Opinion: Fr. Markey on 'Communion on the Hand'
I encourage parishioners to give prayerful consideration to following Pope Benedict XVI’s lead by receiving Holy Communion on the tongue in the New Year.
PrintBRIDGEPORT, Conn. (Catholic Online) - The beginning of each year is often a time of “New Year Resolutions”, and a wonderful resolution for 2009 would be to start exercising the option of receiving Holy Communion on the tongue in Mass. Let me explain why.
This past summer Catholics were horrified when a professor at the University of Minnesota willfully desecrated the Eucharist. On the internet Professor Paul Zachary Myers invited anyone to obtain for him a consecrated Host from a Catholic Church so that he could desecrate It. Another man read about the request and took a Host from the London Oratory, videotaping Himself taking It from the Mass. He then sent the Host to Professor Myers and posted the video on the internet.
Professor Myer then proceeded to drive a rusty nail through the Host in order to show the “absurdity” of the Catholic belief in the True Presence, and posted photos of the event on his website. Unfortunately the event set off a series of copycat crimes, and these desecrations are all over the internet.
What can be behind so much hatred? Even a child understands that it is not right to mock what others hold to be sacred. I have offered Mass in reparation for this sacrilege, and I know that many good Catholics have also done forms of prayer and penance in order to console the wounded heart of Our Lord.
Do you remember last year here at St. Mary’s when we found a Host under one of the pews in the church? I know from other priests that this happens every once in a while in other parishes as well. These incidents remind us that it would certainly be more difficult for people to take the Host improperly if everyone were receiving Holy Communion on the tongue. As the Catholic Church teaches, “If there is a risk of profanation, then Holy Communion should not be given in the hand to the faithful” (Redemptionis Sacramentum, 92).
Many people born prior to the Second Vatican Council will remember when everyone received Holy Communion on the tongue and kneeling. This has been the long held practice for thousands of years (although during certain periods of the early Church it did allow Communion in the hand). While many think that it was Vatican II that called for this change, it is important to note: Vatican II never called for Communion in the hand. Communion in the hand was the result of disobedience which forced the hand of the Church (no pun intended!).
After the Second Vatican Council some dioceses in the world started to make their own rules about receiving the Communion in the hand, disobeying the laws of the universal Church. Witnessing this practice without approval, the Vatican stated that it feared that this disobedience would lead to “...both the possibility of a lessening of reverence toward the august sacrament of the altar, its profanation, and the watering down of the true doctrine of the Eucharist” (Memoriale Domini).
Therefore in 1968 Pope Paul VI graciously sent out a questionnaire to all the bishops of the world asking if there should be a prudent change in the Church’s practice on how Communion would be distributed. The poll numbers came back overwhelming against Communion in the hand. Hence the Vatican concluded: “The answers given show that by far the greater number of bishops think that the discipline currently in force should not be changed. And if it were to be changed, it would be an offense to the sensibilities and spiritual outlook of these bishops and a great many of the faithful” (Memoriale Domini).
Nonetheless the disobedience continued and some of these dioceses petitioned Rome to officially permit Communion in the hand. A year later, in 1969, Pope Paul VI gave an indult to the French bishops permitting each bishop to decide the question in his own diocese (En réponse a la Demande). An indult is a special permission for a particular situation, rather than a universal norm. Nonetheless eventually the majority of dioceses in the world took advantage of the indult and simply permitted the practice.
Why did the Pope allow it? Perhaps it can be best summed up by the words of Our Lord about why divorce was allowed in the Old Testament: “For your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives” (Matthew 19:8). Their disobedience had reached such a point that it would have been difficult to have them return to the traditional practice.
Nonetheless some countries like Sri Lanka did not use the indult, and maintained the long held tradition of receiving only on the tongue. Recently there have also been dioceses around the world such San Luis, Argentina and Lima, Peru that have returned to the traditional practice and no longer permit Communion in the hand. This is an option fully supported by the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith.
Furthermore, if one does receive Communion on the hand, there is always the danger that particles may be remain in the hand. The Council of Trent infallibly teaches that Our Blessed Lord is truly present even in the particles as well: “If anyone denies that in the venerable sacrament of the Eucharist the whole Christ is contained under each form and under every part of each form when separated, let him be anathema” (Chapter VIII, Canon 3). For this reason the priest always purifies his hands of particles at the end of Mass, and uses a corporal (a small white cloth meant to catch the corpus, or body, of Our Lord).
Finally another major event occurred this past year when Pope Benedict XVI asked that from now on, all who receive Holy Communion from him must receive It on the tongue and kneeling. I am sure that by insisting on this ancient practice the Pope is trying to foster a deeper respect for the Eucharist as well.
