warnings of receiving holy communion in hand

Video - Message from Our Lord Jesus Christ to Latin-American Mystic Lorena - Holy Communion in the Hand - February 16, 2022 - MaryRefugeOfSouls. On January 29, 1973, an Instruction, called Immensae Caritatis, was issued by the Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship that authorized the introduction of Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist. the Lord. Communion in the hand was introduced under a false ecumenism, allowed to grow due to weakness in authority, approved through compromise and a false sense of toleration, and has led to profound irreverence and indifference toward the Blessed Sacrament as the commonplace liturgical abuse and the disgrace of our age. In the new mass, this has been changed, Catholics no longer kneel down and take communion in tongue. The only positive information concerning this Roman martyr is found in a poem composed in his honour by Pope Damasus (366384), who compares him to the deacon Saint Stephen and says that, as Stephen was stoned by a crowd, so Tarcisius, carrying the Blessed Sacrament, was attacked by a group and beaten to death. But what does defile a person and cause him to come under the judgement of God is eating and drinking without recognizing the body of Christ. Prudence and judgement are key in this discussion. REMINDER: This weekend is FIRST FRIDAY & FIRST SATURDAY, John Vennari was a writer, researcher, catechist, and editor (for more than 20 years) of the monthly journal, Andrew Cesanek earned a B.S. I find it quite enlightening. The term taken at face value was used because, as some astute readers will have already noticed, the document just quoted from was loosely worded. The priests hands are washed over the chalice after Communion time with water and wine which is reverently consumed, to insure that the slightest Particle is not susceptible to desecration. Gather with others in your household and begin a time of prayer with the Sign of the Cross. The Fathers of the Council of Trent defined the Blessed Sacrament with precision and care. But, for whatever reason, this 1980 document contained no threat of penalty to any layman, priest or bishop who ignored the Popes plea. are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined, so that we may not be As a result, the Pontifical Commission officially ruled that when Ordinary Ministers (bishops, priests) are present at the Eucharist, whether celebrating or not, and are in sufficient number and are not prevented from doing so by other ministries, the Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist are not allowed to distribute Communion either to themselves or to the Faithful.. My question is more about worship and reverence. And it can be argued that the risk is quite minimal. This Christmas Eve, members of St. John's Anglican Church in Lunenburg, N.S., who can't attend the service in person will still be able to take part in communion. Naturally, liberal clergy in other countries (including ours) concluded that if this rebellion could be legalized in Holland, it could be legalized anywhere. The Canadian bishops wrote a pastoral letter supposedly. rev2023.5.1.43405. Thank you. The sense of the sacred is found wherever safeguarding the reverence for the Blessed Sacrament is put into practice of paramount importance. Both ways are permitted within the Ordinary Form of the Mass. In other words, the real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist is just a Papist superstition, and that the bread is just bread and anybody can handle it. The Faithful are told that it is an optional practice, and if they dont like it, they can receive it on the tongue. 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. Historically, Communion on the tongue is greatly preferred and is has been the usual method thoughout most of history. Shortly after Vatican II, due to the escalating abuses in certain non-English speaking countries (Holland, Belgium, France and Germany), Pope Paul VI took a survey of the world's bishops to ascertain their opinions on the subject. Our fathers have told us that the Holy Eucharist is truly the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ. Throughout the centuries, our fathers have told us about our Faith and about the Blessed Sacrament. The practice of receiving Holy Communion in the hand first began to spread in Catholic circles during the early 1960s, primarily in Holland. Start every morning off the right way with God! After Vatican II, some ecumenically-minded priests in Holland started giving Communion in the hand, in a monkey-see, monkey-do imitation of Protestant practice. He was originally buried in the Catacombs of San Callisto and the inscription by Damasus was placed later on his tomb. This ruling too, has been completely ignored, as will be all rulings providing a concession for this abuse is somewhere on the books. And this 23-year-old letter of Pope John Paul II has been taken as an unwelcome and unheeded suggestion by the hierarchy and clergy of Western countries. But the bishops, rather than do their duty and condemn the abuse, tolerated it. Perhaps it is worthwhile to reconsider how we receive the Eucharist, for not as common bread and common drink do we receive these (St. Justin Martyr, AD 150). How to force Unity Editor/TestRunner to run at full speed when in background? You can be sure there were many Catholics willing to become part of this lay-elite who distribute Holy Communion, but there were also Catholics whose good Catholic sense was initially opposed to this practice, but who eventually allowed themselves to be talked into it by persuasive clergymen. Let a person examine himself; in this way let him eat