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Blog Staff and Editorial Advisory Committee, http://www.kathpedia.com/index.php?title=Handkommunion, http://www.cultodivino.va/content/cultodivino/it/rivista-notitiae/indici-annate.html, From the Wires: U.S. Catholic Priests Are Increasingly Conservative as Faithful Grow More Liberal, Yale Organ Week: Now Accepting Applications, The North American Academy of Liturgy, 2023, New Open-Access, Ecumenical Journal Powered by the University of Vienna, Is the Eucharistic Revival a Liturgical Revival (Part 2), What Did Jesus Know? If Communion is received in the hand, the hands should first of all be clean. Interestingly, during the Middle Ages, the reception of Holy Communion was restricted to "on the tongue" because of abuses. 1996, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. 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. 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. In order to be properly disposed to . 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. [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). [11] In East Syria (what we would now call the Middle East) we have evidence from Ephrem the Syrian[12] and Narsai. 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. The guidelines recommend against serving Communion until gatherings of more than 50 people are allowed. 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. Phillip Schaff (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1889). The problem of lack of reverence stems not from the manner of receiving Communion but from the lack of faith, awe, and gratitude before this great mystery. All rights reserved. This is a fundamental misunderstanding. Not only was Communion in the hand started in disobedience, it was perpetuated by deceit. 47), and says of the Communion Chant that "its purpose [is] to express the spiritual union of the communicants by means of the unity of their voices, to show gladness of heart, and to bring out more clearly the 'communitarian' character of the procession to receive the Eucharist" (no. Whether to receive Communion in the hand or on the tongue are liturgical disciplines, not dogmas. When permitted, the choice as to the form of reception falls upon the communicant and not upon the priest. Communion in the hand is no more hygienic than Communion in the mouth. 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. 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. 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. 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. This practice has been requested by individual episcopal conferences and has received approval from the Apostolic See. More people have received Communion in the past century. 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. Finally, ensuring the application of liturgical law is above all the responsibility of the bishop and only indirectly the religious superior. Greg., Dial., I, III, c. iii). The fire of mercy has become for us a living sacrifice 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]. 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. 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. If, however, Communion is given under both kinds, the rite prescribed in nos. 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. [8] John Chrysostom, Homilies on Ephesians, Baptismal Instruction 12.1516, On the Incomprehensible Nature of God 6.36, and On the Priesthood 3.4. 7. Church Life Journal The cultural backing. The Council of Saragossa (380): Excommunicated anyone who dared continue . II], With regard to the second, we have many early witnesses including Paul (see 1 Cor 11:27) and the Didache (seechapter 14). The most ancient practice of distributing Holy Communion was, with all probability, to give Communion to the faithful in the palm of the hand. Fire and Spirit, contrary to nature 2. These practices have wide evidence of use and in some ways never died out completely. A. Christ instituted the Holy Eucharist: Think of what you receive in your hand and keep it clean of all greed and theft. 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. It must also increase their faith in the sublime reality of the Lords body and blood, which they touch with their hand. God has come to live in us. St. Scandinavia,October 15 1969 From the point of view of liturgical law, the relevant documents are the following. 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 . Japan, 27 June 1970 Since Christ is really, substantially, sacramentally present but not physically, being OC over crumbs is not devotion. The two ways of receiving communion can without question take place during the same liturgical service. 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. divine life. 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. I honestly get sick of it too. Bishops allowing introduction of the new way of receiving communion are requested to send to this Congregation after six months a report on the result of its concession.. The question has been asked for a long time since the Church has often allowed both methods of reception. But is the impression they give generally correct? I think that settles it. . The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCBs) mission is to encounter the mercy of Christ and to accompany His people with joy. [17] See Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, 7.9.4. 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. The causes are myriad and often interconnected. 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). R. E. Heine FotC 21 (Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 1982). [] It is not permitted for the faithful to take the consecrated Bread or the sacred chalice by themselves and, still less, to hand them on from one to another among themselves. 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. 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. To continue the sacrifice of the Cross in His Church. 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. For pastoral reasons this manner of receiving communion has been legitimately established as the most common form in the Latin rite. Communion received on the tongue and while kneeling. 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. 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. Jamaica, 12 March 1970 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. Pakistan, 29 October 1976 Answered by Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy and dean of theology at the Regina Apostolorum university. Communion in the hand is legitimate only where permitted, and it remains in the realm of a permission. 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 The Holy Eucharist remits venial sins by disposing us to perform acts of love and contrition. 