Receiving Holy Communion in the hand was a common practice in both the Church of the East and the West for about the first seven centuries of the Church.
The way it was done is that the communicant placed their right hand over their left in the form of a cross. The priest placed the Host onto the palm of the communicants right hand. Then, the communicant bowed down as both hands in the form of a cross come up and with the mouth and tongue take the Host from the palm of the right hand.
Episcopalians to this day receive in the hand in the ancient way and most Episcopal Churches have communion rails and receive in this manner while kneeling although standing is a more ancient way.
Catholics do not receive in the ancient way with the novel manner in which the laity were taught to receive Holy Communion by hand beginning in the late 1970’s.
The way the Church teaches the laity to receive Holy Communion in the hand is to place their dominant hand under the other hand (left or right), allow the minister of Holy Communion to place the Host in their palm and then take the dominant hand and pick the Host up form the palm and place the Host in one’s mouth.
This is completely foreign to the Episcopalian way which is, in fact, the ancient way.
Today, though, Communion in the hand in every Catholic Church has devolved into snatching the Host from the minister, placing both hands out without signifying which hand the Host should be placed and one handed reception where the communicant drops the hand so the Host moves towards the fingers and then one handedly and with the same hand in which the Host is received the person places the Host in their mouth and usually while moving away from the minister.
Never mind how sloppily children receive the Host in the hand and this in the most important years of their life where proper piety and reverence for Christ in the Holy Eucharist is formed or deformed!
4 comments:
In regard to the video from its beginning through the 1:25 mark:
Peter Kwasniewski acknowledged the great antiquity associated with the distribution of Holy Communion in the hand. Mister Kwasniewski stated that said practice had continued until the 9th Century.
Then, from 1:10 to 1:25, Peter Kwasniewski, declared in regard to the "cancellation," at least until recent decades, of said ancient practice:
"So, what happened? It's very simple. People have better ideas."
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Peter Kwasniewski proclaimed that the Church's long-time "cancellation" of Holy Communion in the hand, a practice that earlier generations of Catholics had held as "sacred," constituted a "better idea."
Today, that same Church determined that having revoked said cancellation constituted a "better idea."
The Church, in regard to Her liturgical reform, which She had accelerated from at least the time of Pope Saint Pius X, has promulgated numerous "better ideas."
But in Peter Kwasniewski's case, he has denounced numerous Church-approved "better ideas" with which he has disagreed.
Peter Kwasniewski, rather than Holy Mother Church, determines whether a "better idea" is a better idea.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
Utter nonsense.
During the reign of Paul VI, some of the more predictable (rebellious) Catholic bishops in Europe (Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, etc.) complained to the pope that receiving in the hand had been going on for a long time and begged for an indult, which Paul VI granted with extreme reluctance. It soon became known that if an episcopal conference could "prove" that such reception had been a long-standing practice in any given country and they had enough bishops agreeing, the Holy See would grant an indult to permit Holy Communion in the hand. From the time of Paul VI granting such indults through the papacies of JPi, JPII and Benedict, THE NORMATIVE MANNER FOR RECEIVING COMMUNION REMAINED THE TRADITIONAL WAY: ON THE TONGUE. After Francis's unfortunate papacy--I can't say, since his pontificate was so depressing that I stopped paying attention to any news from Rome.
With regard to the U.S. getting the indult--it is based in rank, foul-smelling dishonesty. There was NO PLACE in this country where Holy Communion in the hand was a practice and our bishops knew it. Yet under the leadership of the highly questionable Joseph Bernardin, the USCCB (or whatever they called themselves at that time) voted over and over and over again, trying to push through enough votes to petition for the indult. Finally, Bernadin changed the rules and allowed bishops not present at their meetings to vote by absentee ballot, which pushed the measure through. And in many parishes, the faithful were NOT told that receiving in the hand was optional , but were instead informed that "this is how we are to receive Coimmunion now." Again, sheer, stinking dishonesty.
And the legacy of this dishonesty speaks for itself: We have a continued decline in the belief in the Real Presence, a continued practice of occultists stealing consecreated Hosts from churches and an apalling lack of reverence in many parishes and dioceses.
Mr. Thomas' "better idea" thesis is about as credible as Joe Biden claiming that he improved the economy. Utter garbage.
Mister Jerome, thank you for that. Once again you are right on target! 🎯
MT always ignores any facts, history, or theology that interferes with his pre-selected, usually-laughably-wrong conclusion. Sometimes out of sheer ignorance, but it happens so often and on topics where I know he is better informed than he would have us think that I have to think it is all too often motivated by bad faith and ideology.
And as I said recently at this blog, "Since the pope eventually said the practice or belief would be tolerated, it cannot be questioned or criticized and anyone who does so is issuing vile verbal beatings against the Divine Oracle."
Nick
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