Ive updated the post. Under the moral aspect will be considered, in reference to Holy Communion: necessity; subject; dispositions. Their attitude of reverence must measure up to what they are doing. To commemorate the death of Christ: "This do in remembrance of me." 2. In this way, the practice of Communion in the hand is different from other liturgical elements restored after centuries of disuse, such as the prayer of the faithful and the exchange of peace. 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. Nor did the Vatican interpret it that way, near as I can tell. The people administering the sacrament are asked to use hand sanitizer immediately before. (Original Latin text here, see pp. 896. 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. We are encouraged to receive Communion devoutly and frequently. The condition is the complete avoidance of any cause for the faithful to be shocked and any danger of irreverence toward the Eucharist. The way we communicate the Gospel message is almost as important as the Gospel itself. On November 14, 1996, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops approved the following guidelines on the reception of Communion. Basil the Great, Doctor of the Church (330-379): "The right to receive Holy Communion in the hand is permitted only in times of persecution.". And of course Pope Paul VI was adamant that all the reforms carried out under him were faithful to the Second Vatican Council. I am just wondering what the reason or reasons were for allowing reception of Communion in the hand to begin with? Eccl., VII, ix). In fact, however, this hymn is prayer, the corporate thanksgiving prayer of the members of Christ's Body, united with one another. ADOM :: Communion: in the hand or the tongue They partake not of Him that is in them, they perceive Him not. For real reception of the Blessed Eucharist it is required that the sacred species be received into the stomach. England and Wales, 6 March 1976 Is it okay to recieve Communion in the hand? - Catholic Online 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. Since practices vary from one church to another, we hope these guidelines help you feel more at home. Devotion and reverence toward the Eucharist in the case of communion in the hand. And some who do have lost their strength or nerve. A situation that, in the US certainly, was not necessarily governed by external uniformity (given the varieties of ethnic piety and cultural practices). What if our reception made us all more loving of one another, whatever our views on how to receive? 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). 160). Look how military inspectors demand very high standards of care when inspecting barracks for cleanliness. 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). This helps explain why this line of thought isnt gaining much traction except on the right fringe. PDF Instructions on Receiving Holy Communion with Proper Reverence The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Phillip Schaff (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1889). Catechesis has been virtually non-existent or flat-out heretical for the last 50 years. 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. 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 . This practice has been requested by individual episcopal conferences and has received approval from the Apostolic See. The rationale for Communion on the hands being an ancient practice is from St. Cyril of Jerusalem. I think the Holy Spirit was nudging people closer to the problem, which was already in evidence decades before the Council. The custom of placing the Sacred Particle in the mouth, rather than in the hand of the communicant, dates in Rome from the sixth, and in Gaul from the ninth century (Van der Stappen, IV, 227; cf. 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.. If a priest has great personal difficulty due to deeply and sincerely held views regarding this practice, he can always petition the bishop for a personal exemption or a permission to not apply this permission to his parish. Since the question involves human attitudes, this mode of communion is bound up with the perceptiveness and preparation of the one receiving. 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.". The guidelines recommend against serving Communion until gatherings of more than 50 people are allowed. Bishop Athanasius Schneider argued along the same lines at the end of February. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal takes this hymn very seriously, mandating that it should begin at the Communion of the priest and extend until the last person has received Communion. The oldest reference to the Eucharist in the New Testament occurs in chapters 11 and 12 of the First Letter to the Corinthians, which has no reference to receiving Holy Communion on the tongue. Indonesia, 27 March 1971 Communion in the hand vs. Communion on the tongue | Crux 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. And why so? 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. It is bad if it makes us prideful/judgmental and distracts from more important things. 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. 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. Basil the Great, 330-379 stated, "The right to receive Holy Communion in the hand is permitted only in times of persecution." This statement may very well have been made in response to St. Cyril of Jerusalem in 348. It is adoration of Christ, meal of fellowship, union with other communicants (hence the Church wants us to sing during reception), sharing in Christs self-sacrifice, mystical union with angels & saints, sharing even now in the heavenly banquet, having the life of the Risen Christ in oneself, a call to charity and works of justice and making real on earth the peace foreshadowed in Communion, etc. 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. Another will say the opposite; he says, On the contrary, if the wound of sin and the attack of the disease is in fact so great that such medicines need to be postponed, one ought to be removed from the altar by the authority of the bishop in order to do penance, and one ought to be reconciled by the same authority. To that which you are you respond Amen (yes, it is true!) and by responding to it you assent to it. 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. The person distributing Communion says audibly to each person approaching, "The Body of Christ." The two ways of receiving communion can without question take place during the same liturgical service. The author seems to think that liturgical reforms should consist of only what an ecumenical council prescribed. vehementer hortatur retention of current practice while invoking the common good of the Church. All the rites which use leavened bread are reverent but not obsessive. It must also increase their faith in the sublime reality of the Lords body and blood, which they touch with their hand. It seems appropriate to conclude this reflection on the Communion Procession and the reception of Communion with a quotation from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. And having hollowed your palm, receive the Body of Christ, saying over it, Amen. But whatever the case, it is the Pope who decides to authorize it for countries, and it is indisputable that he did so. The new manner of giving communion must not be imposed in a way that would exclude the traditional practice. In North Africa (including Egypt) the practice is mentioned by Tertullian,[1] Cyprian,[2] Augustine,[3] Cyril of Alexandria,[4] and John Climacus. Gross Alexander NPNF 13, ed. 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. Above all, it is necessary to have the introduction of the rite preceded by an effective catechesis so that the people will clearly understand the meaning of receiving in the hand and will practice it with the reverence owed to the sacrament. Whatever procedure is adopted, care must be taken not to allow particles of the eucharistic bread to fall or be scattered. 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. Im skeptical of the claim that collecting absentee ballots for bishops conference votes is unlawful. They should be grave and objective questions related to good and evil. 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