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. I find it quite enlightening. All break it and all commune in Him. Why are you doing these things? Three Videos - Latin American Catholic Priest has Vision during Holy Mass of Jesus Christ and in Tears Cries, "No more Holy Communion in the hand!" 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.. THEREFORE, IF YOU LOVE ME, PLEASE DO NOT RECEIVE HOLY COMMUNION IN THE HAND AS IT IS A GRAVE SIN, AN OFFENSE AND AN OUTRAGE AGAINST MY SACRED BODY! 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. 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. The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Even the most ordinary parents are smart enough not to give their children the option to accept or reject parental commands. Our Catholic fathers at home, as well as our teaching Sisters in school, told us that it was sacrilegious for anyone but the priest to touch the Sacred Host. 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. This ruling too, has been completely ignored, as will be all rulings providing a concession for this abuse is somewhere on the books. Can this manner of receiving Communion be required of the faithful who prefer to receive Christ on the tongue? were properly judging ourselves, we would not be judged, but when we 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 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. since all of us share the one bread" (1 Corinthians 10:16-17 CSB). It had not yet started in the United States. A quick example will be found in the writings of Monsignor Champlin. Similarly, the Synod of Rouen (AD 650) decreed: "Do not put the Eucharist in the hands of any layman or laywoman . which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. My question is more about worship and reverence. 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. A law without a penalty is not a law, its a suggestion. @KorvinStarmast, I find sedevacantist arrogant and self righteous. 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). 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. In more recent times, Church leaders have been clear on one point: Communion on the tongue is not only acceptable, but preferable, and the Church should never deny this method of reception to the faithful. Church volunteers have delivered . (Matthew 26:26-29 CSB). But the New Paganism has for its very essence contempt for tradition and contempt for ancestry. Michael E. Rodrguez was born in 1970, in the border city of El, Diocese St. Catharines, Ontario, currently in Chippewa, Ontario. It is appropiate to petition and advocate to maintain this reverent practice, but the faithful should rest assured that reception on the hand is better than none at all, and it confers no less grace. An illustration can be given by the story of the Canadian bishops response to, rightly reaffirmed the Churchs teaching against contraception. It must be asked, then, if this Instruction is on the books, why is Communion in the hand so prevalent? For this reason, we cannot suggest that Communion in the hand is somehow expressly forbidden. In the action of . What is the proper way of receiving Communion in the hand? However some may believe otherwise. But today, theres nothing extraordinary about extraordinary ministers. In summary, the letters (which can be found in Michael Davies, ) stated that Rome has received many complaints of abuses regarding Extraordinary Ministers. When these are prevented from administering Holy Communion because of another pastoral ministry or because of ill health or advanced age. Naturally, liberal clergy in other countries (including ours) concluded that if this rebellion could be legalized in Holland, it could be legalized anywhere. The risk of touching the tongue and passing the saliva on to. Tarsicius or Tarcisius was a martyr of the early Christian church who lived in the 3rd century. But when, was issued, there was a tidal wave of scandalous opposition from Catholic priests and Ph.D.s. , was issued by the Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship that authorized the introduction of Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist. For the first three centuries the Eucharist was celebrated in the houses and homes of Christians. (1 Corinthians 3:5-7). First of all, it is not an act of disloyalty or disobedience to question the wisdom of the document in the first place, particularly when this permission is a revolution against all the pre-Vatican II rubrics that existed for centuries rubrics that existed for reasons of reverence, to safeguard against desecration and that were a matter of Catholic common sense. There are quotes from Church Fathers supporting both practices. But, for whatever reason, this 1980 document contained no threat of penalty to any layman, priest or bishop who ignored the Popes plea. But after all this, Memoriale Domini then added a surprising disclaimer, leaving an avenue open to those bishops currently in disobedience over this issue. He preferred death at the hands of a mob rather than deliver to them the Blessed Sacrament which he was carrying. the traditional practice of receiving Holy Communion only on the tongue. To do so would be a clear sign of weak and vacillating leadership. And this is certainly not an area about which to quarrel or to judge one anothers spiritual intentions. 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. The Protestant Minister, however, is just an ordinary man who leads the hymns, reads the lessons and gives sermons to stir up the convictions of the believers. But ask they did. After the Second Vatican Council, a very wise Archbishop shrewdly observed that the masterstroke of satan was to sow disobedience to Catholic tradition through obedience. Now, when it comes to showing reverence, is it possible for these rubrics to be improved upon? Did the drapes in old theatres actually say "ASBESTOS" on them? 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. Rome allows this by indult in the New Rite. It must be explained that reception of Communion on the hand is not sinful, nor is it forbidden. and defied the liturgical law of the Church, this rebellion would not only be tolerated, but eventually legalized. According to tradition and teaching, the priest is the only one allowed to hold the body of Christ because his hands were consecrated. 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. The Council of Trent (1545-1565), This method [on the tongue] must be retained. And it must be noticed, the Instruction said where the abuse had already become firmly established. With your hand hollowed, receive the Body of Christ and answer 'Amen'. Communion on the hand may possibly been an Apostolic Tradition. 