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. If Your Hand/Hands are Impeded . 96). Alternatively, it is permissible to adopt a simpler procedure, namely, allowing the faithful themselves to take the host from the ciborium or paten. 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. 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. [26] Augustine, Letter 54.3.4, trans. The host will then be laid in the palm of the left hand and then taken by the right hand to the mouth. Particularly in regard to this way of receiving communion, experience suggests certain matters requiring careful attention. 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. My country is not on this list but holy communion is the norm. It is standard procedure so I wonder what the basis of this accusation is. Personally, I think that when a priest with the care of souls holds the view that Communion on the tongue is preferable to the alternative practice, then the best thing he can do is inform the faithful of the bishops permission. All of us are only grasping a hint of it. Notre Dame, IN 46556 USA. One said: When [the practice was] introduced in the U.S. Cyril of Jerusalem was quoted make your hands a throne for the King, take and eat.Is anyone denying the quote?, Concerning Communion in the hand, please consult the Mystical Catechesis of St. Cyril of Jerusalem for a description of the practice around A.D. 345. 2023 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. 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. 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. 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. [22] Ephrem the Syrian, Hymns on Faith 10, trans. I suspect that Christ can cope with particles that get dropped but the care we show, or the lack of care, is what counts. 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. 6. Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), 2 October 1971 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. Many pathogens are transmitted through the hands. Will you not then much more carefully keep watch, that not a crumb fall from youSt. With your hand hollowed, receive the Body of Christ and answer Amen. St. Later that year approval was given to Luxembourg, Scandinavia (Scandia), North Africa, Bolivia, Uruguay, and Monaco (see Notitiae v. 7 (1970), no. 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. Maybe this is due to its similarity to practices in most Protestant churches, many of which (Anglicans and Lutherans notwithstanding) fundamentally dont believe in a sacramental Communion substance. 843 1; cf. 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. 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. 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. [5] In Jerusalem, we have the mystagogical catecheses of Cyril of Jerusalem (or perhaps of his successor, John). [12] Ephrem the Syrian, Hymns on Faith 10 and Hymns on Virginity 33.7. There are many devout Catholics who find this practice helpful. I think the Holy Spirit was nudging people closer to the problem, which was already in evidence decades before the Council. 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. 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. For some, however, the singing of this hymn is perceived as an intrusion on their own prayer, their private thanksgiving after Communion. In North Africa (including Egypt) the practice is mentioned by Tertullian,[1] Cyprian,[2] Augustine,[3] Cyril of Alexandria,[4] and John Climacus. The Eucharist may not be received while a person has mortal sin in their soul. I dont mean how did it come about. 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. Bishop Athanasius Schneider argued along the same lines at the end of February. 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. What some call discipleship, others evangelizationnew or whatever, or some speak of discernment and application of spiritual gifts. Ive updated the post. 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. Please remember that there is no "right" way to receive. 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. The liturgical renewal of St. Pius X which promoted the frequent reception of Communion were still quite young. 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. Our procession should move with dignity; our bearing should be that of those who know they have been redeemed by Christ and are coming to receive their God! 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. Maybe this is part of a grand conspiracy by . 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. 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. First, Chrysostom in one of his Homilies on Ephesians: What, do you not see the holy vessels so thoroughly cleansed all over, so resplendent? Pope Benedict XVI 1927-2022 tribute page and access to resources here. So whats missing? enough bread and wine are made ready for the communication of the faithful at each Mass.45 As a general rule, Holy Communion is given from hosts . 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. [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). Cardinals Thorne (Peru) and Caffarra (Bologna) have banned Communion in the hand, citing reasons of abuse and disrespect. In the context of the reception of Communion, this means a cognizance of both Church history and contemporary cultural nuances. 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. Shapiro picked up an abused-looking iPhone from his desk. Timothy O'Malley on the meaning of Eucharistic coherence in the life of the Church. But one should not by his own judgment abstain from or return to communion, as he pleases. The following norms must therefore be respected. A situation that, in the US certainly, was not necessarily governed by external uniformity (given the varieties of ethnic piety and cultural practices). It is simply reading too much into this practice, and it is not correct to support something one favors by denigrating another practice. For one who eats unworthily eats and drinks to his own condemnation (1 Cor 11:29). Your fire, O, Our Lord we have eaten in your offering 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. 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. As with all historical practices, one must examine the context and circumstances which are usually not repeatable.. Take a step or two to the side to make way for the next communicant, then receive our Lord. Per The Baltimore Catechism: Communion on the tongue remains the usual and common form of administering Holy Communion. 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. 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. Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread (1 Cor 10:16-17). Some may choose to receive the Lord on the tongue while others choose to receive in the hand.