If I am unable to receive Communion, can I still go up and get a blessing?

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Again, this is the directive of the Conference of Bishops of England and Wales which I have chosen from its publication as part of the directives from the Bishops’ Conference in Celebrating the Mass: A Pastoral Introduction. It is found in Number 212, on page 95, we read:
Even though some in the assembly may not receive ‘sacramental’ Communion, all are united in some way by the Holy Spirit. The traditional idea of ‘spiritual’ communion is an important one to remember and reaffirm. The invitation often given at Mass to those who may not receive sacramental communion – for example children before their First Communion and adults who are not Catholics – to receive a ‘blessing’ at the moment of Communion emphasises that a deep spiritual communion is possible even when we do not share together the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ.
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A bit of history:
  1. The one publishing this as an act of his National Conference of Bishops was the person of His Grace Archbishop Arthur Roche, when he was Bishop of Leeds and when he was the Chairman of the Department for Christian Life and Worship for the Conference of Bishops.
  2. His Grace, moreover, was Chairman of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy.
  3. If there are priests who think that His Grace does not know the liturgy or his powers and prerogatives regarding it and regarding the handling of these matters – that is their problem; they are only Priests. The Pope, apparently, does not agree with such priests because of the following fact.
  4. His Grace – who published the above knowing what is proper to the liturgy and what is within scope of a national Conference of Bishops – is now the number 2 official of the Congregation of Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments by the appointment of Pope Francis.
Readers may make their own conclusion from that.

His Grace happens to be one of the best minds in the Church when it comes to liturgy in all its aspects – and we are very fortunate that Pope Francis chose him for the position that he now holds.
 
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I would always suggest to go up to communion to get a blessing. Just put your finger over your mouth and the preist will give you a blessing. And go to confession as soon as you can.
 
0104 said:
I would always suggest to go up to communion to get a blessing. Just put your finger over your mouth and the preist will give you a blessing. And go to confession as soon as you can.
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I am curious…would you be willing to say, in general, where that is the gesture that you have encountered? I have not encountered it personally.
 
Interesting. In all of the places I have attended Mass, the normal gesture is to cross one’s arm or arms over one’s chest.
 
0104 said:
I would always suggest to go up to communion to get a blessing. Just put your finger over your mouth and the preist will give you a blessing. And go to confession as soon as you can.
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normally we just cross our arms and whoever is supposed to give us the Eucharist gives us a blessing instead. Guess its a different hand gesture/signal depending where you are?
 
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casslean said:
One of Jesus’s reasons for condemning the Pharisees, as it was explained to me during the homily tonight, was that they strictly adhered to all of their laws without considering the reason or motive behind that law, and whether or not their strict adherence was furthering the aim and intent of the law. And they were so steadfast in that adherence and in their unwillingness to consider anything except how they believed their laws would operate that when they were faced with the opportunity to see the Son of God perform a miracle, they were more concerned with catching him out at breaking the laws.
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Your homilist explained the matter very very well.
 
FrDavid96 said:
And let’s not forget, the very reason why Christ criticized the Pharisees was because they made up their own laws.
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I have always considered it a little more than that, though I get your point. Following the letter of the law as strictly as one can does not make one a Pharisee. I think the what made them the hypocrites that Jesus chastised was that they followed the law for the sake of the law, without the love that God asks of those who lead His people. Thus, someone being healed on the Sabbath was wrong to them, as was plucking grain. I have always seen the inversion of priorities as the core of hypocrisy, as when Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”

I think calling someone a Pharisee is something that one must be careful with, especially if one does this to a priest. It is a challenge to his sense of pastoral responsibility. I have seen, for example, that you care deeply for people, and would guess that is your motivation to set high standards in all things, including liturgy.
 
Joe1 said:
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0104:
Either way it doesn’t matter there is no rule
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true

(lets make a petition to end the 16 character rule. who’s with me?)
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Posters do not exist here to post 16 characters. Posting 16 characters was made to help posters. 😁
Joe1 said:
it was a joke. my apologies
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Fixed, ex post facto, one of the advantages here. (smiley added)
 
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casslean said:
This is a practice that does good, and harms no one and nothing. Why does it cause such controversy?
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Personally, as a European, I see it as the fruit of the same tree concerning which the Americans had to be corrected by the Holy See concerning the rubric on standing after Communion.

The dicastery had to intervene because a warped and perverse focus on observance of a rubric, on the part of certain people, was going well beyond what was meant. To close the issue, the dicastery said: "Institutio Generalis Missalis Romani, no. 43, is intended, on the one hand, to ensure within broad limits a certain uniformity of posture within the congregation for the various parts of the celebration of Holy Mass, and on the other, to not regulate posture rigidly in such a way that those who wish to kneel or sit would no longer be free.

The whole spectacle of such draconian understanding and enforcement was nothing short of bizarre for those of us observing it from afar.

As Pope Francis clearly understands, there is a great need to address the issue of rigidity in certain parts of the Church. I certainly pray for the success of that.
 
Don_Ruggero said:
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Edmundus1581:
For you information, this particular question (the OP) arises several times a year in CAF, and always results in the same disagreements. Also, as further information, the practice itself is very widespread in the Catholic world, and probably occurs in the majority of parishes and cathedrals without the slightest demurring. Obviously, if a particular priest/bishop discourages it in his own parish/diocese then his direction should be respected.

My advise on your situation is to follow the directions of your own parish (ie. go up for a blessing), and also feel comfortable that your parish is not doing anything “irregular”. Others here will disagree.
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Precisely…
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I do not disagree. I think this subject is much ado about nothing. There are thousand of parishes that give blessing for those who do not receive Holy Communion. There is nothing bad about it but can only be good for those who come up, one way or the other.

If the Bishops allow it, there is pretty much nothing we can do about it. Besides, what is so bad about it? Yes, its antagonists would say because it is not allowed in a mass.

I do not think this is really contraversial. If it is so, the Vatican can just can make a declaration about it.

Just a thought.
 
FrDavid96 said:
“The Apostle Paul had to address fiery words to the community of Corinth because of grave shortcomings in their celebration of the Eucharist resulting in divisions (schismata) and the emergence of factions (haireseis) (cf. 1 Cor 11:17-34)”
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The example that Pope JPll is using here are the shortcomings at Corinth. Do you really think that Pope JPll meant to compare blessings received in the Communion line to the shortcomings at Corinth? When I think of Corinth, I am not reminded of my own parish.
 
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I am also curious as to why people go up in the Communion line for a blessing when the priest blesses EVERYONE at the end of the Mass.
 
SuscipeMeDomine quoting Pope Benedict said:
“I would like to add another practical suggestion. In many countries it has become customary for persons who are not able to receive communion (for example, the members of other confessions) to approach the altar with their hands folded over their chests, making it clear that they are not receiving the sacrament but are asking for a blessing, which is given to them as a sign of the love of Christ and of the Church. This form could certainly be chosen also by persons who are living in a second marriage and therefore are not admitted to the Lord’s table. The fact that this would make possible an intense spiritual communion with the Lord, with his whole Body, with the Church, could be a spiritual experience that would strengthen and help them.” – Pope Benedict/Josef Ratzinger
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This is not only something that the Pope wrote, it is something he did in his own Masses. As did Pope Saint John Paul II, for that matter.
 
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Don_Ruggero said:
This is not only something that the Pope wrote, it is something he did in his own Masses. As did Pope Saint John Paul II, for that matter.
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Out of curiosity, does anybody here by chance know a video link where we can watch this?
 
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