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. And it must be noted that at this time, the abuse was limited to a few European countries. 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 it a sacrilege to take communion in hand? Communion on the tongue certainly dates back to the earliest centuries of Church history, and possibly back to the time of the Apostles. you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until Where does the version of Hamapil that is different from the Gemara come from? A flood of requests then followed from countries, including Canada, where Communion on the hand did not prevail. 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. So, if words mean anything, as Michael Davies pointed out, an extraordinary minister should be an extraordinary sight. parish church, and most Catholics think nothing of it proving that men can become desensitized to desecration. The document had that ambiguity, imprecision and elasticity that has characterized many of the Vatican II and post-Vatican II documents. This is a question that those Churchmen intoxicated by the liberal spirit of Vatican II have yet to answer satisfactorily. worshiped him. While pandemics have raged before, and other diseases exist, COVID is unique in our time. In his 1931 essay on The New Paganism, the great Catholic historian Hilaire Belloc warned of the post-Christian Paganism that was to come. It also shows both side of the issue at hand. This liturgical law clarifies the Church's discipline regarding the reception of Holy Communion. Christianity Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for committed Christians, experts in Christianity and those interested in learning more. Keywords: Catholic, Communion, hand, tongue. He was originally buried in the Catacombs of San Callisto and the inscription by Damasus was placed later on his tomb. 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.. 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? 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. People! 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.". Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been, from your pastor, priest, or other trustworthy counselor, New blog post from our CEO Prashanth: Community is the future of AI, Improving the copy in the close modal and post notices - 2023 edition. it. Which was the first Sci-Fi story to predict obnoxious "robo calls"? He, Teresa Farris-Dacar is a Traditional Catholic from birth and a, Fatima Perspectives #1389 Jair Bolsonaro, President of Brazil, has been called the Trump of Latin America. Having barely, Yesterday the Vatican released the prayer (read it here) which Pope Francis will use at the consecration ceremony, Fatima Perspectives #1310 In a short address commemorating the publication of John Paul IIs Centesimus annus (1991) which, The false ecumenism which is one of the poisoned fruits of Vatican II grows like a cancer in, But the introduction of Communion in the hand and lay ministers of the Eucharist shows an arrogant disregard for what our fathers taught us. Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. Federal Tax Identification Number: 81-0596847. Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. But the bishops, rather than do their duty and condemn the abuse, tolerated it. 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. 400 years ago, Communion in the hand was introduced into Christian worship by men whose motives were rooted in defiance of Catholicism. brought bulls and wreaths to the gates because he intended, with the Because Church leaders allowed the abuse to go unchecked, the practice then spread to Germany, Belgium and France. for what our fathers taught us and obvious contempt for the Blessed Sacrament Itself. 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? It depends on who interprets it. Your Catholic Voice Foundation has been granted a recognition of tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Communion with the Flesh of the Risen Christ preserves, increases and renews the life of grace received in Baptism. It was the indignation of large numbers of the Faithful which prompted Pope Paul VI to take some action. All of a sudden, there they were! They figured that if they ignored. 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. 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. Basil, St. Gregory the Great, and St. Leo the Great, among others, suggesting that reception on the tongue was the standard for the early Church. The Faithful are told that it is an optional practice, and if they dont like it, they can receive it on the tongue. Father Edward Schillebeeckx, an influential liberal theologian at Vatican II, admitted that placing deliberate ambiguity in the Council documents was a key strategy of the progressives. Our fathers told us these things not just for the sake of handing down a venerable but groundless tradition, they have told us these things through word and example to show fidelity to the Catholic Faith and reverence toward the Blessed Sacrament. Others maintain that it was never a Catholic custom, but if Communion in the hand was practiced in some limited way in the early Church, it was institutionalized and made widespread by the Arians as a sign of their disbelief in the Divinity of Jesus Christ. 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. Father, Father Nicholas Gruner, born in Montreal (May 4, 1942), was ordained to, James Hanisch serves as a staff writer and author for The Fatima Center., James W. Bannister (B.A., LL.B) is a native of Toronto and has degrees, Joanna Swords is a long-time supporter of The Fatima Center, and one of, John Vennari was a writer, researcher, catechist, and editor (for more, Kennedy Hall is a Catholic High School teacher, rugby coach, and part, Matt Gaspers is the Managing Editor of Catholic Family News. Todays Eucharistic Ministers actually operate in defiance of existing Vatican norms. Why does Acts not mention the deaths of Peter and Paul? Is it allowed to receive the Precious Blood before the Body of Christ in a Catholic Mass? This is why Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! With bodily signs we show interior beliefs. unworthy manner will be guilty of sin against the body and blood of (1 Corinthians 11:27-32 CSB). Originally, Fr. This is provoking questions among the faithful. (Values is a subjective term you wont find in pre-Vatican II theology manuals). On the other hand, there is also ample testimony from great saints like St. 