When Rome did give the indult to the French bishops in 1969 it stated, “The new manner of giving Communion must not be imposed in a way that would exclude the traditional practice.” Therefore Communion on the tongue is still the common practice for the universal Church. While both practices are permitted in most dioceses, I encourage parishioners to give prayerful consideration to following Pope Benedict XVI’s lead by receiving Holy Communion on the tongue in the New Year.
****
Fr. Greg J. Markey is a priest of the Bridgeport Diocese, and Pastor of St. Mary Church. He is the youngest of 11 children, graduated from Mount Saint Mary Seminary, and was ordained in 1999.
This past summer Catholics were horrified when a professor at the University of Minnesota willfully desecrated the Eucharist. On the internet Professor Paul Zachary Myers invited anyone to obtain for him a consecrated Host from a Catholic Church so that he could desecrate It. Another man read about the request and took a Host from the London Oratory, videotaping Himself taking It from the Mass. He then sent the Host to Professor Myers and posted the video on the internet.
Professor Myer then proceeded to drive a rusty nail through the Host in order to show the “absurdity” of the Catholic belief in the True Presence, and posted photos of the event on his website. Unfortunately the event set off a series of copycat crimes, and these desecrations are all over the internet.
What can be behind so much hatred? Even a child understands that it is not right to mock what others hold to be sacred. I have offered Mass in reparation for this sacrilege, and I know that many good Catholics have also done forms of prayer and penance in order to console the wounded heart of Our Lord.
Do you remember last year here at St. Mary’s when we found a Host under one of the pews in the church? I know from other priests that this happens every once in a while in other parishes as well. These incidents remind us that it would certainly be more difficult for people to take the Host improperly if everyone were receiving Holy Communion on the tongue. As the Catholic Church teaches, “If there is a risk of profanation, then Holy Communion should not be given in the hand to the faithful” (Redemptionis Sacramentum, 92).
Many people born prior to the Second Vatican Council will remember when everyone received Holy Communion on the tongue and kneeling. This has been the long held practice for thousands of years (although during certain periods of the early Church it did allow Communion in the hand). While many think that it was Vatican II that called for this change, it is important to note: Vatican II never called for Communion in the hand. Communion in the hand was the result of disobedience which forced the hand of the Church (no pun intended!).
After the Second Vatican Council some dioceses in the world started to make their own rules about receiving the Communion in the hand, disobeying the laws of the universal Church. Witnessing this practice without approval, the Vatican stated that it feared that this disobedience would lead to “...both the possibility of a lessening of reverence toward the august sacrament of the altar, its profanation, and the watering down of the true doctrine of the Eucharist” (Memoriale Domini).
Therefore in 1968 Pope Paul VI graciously sent out a questionnaire to all the bishops of the world asking if there should be a prudent change in the Church’s practice on how Communion would be distributed. The poll numbers came back overwhelming against Communion in the hand. Hence the Vatican concluded: “The answers given show that by far the greater number of bishops think that the discipline currently in force should not be changed. And if it were to be changed, it would be an offense to the sensibilities and spiritual outlook of these bishops and a great many of the faithful” (Memoriale Domini).
Nonetheless the disobedience continued and some of these dioceses petitioned Rome to officially permit Communion in the hand. A year later, in 1969, Pope Paul VI gave an indult to the French bishops permitting each bishop to decide the question in his own diocese (En réponse a la Demande). An indult is a special permission for a particular situation, rather than a universal norm. Nonetheless eventually the majority of dioceses in the world took advantage of the indult and simply permitted the practice.
Why did the Pope allow it? Perhaps it can be best summed up by the words of Our Lord about why divorce was allowed in the Old Testament: “For your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives” (Matthew 19:8). Their disobedience had reached such a point that it would have been difficult to have them return to the traditional practice.
Nonetheless some countries like Sri Lanka did not use the indult, and maintained the long held tradition of receiving only on the tongue. Recently there have also been dioceses around the world such San Luis, Argentina and Lima, Peru that have returned to the traditional practice and no longer permit Communion in the hand. This is an option fully supported by the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith.
Furthermore, if one does receive Communion on the hand, there is always the danger that particles may be remain in the hand. The Council of Trent infallibly teaches that Our Blessed Lord is truly present even in the particles as well: “If anyone denies that in the venerable sacrament of the Eucharist the whole Christ is contained under each form and under every part of each form when separated, let him be anathema” (Chapter VIII, Canon 3). For this reason the priest always purifies his hands of particles at the end of Mass, and uses a corporal (a small white cloth meant to catch the corpus, or body, of Our Lord).
