A new blog that underpins the petition

Reception of Holy Communion by tongue only is as controversial as, say, mantillas, dress codes in church, women priests and many other current topics.

Not too frail nor too proud to
kneel before Him

It is, however, more important than any other concern and a petition to the Holy Father, asking for withdrawal of the permission to give the Eucharist in the hand, (started by two Australian priests) is now doing the rounds.

Now it appears, those two priests also have a new blog called, disarmingly, Restore Communion on the Tongue The link takes you straight to a recent post quoting from one of the Holy Father's books and giving his views. It is worth reading.
H/T to Kate Edwards of Australia Incognita

Communion on the tongue!

If you wish to see reverence and respect for the Body of Christ restored once more, please sign this petition originated by two Australian priests.

Countercultural Father has the link..................HERE

Where is the footage showing Pope JPII's first visit to the USA?

It seems appropriate, somehow, in the aftermath of Independence Day celebrations and, in light of the debate regarding communion in the hand or on the tongue to review Bl Pope John Paul II's visit to the USA way back in 1979.

Taken when Pope JP II was still a Cardinal -
 it was all so black and white then!

Why? Because he gave a guide as to how one should receive the Body of Christ.
A nun was kneeling at the communion rails (they did that back then) but, instead of opening her mouth and extending her tongue she held out both hands.
The Holy Father gently guided her hands so that they were joined Amen fashion and then placed the host on her tongue. What better sign could one wish for?

I just wish that I could find the clip on Youtube.

Rome wants it.........so please do it for the Feast of Corpus Christi

And ever afterwards. I am referring, of course, to the reception of the Body of Christ on the tongue and kneeling.

The Bishops of England and Wales may say one thing but the message from Rome and the Holy Father is loud and clear - "do it"

My thanks to Fr Simon Henry for his excellent post on the subject which you may read at Offerimus Tibi Domine

Whatever happened to priestly OCD?

Now I blame Vatican II for many things but it would be a little OTT to hang this one on the poor old Council. I am talking about an obsessive compulsive disorder that was once common among priests - incessant hand washing. You hardly ever hear of it these days but I knew several priests and even one Auxiliary Bishop who suffered with this and, seemingly, never found a way of ceasing the hideous practice which produced countless painful side effects such as psoriasis, eczema and dermatitis.

One does not need to be a psychoanalyst to comprehend the reasons why clerics often suffered from this, although, I guess that, today, some pretty nasty reasons might be levelled in the wake of the child abuse scandals. The reason then (and it was well accepted in Catholic circles) was that an imbalanced view of worthiness developed and was linked, of course, to the physical handling of the Body and Blood of Christ. The priest did not feel 'clean' enough, on a daily basis, to take the Body of Christ between thumb and forefinger and then to proceed to distribute the Eucharist to the mouths of the kneeling faithful.
It is a very comprehensible disorder and a very disruptive one for the priest because the handwashing exercise would manifest itself every few minutes and, very often, the hands that would hold the Sacred Host the next day at Mass, would be red raw and bleeding by the end of the day.

There was no help available, of course, I am sure that the view of the Canon observing his curate's fetish type habit would be to say: "Pull yourself together and cut it out at once Father!" Not very helpful but, there were quite a few bad things about the days before Vat II. In some instances, those who committed suicide were not allowed to be buried in consecrated ground - very hard and now, happily, a thing of the past.

When Pilate washed his hands it was
for a very different reason!

So why is it apparently absent today? I believe that we are more relaxed in respect of the Blessed Sacrament today and that this easy going attitude has rubbed off on the priest (after all, most priests will have a coven bevy of Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion to aid him in the time consuming and laborious task of distributing Holy Communion to all those hordes who await with hands outstretched. No OCD amongst that lot, their hands were probably peeling spuds or throwing darts down the local the night before......ahem.

Of course, do not misunderstand me, it is a good thing that priests do not suffer with this complaint so much these days; it is just an interesting reflection on how time changes observance.

I have a book written by a Herefordshire Catholic woman in the early 19th century and, in those days they would begin preparation for the Sacrament of Confession a full three days before the priest was due to call. Each day would be a blend of prayer, silence, meditation and examination of conscience.....but no handwashing!

It's true! Reception of the host by mouth only at all Vatican Masses

I am just back from a shattering five days in Rome, more of which, in future posts (as soon as I can get my Technical Director aka Wife, to download the pics).
We attended the Papal Mass on the Feast of the Epiphany a very wonderful and interesting experience it was indeed.
I do not know how many people St Peter's can accommodate but it was close to being full for the 10am Mass.
As we waited for Mass to begin (a 70 minute wait as we had arrived early to ensure a decent vantage point) we watched the Cardinals, Bishops and Monsignori of the faith as they busied up and down the aisle.
But the real ground breaking event (after the Mass itself) was that, at Communion, some 60 or 70 priests processed down the nave, each accompanied by an acolyte. They positioned themselves along the nave on both sides and began to distribute the Blessed Sacrament. Due to the crush of people, it was impossible to kneel but what immediately became apparent was the fact that no one, no one in that crowd of many thousands, was allowed to receive by hand. If anyone tried to place their hands in front of their mouths (blocking the priest's hand) they were told off in no uncertain terms by the acolytes. Wonderful to behold!

And so, the message is pretty well clear for all to see and comprehend........

THE HOLY FATHER WOULD LIKE ALL BISHOPS TO INSTRUCT THEIR PARISH PRIESTS TO DO THE SAME. IT IS NOT AN ORDER BUT IT IS A VERY OBVIOUS STEER AS TO HOW HOLY COMMUNION SHOULD BE DISTRIBUTED.

