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. [11] In East Syria (what we would now call the Middle East) we have evidence from Ephrem the Syrian[12] and Narsai. 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. 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. However, since it is a permission, it does not generate an absolute right, and the pastors can rescind the permission, either generally or in particular circumstances if objective motives exist for doing so. 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. It must also increase their faith in the sublime reality of the Lords body and blood, which they touch with their hand. But there is more to the story. Answered by Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy and dean of theology at the Regina Apostolorum university. [9] Theodore of Mopsuestia, Catechetical Homilies 6. As to the way to carry out the new rite: one possible model is the traditional usage, which expresses the ministerial functions, by having the priest or deacon place the host in the hand of the communicant . So when received unworthily, it is not only useless, but it is harmful to oneself (a lifestyle of sin continues), our neighbors (increase of violence, arson, looting, murders), and society in general (take a look at the condition of our country), and is extremely offensive to God (hence the wide-spread suffering). 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. For this is what it is to receive unworthily: if one receives at that time when he ought to be doing penance. 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. 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. 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. Has the Holy Eucharist any other effect? The Council of Saragossa (380): Excommunicated anyone who dared continue . The US might have been little-touched by the scorched earth of world war, and perhaps our feel-good stance astride the planet delayed the decay somewhat. I am from India. Their attitude of reverence must measure up to what they are doing. I think the Holy Spirit was nudging people closer to the problem, which was already in evidence decades before the Council. Your fire, O, Our Lord we have eaten in your offering 6. To signify, seal, and apply to believers all the benefits of the new covenant. It is advisable, therefore, that the rite be introduced gradually and in the beginning within small, better-prepared groups and in favorable settings. Never receive Holy Communion by extending only one hand. No wonder so many people there have given up on Christianity. Take a step or two to the side to make way for the next communicant, then receive our Lord. This is precisely why there are occasions when pastoral prudence can lead to suspend the permission. 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. This is more a question of moral theology than of liturgy. Receiving Communion The Sacrament of Holy Communion (also known as The Lord's Supper or Eucharist) has been precious and life-giving to Christians for 2,000 years. We should weigh very well the matters in which we appeal to conscience. O Solomon, the thing which the Lord of your father It is advisable, therefore, that the rite be introduced gradually and in the beginning within small, better prepared groups and in favorable settings. For the first few centuries of the Church, receiving Communion in the hand was a common practice. 160-161; English translation here) 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. Leo P. McCauley FotC 64 (Catholic University of America Press: Washington, DC, 2000 [1970]). The Netherlands, 18 September 1969 The Church understands the Communion Procession, in fact every procession in liturgy, as a sign of the pilgrim Church, the body of those who believe in Christ, on their way to the Heavenly Jerusalem. Required fields are marked *. And why so? Since practices vary from one church to another, we hope these guidelines help you feel more at home. The fire of mercy has become for us a living sacrifice It must be presumed that a priest has sufficient formation in moral principles so as to exclude an erroneous conscience in such matters. We owe the Lord as much attention to detail. There is also evidence that this was a contested subject (i.e., about what sins prevent someone from receiving), as it would continue to be throughout the history of the Church. Guidelines for Receiving Holy Communion. (Original Latin text here, see pp. When receiving in the hand, the communicant should be guided by the words of St. Cyril of Jerusalem . 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. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Catholics want to know if it is allowed for their bishops and priests to require Communion be received only on in the hand instead of on the tongue. I would like to remind people to indicate clearly how they wish to receive. [10] See John Damascene, On the Orthodox Faith, 4.13. Pray Tell here documents two statements of the Congregation for Divine Worship issued under Pope Paul VI. 86). What if our reception made us all more loving of one another, whatever our views on how to receive? A frequent reception of the Sacrament of Penance is encouraged for all. It is standard procedure so I wonder what the basis of this accusation is. Djibouti, 6 March 1970 But one should not by his own judgment abstain from or return to communion, as he pleases. 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. 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. 2. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal says the following: 160. Our worship ought to create common unity under Christ, not destroy it. Germany, 6 June 1969 Many of us would treat your claims skeptically as unsupported rumor and gossip. 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. A: The answer to this question is somewhat complex. Maybe this is due to decades of poor or heterodox catechesis on the Sacraments. 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. 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. And having hollowed your palm, receive the Body of Christ, saying over it, Amen. 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. After stipulating the historical practice of Communion in the hand, Memoriale Domini: defends the development of discipline that led to Communion on the tongue 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. If one is right handed the left hand should rest upon the right. Do we accept an experience of the Real Presence only when the externals and the lingo of 1950 are seen and heard? 