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

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“everybody needs to take a gander at and wonder why they’re not going up.”
I really doubt they are.
But even if they are, so what? As has been pointed out many times already, there are at least several reasons for not receiving.
 
Jimmy Akin is a pretty solid source. He is known for just saying what the Church says, no more. They only thing I would disagree with is the first point, that it is a disruption to Communion, at least not in the common sense of the word. It always seems to flow fine when I have seen it.
 
That is a given. If you announce it during your mass that Communion is only for people who receive Communion and not for blessing, I am very sure nobody would come up for the blessing. Good for you to make that clear in your parish or when you are saying the mass. People normally would obey and know what to do if a celebrant makes it clear to them.

I have done quite a lots of commentating during masses and usually in wedding masses (where a bigger mixed crowd is expected), we would just make a simple explanation, like “only practicing Catholics can receive Communion, and non-Catholic friends may be seated during the Communion.” It saves a lot of confusion.
 
pnewton said:
Jimmy Akin is a pretty solid source. He is known for just saying what the Church says, no more. They only thing I would disagree with is the first point, that it is a disruption to Communion, at least not in the common sense of the word. It always seems to flow fine when I have seen it.
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I can say with certainty, it certainly is not. (I mean the logistic) 🙂
 
Reuben_J said:
That is a given. If you announce it during your mass that Communion is only for people who receive Communion and not for blessing, I am very sure nobody would come up for the blessing. Good for you to make that clear in your parish or when you are saying the mass. People normally would obey and know what to do if a celebrant makes it clear to them.
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It shouldn’t be necessary—not for a typical Sunday Mass. Why should we have to tell people “Communion time is time for Communion.”?
I have done quite a lots of commentating during masses and usually in wedding masses (where a bigger mixed crowd is expected), we would just make a simple explanation, like “only practicing Catholics can receive Communion, and non-Catholic friends may be seated during the Communion.” It saves a lot of confusion.
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Sure, weddings, funerals and similar situations, it might be (depending on the community present) helpful to make such an announcement.

I do something similar myself (if I think there’s a need). I make a brief announcement before Communion that ends in something like “therefore, if you are not receiving Communion, please remain in the pew.”
 
FrDavid96 said:
Sure, weddings, funerals and similar situations, it might be (depending on the community present) helpful to make such an announcement.

I do something similar myself (if I think there’s a need). I make a brief announcement before Communion that ends in something like “therefore, if you are not receiving Communion, please remain in the pew.”
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That’s what I mean. Internet thing can do wonders …

Good for you to let people know what you want.

I have not heard priests saying that though. Don’t know why. Thus it’s for us to make the announcement at the beginning of the mass (introduction). Mainly it is to avopid confusion.

Again, not Sunday mass. … Wedding. You know the type that comes for wedding. They often include those that are not your regular Catholic joe.
 
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pnewton said:
They only thing I would disagree with is the first point, that it is a disruption to Communion, at least not in the common sense of the word. It always seems to flow fine when I have seen it.
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He doesn’t mean that it is “disruptive” in the normal sense of word. In other words, he doesn’t mean it causes confusion or logistic nightmares.

What he means is it is a “disruption” from the rubrics. Meaning, the rubrics do not contain in them an option for blessings for people who are not receiving communion.

When we use/used the altar rail, people didn’t kneel at the Altar Rail for a blessing. Kneeling is still the norm (though almost no one uses it in the West). Standing his the exception (though it is used the most), and the rubrics do not say something like “when receiving communion standing via percussion a blessing may be given to those who do not receive.”

That’s what he means by “disruption”

God Bless
 
phil19034 said:
When we use/used the altar rail, people didn’t kneel at the Altar Rail for a blessing. Kneeling is still the norm (though almost no one uses it in the West).
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I would think it obvious that one kneeling would cause a greater disruption to communion line, since kneeling is not the norm, according to the USCCB.
In the United States, the body of Bishops determined that Communion should be received standing, and that a bow is the act of reverence made by those receiving. These norms may require some adjustment…
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http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-wor...t/the-reception-of-holy-communion-at-mass.cfm

I cannot see how applying the word to the rubrics works. It is not a rupture, in the sense of a tear. Seriously, I have never seen it made into any big deal, apart from this forum. It has always ran smooth where I have seen it, and I have always seen some people remain seated. We can go round and round, but I do not see it as disruptive.
 
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It is not disruptive. It is like looking for an ant in a hay stack and saying, “hey, I found a little ant here.” Or needle. … One doesn’t have to find something, it has to be there, for a more valid reason.

If anyone need to find a reason not to do it, disruptive is the least of them.