All of those priests who distributed the sacrament must feel compelled to go back to their parishes and commence implementing the practice....or am I just too much of an optimist?

Nil by hand at the Vatican

H/T to Robert Kumpel for his report on a new emphasis given at the Vatican to receiving Holy Communion on the tongue and only on the tongue.
Now, I know I do bang on about this issue but it is of fundamental importance to our faith today. The lack of reverence for the Blessed Sacrament leads to a lack of belief in the actual Body and Blood of Christ and an alignment with Protestant theology which claims that we are only re-enacting a symbolic 'meal' and that the host is still bread and the wine still wine.

Here is is:-


Holy Father Re-asserts the NORM

from What Does the Prayer Really Say? (Fr. John Zuhlsdorf's blog)

I was not able to watch all of the Papal Mass in the Vatican Basilica, but I have started to get interesting emails about something people noticed.

Among them was this email from a priest in Rome:

In a change to former practice, those distributing Holy Communion at
the Holy Father’s Mass tonight were told that ‘at all Papal Masses
Communion is to be given only on the tongue.’ The usual statement that Prelates receive in the same way as the Laity remained.
thought you might be interested.

Yes, indeed.

One of the emails from people watched the Mass said:

Did you notice that during the communion of the faithful during Pope Benedict’s Midnight Mass at least one priest refused to give Holy Communion on the hand? Instead, the security guard near this priest motioned for each communicant to receive on the tongue. If the communicants didn’t get the hint, the priest still did not give them the Host in the hand, but rather held It near their mouth until they finally understood. Some of the people looked very surprised when they held their hands out and didn’t get the Host.

This was apparently noticeble during the broadcast.

This is way it is going to have to be done. Example… then buzz buzz buzz… then people will catch on and, over time, things will shift to a point where the change back to the NORMAL manner of reception of Communion can be effected without as much upheaval.





According to Church Law, THE WORLDWIDE NORM FOR RECEIVING HOLY COMMUNION IS ON THE TONGUE.

Reception of Holy Communion in the hand is only by indult to specific countries, petitioned for by the various bishops conferences. An indult is a SPECIAL PERMISSION or PRIVILEGE and, as such, can be revoked by the Holy Father at any time.

And every Catholic in the United States deserves to know that this indult was obtained by dishonest means by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

We continue to pray for a restoration of the norms: The norms of sacramental discipline, the norms of liturgical practice and the norms
Let me add...

A reflection for Advent - receiving Holy Communion

My eldest brother, God rest his soul, used to tell me that he suffered intense attacks of terror on his way up to the communion rails to receive the Eucharist. Why? Because he was in apprehension of receiving physically, the body and blood of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, maker, redeemer and creator of all; the Supreme Spirit - God of Heaven and Earth. Put like that it is understandable that "terror" of a spiritual kind should be felt as we approach. We are in awe, we are in love but, if we are honest, we also fear the goodness, power and greatness of God. It is as if we are approaching the Beatific Vision except that the Vision is locked away from us for the time being and, in its place we have the wonder of the Host.

The Holy Father wishes communicants to kneel and receive on the tongue

Some of you will know that I occasionally serve on the altar and this is a precious privilege; but when I serve at a private Mass in Father's chapel, it takes on a more acute significance. There is no congregation and, suddenly, the intimacy of the moment is heightened. When I see the priest's host and "my" host lying side by side on the altar, I am overwhelmed by emotion - a mix again, of fear but also a number of other emotions which are really too personal to go into but, above all else is the sense that God is coming to me! Not only that, but He is within inches of me; I could reach out and touch Him, but, of course, I don't. He is there for me as an individual, and that is a very special and wondrous thing. That 'fear,' for want of a better word, heightens until the moment of receiving the host.

Sadly, at the time of the Christmas Feast when some 'Catholics' return to go to their once a year Mass, many are not in a suitable state of grace and should NOT receive - I can still hear the Dominican Nuns of Burnt Oak telling us boys that the worst sin of all was to receive Our Lord unworthily!

So here is a reminder of the conditions for receiving Holy Communion:

1. Must be in a state of grace, that is, NOT in mortal sin. If you are in a state of mortal
   sin, go to confession first.

2. Should be free from venial sin, make a good act of contrition (Confiteor) before
    reception.

3. Fast from food and drink for at least one hour beforehand (or, try to fast for 3 hours
    if you are able, it is a small penance but a good one to observe).

4. Follow the Mass in your missal, or, meditate and pray if you do not have one.

5. Kneel and open your mouth widely, holding out your tomgue.

6. After reception bow your head and wait until the person on the left of you has
    received before making your way back to the pew.

7. Keep your hands clasped or in the 'Amen' position at all times.

8. Make a good act of thanksgiving - say the 'prayer before the crucifix' and gain an
   indulgence.

Now, please do not shout at me for advocating reception on the tongue and kneeling. I know that people say you can be devout when standing and in receiving in the hand and, so you can. BUT.....you can be more devout when kneeling. It is also the customary practice at the Extraordinary Form of Mass so, if you attend one of those, you really must comply - it goes with the territory!
Not satisfied? OK, let's say you have been honoured with a knighthood or are going to be endowed as a Dame - do you decide to flout the protocols and stand in front of your Queen. Of course you don't - you feel very honoured and fortunate to be there and you do not wish to offend anyone on this auspicious occasion, least of all your monarch....so, you kneel - and receive in accordance with the established practice.

And if you feel I am being over prescriptive then I am sorry but I do not think you can be informal in any way with regard to Holy Communion; I find people who wander aimlessly up with their hands in their pockets or flopping about by their sides intensely distracting and the sight must be offensive to Almighty God.
In fact, my brother was right, if we do feel terror it will help us to hold what we are about to take part in as something very, very special.