Finally another major event occurred this past year when Pope Benedict XVI asked that from now on, all who receive Holy Communion from him must receive It on the tongue and kneeling. I am sure that by insisting on this ancient practice the Pope is trying to foster a deeper respect for the Eucharist as well.
When Rome did give the indult to the French bishops in 1969 it stated, “The new manner of giving Communion must not be imposed in a way that would exclude the traditional practice.” Therefore Communion on the tongue is still the common practice for the universal Church. While both practices are permitted in most dioceses, I encourage parishioners to give prayerful consideration to following Pope Benedict XVI’s lead by receiving Holy Communion on the tongue in the New Year.
****
Fr. Greg J. Markey is a priest of the Bridgeport Diocese, and Pastor of St. Mary Church. He is the youngest of 11 children, graduated from Mount Saint Mary Seminary, and was ordained in 1999.
- - -
Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.
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The ancient liturgies of Ss. Addai and Mari (used by the Assyrian Church of the East and her Catholic counterparts) and the Byzantine Liturgy of St. James call for the faithful to receive the Body of Christ in their hands and to sip from the Chalice.
The Byzantine and other Eastern Churches also have received standing by millenial tradition.
Physical infirmities prevent my keeping the ancient fast from midnight. Competent advice, both medical and spiritual, have forbidden me to do so any longer.
I'm from Bombay (Now known as Mumbai), India.
When I received First Holy Communion in 1979, it was only on the tongue. The hand rule came out some time in the 80s. I tried receiving on the hand but was not comfortable, as my hands sometimes had sweat. So I reverted back to the old practice.
When the rule came out, we were told that one had to take Communion in the left palm and then take it from the left palm with the right hand fingers and place it into the mouth.
Somewhere down the line, things seem to have altered and many people don't even do this. They take the Communion directly from the priest with the right hand fingers itself, and place it on the tongue.
Sometimes, this results in a tendency to even grab the Communion from the priest's (or eucharistic minister's) hand. The whole procedure is very quick sometimes.and literally robotic like handing down cookies in the cafeteria line. (As one of my sisters has described in a comment above).
I feel we must revert back to the old system of receiving Communion only on the tongue. If kneeling down is possible, it would be still better. Otherwise, there are chances of deviations, as I have just stated..
(Katharian Emmerich 1824) stigmata--Considered the most famous of all German mystics, saw Jesus distribute the bread into the mouths of the Apostles, Also (Therese Neumann 1962)
This article states all the reasons I still receive the Lord on the tongue. Having been an altar boy in my generation; I do not wish to leave one speck of the Lord in my hand or on the ground. I have even found the host lying on the walkway outside of the church building following Mass. While other parishners walked past It; I took the host to the priest for proper disposal.I too pray that the old tradition returns.
I always received Communion on the tongue until one day when there was a miscoordination between the priest and myself and the Host ended up on the floor. The priest promptly bent down, picked it up and popped it into his own mouth then gave me another. I felt so ashamed, mortified and guilty so from then on I resolved to receive Communion on the hand to ensure an incident like that would never happen again. I do see the Father Markey's point and I too have seen people treating the Host in a disrespectful and perhaps profane manner after receiving on the hand. Therefore I think I will return to receiving on the tongue. Kneeling however, beyond a quick dip of the knee, is highly impractical in my local church, which is always crammed beyond bursting with worshippers at every Mass. Even kneeling within the pews is almost impossible but we manage.
With respects and charity to the posters here, I certainly understand that one may have a strong opinion on either the merits/drawbacks of communion in the hand or the manner in which it was implemented. However, one must be careful to avoid statements like "for me it is wrong" - neither you, nor I, may legitimately second guess the authority of the Church to regulate liturgical practice and norms. In contrast, Fr Markey highlighted the possible dangers of communion in the hand as well possible abuse of an indult - he did not say "the Church can't do this" or "I know better" or "it may be approved but it's wrong" any one of which place the individual in the position of judging (and being the final authority) over the Church in her legitimate affairs.
I am happy that the old tradition is comming back,as a child i received holy communion on tongue and not on the hand,ladies had to cover their head in respect to our lord hope it come back.
Thank you so much for your article on Communion in hand. I have just finished reading a book by Mr. Michael Davies....and here is the link www.catholictradition.org/Eucharist/communion.htm
Those who are serious about their faith...and issues concerning reverence should read this book. Personally, I kneel and receive Communion on the tongue...and I am the "odd one out" in our parish. Remember what St. Thomas Aquinas said about touching the Sacred Host?
Alois Kachere, Harare Zimbabwe
Hi all ,to receive in the hand is wrong for me i dont even like lay people to give out the eucharist,i have just returned to christ and pray the rosary after what he went thru i think we should kneel before our lord christ ,but i have,not the guts to do it for my shame:( but i will not take our lords body in the hand and i,m a sinner i still need christ to save me from a few evils but i grow every day with his love;)
I love receiving Jesus on the palm of my hand. It forges a close relationship between God and me.
