If one is right handed the left hand should rest upon the right. Fr. The question has been asked for a long time since the Church has often allowed both methods of reception. Others claim that in the context of the discourse St. Cyril was referring to the clergy and not to the faithful. 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. South Africa, 1971 Has the Holy Eucharist any other effect? 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. A passage from St. Cyril of Jerusalem is used to persuade Catholics that Communion in the hand is an ancient practice legitimately restored after Vatican II. Please remember that there is no "right" way to receive. 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 debate was interrupted by lunch. The host will then be laid in the palm of the left hand and then taken by the right hand to the mouth. 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 Therefore I stand by what I wrote in the original: 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.. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal says the following: 160. 6. He said that he had checked with the then Apostolic Delegation and had been assured that the pope was giving the boy a rosary. Yugoslavia, 1971 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. I think proponents of tongue/kneeling will get a better hearing if they uphold all aspects of Communion. 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. Your email address will not be published. 160-161; English translation here) As seen above, the U.S. bishops were not among the first to permit Communion in the hand. If Communion is received in the hand, the hands should first of all be clean. [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. The Council of Saragossa, 380, excommunicated anyone who dared continue to receive Holy Communion in the hand. Theres no simple solution to this issue. Whatever procedure is adopted, care must be taken not to allow particles of the Eucharistic bread to fall or be scattered. The following norms must, therefore, be respected. 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.". Whatever procedure is adopted, care must be taken not to allow particles of the eucharistic bread to fall or be scattered. 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. [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. 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. Germany, 6 June 1969 Djibouti, 6 March 1970 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. Q. 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: 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. [11] Council of Constantinople in Trullo, canon 101. It is standard procedure so I wonder what the basis of this accusation is. 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. As further documentation,Pray Tell provides this excerpt from the 2002General Instruction of the Roman Missal in Latin and English on the reception of Communion. This is the reason why you say after him: Amen.[21]. [5] In Jerusalem, we have the mystagogical catecheses of Cyril of Jerusalem (or perhaps of his successor, John). 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 . ODonaghues post, I note with interest that the countries in which Communion in the hand is alleged to have been most prevalent either did not apply for or at any rate receive an indult in these first 8 years of results. This reply aged like Milk (currently January 2022). 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. Communion in the hand is allowed in the United States by decision of the American Bishops. The divine coal is a common image of the Eucharist in Syrian theology. Or is there more context that is missing? These need to be taken seriously if one wants to effectively engage in these discussions with the likes of Cardinal Sarah and others. Particularly in regard to this way of receiving communion, experience suggests certain matters requiring careful attention. Im skeptical of the claim that collecting absentee ballots for bishops conference votes is unlawful. A Journal of the McGrath Institute for Church Life, by Elizabeth Klein 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 . Because those vessels are made so for our sakes. Canada, 12 February 1970 [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. Have reverence for the honor which God has bestowed upon it, and do not lead it down to the vileness of sin.[27]. This is precisely why there are occasions when pastoral prudence can lead to suspend the permission. 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. Bishop Athanasius Schneider argued along the same lines at the end of February. 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. This is more a question of moral theology than of liturgy. [24] Trans. When receiving in the hand, the communicant should be guided by the words of St. Cyril of Jerusalem . Since practices vary from one church to another, we hope these guidelines help you feel more at home. 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. Particularly in regard to this way of receiving communion, experience suggests certain matters requiring careful attention. We have no nets to cast deeply. 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. Over the years I have read a multitude of opinions for and against, and occasionally perceived false arguments. 915). awr. It is simply reading too much into this practice, and it is not correct to support something one favors by denigrating another practice. I think that settles it. What a Priest Might Do If He Wants to Avoid It. If Your Hand/Hands are Impeded . I dont think reception in the hand is destroying the Church like what some prominent leaders in the Church have implied, but this practice has still had wide ranging [and not entirely positive] ramifications in the Church over the last half century, far beyond the obvious choice of the individual communicant. It is not appropriate to reach out with the fingers and take the host from the person distributing. There are particles, and there are particles. Papua and New Guinea, 28 April 1976 [3] Augustine, Answer to Petilian 2.23.53and Against Parmenian 2.7.13. This helps explain why this line of thought isnt gaining much traction except on the right fringe. Scotland, 7 July 1977 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 . 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. 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/. Dear Patrick, awr. All of us are only grasping a hint of it. On November 14, 1996, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops approved the following guidelines on the reception of Communion. 843 1; cf. I would like to remind people to indicate clearly how they wish to receive. 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. It is therefore difficult in the context of this present letter not to mention the sad phenomena previously referred to. 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. It is also difficult to ensure that the person who receives Communion effectively consumes the host. I have celebrated Mass in places where there is no Communion in the hand and yet have observed some people approach the Eucharist in a slovenly and distracted manner with nary a trace of reverence in sight. 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). [9] Theodore of Mopsuestia, Catechetical Homilies 6. The communicant should audibly respond, "Amen," indicating by that response his or her belief that this small wafer of bread, the wine in this chalice are in reality the body and blood of Christ the Lord. 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. So whats missing? The new manner of giving communion must not be imposed in a way that would exclude the traditional practice. 7. 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. They probably never foresaw its subsequent, and occasionally chaotic, development in some parts of the Church. Catholics use birth control, get divorced and fornicate at the same rate as society in general, with the sin of using birth control rarely confessed. 86). 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. 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. 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. It is always helpful to review instructions for receiving Communion. But to us our Lord has given both . The rite of communion in the hand must not be put into practice indiscriminately. 51 (Feb), pg 62). 5. Indonesia, 27 March 1971 The communicant replies, Amen, and receives the Sacrament either on the tongue or, where this is allowed, in the hand, the choice lying with the communicant. With regard to the second, we have many early witnesses including Paul (see 1 Cor 11:27) and the Didache (seechapter 14). Why did Christ institute the Holy Eucharist? Receiving the host in one's hand has been an option in the United States since the bishops authorized this in May 1977 and the Holy See confirmed it. W.R., Goa, India. [10] See John Damascene, On the Orthodox Faith, 4.13. St. I am a daily witness at the Basilique du Sacr-Cur de Montmartre (Paris).. 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. It must be presumed that a priest has sufficient formation in moral principles so as to exclude an erroneous conscience in such matters. 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 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. 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. 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. It is still the practice of millions of committed Latin-rite Catholics all over the world and of many Eastern Churches who administer the Eucharist under both species on the tongue. Churches are closing, priests are dying off, masses young people are dropping their faith, and the Church is slowly slipping into obscurity in its own homeland. [4] Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on John 6.1 and 12.1. In North Africa (including Egypt) the practice is mentioned by Tertullian,[1] Cyprian,[2] Augustine,[3] Cyril of Alexandria,[4] and John Climacus. Communion on the tongue remains the usual and common form of administering Holy Communion. 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. Hence any baptized Catholic who is not prevented by law must be admitted to Holy Communion. Thanks for this, Dennis. 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. 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.

Carmax Achievers Login, Articles OTHER