the To do so would be a clear sign of weak and vacillating leadership. The ecumenical spirit became the primary formative principle in the whole range of the new liturgical forms established since the Council. , James W. Demers said, Of those responsible for the lack of beauty in the Church, no one is more culpable than todays lay ministers. the growth."" It had not yet started in the United States. They figured that if they ignored Memoriale Domine and defied the liturgical law of the Church, this rebellion would not only be tolerated, but eventually legalized. To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. This article was printed in The Fatima Crusader, Issue 74 (Summer 2003) and in Catholic Family News (September 1995 Issue). But while it is true that Communion in the hand certainly happened in the early Church, it is unclear exactly when this practice started and how universal it was. This reverence shows that it is not a sharing in ordinary bread and wine that is involved, but in the Body and Blood of the Lord.. And the fad and fashion that was the pride and joy of many post-Vatican II Churchmen, in the name of making the Church more relevant, was the idea of lay-involvement in the liturgy. But for us, through the grace of God, it is no puzzle. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. The bigger the cast, the better, and the gripping drama of the Mass became an amateur show. Or its a position that the proud and pompous in the parish lust after, thereby showing themselves incapable of recognizing a false and petty prestige. The most ancient practice of distributing Holy Communion was, with all probability, to give Communion to the faithful in the palm of the hand. These may be feared from a new manner of administering Holy Communion: they are 1) a lessening of reverence toward the noble Sacrament of the altar, 2) its profanation, or 3) the adulteration of correct doctrine." Any unauthorized use, without prior written consent of Catholic Online is strictly forbidden and prohibited. On January 29, 1973, an Instruction, called. For those not receiving Holy Communion. The teaching of Saint Thomas Aquinas, in his great Summa Theologica bears this out. This played right into the liberals hands. According to one version of the detailed legend that developed later, Tarsicius was a young boy during one of the fierce 3rd-century Roman persecutions, probably during the reign of Emperor Valerian (253259). At other times Christians gathered together openly in each others homes or in house churches for the Eucharist though Mass was not celebrated publicly as it is in our own time. St. Cyril of Jerusalem speaks of it in the following way: While the Didache concentrates on prayer and thanksgiving, Cyrils instructions emphasize technique: Approaching (Communion)come not with your palms extended and stretched flat nor with your fingers open. Many insist that they feel equal reverence when receiving in the hand, and that the key is the attitude of the heart. The debate over Communion in the hand or on the tongue has nonetheless occurred throughout Church history. 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. Are there parishes that celebrates Novus Ordo mass in Latin? And this 23-year-old letter of Pope John Paul II has been taken as an unwelcome and unheeded suggestion by the hierarchy and clergy of Western countries. In his 1931 essay on The New Paganism, the great Catholic historian Hilaire Belloc warned of the post-Christian Paganism that was to come. The biggest ploy used by modern clergy was to resort to flattery to approach good Catholic men and women saying, Youre a good parish member, an exemplary Christian, a good father or mother, so we want to bestow upon you the honor of being a Eucharistic minister.. Communion on the hand may seem less reverent than communion on the tongue, especially to the more traditionally minded Catholics; it is not a sacrilege. The little that is known about him comes from a metrical inscription by Pope Damasus I, who was pope in the second half of the 4th century. There are some that claim that it was practiced up until the 6th Century and even cite a passage of St. Cyril to substantiate this assertion. They must find the courage for opposing this novel practice by remembering that even Pope Paul VI, despite his weaknesses, correctly predicted that Communion in the hand would lead to irreverence and profanation of the Eucharist, and a gradual erosion of correct doctrine and we have seen this prophecy come to pass. Chief among the reasons was that some felt Communion in the hand represented the most ancient form of Communion in the early Church. to the disciples, and said, Take and eat it; this is my body. Then Instead, we engage in useless and endless dialogue in which Catholicism always comes out the loser because such dialogue gives the unmistakable impression that Catholicism no longer believes it is the sole possessor of theological truth. March 1995 Issue), suffice it to say that this novel ecumenical spirit which Deitrich von Hildebrand called ECUMANIA became rampant during and after Vatican II. Not only should we rarely see one, but there should be many Catholics who go through their entire life without once seeing an extraordinary minister. A law without a penalty is not a law, its a suggestion. Adding EV Charger (100A) in secondary panel (100A) fed off main (200A). The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the town, The latter receive the host in one hand and raise it to the mouth by the fingers of the other. The Eucharist. For a country to apply for the indult, the following was necessary: 1) Communion in the hand had to already be presently in that country; 2) the