96). 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. [15] See the council of Auxerre, canon 36 (it directs women not to receive on their bare hands, but with their hand covered by a cloth). 2. http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2014/03/truth-about-communion-in-hand-while.html#.Wpa2wdIUnGg. 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. England and Wales, 6 March 1976 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. St. Nor did the Vatican interpret it that way, near as I can tell. 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. I think that settles it. 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. It is not appropriate to reach out with the fingers and take the host from the person distributing. Maybe this is due to decades of poor or heterodox catechesis on the Sacraments. It is also difficult to ensure that the person who receives Communion effectively consumes the host. So the authors claim that he is exactly Vatican II is doubtful. To unite us to Himself and to nourish our soul with His 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. Will you not then much more carefully keep watch, that not a crumb fall from youSt. [3] Augustine, Answer to Petilian 2.23.53and Against Parmenian 2.7.13. Paul W. Harkins ACW 31 (Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1963). However, he should not refuse to administer Communion to those faithful desirous of availing themselves of a legitimate authorization. The recent survey asking Catholics about Holy Communion indicates that 70% DO NOT BELIEVE that Holy Communion is the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus. There are many devout Catholics who find this practice helpful. 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. Pope Benedict XVI 1927-2022 tribute page and access to resources here. 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. The host will then be laid in the palm of the left hand and then taken by the right hand to the mouth. With your hand hollowed, receive the Body of Christ and answer Amen. 3. Was changing the mode reception of Communion one of them? Its just BREAD!!. 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. Q. 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. What is the proper way of receiving Communion in the hand? - AOD "You're talking to someone who has only owned a smartphone for a yearI resisted," he said. 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.. Jamaica, 12 March 1970 This would be done especially if it is very difficult or impossible to fulfill the necessary conditions as outlined in the documents above. France, 6 June 1969 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. Think of what you receive in your hand and keep it clean of all greed and theft. Communion in the hand is no more hygienic than Communion in the mouth. It is difficult for some of us to embrace this emphasis on Mass as the action of a community rather than an individual act of my own faith and piety, but it is important that we make every effort to do so. A perception such as this is a dreadfully inaccurate and impoverished understanding of what is a significant religious action. The causes are myriad and often interconnected. St. So Indian Bishop conference have not got any Indult for communion in hand? divine life. It is standard procedure so I wonder what the basis of this accusation is. 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 reply aged like Milk (currently January 2022). For whatever reason, reception on the hand does not appear to convey the same level of reverence in the public consciousness as reception on the tongue. The Council was a start, but we have allowed ourselves to get sidetracked in silly and divisive banter. OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF. 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. And having hollowed your palm, receive the Body of Christ, saying over it, Amen. His blood now flows through our veins. [23] John Chrysostom, hom. 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. For example, there is ample evidence that the exchange of peace between the people was practiced well into the Middle Ages in several European countries. 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 . 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. St. 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. 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. 13.3, trans. We are the Body of Christ, moving forward to receive the Christ who makes us one with himself and with one another. But such as, instead of their hands, make vessels of gold or other materials for the reception of the divine gift, and by these receive the immaculate communion, we by no means allow to come, as preferring inanimate and inferior matter to the image of God.[24]. Fr. Guidelines for Receiving Holy Communion - Catholic News Agency The liturgical renewal of St. Pius X which promoted the frequent reception of Communion were still quite young. Fire consumed the offering At the same time, it is not justified to claim that Communion in the hand is necessarily less reverent or inevitably leads to abuses. The [Seraph] did not hold it, and [Isaiah] did not eat it 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. 3. [T]hose who restrict communicants to receive Holy Communion only in the hands are acting against the norms, as are those who refuse to Christ's faithful [the right] to receive Communion in the hand in dioceses that enjoy this indult. Just look at what making donating money an indulgence-eligible corporal work of mercy resulted in during the Renaissance. Elizabeth Klein is an Assistant Professor of Theology at the Augustine Institute. Communion received on the tongue and while kneeling. To commemorate the death of Christ: "This do in remembrance of me." 2. The showing of tooth and claw by some traditional-leaning Catholics is a scandal that discourages neighbors, and puts a very ugly face on the Body for others to view. A Journal of the McGrath Institute for Church Life, by Elizabeth Klein 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. 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. The Eucharist may not be received while a person has mortal sin in their soul. In the context of the reception of Communion, this means a cognizance of both Church history and contemporary cultural nuances. As Catholics, we fully participate in the celebration of the Eucharist when we receive Holy Communion. However, while this text is undoubtedly ancient evidence of the existence of Communion in the hand, it is, like many patristic texts, fraught with interpretative conundrums. 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. Bolivia, October 15 1969 Australia, 26 September 1975 Indeed, it can be dangerous for contagion. More people have received Communion in the past century. 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. As with all historical practices, one must examine the context and circumstances which are usually not repeatable. 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. What if we were passionate about all that? 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. Pray Tell here documents two statements of the Congregation for Divine Worship issued under Pope Paul VI. Now we feel our affluence threatened, and the Gospel gives no comfort on that front. Communion in the hand is legitimate only where permitted, and it remains in the realm of a permission. Sacrilege is at an all-time high, yet use of the Sacrament of Confession is at an all-time low. 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). Jeffrey T. Wickes FotC 130 (Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 2015). 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. Required fields are marked *. awr. There are particles, and there are particles. Malaysia and Singapore, 3 October 1977, * * * * *. awr. Madagascar 2 March 1970 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? Cyril of Jerusalem [c. 313-386], Catechetical Lectures, 23:21-22) Several more but no room here. The person distributing Communion says audibly to each person approaching, "The Body of Christ." The manner of receiving holy Communion - Catholic News Agency Finally, ensuring the application of liturgical law is above all the responsibility of the bishop and only indirectly the religious superior. Mingle and flow into the palms of his disciples![22]. The True Story of Communion in the Hand Revealed - OnePeterFive We have no nets to cast deeply. Why did Christ institute the Holy Eucharist? 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. Father, as to the limitation on what regions might request this indult, Memoriale Domini stipulated that Where a contrary usage, that of placing holy communion on the hand, prevails, the Holy See [] lays on those conferences the task of weighing carefully whatever special circumstances may exist there []. 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. 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. 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. 4. [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. [21] Theodore of Mopsuestia, catech. Because those vessels are made so for our sakes. 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. This helps explain why this line of thought isnt gaining much traction except on the right fringe. When receiving in the hand, the communicant should be guided by the words of St. Cyril of Jerusalem . Maybe this is part of a grand conspiracy by . 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. The following norms must, therefore, be respected. 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. R. E. Heine FotC 21 (Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 1982). Can We Be Required to Receive Communion in the Hand, Because of the Per The Baltimore Catechism: South Africa, 1971 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. 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 suspect that Christ can cope with particles that get dropped but the care we show, or the lack of care, is what counts. They should be grave and objective questions related to good and evil. If one is right handed the left hand should rest upon the right. Eucharistic sharing in exceptional circumstances by other Christians requires permission according to the directives of the diocesan bishop and the provisions of canon law (canon 844 4). 48 (Sept/Oct), pg 361. As soon as the communicant receives the host, he or she consumes the whole of it. 7. Notre Dame, IN 46556 USA. Roland Teske (Hyde Park, NY: New City Press, 2001). awr. 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 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). On the one hand, I think this evidence precludes describing communion in the hand as intrinsically irreverent. Battered Gargoyles & The Human Future - Rod Dreher's Diary Abuse. Blasphemy. Communion in the hand? Catholic Insight [10] See John Damascene, On the Orthodox Faith, 4.13. [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.