This is shocking on many levels. The first is the bishop is not properly vested for a Confirmation Mass.
The second is that when he distributes Holy Communion, he does so by intinction, which isn’t wrong, but the kids receive by taking the intincted Host between their thumb and forefinger. An intincted Host should be received on the tongue as it is covered in the Precious Blood.
And thirdly, he denies a young girl Holy Communion because she kneels.
Wow is all I can say. What a scandal this is!
This is Bishop Joaquim Mol, Auxiliary of Archdiocese of Belo Horizonte (Brazil), Salesian
13 comments:
Typical intolerant liberal who has no business being a bishop - if I were that child’s dad, little bishop boy would not be very happy! Denying this child the normative way of receiving Holy Communion shows how unsuited he is for the clergy
Belo Horizonté? It certainly fits.
This is an outrage!! It would have been amazing if suddenly ALL the communicants began to kneel. Then what would have happened? I believe I would have refused to stand and move one inch until I was able to receive my Lord properly.
Clericalism and abuse of power!
Unless there is some context of which we are unaware (and I cannot begin to imagine what that could possibly be—pre-existing conflict with the family challenging the Bishop’s authority, perhaps over such liturgical issues and/or a pre-announced protest to make a very public “ideological statement” regarding the same?), refusing communion to this young girl seems incomprehensible, not to mention cruel. In any event, no-one should be denied communion for wanting to receive in this way if that is their choice.
In Macon at St. Joseph’s, Father McDonald encouraged, but did not compel, receiving on the tongue while kneeling when celebrating the Ordinary Form Mass. And in another Macon church where it was the norm for all to receive in the hand while standing, I once saw someone kneel to receive on the tongue and the priest, although perhaps surprised, distributed the host without a moment’s hesitation, which is exactly as it should be.
The other priest was Father Kavanaugh, by the way.
Mark, when I was at Saint Joseph, I always taught that people were free to receive Holy Communion in the hand or on the tongue but in the proper way as prescribed by the rubrics of the Mass. I was the one who had the altar railing removed during the restoration/renovation of 2004-06.
Things changed in 2005 when Pope Benedict was elected. Gradually he started bringing back tradition to the modern Mass. He distributed Holy Communion during Mass to Communicants who knelt before him and received on the tongue—this was a recovery or restoration. He decorated the altar in the traditional manner even facing the people.
Then in 2007 he liberalized the celebration of the Ancient Latin Mass. All this inspired me to imitate the example that Pope Benedict was proposing, not imposing on the entire Church. Thus, as an act of hospitality for those who were. Kneeling on the hard marble floor of Saint Joseph to receive, I placed kneelers for them. Others could stand before the kneeler and continue to receive in the hand it they wished.
Then a couple years before I departed St Joseph, a donor gave money specifically to restore the historic altar railing at St. Joseph. We used it for the TLM Mass and then I made the 12:10 PM Sunday Mass in the Modern Form, ad orientem and the use of the altar railing was established at that Mass only. I told that Mass they could stand or kneel at thee full length of the railing and either standing or kneeling they could receive on the tongue or the hand. The choice was theirs to make.
All of this, though, was inspired by what Pope Benedict was modeling and teaching during his papacy. It wasn’t my loose cannon.
Yes, I always appreciated your flexibility on this point--and the kneelers! My own preference became to kneel and receive in the hand.
Lest we forget, Communion in the hand was regularized because many people were violating the normative practice in the Latin Rite. Regularizing liturgical abuses is unwise. Here is what Paul VI had to say about it in Memoriale Domini:
"A change in a matter of such importance, which rests on a very ancient and venerable tradition, besides touching upon discipline can also include dangers. These may be feared from a new manner of administering Holy Communion: they are 1) a lessening of reverence toward the noble Sacrament of the altar, 2) its profanation, or 3) the adulteration of correct doctrine."
Sounds prophetic to me.
TJM:
I agree that those dangers existed and exist. But perhaps with proper safeguards they can be overcome.
The following discussion of the history of the practice is quite illuminating:
https://churchlifejournal.nd.edu/articles/early-christian-communion-in-the-hand/
I remember reading many years ago about the subject, except for royalty most hardly ever received, royalty usually wore gloves and were required to pick them clean afterwards. When laity received the priest was instructed to check the hand first to make sure it looked clean and the communicant was required to lick their hand in front of the priest to make sure there were no crumbs. It became much easier to just receive on the tongue. Don't ask were I read it, it was 20 some years ago and I can't keep and catalog everything
Mark,
I studied theology at Notre Dame. Interesting the author does not point to when the Church shifted from the primitive Church's practice to receiving on the tongue and the rational. Reasonable people can disagree on the practice of Communion in the hand but the facts are, it certainly has not enhanced belief in the Real Presence. 99% of those who receive on the tongue, do. The author points out the following:
"It may well be the case that the sudden change in practice after Vatican II decreased devotion towards the Eucharist and belief in the true presence, and it may well be the case that there were bad actors who in fact desired this result."
I had a hearing down in Macon several years ago on a Wednesday and afterward stopped at Saint Joseph's to say a prayer. While I was there, a man came out of the sacristy and began doing something at the forward-facing altar. At first I wasn't exactly sure what he was doing, but then it became clear to me that he was getting the altar ready for the older form of Mass, so I stayed. There were about a dozen people that attended. The priest was a young Polish fellow. It's a very beautiful place.
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