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. 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.. Keywords: Catholic, Communion, hand, tongue. This is a powerful testimony, as much of the Churchs theology is based on the theology of St. Thomas. you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until For should you lose any of it, it is as though you have lost a member of your own body, for tell me, if any one gave you gold dust, would you not with all precaution keep it fast, being on the guard lest you lose any of it and thus suffer loss? The Protestants' establishment of Communion in the hand was their way of showing their rejection of belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, rejection of the Sacramental Priesthood in short, to show their rejection of Catholicism altogether. Each and every priest in the Roman Rite had to follow them with unyielding precision. I find it quite enlightening. do not tell the reader that the practice was started by clergymen in defiance of established liturgical law but make it sound as if it were a request from the laity. crowds, to offer sacrifice. Chief among the reasons was that some felt Communion in the hand represented the most ancient form of Communion in the early Church. 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. Now some might say, Whats the big deal? After all, we are talking disciplines here and not unchangeable doctrines. Christianity Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for committed Christians, experts in Christianity and those interested in learning more. 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." The document had that ambiguity, imprecision and elasticity that has characterized many of the Vatican II and post-Vatican II documents. But now, lay people administering the Blessed Sacrament is an ordinary sight in the average Novus Ordo parish church, and most Catholics think nothing of it proving that men can become desensitized to desecration. the traditional practice of receiving Holy Communion only on the tongue. "As they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, gave it When the number of the Faithful requesting Holy Communion is such that the celebration of the Mass or the distribution of the Eucharist outside Mass would be unduly prolonged. In fact, if it were forbidden, it seems impossible the Church would alter such an important rule. Stay up to date with the latest news, information, and special offers. To receive Communion, one must be baptized, and, as for all the sacraments for the living i.e., for those who have a supernatural lifeto be in a state of grace. But even taking this document at face value, it is difficult to envisage circumstances that would justify the use of Extraordinary Ministers outside of mission lands. According to Roman Catholic discipline, the Code of Canon Law does not object to the reception of Communion by Christians of these Churches (canon 844 3). When it comes to the sacraments, extraordinary minister is classic terminology. 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. Some time later his relics were moved to the San Silvestro in Capite church in Rome. And in order not to continually play into the manipulating hands of the New Paganism of Modernism, then a complete, formal, unambiguous condemnation of Communion in the hand and Extraordinary Ministers is our leaders only true Catholic option. Browse other questions tagged, Like any library, Christianity Stack Exchange offers great information, but, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site. Throughout the centuries, the Popes, bishops and priests taught us this same thing, not so much by words, but by example and especially by the celebration of the Old Latin Mass, where profound reverence for the Blessed Sacrament as the true Body of Christ was in every move the priest made. With your hand hollowed, receive the Body of Christ and answer Amen. 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. 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. The Fathers of the Council of Trent defined the Blessed Sacrament with precision and care. The tragedy of it all is, if it is optional for the laity, in practice it is not optional for the clergy. St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) - Summa Theologica, Part III, Q. And in instructions of this nature, lack of precision gives rise to wide interpretation, and wide interpretation gives rise to the establishment of an abuse, of fidelity to Church regulations. Saint Thomas Aquinas taught us that out of reverence toward this Sacrament, the touching and administering of this Sacrament belong only to the priest. He was originally buried in the Catacombs of San Callisto and the inscription by Damasus was placed later on his tomb. But the sense of the sacred has not been lost, it has been deliberately thrown away, run out of town on a rail, by the arrogant agents of the New Paganism of Modernism masquerading as Catholic reformers, who have introduced novel practices into the Church that demean the Eucharist, show contempt for tradition and for what our fathers taught us, and have led to a worldwide crisis of Faith of unprecedented proportions. If a temporary change in custom can prevent the spread of illness and even the danger of death, then it should be strongly considered as a reasonable measure. While the church is partly