How do you receive the Body of Christ?

[Eric_Hilbert]

**Settle down people and post with charity please. **

 

[choy]

As others have said, too many people are receiving because too many are not properly disposed to receive. They should go to confession and become properly disposed.

We don’t need to turn people away. We need to have them understand that they should not present themselves to receive.

i think its near impossible to make that statement, we don’t know if people are in a state of sin or if they even are aware they have sinned (ignorance is bliss?).

for example, many are not aware that IVF is a sin. its just not a topic that comes up often. of course the issue of moral relativism will come up, but thats the problem today. there’s just so many sources of information that we get unfiltered information a lot and we can’t distinguish the correct information from the wrong ones.

 

[choy]

You said you believe CITH is MORE reverant than COTT. The Church disagrees with you and that is a fact. Look it up please. Knowledge is bliss.

the issue with practices is that one may be more effective to one than the other. this is purely subjective. i’ve been asked before by a non-Catholic why some Catholics have certain practices in prayer. my reply was simple, there are many practices incorporated in prayer and some people choose to do something because it helps them with their faith. for example, is prayer inside the church more effective than prayer in your own room? some people may find prayer in church more effective, because in their rooms they can’t center their minds on God. some people like the private space their room offers. so which one is better? its subjective.

same with CITH and COTT. as long as a practice is valid in the Church, then its good. which one is better will be up to the individual who sees more value in one practice over the other. someone may see something you don’t in what they practice

 

[choy]

I believe I am following the Church because she,
in her infinite wisdom, for better or worse, no matter how it happened,
has made CITH an indult that is accepted in my Diocese.

If my new Bishop (coming in 2012)
rescinds the indult in my community,
so be it. I will obey.

But until then, so long as I have the option to receive this way,
and I do so with the proper reverence, disposition and respect,
who are you, or anyone else who is not my Bishop or the Pope, to tell me how I should receive?:tsktsk:

i think this is the proper attitude towards this issue. we should respect and be submissive to the authority that Christ has placed upon our Bishops. yes, they can be wrong and we can be right, but they are the ones who have the authority, not us. it has been said many times in these forums that the Church is not a democracy, so why are we so intent on having our opinions heard? they are the ones with the authority to bind and loose. if the Church has given them the option to allow CITH and they chose to allow CITH, then why should we treat it as a bad thing? did they abuse their authority? no. did they break any rules? no. does anyone who practices what they allowed go against the Church? no. so i don’t know why its should be an issue.

 

[ProVobis]

i think this is the proper attitude towards this issue. we should respect and be submissive to the authority that Christ has placed upon our Bishops. yes, they can be wrong and we can be right, but they are the ones who have the authority, not us.

So what you’re saying is there may be a risk in receiving CITH but let’s leave it to the bishops to take that risk, not us? Why not all receive COTT and remove that risk? If I offer you an FDIC-insured CD at 5% or a preferred stock at 5% with no upside to the price, sure it’s both legal but why would you take the riskier preferred stock? But then obviously what I see as a slam dunk others don’t. They just may be more risk averse than I but should I be scorned?

 

[Ockham]

same with CITH and COTT. as long as a practice is valid in the Church, then its good. which one is better will be up to the individual who sees more value in one practice over the other. someone may see something you don’t in what they practice

Actually, no they are not the same. The Church tells us one is more reverant than the other.

 

[Oneofthewomen]

You said you believe CITH is MORE reverant than COTT. The Church disagrees with you and that is a fact. Look it up please. Knowledge is bliss.

No, I said this

For me, receiving in the hand has NOTHING to do with me not wanting to give the greatest glory possible to God, if anything,*** I find ***receiving in my hand MORE reverent (again, if you read my OP, I think I lay my reasons out pretty well.

This is how I feel, and that is why I started this thread is to explain why I receive the way I do, and ask others to share their thoughts on the issue.
I respect that you find COTT works for you, Ockham, but but I beg to differ that the Churhc disagrees. As I said, the indult in allowed in my Diocese, therefore the Church agrees that both forms are valid.
To you they may not be “equal”, but in the end, that really does not matter.
I am not asking you to receive CITH, nor do I have desire to stop you from receiving COTT.

