Op-Ed - Bishop Schneider: The Rite of Holy Communion in times of a pandemic

[stpurl]

You are really saying that a bishop—who would have quite a lot more experience than Joe or Jane in the pew regarding theology, Catholic history, symbolism, and reverence—is going around making untrue statements about the reception of Communion? When reception ‘on the tongue’ remains the NORM of the Latin Church? When bishops can observe (and can listen to) not just emerald and Purl today, but have had decades of observation of millions of people, but because this particular bishop doesn’t seem to ‘feel’ the way you do regarding a particular practice, you call his statement ‘untrue?”

Boy. Now if somebody had said that about Pope Francis I can just imagine the thunders of anathema being hurled.

 

[Emeraldlady]

Your parents and grandparents did something that became allowed. They didn’t follow Holy Mother Church in this regard as if Holy Mother Church outlawed communion on the tongue. Rather, I’d say they(along with many many others) followed the crowd of Catholics chasing the new trend in the church.

This is not the traditional position. There was never any dissociation between a “Holy Mother Church” and “a crowd of Catholics…”. This whole need to separate the Church into the Most Holy and the rabble is a new phenomenon. It’s revisionist to call that tradition.

I’ve just been clearing out my parents house in the last month as my mother at 82 has had to go into a nursing home. It’s been an amazing journey of Catholicism through the ages. There is a one hundred year old bible that my grandparents were gifted as a wedding present from a Bishop. Back then most families didn’t actually own bibles. It’s massive and very heavy. There’s a crucifix that was made by an Irish ancestor and came out with the family 150 years ago and has stayed in the family until today. Our family is very steeped in Catholicism. Never was there passed down to us this notion that there is a ‘true’ Church and then a ‘local’ sort of Church. The Communion was understood as an unbroken succession even through the crusades and dark times in the Churchs past.

I don’t identify or accept the supposed separation you speak of.

 

[tafan2]

You believe it to be untrue. Fine. But you did not just call him out, you called him a derogatory name, then you denied it and described your post as containing something it clearly did not.

If you believe the Bishop is wrong in saying communion in the tongue is more reverent, argue your point. Just saying he is a Pharasee convinces no one.