Monday, February 15, 2010
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Pope Benedict XVI and Holy Communion
“The hidden treasure… is Jesus himself, the Kingdom in person. In the Sacred Host, he is present, the true treasure, always waiting for us. Only by adoring this presence do we learn how to receive him properly-we learn the reality of communion”
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4 comments:
Forgive the ignorance of a VERY new Catholic (less than a year). What ought I take from this?
It is difficult for me to reconcile what I'm hearing in this video, with what I perceive at Mass each week. At Mass, I perceive hundreds of my Catholic brothers and sisters reverently receiving communion, mostly by hand. (And this is by no means a liberal church).
I have observed this to basically be the case in all Catholic churches, since I started attending four years ago. And I have yet to see an altar-rail at any. (Again, I've been to several of what are considered here to be more-orthodox churches. Still, no rail).
Is it a wild failing in reverence on the part of the parishioners and the churches that there are no altar-rails, and that 80-90% of people receive by hand?
After the reforms, many people just became complacent. In recent years, there's been a renewed push for accurate interpretations of the V2 documents - they never said to remove the altar rail, they never mandated communion in the hand, etc.
I have seen many people reverently take communion in the hand - when done correctly, it's not as bad as several other things. However, the pope has said that (for his liturgies) the **ideal** way to receive communion is kneeling and on the tongue. It's not that Catholics who receive in the hand are bad - it's just that there's a lot more potential for apathy and abuse. Things are slowly changing.
And regarding the communion rail - OLV doesn't even have one. Many churches that would use one lack for the appropriate space due to the placement of the new altar.
Ludwig - Stop by the Tridentine Latin Mass at St. Stanislaus and receive Holy Communion on the tongue and kneeling at the altar rail. I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on this. Mass is at 1:30 p.m. The church is at the corner of Hudson Avenue and Norton Street.
Oremus pro invicem.
Here's a good article on the subject: http://www.catholic-pages.com/mass/inhand.asp
It's very important to remember that Communion in the hand is allowed by indult. This is not the universal norm of the Church, which is, and continues to be, Communion on the tongue. A bishop (and I think also a priest -- don't quote me on that part) is free to dispense from permitting Communion in the hand, but never Communion on the tongue.
~Dr. K
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