Yes, kneeling, when people are all standing can be more disruptive. I know. 🙂
 
pnewton said:
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phil19034:
When we use/used the altar rail, people didn’t kneel at the Altar Rail for a blessing. Kneeling is still the norm (though almost no one uses it in the West).
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I would think it obvious that one kneeling would cause a greater disruption to communion line, since kneeling is not the norm, according to the USCCB.
In the United States, the body of Bishops determined that Communion should be received standing, and that a bow is the act of reverence made by those receiving. These norms may require some adjustment…
Click to expand...
http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-wor...t/the-reception-of-holy-communion-at-mass.cfm

I cannot see how applying the word to the rubrics works. It is not a rupture, in the sense of a tear. Seriously, I have never seen it made into any big deal, apart from this forum. It has always ran smooth where I have seen it, and I have always seen some people remain seated. We can go round and round, but I do not see it as disruptive.
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It’s not a big deal, but you are still not understanding what he means. And the USCCB has nothing to do with what I was saying. I was simply saying that when receiving communion when kneeling at the altar rail, one would not go up there for a blessing. I was using that as an analogy. Nothing more.

Again, it’s not a disruption of the communion line itself, it’s a deviation from the rubrics - meaning the rubrics don’t call for it or say it’s an option. So by granting a blessing, the priest is doing something outside of the rubrics.

Jimmy is using the word “disruption” in a similar fashion to what we mean by the term “business disruption.”

From dictionary.com
disruption
noun
  1. forcible separation or division into parts.
  2. a disrupted condition:
    After the coup, the country was in disruption.
  3. Business. a radical change in an industry, business strategy, etc., especially involving the introduction of a new product or service that creates a new market:
    Globalization and the rapid advance of technology are major causes of business disruption.
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Hence the word “disruption.” That’s all he means.

Rule of thumb
  • if your pastor is fine with it, go ahead and do it.
  • if your pastor is not ok with it, don’t do it.
  • when visiting another parish, don’t do it unless you know for sure that the parish does it.
  • when you are not sure, stay in your pew.
God Bless
 
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phil19034 said:
Rule of thumb

if your pastor is fine with it, go ahead and do it.
if your pastor is not ok with it, don’t do it.
when visiting another parish, don’t do it unless you know for sure that the parish does it.
when you are not sure, stay in your pew.

God Bless
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Excellent advice, especially since this thread has shown that not only lay Catholics but also the clergy are all over the map on this.
 
phil19034 said:
Again, it’s not a disruption of the communion line itself, it’s a deviation from the rubrics - meaning the rubrics don’t call for it or say it’s an option. So by granting a blessing, the priest is doing something outside of the rubrics.
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Perhaps it then can fall under inculturation, where the discretion of the local Bishop is only required.

GIRM
398 Finally, the pursuit of inculturation does not have as its purpose in any way the creation of new families of rites, but aims rather at meeting the needs of a particular culture, though in such a way that adaptations introduced either into the Missal or coordinated with other liturgical books are not at variance with the proper character of the Roman Rite.
 
In this Archdiocese we insert into the program:
(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)
 
That is very informative which can come in handy especially for those with non-Catholic friends. It saves the ackwardness of explaining to them. Very thoughtful of the Archdiocese.
 
Yes, I asked the Office of Divine Worship, and htis is what they put in the Ordination programs.
 
Reuben_J said:
Perhaps it then can fall under inculturation, where the discretion of the local Bishop is only required.

GIRM
398 Finally, the pursuit of inculturation does not have as its purpose in any way the creation of new families of rites, but aims rather at meeting the needs of a particular culture, though in such a way that adaptations introduced either into the Missal or coordinated with other liturgical books are not at variance with the proper character of the Roman Rite.
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The local bishop does not have that authority in the first place.

Any adaptations to the Roman Missal must be approved by Rome. A bishop can request an adaptation. A conference of bishops can request an adaptation. But no such adaptation is legitimate without Rome’s approval.
 
Are blessings in communion lines even allowed? I’d much prefer to go up and receive a blessing than crawl over people so I’m not in their way when they get up.
 
I found this answer by Fr. McNamara at EWTN.
Certainly this blessing is not in the rubrics and there is no obligation to make such an invitation. However, neither is there any prohibition and the practice seems to have been tacitly accepted by many bishops who are aware of this nascent custom and have even participated in giving such blessings.

As far as I know, no bishop has issued specific directives on this issue, nor has the Holy See intervened although it is certainly aware of its existence.

The decision as to whether to adopt such a practice depends on the concrete pastoral circumstances involved. As in all similar initiatives, due reflection is required regarding the custom’s pastoral utility and as to any possible consequences that it may provoke in the short or long term, for example, changing the way people perceive the act of receiving Communion
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Not all bishops agree on whether it is licit, so I guess it is not surprise not all priests agree. In light of this, the repetition of the advise to just ask your priest or check with the diocese seems pretty sound.
 
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