della Stazione di Ottavia, 95 00165 Rome, Italywww.zenit.org, To subscribe http://www.zenit.org/english/subscribe.html or email: english-request@zenit.org with SUBSCRIBE in the "subject" field, Provided Courtesy of: Eternal Word Television Network 5817 Old Leeds Road Irondale, AL 35210www.ewtn.com, HOME - EWTNews - FAITH - TELEVISION - RADIO - LIBRARY - MULTIMEDIAWHAT'S NEW - GENERAL - RELIGIOUS CATALOGUE - PILGRIMAGES - ESPAOL, EWTN | 5817 Old Leeds Rd. 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 left hand is extended, with the right hand under the left in support (left handed persons may wish to . 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. In defending his push to give Communion to grave sinners, McElroy reiterated his belief that conscience has the "privileged place" over doctrine in decision-making and suggested that it can . A parish priest, or the rector of a sanctuary, might have objective reasons for not applying the permission if there is any danger of profanation or lack of respect. Or is there more context that is missing? The Council was a start, but we have allowed ourselves to get sidetracked in silly and divisive banter. Guidelines for Receiving Holy Communion. It is also difficult to ensure that the person who receives Communion effectively consumes the host. For example, Augustine writes, Someone might say that the Eucharist should not be received daily. 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). are on the side of Lucifer. So whats missing? St. 51 (Feb), pg 62). Your fire, O, Our Lord we have eaten in your offering It is simply reading too much into this practice, and it is not correct to support something one favors by denigrating another practice. The most ancient practice of distributing Holy Communion was, with all probability, to give Communion to the faithful in the palm of the hand. Sacrilege is at an all-time high, yet use of the Sacrament of Confession is at an all-time low. At Christ's invitation, extended by the priest acting in Christ's person: "Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb," the members of the community move forward to share in the sacred meal, to receive the Body and Blood of Christ which is the sign and the source of their unity. Unless there is a sense of discipleship rooted in baptism. awr. Cardinals Thorne (Peru) and Caffarra (Bologna) have banned Communion in the hand, citing reasons of abuse and disrespect. Consider that you not only receive this gift in your hand, but that you also bring it up to your mouth, and keep your tongue clean of all disgraceful and outrageous words, blasphemy, perjury and all other sins of this sort. If one is receiving in the hand the following is normative: upon approaching the minister of the Host extend the hands in the middle of the chest. The Eucharist fulfills this call: "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? II], It is not clear as to how widespread it was or if it was a regular practice. IMHO no, contrary to what some real traddies may say. 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 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. 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. 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 . I would like to remind people to indicate clearly how they wish to receive. 915). Germany, 6 June 1969 However, this is likely to lead to many embarrassing instances for the faithful who approach communion unaware of the situation. 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. 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. I have come to realize in the last few weeks how many of my Roman Rite brethren are actually understanding the Eucharist in a heretical way. The way you put it, it doesnt sound obsessive-compulsive but salutary. I think proponents of tongue/kneeling will get a better hearing if they uphold all aspects of Communion. It must be presumed that a priest has sufficient formation in moral principles so as to exclude an erroneous conscience in such matters. So it is not just tiresome traditionalists who worry about particles. 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 . Required fields are marked *. God has come to live in us. 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. Monaco, 31 October 1969 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. Some may choose to receive the Lord on the tongue while others choose to receive in the hand. Please take responsibility for the lies, the bile, and the sinful stuff. The rite of communion in the hand must not be put into practice indiscriminately. 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: They partake not of Him that is in them, they perceive Him not. 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. Do we have faith in the efficacy of the sacraments or not? This is a fundamental misunderstanding. Greg., Dial., I, III, c. iii). Was changing the mode reception of Communion one of them? Does anyone have an explanation for why France, Germany, and the Low Countries were not quickly regularized once the opportunity was available? 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. Most often when speaking of reverence, however, the Fathers emphasize two main things: 1) that every precaution should be taken lest the Eucharist fall to the ground and 2) that communicants should be from serious sin and quarrels with other Christians. 5.21, trans. For you believe, and correctly, that you are answerable if anything falls from there by neglect.[25]. That said, there are dimensions to this discussion that I think are both valuable and havent been given much screen time overall. Yugoslavia, 1971 It is reported that a bishop shouted out, On the tongue or in the hand?. To commemorate the death of Christ: "This do in remembrance of me." 2. I dont read any statement with canonical force saying that only those countries may apply for an indult. New Zealand, 24 April 1974 Excelling, therefore, every sensible creature, he who by the saving Passion has attained to the celestial dignity, eating and drinking Christ, is fitted in all respects for eternal life, sanctifying his soul and body by the participation of divine grace. The following norms must therefore be respected. 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. 5. Maybe this is part of a grand conspiracy by . Communion on the tongue remains the usual and common form of administering Holy Communion. 160-161; English translation here) 1. 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. 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. 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. Answered by Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy and dean of theology at the Regina Apostolorum university. 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. Please remember that there is no "right" way to receive. [21] Theodore of Mopsuestia, catech. When one receives from the chalice, the same proclamation is made by the person distributing Communion and the Communicant again responds, "Amen." 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. But is the impression they give generally correct? Featured Image: Rossano Gospels, Last Supper, 6th c.; Source: Wikimedia Commons, PD-Old-100. O Solomon, the thing which the Lord of your father 6. 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). 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. There is so much to Communion. Never receive Holy Communion by extending only one hand. At the same time, it is not justified to claim that Communion in the hand is necessarily less reverent or inevitably leads to abuses. [26] Augustine, Letter 54.3.4, trans. Japan, 27 June 1970 Many pathogens are transmitted through the hands. Per The Baltimore Catechism: I am from India. 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. University of Notre Dame, McGrath Institute for Church Life Fr. 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. The Netherlands, 18 September 1969 21. We owe the Lord as much attention to detail. Q. The wind has left our sails and many of us are adrift on uncertain seas. Not only was Communion in the hand started in disobedience, it was perpetuated by deceit. Finally, ensuring the application of liturgical law is above all the responsibility of the bishop and only indirectly the religious superior. 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. Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), 2 October 1971 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. 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. Q. Pope Paul Vl calls attention to the purpose of the InstructionMemoriale Dominiof 29 May 1969, on retaining the traditional practice in use. 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? If Communion is received in the hand, the hands should first of all be clean. Will you not then much more carefully keep watch, that not a crumb fall from youSt. France, 6 June 1969 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. For some, however, the singing of this hymn is perceived as an intrusion on their own prayer, their private thanksgiving after Communion. 896. For real reception of the Blessed Eucharist it is required that the sacred species be received into the stomach. 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. Cyril of Jerusalem [c. 313-386], Catechetical Lectures, 23:21-22) Several more but no room here. 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. Over the years I have read a multitude of opinions for and against, and occasionally perceived false arguments.

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