It must be asked, then, if this Instruction is on the books, why is Communion in the hand so prevalent? Throughout the centuries, our fathers have told us about our Faith and about the Blessed Sacrament. Now we are at the point where Communion in the hand is viewed as a. way of receiving the Eucharist and the vast majority of our little children are being misinstructed to receive First Communion in the hand. 43 specifies some norms approved by the U.S. bishops. They were not just silly scruples, but showed the Church believed with certainty that at Mass, the bread and wine truly become the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, and that no pains were too great to make sure that Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament was treated with all the reverence and homage that His Majesty deserves. First of all, the claim that the EU is run by "unelected bureaucrats" shows a deep misunderstanding of European executive politics. 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. 2. Space doesnt allow all the details, but the propaganda in the 1970s that was used to sell Communion in the hand to a trusting, vulnerable people was a campaign of calculated half-truths that didnt tell the whole story. When and where did Pope Paul VI say the "Mass is the most perfect form of prayer"? This is done with the repository door open. 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 after the Second Vatican Council. 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. 163 specifies: "[A]s for any consecrated hosts that are left, he (the priest himself) either consumes them at the altar or carries them to the place designated for the reservation of the Eucharist." A quick example will be found in the writings of Monsignor Champlin. 2, Art. There was a warning that any innovation could lead to irreverence and profanation of the Eucharist, as well as gradual erosion of correct doctrine., It must be asked, then, if this Instruction is on the books, why is Communion in the hand so prevalent? In summary, the letters (which can be found in Michael Davies Privilege of the Ordained) stated that Rome has received many complaints of abuses regarding Extraordinary Ministers. All ministers of Holy Communion should show the greatest reverence for the Most Holy Eucharist by their demeanor, their attire, and the manner in which they handle the consecrated bread or wine. 315 in the context of the Ukrainian rite. 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. If you are an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, I suggest that you resign immediately. Asked 7 years ago Modified 4 years, 4 months ago Viewed 794 times 5 I'd like to know if Eucharistic Ministers are allowed to break a consecrated host? Some liturgists, and even some bishops, interpreted this text to mean that nobody should kneel or sit until everybody had received Communion. 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. Only consecrated items are allowed to touch consecrated things. It affirms that the faithful "may sit or kneel while the period of sacred silence after Communion is observed.". So I am not sure what this document means when it says that 'not on an altar' is 'more in keeping with the meaning of the sign.' Nearly all Novus Ordo Masses see an army of extraordinary ministers at Sunday Mass when they are gravely unnecessary. the traditional practice of receiving Holy Communion only on the tongue. mandated by the Second Vatican Council, and shows complete defiance and contempt for centuries of Catholic teaching and practice before us. So, if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, it is not unfair to ask why are our modern churchmen imitating self-proclaimed infidels who reject core sacramental teaching of Catholicism? A similar statement can be found in General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM), 162. Guidelines for Extraordinary Ministries of Holy Communion And it will be sometimes necessary to use the tabernacle in order to renew the reserved hosts. 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. Thus, insofar as possible the faithful should receive Communion from hosts consecrated during the Mass itself and not just receive from the tabernacle. Each and every priest in the Roman Rite had to follow them with unyielding precision. Saint Thomas Aquinas taught us that out of reverence toward this Sacrament, the touching and administering of this Sacrament belong only to the priest. , but within that document the bishops used the curious phrase norms for licit dissent. It is a love-child of the 1960s revolution. 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. 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. But the introduction of Communion in the hand and lay ministers of the Eucharist shows an arrogant disregard for what our fathers taught us. When vast numbers of Catholics, then, rejected. I am no specialist in the Eastern liturgical traditions, but it is fair to say that in general the spiritual role of the tabernacle is different in most Oriental rites than in the Latin. Another reader asks about GIRM No. One norm says the faithful should "kneel after the Agnus Dei unless the Diocesan Bishop determines otherwise." Is the European Union governed by 'unelected bureaucrats'? - LSE Blogs A correspondent from Florida asks if a bow of the head may substitute the genuflection as a sign of reverence toward the tabernacle. Other than Will Riker and Deanna Troi, have we seen on-screen any commanding officers on starships who are married? The terms lay minister and Eucharistic minister have been used rather loosely up until this point, because this is the terminology often found in parish bulletins. An ordained Catholic priest is the only person allowed to touch the consecrated host .o Only a concecrated priest is allowed to touch it. 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.. He polled the bishops of the world on this issue, and they voted overwhelmingly to retain the traditional practice of receiving Holy Communion only on the tongue. Is there a distinction between the diminutive suffices -l and -chen? 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. 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. 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. Though there is no hard proof that the loose wording of Immensae Caritatis was done on purpose, there is ample proof that the ambiguity in the Vatican II documents was deliberate. This document does not purport to regulate all movements in a rigid and minute manner. Originally, Fr. 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. 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.. Word made flesh, dwelling among us, have mercy on us. 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. When these are prevented from administering Holy Communion because of another pastoral ministry or because of ill health or advanced age. [2] The definition of.