This is turning into the same old arguement as the “EF is superior to the OF” debate.
The Church says both exsist, both are allowed, and neither is “better than” the other, they are just different.
I accept this and do not want to stop anybody from practicing their religion in the way that best suits them.
You do you not want to offer me the same respect?

 

[PaulinVA]

i think its near impossible to make that statement, we don’t know if people are in a state of sin or if they even are aware they have sinned (ignorance is bliss?).

for example, many are not aware that IVF is a sin. its just not a topic that comes up often. of course the issue of moral relativism will come up, but thats the problem today. there’s just so many sources of information that we get unfiltered information a lot and we can’t distinguish the correct information from the wrong ones.

Well, we can’t make a judgment about individuals, but we certainly can look at polls, that talk about a number of Catholics not believing in the Real Presence, the number that practice artificial birth control, support abortion, whatever. Just look at how they receive.

The bottom line is that no one sits out anymore. I know how many people go to confession in my parish, and I can’t believe that no one in the parish is in a state of mortal sin on Sunday morning. Hence, people are receiving when they shouldn’t.

 

[choy]

So what you’re saying is there may be a risk in receiving CITH but let’s leave it to the bishops to take that risk, not us? Why not all receive COTT and remove that risk? If I offer you an FDIC-insured CD at 5% or a preferred stock at 5% with no upside to the price, sure it’s both legal but why would you take the riskier preferred stock? But then obviously what I see as a slam dunk others don’t. They just may be more risk averse than I but should I be scorned?

no, i’m saying we may not agree with them always and we may have a valid argument for what we believe in, but they are the ones in authority, so they decide, not us.

right, you have a choice, then you choose COTT. thats your choice. but those who can freely choose CITH should be able to do so without other people making them feel bad for making a valid choice

 

[floresco]

This is turning into the same old arguement as the “EF is superior to the OF” debate.
The Church says both exsist, both are allowed, and neither is “better than” the other, they are just different.
I accept this and do not want to stop anybody from practicing their religion in the way that best suits them.
You do you not want to offer me the same respect?

This is not about respect. I (and apparently some others here) do not understand this as a subjective issue. I believe that the EF is objectively superior. I’m not saying this because I don’t respect you or I look down on you. It is because when I did a side by side comparison, it seemed clear that the EF conforms more closely to Church teaching. I am not trying to force you to accept my subjective experience in place of your own subjective experience. I’m saying that this question can be addressed objectively.

Have you ever done a comparison such as I describe? I would be interested in your thoughts and observations.

 

[choy]

Well, we can’t make a judgment about individuals, but we certainly can look at polls, that talk about a number of Catholics not believing in the Real Presence, the number that practice artificial birth control, support abortion, whatever. Just look at how they receive.

thing is, do you know who has sinned and who hasn’t? who has confessed and who hasn’t? to merely assume that there are many sinners and there are many who are unworthy is just that, an assumption. all those who are unworthy would answer to Christ. we should not be concerned about something we have no control over and no power over

The bottom line is that no one sits out anymore. I know how many people go to confession in my parish, and I can’t believe that no one in the parish is in a state of mortal sin on Sunday morning. Hence, people are receiving when they shouldn’t.

you don’t know if they go to confession to another parish. i for one do that. really. i feel uncomfortable with a priest who knows me and would hear my sins. so i always go to another parish for confession. or wait for the special confessions during Advent and Lent where several priests come to our parish to hear confession. and i make it a point to not line up where my parish priest is

 

[choy]

Actually, no they are not the same. The Church tells us one is more reverant than the other.

the Church or individual people?
remember, even Bishops or the Pope wouldn’t be speaking in behalf of the Church at all times

 

[floresco]

right, you have a choice, then you choose COTT. thats your choice. but those who can freely choose CITH should be able to do so without other people making them feel bad for making a valid choice

There are several logical arguments in favour of COTT. Telling people about these is appealing to reason, not to feelings. Since I am convinced that COTT is a superior pratice, of course, I will want to convince and encourage my fellow Catholics to do it. If you knew a Catholic who was not attending Sunday Mass, wouldn’t you try to convince him to go? Would you worry that he would feel bad if you tried to explain what was wrong with missing Mass?

