Wednesday 22 January 2014

Nil by hand

      Why, oh why does the awful practice of receiving Holy Communion in the hand continue?

 Why do not more priests insist that the Body and Blood of Christ must be received by mouth, preferably whilst kneeling?

It seems such basic common sense, that, in order to protect the Host, reception should not be by hand.

This video clip demonstrates, very well, the issue of fragmentation.

Equally relevant is the increasing practice of people walking out of church with the consecrated Host in their pocket.

Reception by mouth eliminates the fragmentation issue and helps prevent Host abduction.


                       

11 comments:

  1. A good start would be to put the altar rails back- i.e. nothing elaborate, just a simple rail and kneeler.

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  2. Surely there would be fragmentation on the priest's hand as well as on the paten if the Eucharist was received by mouth.
    Sue

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    1. That's why in the TLM the priest, following the Consecration, keeps the forefinger and thumb of each hand together and holds the chalice with his middle finger hooked around the stem until his fingers are washed again. The paten is held under the communicant's chin or passed along the line by each communicant. At the altar priest brushes remaining fragments into the chalice of Blood and consumes. He is the only one who ever touches the Host or its fragments.

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    2. Some very reverent priests also keep careful custody of their fingers after touching Our Lord in the Holy Eucharist - in the NO Masses.

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    3. Sue, both Genty and Jacobi have answered your comment. I cannot improve on their responses. God bless.

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  3. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  4. The practise of receiving Communion by hand was introduced in the chaotic post–Vatican II period as one of the moves on the part of Reformers to gradually diminish belief in the Real Presence.

    It was a break with established Catholic tradition, since before the 12th century, it had become established Catholic practise to receive by mouth. St Francis of Assisi made this clear, as did St Bonaventure and St Thomas Aquinas.

    The principle is that only hands anointed for that purpose, that is Deacon or Priest’s should touch the Sacred Host or the sacred vessels. Therefore, the Host should only be received by mouth and from a Deacon or Priest. Reception of the chalice from a lay distributer breaks this rule twice over since neither the lay recipient nor the distributer, have anointed hands.

    I was recently at a Protestant service at which I am fairly sure none of the congregation believed in the Real Presence. Yet they received their host kneeling, at altar rails, and reverently, in a way which would put almost any Novus Ordo Catholic parish to shame.

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    1. A Deacon's hands are not anointed.

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  5. Anyone can adopt an expression of piety when receiving Holy Communion - and I know of nobody (at an OF Mass) who sees the sacrament as anything other than the Body of Christ - but only God can see what is in their heart and minds.
    Sue

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    1. We are not just hearts and minds but corporal, and each must reflect the truth and not contradict each other. Moreover, one affects the other. If one's body is signalling casual and non-reverent, this will affect the mind and heart. When one gives the utmost physical reverence to Our Lord, this is echoed in the mind and heart. And good example and education is best given by bodily action.

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  6. The majority of Catholics that I know do not accept the truth of Our Lord being present, body, blood, soul and divinity in the Holy Eucharist. This is the experience of most that have discussed this in various fora, and what is shown by various surveys. Most of them have lost this truth, or never learned it, through experiencing the casual and non-reverent way Our Lord is physically treated at Mass. Then there is the widespread sacrilege of receiving Our Lord in a state of mortal sin - most of those who receive never go to confession.

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