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 life of Christ, the Holy Spirit, animates each of us individually, and all of us corporately and guides us together in our efforts to become one in Christ. Other way round, it was in the hand and changed to the tongue circa 900 in the west. [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). Cyril of Jerusalem and Theodore of Mopsuestia liken the practice to that of receiving a king, and both of them note the method of reception was in joined hands (also described in other sources as hands in the form of a cross). The [Seraph] did not hold it, and [Isaiah] did not eat it For one who eats unworthily eats and drinks to his own condemnation (1 Cor 11:29). Whatever procedure is adopted, care must be taken not to allow particles of the Eucharistic bread to fall or be scattered. They probably never foresaw its subsequent, and occasionally chaotic, development in some parts of the Church. 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. The person distributing Communion says audibly to each person approaching, "The Body of Christ." It describes one of the purposes of the opening song of the Mass as to "foster the unity of those who have been gathered" (no. 1. 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. The usage of communion in the hand must be accompanied by relevant instruction or catechesis on Catholic teaching regarding Christs real and permanent presence under the eucharistic elements and the proper reverence toward this sacrament. 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. I think that settles it. 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. St. Finally, the fact that the Communion Procession is a profoundly religious action tells us something about the way in which we should participate in this procession. [5] In Jerusalem, we have the mystagogical catecheses of Cyril of Jerusalem (or perhaps of his successor, John). 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. 6. Copyright 2023 Eternal Word Television Network, Inc. Irondale, Alabama. 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. Holt Orders cannot sustain the Church, no matter how much traditionalists preach priests are of the utmost importance. 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 On this point, I will leave you with a beautiful exhortation from the Golden Tongue: Think of what you receive in your hand and never lift it to strike another and never disgrace with the sin of assault the hand that has been honored with so great a gift. James Shapiro, a literature prof at Columbia, says the situation is catastrophic: One reason was the way of the world. awr. Later that year approval was given to Luxembourg, Scandinavia (Scandia), North Africa, Bolivia, Uruguay, and Monaco (see Notitiae v. 7 (1970), no. http://www.kathpedia.com/index.php?title=Handkommunion. There are many devout Catholics who find this practice helpful. From a hygienic point of view, the hand carries a huge amount of bacteria. It is simply reading too much into this practice, and it is not correct to support something one favors by denigrating another practice. As with all historical practices, one must examine the context and circumstances which are usually not repeatable. 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. It is bad if it makes us prideful/judgmental and distracts from more important things. 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. Back issue of Notitiae are accessible via the new website of the Congregation for Divine Worship at: http://www.cultodivino.va/content/cultodivino/it/rivista-notitiae/indici-annate.html. Q. It must also increase their faith in the sublime reality of the Lords body and blood, which they touch with their hand. Never receive Holy Communion in the hand when your hands are impeded; e.g., carrying a cane or some other walking-assistance device, carrying a child in your arms, carrying a purse, have a tissue or handkerchief in your hand, have a cast on your hand, etc. A. The guidelines recommend against serving Communion until gatherings of more than 50 people are allowed. 48 (Sept/Oct), pg 361. 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. 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 liturgical renewal of St. Pius X which promoted the frequent reception of Communion were still quite young. 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. 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 real reception of the Blessed Eucharist it is required that the sacred species be received into the stomach. 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. England and Wales, 6 March 1976 Was changing the mode reception of Communion one of them? Ireland, 4 September 1976 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. 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. One could have perfect adoration of Real Presence in humble posture and, at least in theory, miss the point of Communion. [12] Ephrem the Syrian, Hymns on Faith 10 and Hymns on Virginity 33.7. 2023 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. 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. As with all historical practices, one must examine the context and circumstances which are usually not repeatable.. The Council of Saragossa, 380, excommunicated anyone who dared continue to receive Holy Communion in the hand. They should be grave and objective questions related to good and evil. All rights reserved. That rhetorical flow and its further implicit objections (i.e., take care lest XYZ) *could* be a setup for a generous grant of indults, but given the overall negative tone I dont think it accidental or inconsequential that the prospect of permission is only mentioned in these cases where contrary practice already prevails. Monaco, 31 October 1969 Shapiro picked up an abused-looking iPhone from his desk. Communion in the hand is legitimate only where permitted, and it remains in the realm of a permission. 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. 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. 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? 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. 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. A. Christ instituted the Holy Eucharist: Some may choose to receive the Lord on the tongue while others choose to receive in the hand. These need to be taken seriously if one wants to effectively engage in these discussions with the likes of Cardinal Sarah and others. 161. Some scholars claim that this part of the Mystical Catechesis is not originally from St. Cyril but a later interpolation into the text. [16] Liturgical evidence from Rome is always sparser than one would like, but Eusebius preserves a mention of communion in the hand in a letter written from Dionysius of Alexandria to Sixtus I, bishop of Rome,[17] and in a letter of Cornelius, bishop of Rome. 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. Communion in the hand is no more hygienic than Communion in the mouth. If Your Hand/Hands are Impeded . But whatever the case, it is the Pope who decides to authorize it for countries, and it is indisputable that he did so. The two ways of receiving communion can without question take place during the same liturgical service. Middle Africa, 3 February 1970 To unite us to Himself and to nourish our soul with His This helps explain why this line of thought isnt gaining much traction except on the right fringe. I honestly get sick of it too. 