bishops of that country had to have two-thirds majority vote in favor of Communion in the hand; 3) Communion in the hand should not be imposed in a way that would exclude the traditional manner; 4) the Basil the Great considered Communion in the hand so irregular that he did not hesitate to consider it a grave fault. The Canadian bishops wrote a pastoral letter supposedly in support of Humanae Vitae, but within that document the bishops used the curious phrase norms for licit dissent. They agreed that done properly the reception of Holy Communion on the tongue or in the hand pose a more or less equal risk. of Christ? Like for example in dining, do we use our licking fingers or use fork and knives? The priest, a man who had been called by God and who had been specifically trained in the study and dispensing of the sacred mysteries had to step aside, either willingly or reluctantly, to allow unqualified, out-of-place, part-time dabblers to trespass and profane His sacred domain of sanctuary and altar. Unfortunately, we have no records to establish precisely when the practice was initiated or by whom. the host and special warnings against such negligence as leaving it behind in the fields on return from work.3 . He cant, Though Communion in the hand was not mandated by the Second Vatican Council, what, canonized by Vatican II was Ecumenism this false spirit of counterfeit unity that had been previously condemned by the Church, particularly by Pope Pius XI in his 1928 encyclical. Naturally, liberal clergy in other countries (including ours) concluded that if this rebellion could be legalized in Holland, it could be legalized anywhere. This phrase gives the impression that there could be room for Catholics to legitimately reject, So, whether they realized it or not, the bishops sabotaged their own pastoral letter, by giving a simultaneous red light and green light to rejection of the Papal Encyclical. So, if words mean anything, as Michael Davies pointed out, an extraordinary minister should be an extraordinary sight. Todays Eucharistic Ministers actually operate in defiance of, Though there is no hard proof that the loose wording of, was done on purpose, there is ample proof that the ambiguity in the Vatican II documents was deliberate. which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whatever the case, it is clear that Communion on the tongue is of Apostolic origins (that is, taught by Christ Himself), Communion in the hand was condemned as an abuse at the Synod of Rouen in 650 A.D., and the practice of Communion in the hand is never reflected in the artwork of any period whether it be in the East or West that is, up until, The teaching that only the priests may touch the Sacred Host, that the priests hands are consecrated for this purpose, and that no precaution was too great to safeguard reverence and prevent desecration had been incorporated into the Liturgy of the Church; that is, the, Priests were trained in the Old Latin Mass to celebrate Mass with precise rubrics that safeguarded the reverence the Blessed Sacrament deserves. Catholics believe that the real presence of our Lord is in the bread and wine and therefore it is only appropriate to behave in a such manner of reverence that is due to Him. They must find the courage for opposing this novel practice by remembering that even Pope Paul VI, despite his weaknesses, correctly predicted that Communion in the hand would lead to irreverence and profanation of the Eucharist, and a gradual erosion of correct doctrine and we have seen this prophecy come to pass. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. This growth of Christian life needs to be nourished by Eucharistic communion, the bread of our pilgrimage, until the moment of death, when it is given to us as viaticum. The risk of touching the tongue and passing the saliva on to others is obviously a danger, however, the chance of touching someone's hand is equally probable and one's hands have a greater exposure to germs. This document does not grant some revolutionary indult for any and every parish to permit lay-people to administer Communion; it authorizes the use of extraordinary ministers in cases of genuine necessity , which are listed as: The Instruction stipulates that: Since these faculties are granted only for the spiritual good of the Faithful and for cases of genuine necessity, priests are to remember that they are not thereby excused from the task of distributing the Eucharist to the Faithful who legitimately request it, and especially from taking and giving it to the sick.. ]; b) second, to increase among the faithful devotion to the Real Presence of Christ in the Sacrament of the Eucharist., It then mandated that this method of distributing Holy Communion [on the tongue] must be retained and emphatically urged bishops, priests and laity to obey carefully the law which is still valid and which has again been confirmed by the majority of Catholic bishops.. What were the most popular text editors for MS-DOS in the 1980s? This is a question that those Churchmen intoxicated by the liberal spirit of Vatican II have yet to answer satisfactorily. From the moment that the words of consecration over the Sacred Host are uttered by the priest, he keeps his forefinger and thumb together, and whether he elevates the chalice, turns the pages of the Missal or opens the tabernacle, his thumb and forefinger touch nothing but the Sacred Host. When it comes to the sacraments, extraordinary minister is classic terminology. The Sacraments are the most precious gems the Church possesses, and the Holy Eucharist is the greatest of all the Sacraments. Saint of the Day for Monday, May 1st, 2023. His feast day is celebrated on 15 August; that