 

[choy]

There are several logical arguments in favour of COTT. Telling people about these is appealing to reason, not to feelings. Since I am convinced that COTT is a superior pratice, of course, I will want to convince and encourage my fellow Catholics to do it. If you knew a Catholic who was not attending Sunday Mass, wouldn’t you try to convince him to go? Would you worry that he would feel bad if you tried to explain what was wrong with missing Mass?

thats comparing apples to oranges

not attending sunday mass is not a valid alternative to attending sunday mass
CITH is a valid alternative to COTT where it is allowed

 

[floresco]

thats comparing apples to oranges

not attending sunday mass is not a valid alternative to attending sunday mass
CITH is a valid alternative to COTT where it is allowed

The similarity is that I believe that COTT is superior just like you think that attending Mass is superior. By imagining how you would feel if someone told you to refrain from telling people they ought to go to Mass, you can understand my reaction to your earlier post. It is normal to try to convince other people to do something one believes is good. You portrayed it as mean and hurtful.

 

[palmas855]

jam, my question about you reading the OP was because of this question.

Yes, your opinion is fine, because it is your opinion, but it is just that, an opinion.
My issue is with the bolded statement, which is why I asked my question.
For me, receiving in the hand has NOTHING to do with me not wanting to give the greatest glory possible to God, if anything, I find receiving in my hand MORE reverent (again, if you read my OP, I think I lay my reasons out pretty well.

You asked a question, I answered, I thought that was the point of the forum?

Too bad that the Holy Father does not agree with you and your belief. Of course, what should it matter what he thinks if it is different than what you want to believe. After all he is an old man and knows nothing at all about the faith and reverence. Sprry couldn’t resist that last one.

As for me., if the Holy Father prefers it and refuses to distribute in any other fashion, then I think we all need to take a good hard look at why he does prefer communion on the tongue as opposed to reception in the hand. I’m sure he has a reason for his belief. And
I’m quite sure his reasoning is a lot more theologically sound than is yours on the subject. Would you not agree with that?

 

[choy]

The similarity is that I believe that COTT is superior just like you think that attending Mass is superior. By imagining how you would feel if someone told you to refrain from telling people they ought to go to Mass, you can understand my reaction to your earlier post. It is normal to try to convince other people to do something one believes is good. You portrayed it as mean and hurtful.

the analogy is still incorrect
of course attending mass is superior to not attending mass. its comparing receiving the Eucharist with not receiving the Eucharist, but not a good analogy when comparing two reception methods to receiving the Eucharist

i’m sorry, but because the analogy is incorrect, i don’t think your understanding of the issue is correct. we’re not talking about two polar opposites here. both methods are receiving the Eucharist. a better comparisson is taking the bus to work or taking your car to work. but not going to work vs. not going to work. of course going to work will always be superior to not going to work because your livelihood depends on it. going to mass is superior to not going to mass because your soul depends on it. with CITH and COTT, with both methods you receive the Eucharist. so how can one be superior to the other objectively? both are valid in the Church and both enables one to receive the Eucharist. for those who see the worth of receiving via COTT, then so be it. if there are those who see more worth with CITH, then so be it. both are valid, both receives the Eucharist

and its not about my personal opinion. the Church allows CITH, how can it not be good? i don’t convince people to receive via CITH. its their option, its not my choice for them. but i make it a point to tell people who don’t give people the choice when they have it, to be fair and tell it like it is. CITH is a valid option in the Church. that is a fact

 

[Ockham]

No, I said this

No, you said this: I find receiving in my hand MORE reverent (again, if you read my OP, I think I lay my reasons out pretty well.

Post #310

You may feel it’s just as reverant but the Church disagrees with you. Accept it or not. God provides us with choices.

 

[choy]

No, you said this: I find receiving in my hand MORE reverent (again, if you read my OP, I think I lay my reasons out pretty well.

Post #310

You may feel it’s just as reverant but the Church disagrees with you. Accept it or not. God provides us with choices.

if the Church disagrees with her, why not ban CITH completely? why place a provision for a Bishop to allow with WITH APPROVAL from the Vatican?

 

[Ockham]

the Church or individual people?
remember, even Bishops or the Pope wouldn’t be speaking in behalf of the Church at all times

The Church, choy. You should look it up. Bishops have led us astray in the past. The Truth will set you free. By now you have been presented all the facts and if still choosing to receive CITH then there’s nothing more for you and I to debate.