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: 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 51 (Feb), pg 62). 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. Today, both manners of receiving Communion are worthy and licit. Sure, Ill go along with that. 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. 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? Whatever procedure is adopted, care must be taken not to allow particles of the eucharistic bread to fall or be scattered. Your email address will not be published. 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. Jeffrey T. Wickes FotC 130 (Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 2015). When one receives from the chalice, the same proclamation is made by the person distributing Communion and the Communicant again responds, "Amen." Jesus wants to use our hands, which have now become His hands, to help those in need. Space doesn't allow all the details, but the propaganda in the 1970s that was used to sell Communion in the hand to a trusting, vulnerable people was a campaign of calculated half-truths that didn't tell the whole story. Finally, to the end that their coming to this heavenly table may be completely worthy and fruitful, the faithful should be instructed on its benefits and effects, for both the individual and society, so that their familial relationship to the Father who gives us our daily bread, may reflect the highest reverence for him, nurture love, and lead to a living bond with Christ, in whose flesh and blood we share. awr. South Africa, 1971 I guess my point is that regardless of our internal reverence (or lack thereof), the way we verbally and literally communicate our faith to others, especially our children, is still very important. Just look at what making donating money an indulgence-eligible corporal work of mercy resulted in during the Renaissance. 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. 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. 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. So they reintroduced the practice of Communion in the hand (it had been originally introduced as a widespread practice by the Arian heretics of the Fourth Century to deny that Jesus is God). The author seems to think that liturgical reforms should consist of only what an ecumenical council prescribed. The symptoms are myriadI certainly would assent to much of what you cite. vehementer hortatur retention of current practice while invoking the common good of the Church. Why did Christ institute the Holy Eucharist? When permitted, the choice as to the form of reception falls upon the communicant and not upon the priest. All of us are only grasping a hint of it. Their decisions should be sent to Rome to receive the necessary confirmation, []. The document does not have numbered paragraphs to cite, but youll find it a few paragraphs after the tabulation of votes collected from bishops. 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. A perception such as this is a dreadfully inaccurate and impoverished understanding of what is a significant religious action. I dont mean how did it come about. The Eucharist fulfills this call: "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? 96). St. It is reported that a bishop shouted out, On the tongue or in the hand?. The new manner of giving communion must not be imposed in a way that would exclude the traditional practice. FYI, the announcement that approval for Communion in the Hand was given (in 1969) to Belgium, France, Germany, Holland, and Chad appeared in Notitiae in v. 6 (1969), no. 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. The condition is the complete avoidance of any cause for the faithful to be shocked and any danger of irreverence toward the Eucharist. As soon as the communicant receives the host, he or she consumes the whole of it. God has come to live in us. Its just BREAD!!. I am a daily witness at the Basilique du Sacr-Cur de Montmartre (Paris).. 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. 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.". 284-287 is to be followed.. [1] This RCIA Process is the way in which you are prepared to be formally received by the Church; this is necessary before you can take Communion. in Eph 3, trans. 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. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCBs) mission is to encounter the mercy of Christ and to accompany His people with joy. The General Instruction asks each country's Conference of Bishops to determine the posture to be used for the reception of Communion and the act of reverence to be made by each person as he or she receives Communion. 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. Pakistan, 29 October 1976 The two ways of receiving communion can without question take place during the same liturgical service. Pope Paul Vl calls attention to the purpose of the InstructionMemoriale Dominiof 29 May 1969, on retaining the traditional practice in use. Interestingly, during the Middle Ages, the reception of Holy Communion was restricted to "on the tongue" because of abuses. 2023 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. So the authors claim that he is exactly Vatican II is doubtful. What some call discipleship, others evangelizationnew or whatever, or some speak of discernment and application of spiritual gifts. Hard to believe that Catechesis has never been better if that fundamental is misunderstood. St. According to Roman Catholic discipline, the Code of Canon Law does not object to the reception of Communion by Christians of these Churches (canon 844 3). Communion received on the tongue and while kneeling. France, 6 June 1969 It should be noted that it is never permissible for a person to dip the host he or she has received into the chalice. 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! Archbishop Anthony Fisher, OP, of Sydney published an excellent paper on the topic of conscience and authority which can be found at:https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=7833or, in a slightly briefer form athttps://zenit.org/articles/bishop-fisher-on-conscience-and-authority/. 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. I beg to differ. First, Chrysostom in one of his Homilies on Ephesians: What, do you not see the holy vessels so thoroughly cleansed all over, so resplendent? It is not clear as to how widespread it was or if it was a regular practice. If Communion is received in the hand, the hands should first of all be clean. On the other hand, this mode of communion is not anywhere associated with lay involvement or accessibility, nor is it thought to de-emphasize the role of the priest. 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. The people administering the sacrament are asked to use hand sanitizer immediately before. 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.
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