We should rejoice in that. 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. At the same time, it is not justified to claim that Communion in the hand is necessarily less reverent or inevitably leads to abuses. 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. Over the years I have read a multitude of opinions for and against, and occasionally perceived false arguments. [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. 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. Henry Percival and ed. With your hand hollowed, receive the Body of Christ and answer 'Amen'. Notre Dame, IN 46556 USA. ), Pray Tell: An open forum on faith in South Texas. A Journal of the McGrath Institute for Church Life, by Elizabeth Klein Does anyone have an explanation for why France, Germany, and the Low Countries were not quickly regularized once the opportunity was available? The guidelines recommend against serving Communion until gatherings of more than 50 people are allowed. . The condition is the complete avoidance of any cause for the faithful to be shocked and any danger of irreverence toward the Eucharist. Fire came down and consumed the sacrifices of Elijah I would like to remind people to indicate clearly how they wish to receive. Malaysia and Singapore, 3 October 1977, * * * * *. 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. Scandinavia,October 15 1969 SACRED CONGREGATION FOR THE DISCIPLINE OF THE SACRAMENTS, InstructionImmensae caritatis, on facilitating reception of Communion in certain circumstances, 29 January 1973: AAS 65 (1973) 264-271; Not 9 (1973) 157-164. 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. 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. 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 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). The two ways of receiving communion can without question take place during the same liturgical service. It is a matter of particular seriousness that in places where the new practice is lawfully permitted every one of the faithful has the option of receiving communion on the tongue and even when other persons are receiving communion in the hand. It preserves us from mortal sin by exciting us to greater fervor and strengthening us against temptation. As with all historical practices, one must examine the context and circumstances which are usually not repeatable.. It is advisable, therefore, that the rite be introduced gradually and in the beginning within small, better-prepared groups and in favorable settings. I do make the point that reverence, while important, is not the only or most important aspect of Communion. 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. We owe the Lord as much attention to detail. But as time passed it became the practice to receive Communion directly on the tongue in order to assure that the Host was received reverently. That said, there are dimensions to this discussion that I think are both valuable and havent been given much screen time overall. This blog is not associated with Pray Tell: An open forum on faith in South Texas. The debate was interrupted by lunch. Your email address will not be published. Bolivia, October 15 1969 So the authors claim that he is exactly Vatican II is doubtful. For Catholics: As Catholics, we fully participate in the celebration of the Eucharist when we receive Holy Communion. In North Africa (including Egypt) the practice is mentioned by Tertullian,[1] Cyprian,[2] Augustine,[3] Cyril of Alexandria,[4] and John Climacus. In light of some genuinely moving testimonies on the merits of reception in the hand, we cannot ignore that reverence for the Eucharist and belief in the Real Presence among Catholic laity has greatly declined since around the time in which this practice reenterred the Roman Rite after a millennium of absence. It is not appropriate to reach out with the fingers and take the host from the person distributing. South Africa, 1971 We should weigh very well the matters in which we appeal to conscience. 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. All of us are only grasping a hint of it. In fact, however, this hymn is prayer, the corporate thanksgiving prayer of the members of Christ's Body, united with one another. 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. Confess it and move on. [11] Council of Constantinople in Trullo, canon 101. I beg to differ. 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. Pray Tell here documents two statements of the Congregation for Divine Worship issued under Pope Paul VI. 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. IMHO no, contrary to what some real traddies may say. 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. 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). 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. 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. 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. If you are the body and members of Christ, then it is your sacrament that is placed on the table of the Lord; it is your sacrament that you receive. Basil the Great considered Communion in the hand so irregular that he did not hesitate to consider it a grave fault. awr. Has the Holy Eucharist any other effect? With regard to the second, we have many early witnesses including Paul (see 1 Cor 11:27) and the Didache (seechapter 14). Sacrilege is at an all-time high, yet use of the Sacrament of Confession is at an all-time low. Later that year approval was given to Luxembourg, Scandinavia (Scandia), North Africa, Bolivia, Uruguay, and Monaco (see Notitiae v. 7 (1970), no. 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. Many of us would treat your claims skeptically as unsupported rumor and gossip. The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 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]. As with all historical practices, one must examine the context and circumstances which are usually not repeatable. 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 is therefore difficult in the context of this present letter not to mention the sad phenomena previously referred to. This is precisely why there are occasions when pastoral prudence can lead to suspend the permission. 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. Many pathogens are transmitted through the hands. [11] In East Syria (what we would now call the Middle East) we have evidence from Ephrem the Syrian[12] and Narsai. Who holds the wind in the palm of his hand? In the early Church, the faithful stood when receiving into their hands the consecrated particle can hardly be questioned. St. Dionysius of Alexandria [d. 265], writing to one of the popes of his time, speaks emphatically of one who has stood by the table and has extended his hand to receive the Holy Food (Eusebius [263-339], Hist. What a Priest Might Do If He Wants to Avoid It. God has come to live in us. 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. Paul W. Harkins ACW 31 (Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1963). The very idea of people regularly receiving Communion (and even receiving Communion as part of the liturgy to the Eucharist itself) were relatively new ideas at the time of the Council. 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. This is more a question of moral theology than of liturgy. Part 4. They probably never foresaw its subsequent, and occasionally chaotic, development in some parts of the Church. A: The answer to this question is somewhat complex. In order to be properly disposed to . The Council of Saragossa, 380, excommunicated anyone who dared continue to receive Holy Communion in the hand. I am a daily witness at the Basilique du Sacr-Cur de Montmartre (Paris).. 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 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. The communicant may choose whether to receive the Body of Christ in the hand or on the tongue. Communion on the tongue remains the usual and common form of administering Holy Communion. 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. Its just BREAD!!. 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 simply reading too much into this practice, and it is not correct to support something one favors by denigrating another practice. There are particles, and there are particles. [23], The great and divine Apostle Paul with loud voice calls man created in the image of God, the body and temple of Christ. It is standard procedure so I wonder what the basis of this accusation is. 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. It is advisable, therefore, that the rite be introduced gradually and in the beginning within small, better prepared groups and in favorable settings. Our souls ought to be purer than they, more holy, more brilliant. 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. We are the Body of Christ, moving forward to receive the Christ who makes us one with himself and with one another. If one is left-handed this is reversed. If Communion is received in the hand, the hands should first of all be clean. Jamaica, 12 March 1970 More people have received Communion in the past century. 7. United States, 17 June 1977 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? Scotland, 7 July 1977 It must also increase their faith in the sublime reality of the Lords body and blood, which they touch with their hand.