I would like to share the thoughts and feelings I experienced during a pilgrimage to Churches in India during Christmas 2008.
Do you remember that when Jesus was presented before Pilate after His scourging, Pilate said " Behold the Man" What is the message for us in those words?
Jesus stood before Pilate totally human, quietly and humbly ready to take on and complete that mission on earth for which He had prepared Himself through the years of Fasting, Prayer, Teaching and Healing Ministry. The mission that God our Father Himself foretold when Man first committed an act of disobedience to His Word.
He, Jesus, God's Word made Flesh proved to us that we too can take on that same role in our lives, not to such a great extent, but each of us in our own limited capacities.`
We all know that Jesus had His Divine Nature intimately intertwined with His Human Nature. He was Emmanuel, God among us! What many of us may not see is that when He stood before Pilate, He was MAN, representing Adam, Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, Moses, You and I and even our children and grandchildren to be. There was a physical separation (although so subtle that it is not immediately apparent to everyone) that took place during His Passion between this twin nature of GOD and MAN.
What physical act then happened to transform Him from being partly Divine, partly human to a total human being who was taking upon Himself the totality of sins of all mankind throughout the ages, atoning to an Almighty God and Eternal Father for our transgressions and regressions from time immemorial until end times?
Can you imagine for a moment that Jesus while on the Cross was able to take on the taunts and jeers, "He saved others, why can He not save Himself." He saved others through His Divine Nature, he was atoning for their sins as a human being through His Human Nature.
He was totally human, the pain and suffering He experienced is what we go through in life, just that we do not often handle it so well as He did!
He gathered all His human strength from the sufferings He went through in order to make those last statements that are even more precious to us as the rest of His teachings. These were uttered by a Son of God at the height of His suffering and separation from His Father. How great must be the impact of those seven last utterances of a Man who had a purpose in life?
At the Last Supper, in the Upper Room Jesus gave Himself to us in the form of bread, the work of human hands prepared from wheat to become His Body, not just the Human part of His body, NO! that was His Divinity that He was leaving us as He prepared to undertake His last journey and death as Man! He was scourged by Pilate, not just as an act of humiliation, NO! there was a purpose for that act of humiliation which is what it may seem to us; it was an act of Divine Intervention with an even more Divine Purpose. It was the ultimate separation of His flesh being torn out of His body, the separation of His Human from His Divine Nature.
And wine from grapes, acknowledged as the derivative of fruit from the tree of life. That wine was transformed into His blood, the Divinity that He shed for us in the Garden of Gethsemane as He prepared Himself to take on His supreme act of atonement.
He left this Divinity for us as his legacy for time immemorial.
What a Great God who has been walking with mankind through all ages, He was with Jacob, with Joseph, but most importantly with Moses. He foretold the Paschal Sacrifice that He was preparing when He asked the Israelites to perform the Passover. He travelled with them in their journey through the desert, protecting them from the heat of the sun by being a huge cloud. He gave them light and warmth by being a pillar of fire at night. He provided water from rocks and manna in the desert for sustenance. Will He ever neglect to provide for us?
No indeed and that is the reason why every word that is uttered in the Sacred Liturgy of the Holy Week takes on immense meaning and power. Before His ascension He left His disciples a promise when He said "go and make followers of all people in the world. Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach those people to obey everything that I have told you. You can be sure that I will be with you always. I will continue with you until the end of the world."
Yes! He is there for us in the Holy Eucharist, where we partake of the Divinity that He shared with us. Often we separate ourselves, our spark of divinty gets erased when we like Adam commit acts of disobedience to His Divine Will. We need to seek reconciliation and partake of His divinity to be one with HIM once again.
I myself divided John 3:16 into two parts: 3:16A - Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son. This is a message of LOVE . 3: 16B God gave his Son so that every person that believes in him would not be lost, but have life forever. And this is a great message of HOPE!!
I agree with A. Gray | 1/23/2009 "In the U.K. the vast majority of Catholics that I have seen in many parishes prefer the Communion in the hand. They have the choice. Leave the excellent practice well alone, certainly in the U.K. alone.
I myself look at Jesus lovingly as I receive Him on my hand and after partaking of His Divinity, I kiss my palm so that no particles are left behind. Just as I feel that Jesus is ientering my home whenever a mass is celebrated in the house, I believe that Faith is not just rituals, discipline or practices. It is the forging of a deep relationship with God!
God Bless all of you who are sharing your thoughts here. I wish you a very Blessed Lent and a Happy and Holy Easter!