7 rules for receiving communion in the hand

Take a step or two to the side to make way for the next communicant, then receive our Lord. United States, 17 June 1977 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.. 91). Bolivia, October 15 1969 Greg., Dial., I, III, c. iii). [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). 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. That rhetorical flow and its further implicit objections (i.e., take care lest XYZ) *could* be a setup for a generous grant of indults, but given the overall negative tone I dont think it accidental or inconsequential that the prospect of permission is only mentioned in these cases where contrary practice already prevails. All of us should receive with great reverence and respect. 6. 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. Aaron, 2. 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. awr. Nowhere in this article did I see what the CHURCH says about Holy Communion, only the writers opinion. And some who do have lost their strength or nerve. To be honest, I dont really belong to either camp on this, and like you, I think the polarization on this issue is doing more harm than good. Canada, 12 February 1970 This formula should not be altered, as it is a proclamation which calls for a response of faith on the part of the one who receives. My three hypotheses were less well researched opinions on my part, theyre not (that last one was a joke on Cdl Sarahs comments, sorry if that wasnt clear), but simply launchpoints in an honest discussion on the impact of Pope Pauls Indult, and the circumstances surrounding it, whether or not they hold any real merit. The following norms must therefore be respected. On this point, I will leave you with a beautiful exhortation from the Golden Tongue: Think of what you receive in your hand and never lift it to strike another and never disgrace with the sin of assault the hand that has been honored with so great a gift. But whatever the case, it is the Pope who decides to authorize it for countries, and it is indisputable that he did so. 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. 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. The liturgical renewal of St. Pius X which promoted the frequent reception of Communion were still quite young. I similarly think Cardinal Sarahs frankly ridiculous comments about Lucifer are draining credibility from his cause (one that I admittedly align with sometimes), even if some of his proposals are good ones. 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. This was the law of the Church for almost 14 centuries, and is still the general norm today. This means that Jesus has no eyes but our eyes, no feet . The person distributing Communion says audibly to each person approaching, "The Body of Christ." We are the Body of Christ, moving forward to receive the Christ who makes us one with himself and with one another. Over the years I have read a multitude of opinions for and against, and occasionally perceived false arguments. Pope Benedict XVI 1927-2022 tribute page and access to resources here. 3. 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.". 6. The question has been asked for a long time since the Church has often allowed both methods of reception. The two ways of receiving communion can without question take place during the same liturgical service. 2023 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. 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 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. This action by Christ's body, the Church assembled for the Eucharist, is manifested and supported by the Communion Chant, a hymn in praise of Christ sung by the united voices of those who believe in him and share his life. 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. I do make the point that reverence, while important, is not the only or most important aspect of Communion. 3. All of us are only grasping a hint of it. The history of the liturgy, however, makes clear that rather early on a . At the same time, it is not justified to claim that Communion in the hand is necessarily less reverent or inevitably leads to abuses. [8] John Chrysostom, Homilies on Ephesians, Baptismal Instruction 12.1516, On the Incomprehensible Nature of God 6.36, and On the Priesthood 3.4. 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. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCBs) mission is to encounter the mercy of Christ and to accompany His people with joy. A letter from the Congregation for Divine Worship to presidents of bishops conferences on May 29, 1969: AAS 61 (1969) 546-547; Notitiae 5 (1969) 351-353: In reply to the request of your conference of bishops regarding permission to give communion by placing the host on the hand of the faithful, I wish to communicate the following. 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.. That said, there are dimensions to this discussion that I think are both valuable and havent been given much screen time overall. 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 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. All our lives we who believe in Christ are moving in time toward that moment when we will be taken by death from this world and enter into the joy of the Lord in the eternal Kingdom he has prepared for us. The host will then be laid in the palm of the left hand and then taken by the right hand to the mouth. The new manner of giving communion must not be imposed in a way that would exclude the traditional practice. The Eucharist may not be received while a person has mortal sin in their soul. I am from India. 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. Some of the online advocates of kneeling/tongue seem to focus only on adoration of the Real Presence and now a cardinal has said that those who receive standing in the hand most Catholics by far! Pope Benedict XVI 1927-2022 tribute page and access to resources here. It is not clear as to how widespread it was or if it was a regular practice. And having hollowed your palm, receive the Body of Christ, saying over it, Amen. [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). St. New Zealand, 24 April 1974 Eccl., VII, ix). Answered by Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy and dean of theology at the Regina Apostolorum university. 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. Other way round, it was in the hand and changed to the tongue circa 900 in the west. 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: 1396: In Baptism we have been called to form but one body. Theres no simple solution to this issue. 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. (Original Latin text here, see pp. This is the reason why you say after him: Amen.[21]. 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. Cyril of Jerusalem [c. 313-386], Catechetical Lectures, 23:21-22) Several more but no room here. As with all historical practices, one must examine the context and circumstances which are usually not repeatable. Cardinals Thorne (Peru) and Caffarra (Bologna) have banned Communion in the hand, citing reasons of abuse and disrespect. [10] See John Damascene, On the Orthodox Faith, 4.13. (I dont direct this at you, I mean it to everyone on all sides.). It is not solely the result of some weird medieval form of reverence. And of course Pope Paul VI was adamant that all the reforms carried out under him were faithful to the Second Vatican Council. 5. Look how military inspectors demand very high standards of care when inspecting barracks for cleanliness. Fr. 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 But we doyes, verily. 6, trans. Unless there is a sense of discipleship rooted in baptism. Your fire, O, Our Lord we have eaten in your offering The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCBs) mission is to encounter the mercy of Christ and to accompany His people with joy. There are many devout Catholics who find this practice helpful. 