day is widely observed as the Feast of the Assumption, therefore he is not mentioned in the General Roman Calendar, but only in the Roman Martyrology. But obliterating these without apology and without convincing argument, as has been the case over the last 30 years with the introduction of the New Mass, is not the mark of genuine Catholic renewal, but resembles the New Paganism warned of by Belloc, and its arrogant contempt for tradition. But I tell By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. There are some that claim that it was practiced up until the 6th Century and even cite a passage of St. Cyril to substantiate this assertion. Can you still use Commanders Strike if the only attack available to forego is an attack against an ally? Now, when it comes to showing reverence, is it possible for these rubrics to be improved upon? Then having partaken of the Body of Christ, approach also the cup of His blood; not extending your hands, but bending low and saying in the way of worship and reverence, Amen, be you sanctified by partaking, also of the blood of Christ. Catechetical Lecture 5. The question has been asked for a long time since the Church has often allowed both methods of reception. They figured that if they ignored. And once a fad like Extraordinary Ministers becomes widespread, and everybodys doing it simply because everybodys doing it, then who even pays attention to existing guidelines anyway? Priests were trained in the Old Latin Mass to celebrate Mass with precise rubrics that safeguarded the reverence the Blessed Sacrament deserves. Communion received on the tongue and while kneeling. The document had that ambiguity, imprecision and elasticity that has characterized many of the Vatican II and post-Vatican II documents. Now, when it comes to showing reverence, is it possible for these rubrics to be improved upon? , but within that document the bishops used the curious phrase norms for licit dissent. @KayleeA Sorry, I did not mean to imply that you were one, but I now realize that the way I phrased that might be taken that way. Some time later his relics were moved to the San Silvestro in Capite church in Rome. In fact, the first Martyr of the Eucharist was a young boy of the age of 12. For many Americans, Mass and Communion have been inaccessible due to restrictions in many places. But after all this, Memoriale Domini then added a surprising disclaimer, leaving an avenue open to those bishops currently in disobedience over this issue. It is a pattern we see over and over again in the modern Church: Lets violate the law, and in the end well have the violation established as local custom., This unlawful abuse is so well established as local custom that even Pope John Paul II, who made at least a paper attempt to curb the abuse, was completely unsuccessful. And where they were, they were for keeps! 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. The real sacrilege here would be in receiving Our Lord while in the state of mortal sin! In his best-selling book, The Last Roman Catholic?, James W. Demers said, Of those responsible for the lack of beauty in the Church, no one is more culpable than todays lay ministers. who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives The Faithful are told that it is an optional practice, and if they dont like it, they can receive it on the tongue. Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. Hence, it is not lawful for anyone else to touch It, except from necessity, for instance, if It were to fall upon the ground or else in some other case of urgency. (ST, III, Q.82, Art. Is communion in the hand a liturgical abuse? For the first three centuries the Eucharist was celebrated in the houses and homes of Christians. This is clearly a calculated abuse of classic Catholic terminology used to introduce a novelty into the New Mass that has no foundation in Church History or Catholic practice. If it were a sacrilege, that indult would not have been accorded by Rome. Now, it is Catholic teaching that the Sacrament of Holy Orders gives a man a spiritual, sacramental power, it imprints an indelible mark on his soul and makes him fundamentally different from laymen. This is exactly what happened, and this is why we have Communion in the hand today. Communion in the hand to a trusting, vulnerable people was a campaign of calculated half-truths that didnt tell the whole story. On the other hand, there is also ample testimony from great saints like St. Inaestimabile Donum, April 17, 1980, sec. In verse 26 he says, "as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.". The Councils of Saragossa (AD 380) and Toledo (fifth to seventh centuries) threatened excommunication to anyone who continued receiving holy Communion by hand. Federal Tax Identification Number: 81-0596847. Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief The mindless behavior of this superficially trained laity brings to the sanctuary a pomposity that is both embarrassing and saddening to watch.. This is why Since Damasus compares him to Stephen, he may have been a deacon; however, a 6th-century account makes him an acolyte. So how did it happen that some countries were eventually allowed the indult of reception in the hand as well? When permitted, the choice as to the form of reception falls upon the communicant and not upon the priest. Now some might say, Whats the big deal? After all, we are talking disciplines here and not unchangeable doctrines. Is it a sacrilege to take communion in hand? This movement supposedly plays up those things we have in common with other creeds, and hush-hushes those things that divide us; to celebrate our shared values. He said, We have used ambiguous phrases during the