function __gaTrackerIsOptedOut() { .entry-body dd::before { } The person then steps to the side, faces the altar, and consumes the sacred Host. (Rome) Numerous Episcopal Conferences around the world, including those of the German-speaking area, have forcibly introduced [sacrilegious] hand Communion in Novus Ordo. The new general instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) #160-161, says that the Consecrated Host may be received either on the tongue or in the hand at the discretion of each communicant. RECEIVING HOLY COMMUNION Father William Saunders We have always been taught that when you receive holy Communion, we are to consume it all and not to break it. #comments {border-top: 0 !important;} margin: 0; .g-1 { margin:0px; width:100%; max-width:296px; height:100%; max-height:210px; } .fn-related-post-sidebar {display: none !important;} display: flex; Could we not hear from them? } .fn-primary{width:1070px}.fn-content{width:68.224299065421%}.fn-main-sidebar{width:28.03738317757%}.fn-header, .fn-header-row-inner{width:1130px}.fn-footer, .fn-footer-row-inner{width:1130px}*{max-width: 100%;}img{height: auto;} So then after having carefully hallowed your eyes by the touch of the Holy Body, partake of it. SINCE the gradual re-opening in many regions of Masses this week, several readers have asked me to comment on the restriction several bishops are putting into place that Holy Communion must be received “in the hand.” One man said that he and his wife have received Communion “on the tongue” for fifty years, and […] var noopfn = function() { window[disableStr] = true; .pagers { [CDATA[ */ (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ padding: .5em 0; display: none; It would seem, in this case, that we have sufficient experiential evidence to determine the disposition of Catholics today when they meet Jesus face to face. border-left: none !important; p.get = noopfn; text-decoration: line-through; .g-2 { margin:0px; width:100%; max-width:600px; height:100%; max-height:600px; } color: red !important; } 1.Is it lawful in the church to deny reception of Holy Communion on the tongue? Regarding unity, there is not unity of response from one diocese to another, with some, like the Archdiocese of Sydney, allowing reception either way. Therefore, each person receiving the blessed host, deserves to be protected against such transfer of germs, as much as some deserve the right to receive it on the tongue. This is the quote that is always used: “make your left hand a throne for the right, as for that which is to receive a King. Christ is infinitely loving and merciful and it is only our own pettiness that prevents full mystical union with Him, as He wants. } We often talk about the hand of God as being the strong and loving presence of Our Lord, not something that is ‘not good enough’. Our Lord did not give us total immunity from diseases/other illnesses. Maybe that’s what we can suggest, to train our clergies to do it the right way? And while the moisture is still upon your lips, touch it with your hands, and hallow your eyes and brow and the other organs of sense. But I believe they are saying that not placing the host on the tongue, is considered best medical practice at this time, to save the priests hand being breathed on before gathering a new host with the same hand and then placing it on the next tongue. } } } } #TB_overlay, #TB_window { Although I am not a “doctor of the best medical expertise”, I have difficulty understanding how, receiving Our Lord in the hand and partaking of him, being careful as St. Cyril of Jerusalem also says in his Catechetical Lecture XXIII “giving heed lest thou lose any portion thereof, for whatever thou losest, is evidently a loss to these as it were from one of thine own members. A few weeks ago at Mass, I saw a lady receive Communion, then turn her back from the priest and break it and give part of it to her young child. if ( typeof f !== 'object' || f === null || typeof f.hitCallback !== 'function' ) { So The use of masks by priest and server is important. } .g-col, .g-dyn, .g-single { width:100%; margin-left:0; margin-right:0; }  We do need to take extra precautions at this extraordinary time of Covid. float: none; __gaTracker('create', 'UA-122463584-1', 'auto'); .fn-widget_text > .fn-block-title { } text-align: center; If not, what is it about the pandemic that triggers this additional power in canon law to suspend a right recognised by Rome? background: #3b5998; She said, "No, but I always take one of those when I come here" --well, not that time. } .post-21723 .entry-feature-box-media img{display:none !important;} Let’s take a look at what the Church’s official documents say about receiving Holy