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. No wonder so many people there have given up on Christianity. And to demonstrate reverence and. 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. 4. 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. A parish priest, or the rector of a sanctuary, might have objective reasons for not applying the permission if there is any danger of profanation or lack of respect. The practice of communion on the tongue with the use of patens in the West, and in both kinds on a spoon with a drop cloth in the East, moreover, are natural developments from the concern of the Early Church to prevent Eucharistic mishaps. The guidelines recommend against serving Communion until gatherings of more than 50 people are allowed. Has the Holy Eucharist any other effect? While we cannot admit them to Holy Communion, we ask them to offer their prayers for the peace and the unity of the human family. 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. Will you not then much more carefully keep watch, that not a crumb fall from youSt. It was proved that belief in the Real Presence is abysmal. 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. Whatever procedure is adopted, care must be taken not to allow particles of the Eucharistic bread to fall or be scattered. The people administering the sacrament are asked to use hand sanitizer immediately before. 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. 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 . 1. [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. It should be noted that it is never permissible for a person to dip the host he or she has received into the chalice. Sacrilege is at an all-time high, yet use of the Sacrament of Confession is at an all-time low. The author seems to think that liturgical reforms should consist of only what an ecumenical council prescribed. We would also do well to teach, as the Fathers do, that reverence is not only about proper reception of the Eucharist, but also about living the kind of life to which the Eucharist commits us. 1996, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. 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.. I am just wondering what the reason or reasons were for allowing reception of Communion in the hand to begin with? Please take responsibility for the lies, the bile, and the sinful stuff. 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. All rights reserved. What is the proper way of receiving Communion in the hand? 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? The rite of communion in the hand must not be put into practice indiscriminately. 5.21, trans. Middle Africa, 3 February 1970 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. 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. What a Priest Might Do If He Wants to Avoid It. Q. 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. [4] Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on John 6.1 and 12.1. Then he saw that it was futile. (or: Which Heresy Will You Give Up for Lent? Mingle and flow into the palms of his disciples![22]. 3. Pope Paul Vl approved this Instruction, confirmed it with his authority, and ordered its publication, setting the day of publication as its effective date. 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. Some scholars claim that this part of the Mystical Catechesis is not originally from St. Cyril but a later interpolation into the text. If Your Hand/Hands are Impeded . ), Pray Tell: An open forum on faith in South Texas. 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. To continue the sacrifice of the Cross in His Church. 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 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. My overarching point in all this (as someone who receives comfortably in both manners) is that I dont think common concerns with reception in the hand have been treated with adequate seriousness by many its defenders. [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. On the other hand, if the sins are not so great that a person should be judged to deserve excommunication, he ought not to withdraw from the daily medicine of the Lords body.[26]. Cyril of Jerusalem and Theodore of Mopsuestia liken the practice to that of receiving a king, and both of them note the method of reception was in joined hands (also described in other sources as hands in the form of a cross). Today, both manners of receiving Communion are worthy and licit. What if our way of calling our fellow Christians to a higher way were based on loving example and not polemics? As a scholar of the early Church, I was surprised to learn that the practice of communion in the hand is such a hotly debated topic; it came to my attention during the early days of the pandemic, when many dioceses required communicants to receive in this way. [26] Augustine, Letter 54.3.4, trans. The Communion Procession is an action of the Body of Christ. When receiving in the hand, the communicant should be guided by the words of St. Cyril of Jerusalem . Others claim that in the context of the discourse St. Cyril was referring to the clergy and not to the faithful. Communion in the hand is legitimate only where permitted, and it remains in the realm of a permission. 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. Some may choose to receive the Lord on the tongue while others choose to receive in the hand. With regard to the first precept, Origen of Alexandria cautions, You who are accustomed to take part in divine mysteries know, when you receive the body of the Lord, how you protect it with all caution and veneration lest any small part fall from it, lest anything of the consecrated gift be lost. COVID-19 Additional Questions for Catholic Schools, COVID-19 Finance FAQ for Catholic Schools, COVID-19 Personnel FAQ for Catholic Schools, COVID-19 Remote Learning FAQ for Catholic Schools, COVID-19 International Students FAQ for Catholic Schools, Forming a New Prayer and Intercessory Team at Your Parish, Resources for Existing Intercessory Prayer Teams, Mooney Real Estate Holding Company and Parish Incorporations, Stewards for Tomorrow/Archdiocese of Detroit Endowment Foundation. 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. 96). Jesus wants to use our hands, which have now become His hands, to help those in need. R. E. Heine FotC 21 (Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 1982). A frequent reception of the Sacrament of Penance is encouraged for all. The liturgical assembly of the baptized that comes together for the celebration of the Eucharist is a witness to, a manifestation of, the pilgrim Church. 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. 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. It is not appropriate to reach out with the fingers and take the host from the person distributing. Pakistan, 29 October 1976 Aaron, this describes what the countries are to do where Communion in the hand was being practiced. 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. Its just BREAD!!. 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. Elizabeth Klein is an Assistant Professor of Theology at the, The Abandoned: Toward a Christocentric Phenomenology of Prayer, The Conclusion of Karl Rahner's Dissertation on the Origin of the Church from the Side Wound of the Crucified Christ. Roland Teske (Hyde Park, NY: New City Press, 2001). 161. 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. 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. They would find many more areas we all need to work on than just their main focus. 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 . Pope Paul Vl calls attention to the purpose of the InstructionMemoriale Dominiof 29 May 1969, on retaining the traditional practice in use. The [Seraph] did not hold it, and [Isaiah] did not eat it There are particles, and there are particles. 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. 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. 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.

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