Council and we (the liberal theologians) know how we shall interpret them after., The main ambiguity which probably gave rise to todays proliferation of Extraordinary Ministers was the justification of their use if Mass would be (what was called) unduly prolonged. But let a man prove himself . Though Communion in the hand was not mandated by the Second Vatican Council, what was canonized by Vatican II was Ecumenism this false spirit of counterfeit unity that had been previously condemned by the Church, particularly by Pope Pius XI in his 1928 encyclical Mortalium Animos this movement of Catholics becoming more buddy-buddy and huggy-huggy with other religions, and especially with Protestants. This liturgical law clarifies the Church's discipline regarding the reception of Holy Communion. These countries hadnt been given permission to even ask for this indult. "So, then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an First, because he consecrates in the person of Christ. While pandemics have raged before, and other diseases exist, COVID is unique in our time. Communion on the tongue remains the usual and common form of administering Holy Communion. Communion with the Flesh of the Risen Christ preserves, increases and renews the life of grace received in Baptism. It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. do not make clear to the reader that the worlds bishops, when polled, voted overwhelmingly against Communion in the hand. For this reason, we cannot suggest that Communion in the hand is somehow expressly forbidden. Saint Thomas, who is the prince of theologians in the Catholic Church, who towers above all the rest, whose Summa Theologica was placed on the altar next to the Scriptures during the Council of Trent, and whose teaching Saint Pius X said was the remedy for Modernism Saint Thomas clearly teaches that it belongs to the priest and only to the priest to touch and administer the Sacred Host, that only that which is consecrated (the hands of the priest) should touch the Consecrated (the Sacred Host). This phrase gives the impression that there could be room for Catholics to legitimately reject Humanae Vitae. The risk of touching the tongue and passing the saliva on to. The sense of the sacred is found wherever safeguarding the. this movement of Catholics becoming more buddy-buddy and huggy-huggy with other religions, and especially with Protestants. This is a powerful testimony, as much of the Churchs theology is based on the theology of St. Thomas. As parish churches reopen and Communion becomes available, many bishops prefer, for the safety of parishioners and clergy alike, that the faithful accept Communion in the hand. Communion on the hand may possibly been an Apostolic Tradition. The note was more of a thanks to Ken. NEW YORK (AP) Holy Communion will have a different look when in-person worship services resume at . Though the entire essay will not be treated here, for the purpose of the subject at hand, it is necessary to point out the central aspect of it: the old paganism had deep respect for tradition, and the new post-Christian paganism has a revolutionary contempt for tradition. 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). Christians don't say that . since all of us share the one bread" (1 Corinthians 10:16-17 CSB). Has there been any discussion in the Catholic Church about whether hand sanitizer profanes the Host? Communion on the tongue displays a greater degree of reverence, and it is safer because it is less likely to result in the host, or a particle of the host falling to the floor. The office of Eucharistic minister is therefore the illegitimate offspring from the union of the New Liturgys lay involvement and Communion in the hand living together in the modern Church. I write this not to stir up controversy, but to provide a context against which individuals may decide how best to receive Jesus Precious Body and Blood, especially in our current culture. But the bishops, rather than do their duty and condemn the abuse, Because Church leaders allowed the abuse to go unchecked, the practice then spread to Germany, Belgium and France. Lay people giving out Holy Communion during Mass was rightly considered an unthinkable act of sacrilege and irreverence only 35 years ago, and for centuries preceding. This was obviously a liturgical abuse, which put its roots down in those countries where there were already doctrinal problems regarding the Holy Eucharist: Belgium, Holland, France, and Germany. 2023 After the Warning . On September 21, 1987, a letter was sent from the Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation of the Sacraments through the proper channels to a number of Episcopal Conferences, including the American Bishops, on the subject of Extraordinary Ministers. Copyright 2022 Catholic Online. Can this manner of receiving Communion be required of the faithful who prefer to receive Christ on the tongue? (1 Corinthians 11:27-32 CSB). performance | 130 views, 3 likes, 2 loves, 36 comments, 1 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Ginghamsburg Church: Worship is serious business. St. The teaching of Saint Thomas Aquinas, in his great, Third, because out of reverence for this Sacrament, nothing touches It but what is consecrated; hence the corporal and the chalice are consecrated, and likewise the priests hands for touching this Sacrament. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. His writings: Now we are at the point where Communion in the hand is viewed as a superior way of receiving the Eucharist and the vast majority of our little children are being misinstructed to receive First Communion in the hand.

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