Communion on the tongue and on the hand, which should resolve all the confusion on this matter. We have always been taught that when you receive holy Communion, we are to consume it all and not to break it. cursor: default; display: none; And having The recipient must be mindful of any particles, consuming those also. float: none; Instructions on Receiving Holy Communion with Proper Reverence 2 Hand St. Cyril of Jerusalem in the fourth century offered a beautiful and powerful catechesis on the mode of receiving communion in the hand that is still applicable img.emoji { } }.fn-block .item-categories { All rights reserved. } Continuing on the theme above I have two Q&As that I hope someone will comment on. That doesn’t really seem to say that each bishop can do whatever he likes to the liturgical celebrations in his diocese, which after all would create disunity, not unity, between the faithful of Canberra-Goulburn and the faithful of, say, Broken Bay where the Bishop (a canon lawyer) has not prohibited communion on the tongue. .g-1 { margin:0px width:100%; max-width:296px; height:100%; max-height:210px; } Required fields are marked *. I sympathise with those who feel that Communion on the tongue is their right in Canon Law. 92- March 25, 2004). a,a:hover,.color, .item-top .item-title a:hover, .item-bot .item-title a:hover{color:#D12F2F}.border,.sneeit-percent-fill,.sneeit-percent-mask,.fn-bh-text-bg-bot-border .fn-block-title,.fn-bh-bot-border .fn-block-title,.sneeit-articles-pagination-content > a:hover, .sneeit-percent-fill, .sneeit-percent-mask {border-color:#D12F2F}.bg,.fn-block .item-mid .item-categories,.fn-bh-text-bg-bot-border .fn-block-title-text,.fn-bh-full-bg .fn-block-title,.fn-block .item-meta .item-categories,.sneeit-articles-pagination-content > a:hover, .fn-block-mega-menu .sneeit-articles-pagination-content > a, .fn-item-hl .item-big .item-bot-content, .fn-item-hl .item-big .item-top, .fn-item-hl .fn-blog .item-bot-content, .fn-item-hl .fn-blog .item-top, .fn-break .item .item-categories, a.scroll-up, input[type="submit"] {background-color: #D12F2F}body{background-color:#f8f8f8}body{background-attachment:scroll}body{font:normal normal 16px Arial, sans-serif}body{color:#000000}.fn-site-title a{font:normal bold 50px "Oswald", sans-serif}.fn-site-title a{color:#ffffff}.fn-bh-text-bg-bot-border .fn-block-title-text, .fn-bh-text-bg-bot-border .fn-block-title .fn-block-title-text, .fn-bh-full-bg .fn-block-title-text, .fn-bh-full-bg .fn-block-title a, .fn-bh-full-bg .fn-block-title .fn-block-title-text {color:#ffffff}.fn-block-title-text, .fn-break h2{font:normal bold 16px "Oswald", sans-serif}.fn-block-title{margin-bottom: 10px}.fn-block .item-title {font-family:"Oswald", sans-serif}.fn-widget-social-counter .social-counter{font-family:"Oswald", sans-serif}.fn-header-row-logo{background-color: #d12e2e}.fn-site-title img{width:200px}.fn-site-title img{height:88px}.fn-site-title a{line-height:88px!important}.fn-site-title a{margin:20px 0px 0px 20px}.fn-header-banner-desktop{margin:20px 20px 0px 0px}.fn-main-menu-wrapper ul.menu > li > a {font:normal normal 16px "Oswald", sans-serif}.fn-main-menu-wrapper ul.menu > li > a {color:#000000}.fn-header-row-main-menu, .fn-main-menu-wrapper {background-color:#f0f0f0}.fn-main-menu-wrapper ul.menu > li:hover > a {color:#000000}.fn-main-menu-wrapper ul.menu > li:hover > a {background-color:#dddddd}.fn-main-menu-wrapper ul.menu > li.current-menu-item > a {color:#D12E2E}.fn-main-menu-wrapper ul.menu > li.current-menu-item > a {background-color:#f0f0f0}.fn-main-menu-wrapper .badge {font-family:Arial, sans-serif}.fn-main-menu-wrapper .badge {color:#ffffff}.fn-main-menu-wrapper .badge {background-color:#D12E2E}.fn-main-menu-wrapper ul.menu li li a {font-family:Arial, sans-serif}.fn-main-menu-wrapper ul.menu li li a {color:#ffffff}.fn-main-menu-wrapper .menu-item-inner, .fn-main-menu-wrapper ul.sub-menu, .fn-main-menu-wrapper li li {background-color:#333333}.fn-main-menu-wrapper ul.menu li li:hover > a {color:#ffffff}.fn-main-menu-wrapper ul.menu li li:hover > a, .fn-main-menu-wrapper ul.menu > .menu-item-mega.menu-item-mega-category.menu-item-has-children > .menu-item-inner > .menu-mega-content, .menu-item-mega-category.menu-item-has-children .menu-mega-block, .menu-mega-content, .menu-item-mega-category.menu-item-has-children .menu-item-object-category > a.active, .menu-item-mega-category.menu-item-has-children .menu-mega-block-bg {background-color:#111111}#fn-main-menu .main-menu-sticky-menu-logo img {width: 150px}#fn-main-menu .main-menu-sticky-menu-logo img {height: 30px}#fn-main-menu .main-menu-sticky-menu-logo {padding: 10px 20px 10px 20px}.fn-primary,.fn-block.fn-item-title-underover .item-bot-content{background-color:#ffffff}.fn-primary{padding:0px 30px 30px 30px}h1.entry-title.post-title{font:normal normal 36px "Oswald", sans-serif}.fn-mob-logo img {width: 120px}.fn-mob-logo img {height: 53px}.fn-mob-header {background: #d12e2e}.fn-mob-header a {color: #ffffff}, Archdiocesan Protocols for Coronavirus (COVID-19), The protocols for reception of Holy Communion that the Archdiocese has adopted are informed by the best medical expertise. .g-col:last-child { margin-right: 0; } I thought the first sign of madness is hair on the palm of your hands and the second sign is looking for them. Thank you, Fr Percy, for offering some explanation of the decision. Moreover, the child without instruction cannot begin to appreciate this great gift. console.log( 'Not running function __gaTracker(' + arguments[0] + " ....) because you are not being tracked. " If Archbishop says you can have communion by putting the host in your ear you would be wise to do it. It did not say at the discretion of the priest or the bishop. } Receiving the Sacred Host on the tongue is the normative way of receiving Holy Communion in the Latin Rite. Considering all the discussions above, which show that the right to this sacrament in the manner allowed by the church is an issue of some importance to the faithful in the Canberra-Goulburn archdiocese, I am surprised that our Archbishop Christopher Prowse, or his spokesperson Fr.Tony Percy VG have not wanted to further clarify their protocol here for our better understanding, sharing the same medium we have communicated to. .archive-page-description { } catch (ex) { var noopnullfn = function() { Or, find a priest right away, so he can deal with the matter. } __gaTracker.create = function() { In every parish assignment I have had, the sacred Host at some time has been found in a hymnal. The person receiving could step aside remove mask and place host on tobgue.it may come to this. .inactiveLink { } var dFlipLocation = "https://www.catholicvoice.org.au/wp-content/plugins/3d-flipbook-dflip-lite/assets/"; var dFlipWPGlobal = {"text":{"toggleSound":"Turn on\/off Sound","toggleThumbnails":"Toggle Thumbnails","toggleOutline":"Toggle Outline\/Bookmark","previousPage":"Previous Page","nextPage":"Next Page","toggleFullscreen":"Toggle Fullscreen","zoomIn":"Zoom In","zoomOut":"Zoom Out","toggleHelp":"Toggle Help","singlePageMode":"Single Page Mode","doublePageMode":"Double Page Mode","downloadPDFFile":"Download PDF File","gotoFirstPage":"Goto First Page","gotoLastPage":"Goto Last Page","share":"Share","mailSubject":"I wanted you to see this FlipBook","mailBody":"Check out this site {{url}}","loading":"DearFlip: Loading "},"moreControls":"download,pageMode,startPage,endPage,sound","hideControls":"","scrollWheel":"true","backgroundColor":"#777","backgroundImage":"","height":"auto","paddingLeft":"20","paddingRight":"20","controlsPosition":"bottom","duration":800,"soundEnable":"true","enableDownload":"true","enableAnnotation":"false","enableAnalytics":"false","webgl":"true","hard":"none","maxTextureSize":"1600","rangeChunkSize":"524288","zoomRatio":1.5,"stiffness":3,"pageMode":"0","singlePageMode":"0","pageSize":"0","autoPlay":"false","autoPlayDuration":5000,"autoPlayStart":"false","linkTarget":"2","sharePrefix":"dearflip-"};.broken_link, a.broken_link { 'unprm_r_border': '' It is a fair point. Perhaps some Catholic in ignorance told her she could receive holy Communion when she really could not. The lady in question suffers from ignorance in several possible areas. .living-word .mc-field-group { } (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), Also, the universal law of the Latin Rite is that we receive communion in the tongue. The faithful should be assured that in receiving Communion in the hand they are acting in accord with past generations of believers. However, I also know people in poor health, and others seemingly in reasonable health, who are so concerned about transmission of the virus that they no longer go to Mass, let alone receive communion. Today I have got the answer. While we have the option of receiving holy Communion either on the tongue or on the hand, we must always be mindful of receiving our Lord respectfully. window[disableStr] = true; margin-top: -4px; To my knowledge, Jesus handed the bead, his body, to the Apostles at the last supper, He did not put it into their mouths. .social-buttons a.twitter { } __gaTracker('set', 'forceSSL', true); body > a.scroll-up { @media screen and (max-width:767px) { What should I have done? float: left; .social-buttons { Receive the Body of Christ, saying over it, Amen. In the book he doesn’t take a firm stance on hand vs tongue, but he does remind us that the tongue is often no more “clean” than our hand, and that our tongue … Communion in the hand is legitimate only where permitted, and it padding: 1px 15px; Harry. This is an honest question – sometimes there really is no alternative! Therefore we should do everything that we can to not spread it.