built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets (Jesus Christ being the chief cornerstone, Ephesians 2:19), the apostles and prophets serve as foundational stones, not due to an inherent holiness or sanctity unattainable for "ordinary" Christians but due to the authority given to them by Christ to receive the Holy Spirit who guided them into all truth (John 16:13), a truth which they faithfully proclaimed and recorded in the Scriptures, but which has been twisted and distorted by more than 19 centuries of the inventions and fables of men. These countries hadnt been given permission to even ask for this indult. But when, was issued, there was a tidal wave of scandalous opposition from Catholic priests and Ph.D.s. The Faithful are told that it is an optional practice, and if they dont like it, they can receive it on the tongue. True. It seems like they came from nowhere. Jesus gave some rather interesting instructions to the disciples before sending them out in his name, but some of these make many Christians uncomfortable (or we just chose to ignore Jesus). 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. This ruling too, has been completely ignored, We can only pray that our Church leaders will finally come to the realization that when it comes to the Blessed Sacrament, you dont. 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. I planted, 3, Rep. Obj. The note was more of a thanks to Ken. 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. Stack Exchange network consists of 181 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. It must be asked, then, if this Instruction is on the books, why is Communion in the hand so prevalent? It must be explained that reception of Communion on the hand is not sinful, nor is it forbidden. The Holy See, not succeeding in stopping this abuse, decided to consult all the bishops on this question. He was, Matthew Plese is a traditional Catholic convert, and Dominican tertiary, Melissa is a happily married, homeschooling mom to 8 children, who, Monsignor Patrick Perez has been a good friend to Father Gruner and Our, Peter Mackin is a Traditional Catholic and Dominican Tertiary. "The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood But for us, through the grace of God, it is no puzzle. The latter receive the host in one hand and raise it to the mouth by the fingers of the other. Originally, Fr. , but within that document the bishops used the curious phrase norms for licit dissent. "Therefore whosoever shall eat this bread, or drink the chalice of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and of the blood of the Lord. 13). Where Communion on the hand prevails, bishops could request an indult to continue this practice, and Rome would consider it. Is communion in the hand a liturgical abuse? So how did it happen that some countries were eventually allowed the indult of reception in the hand as well? He preferred death at the hands of a mob rather than deliver to them the Blessed Sacrament which he was carrying. "So, then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an And though these practices have been introduced under the guise of being an authentic liturgical development mandated by Vatican II, the truth is Communion in the hand is not an authentic liturgical development, was not mandated by the Second Vatican Council, and shows complete defiance and contempt for centuries of Catholic teaching and practice before us. In the 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. Both ways are permitted within the Ordinary Form of the Mass. 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. Folder's list view has different sized fonts in different folders, the Allied commanders were appalled to learn that 300 glider troops had drowned at sea. 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. Communion received on the tongue and while kneeling. In summary, the letters (which can be found in Michael Davies, ) stated that Rome has received many complaints of abuses regarding Extraordinary Ministers. to the disciples, and said, Take and eat it; this is my body. Then And it can be argued that the risk is quite minimal. you believed, and each has the role the Lord has given. In summary, the document states: The document further says the Supreme Pontiff judged that the long received manner of ministering Holy Communion to the Faithful should not be changed. And where they were, they were for keeps! brought bulls and wreaths to the gates because he intended, with the 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. How can one say it is a sacrilege to receive the Lord on our hands as children carried it in the Early Church. 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. Before the Second Vatican Council, there is no historic record of bishops, priests or laity petitioning anyone for the introduction of Communion in the hand. Throughout the centuries, our fathers have told us about our Faith and about the Blessed Sacrament. A flood of requests then followed from countries, including Canada, where Communion on the hand did not prevail. Some of the rubrics in the Old Latin Mass are as follows: These are only some of the rubrics incorporated into the Old Mass. In the pre-Vatican II Church, when the Latin Tridentine Mass was the norm, men training to be priests were not only taught, but.
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