Strange to say, it was in the
Middle Ages, “the Ages of Faith”, that Communion was less frequent than at any other period of the
Church’s history. The
Fourth Lateran Council compelled the
faithful, under pain of
excommunication, to receive at least once a year (c. Omnis utriusque sexus). The
Poor Clares, by rule, communicated six times a year; the Dominicanesses, fifteen times; the Third
Order of St. Dominic, four times. Even
saints received rarely: St. Louis six times a year, St. Elizabeth only three times. The teaching of the great
theologians, however, was all on the side of frequent, and to some extent daily, Communion [
Peter Lombard, IV Sent., dist. xii, n. 8;
St. Thomas, Summa Theol., III, Q. lxxx, a. 10;
St. Bonaventure, In IV Sent., dist. xii, punct. ii, a. 2, q. 2; see
Dalgairns, “The Holy Communion” (Dublin) part III, chap. i]. Various reformers,
Tauler,
St. Catherine of Siena, St. Vincent Ferrer, and
Savonarola, advocated, and in many instances brought about, a return to frequent reception. The
Council of Trent expressed a wish “that at each Mass the faithful who are present, should communicate” (Sess. XXII, chap. vi). And the Catechism of the council says: “Let not the faithful deem it enough to receive the Body of the Lord once a year only; but let them judge that Communion ought to be more frequent; but whether it be more expedient that it should be monthly, weekly, or daily, can be decided by no fixed universal rule” (pt. II, c. iv, n. 58). As might be expected, the disciples of St. Ignatius and St. Philip carried on the work of advocating frequent Communion. With the revival of this practice came the renewal of the discussion as to the advisability of daily Communion. While all in theory admitted that daily reception was
good they differed as to the conditions required.