Â. .fn-header { var monsterinsights_frontend = {"js_events_tracking":"true","download_extensions":"doc,pdf,ppt,zip,xls,docx,pptx,xlsx","inbound_paths":"[]","home_url":"https:\/\/www.catholicvoice.org.au","hash_tracking":"false"}; Prof. Filippo Maria Boscia, President of the Catholic Medical Association: "Hand Communion is more dangerous than oral Communion". } .tribe-events-event-meta .tribe-events-meta-group { Moreover, we must all take responsibility for properly teaching others about the sacredness of the holy Eucharist through our words and actions. z-index: 1; But I have a couple of questions. .social-buttons a.youtube { background-color: #d12e2e !important; return null; Many thanks for the posting. To be forced to receive Holy Communion in the hand is an abuse of the Bishops’authority and trivializes the Sacrament. .fn-header-row-main-menu, .fn-main-menu-wrapper, .fn-header-row-logo, .fn-header-row-break, .fn-header-social-links, .fn-header-btn { } var f = arguments[len-1]; First, this lady truly may not believe in what she is receiving or know how to receive it. max-height: 411px; .living-word input { align-items: stretch; I am a Bangladeshi Catholic. p.send = noopfn; var mi_track_user = true; } } } content: "Share on:"; .fn-widget ul li { .petition-form li.gfield { If Communion is received in the hand, the hands The Lord had just ordained the Apostles Priests – as Priests they could touch the Eucharist. Second, the lady in question may think it "nice" or "meaningful" for her child to receive the Host. m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m) Robert Anderson, Thankyou for sharing your knowledge of disease control. Bishop Athanasius Schneider: Consequences of Communion in the Hand... "Communion in the hand has not been, and will not be accepted by Heaven. } } Well said Colliss. So Then wait for the prayer, and give thanks unto God, who has accounted you worthy of so great mysteries (Catechetical Lecture 23). padding-right: 0 !important; | Irondale, AL 35210 |. /* https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/analyticsjs/ */ But there is more to the story. Then, approach the person and politely yet firmly instruct him about what is the proper way for receiving holy Communion. user-select: none; } However, since 1969, the Holy See has granted permission to bishops' conferences who have requested it for holy Communion to be received on the hand. __gaTrackerOptout(); Please Pray for our church and our Bishop. display: none !important; Further the fears of those you refer to have not been allayed by barring Holy Communion on the tongue and it would be quite practical for those wanting to receive on the tongue to receive at the end of the line or even after Mass. Finally, we have this 2009 letter from the Vatican during the time of the Swine Flu epidemic that reaffirms a Catholic’s right to receive Communion on the tongue. The priest or Eucharistic minister must be mindful that the person receiving holy Communion does so properly and consumes the sacred Host. .g-col { position:relative; float:left; } function gaOptout() { p.set = noopfn; if ( 'undefined' === typeof gaOptout ) { text-align: left !important; More frightening, however, is the fact that devil worshippers try to steal the Host to desecrate it in their "Black Mass.". [CDATA[ */ More than 50 people, including some medical personnel, attended a screening of the documentary film Fatal Flaws on Sunday August 18 at the Haydon Hall. .g { margin:0px; padding:0px; overflow:hidden; line-height:1; zoom:1; } Nor did Our Lord grant us immunity from suffering. I kive in border Vic and v. Sad so need prayer as i you all. } Very well said Mr Christopher Bishop. } })(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','__gaTracker'); Christopher, I agree with you. Pedantry and perfectionism are often indicators of approaching mental illness. Taking it, I said, "This is very sacred to us," and gave have her a short catechesis on the Eucharist. The rationale for Communion on the hands being an ancient practice is from St. Cyril of Jerusalem. var mi_version = '7.15.1'; We must also guard our Eucharistic Lord in our actions. The virus, etc, are preparing the world for the fulfilment of the Lords Prayer. In this current era,and before covid 19 I have considered the reception of Holy communion direct onto the tongue is NOT hygienic. } This article appeared in the November 11, 1994 issue of "The Arlington Catholic Herald." /*