As a cradle catholic who lived through the Vatican II changes, I was reduced to tears earlier this year, watching an EEM (or whatever they are now called) in my parish, drop a consecrated host on the ground, bend over, pick it up and toss it back into her Pyrex glass salad bowl communion cup.
In searching for a new parish community, I discovered a Maronite Catholic Church not far from my home. Encouraged by a friend, I attended their Divine Liturgy, was totally moved by the dignity, respect and devotion given to the Holy Eucharist, and have now joined the parish.
In the Maronite Catholic Church, communion is by intinction. ONLY the priest may touch the consecrated host. He dips it into the Precious Blood, and places it on the tongue of the communicant, with the words:
“Receive the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, for the remission of sin and eternal salvation.”
There are NO Eucharistic Ministers and NO communion in the hand. Roman Catholics may attend any Eastern Catholic Church and fulfill their Sunday obligation. In the Maronite Church, the consecration is in Aramaic, using the language and words of our Lord at the Last Supper.
The Maronite liturgy is one of the oldest in the Catholic Church. St. Peter and other Apostles brought the liturgy of the Last Super to Antioch where it developed in Greek and Syriac concurrently. The early Antioch liturgy is the basis of the Maronite liturgy. To this day, the Maronite Church retains its Jewish roots more than any other Catholic rite, as evidenced by its use of Aramaic/Syriac and by the prayers which remain faithful to Semantic and Old Testament forms.
The Vatican II Council declared that “all should realize it is of supreme importance to understand, venerate, preserve, and foster the exceedingly rich liturgical and spiritual heritage of the Eastern churches, in order faithfully to preserve the fullness of Christian tradition” (Unitatis Redintegrato, 15). Pope John Paul II said that “the Catholic Church is both Eastern and Western.”
“The Eastern Churches are the Treasures of the Catholic Church” – Pope John XXIII