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. Quite to the contrary, anyone who was raised in the pre-Vatican II Church will distinctly remember being taught that it was sacrilegious for anyone but the priest to touch the Sacred Host. . It is found in the celebration of the Old Latin Tridentine Mass where profound reverence for the Blessed Sacrament is deeply ingrained into every moment of the Liturgy, and where Communion in the hand and Eucharistic Ministers are still looked upon in horror with Catholic eyes, and are clearly recognized as the out-of-place, sacrilegious, non-Catholic practices that they are. Understandably, this is a significant deviation from long-cherished tradition for many Catholics. And, if the priests opposition to Communion in the hand should be fierce and firm, their opposition to Extraordinary Ministers should be even more adamant. 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. Basil the Great, doctor of the Church (AD 330379), would teach: The right to receive Holy Communion in the hand is permitted only in times of persecution (e.g., the laity could touch the Host to distribute it secretly). It is a love-child of the 1960s revolution. But someone will say, "Yes, but they were apostles and we are not." The Sacraments are the most precious gems the Church possesses, and the Holy Eucharist is the greatest of all the Sacraments. The practice of receiving Holy Communion in the hand first began to spread in Catholic circles during the early 1960s, primarily in Holland. First, because he consecrates in the person of Christ. But most clergy and Eucharistic ministers will certainly comply with their bishop's request. From that point on, Communion in the hand received a distinctly anti-Catholic significance. This is why the new liturgy so closely resembles a Protestant service. 3, Rep. Obj. you, and we are proclaiming good news to you, that you turn from these In the pre-Vatican II Church, when the Latin Tridentine Mass was the norm, men training to be priests were not only taught, but. Receiving communion in the hand was not the norm in majority-Catholic Poland before the coronavirus crisis. In actuality, there is no such terminology as Eucharistic minister, the proper term is Extraordinary minister. Both ways are permitted within the Ordinary Form of the Mass. Their belief that the minister of Communion is no different in any fundamental from laymen. to the disciples, and said, Take and eat it; this is my body. Then 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. 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. Not only was Communion in the hand started in disobedience, it was perpetuated by deceit. 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). 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. Chief among the reasons was that some felt Communion in the hand represented the most ancient form of Communion in the early Church. What is Paul? Since Damasus compares him to Stephen, he may have been a deacon; however, a 6th-century account makes him an acolyte. It may be adapted for personal and family use. 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. This article was printed in The Fatima Crusader, Issue 74 (Summer 2003) and in Catholic Family News (September 1995 Issue). To do so would be a clear sign of weak and vacillating leadership. Many insist that they feel equal reverence when receiving in the hand, and that the key is the attitude of the heart. 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. These meticulous rubrics were carved in stone and were not optional. Bishop Sheen once wrote that both men and women are slaves to fashion, but with this difference he said if women are slaves to fashions of clothing, men are slaves to fashions of thought. The Catechism of the Catholic Church offers us a number of images from our tradition to refer to this most sacred reality: Eucharistic assembly (synaxis), action of thanksgiving, breaking of the bread, memorial, holy sacrifice, Lord's Supper, holy and divine Liturgy, Holy Communion, and Holy Mass.7 The eucharistic species of bread and wine derive from the work of human hands. 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 Old Latin Mass. many are sick and ill among you, and many have fallen asleep. Gather with others in your household and begin a time of prayer with the Sign of the Cross. based on the Canadian bishops compromise, it was hardly surprising. In fact, the first Martyr of the Eucharist was a young boy of the age of 12. , but within that document the bishops used the curious phrase norms for licit dissent. He explains: The dispensing of Christs Body belongs to the priest for three reasons. worthless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, The Pope then promulgated the May 28, 1969 Instruction, The bishops of the world were overwhelmingly, This manner of distributing Holy Communion (that is, the priest placing the Host on the tongue of the communicants) must be observed.. So what have they done? 8, The fact that only the priest gives Holy Communion with his consecrated hands is an Apostolic Tradition. This is exactly what happened, and this is why we have Communion in the hand today. 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." 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). 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. Humanae Vitae rightly reaffirmed the Churchs teaching against contraception. 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. that day when I drink it new with you in my Fathers kingdom." With your hand hollowed, receive the Body of Christ and answer Amen. 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. Receiving communion on the hand is part of 'diabolical attack' on the Church, says Sarah by Christopher Lamb For centuries, it was the practice for Catholics to receive the host on the tongue. Now, when it comes to showing reverence, is it possible for these rubrics to be improved upon? It was a recognizably anti-Catholic practice rooted in disbelief in the real Presence of Christ and the priesthood. 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. Not only was Communion in the hand started in disobedience, it was perpetuated by deceit. Basil the Great considered Communion in the hand so irregular that he did not hesitate to consider it a grave fault. Now, does this mean 5 minutes or 45 minutes unduly prolonged? 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.