Participation in Communion Hymn: Required or Not?

[Lazerlike42]

In looking for an old USCCB statement having to do with something else, I happened across this statement:

This action by Christ’s body, the Church assembled for the Eucharist, is manifested and supported by the Communion Hymn, a hymn in praise of Christ sung by the united voices of those who believe in him and share his life. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal takes this hymn very seriously, mandating that it should begin at the Communion of the priest and extend until the last person has received Communion.

For some, however, the singing of this hymn is perceived as an intrusion on their own prayer, their private thanksgiving after Communion. In fact, however, this hymn is prayer, the corporate thanksgiving prayer of the members of Christ’s Body, united with one another. Over and over again the prayers of the liturgy and the norms of the General Instruction emphasize this fundamental concept of the unity of the baptized, stressing that when we come together to participate in the Eucharistic celebration we come, not as individuals, but as united members of Christ’s body…

It is difficult for some of us to embrace this emphasis on Mass as the action of a community rather than an individual act of my own faith and piety, but it is important that we make every effort to do so.

• usccb.org/liturgy/girm/bul5.shtml

Now this strikes quite the chord with me, as I am a person who almost never sings the communion hymn, much preferring to use the time to prepare myself for Communion and to meditate and offer thanks after having received it. Not recalling ever having seen any such thing in the GIRM as the statement indicated, I went looking for it and came across this:

1. While the priest is receiving the Sacrament, the Communion chant is begun. Its purpose is to express the communicants’ union in spirit by means of the unity of their voices, to show joy of heart, and to highlight more clearly the “communitarian” nature of the procession to receive Communion. The singing is continued for as long as the Sacrament is being administered to the faithful.74 If, however, there is to be a hymn after Communion, the Communion chant should be ended in a timely manner.

…

1. When the distribution of Communion is finished, as circumstances suggest, the priest and faithful spend some time praying privately. If desired, a psalm or other canticle of praise or a hymn may also be sung by the entire congregation.

My take on this is that the GIRM calls for a communion antiphon/hymn while Communion is being distributed, followed by a period of private prayer afterwards. If that is the case, then the problem would seem to be in practice: rarely, if ever, is there anything (in my experience) after the Communion has been distributed that would provide time for private prayer. So given that, ought a person to neglect the hymn so as to make time for prayer?

Even given that, a few problems still present themselves. First, this makes no provision for prayers in preperation for receiving the Lord, but rather seems to require taking part in whatever is sung beforehand. Second, even supposing a nice long period of silence were granted for prayer after the hymn is over, it would still be very jarring for me, and I would imagine many, to need to “put the Lord on hold” after having received Him in order to finish up the hymn before being able to pray. Finally, the GIRM seems to even introduce the possibility that no private time for prayer is permitted, in the event that “a psalm or other canticle of praise” is “desired” in its place.

I must admit, I am not a “traditionalist” (for lack of a better term), and I am not in agreement with many of those of that leaning who seem to be opposed to external forms of participation in Mass such as singing in favor of silent, personal prayer, but I am squarely on that side in this case. Does the Ordinary form of Mass truly not allow for private prayer during one’s Holy Communion?

 

[Phemie]

If you look at the options given by the GIRM you will find that all the hymns may be sung by the choir alone EXCEPT the hymn AFTER Communion, if there is one, which is a communal hymn. But letting the choir sing alone is usually the last option so not the preferred one.

That said, yes the Communion hymn expresses the union of the community and is a prayer of thanksgiving for what/who we are receiving. You can’t speak of putting the Lord on ‘hold’ by singing since singing is praying. Your prayer is just takes a different form. If you wish to do private prayer you can stay for a few minutes after Mass.

It would be very welcome if we had a period of silence, a few minutes, not the 15 seconds between when Fr.'s pants hit the chair and when he gets up for the Prayer after Communion. That varies depending on who the celebrant is. We had one that gave several minutes. At first the fidgeting started about 15 seconds in and you could feel the discomfort after 30 seconds, but gradually people got used to it and the fidgeting stopped. The silence became a prayerful time.

 

[PhilotheaZ]

Thanks for this thread, Lazerlike42. I have a very difficult time singing immediately after receiving Communion. I have always been taught that Jesus remains physically present within you for about fifteen minutes, and that this should be a time of intimate private prayer.

The only exception is when the Communion hymn is something intensely Eucharistic and Christ-centered which actually helps me to pray. Examples are “Soul of My Savior” (a translation of the Anima Christi), “Jesus, My Lord, My God, My All,” or “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence.” I can softly sing along with one of these and make it my prayer.

Unfortunately, a lot of the songs chosen as Communion hymns are me-centered or us-centered drivel.

This is coming from someone who is a cantor at Mass. On the weekends when it is my turn to cantor, I start the Communion hymn as soon as the priest has received and begins to distribute Communion to the altar servers and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion. That way the people are still in the pews with access to their hymnals as the song begins. We can usually get in a verse or two before they begin to process to receive. And we are often finished well before people have finished receiving Communion. This is intentional on my part; that way they will have some time of silence (or soft organ music) for personal prayer before the closing prayers of the Mass.

And when it’s my turn to cantor, if the assigned Communion hymn is something I find inappropriate or un-Eucharistic, I change it.

 

[tobinatorstark]

In looking for an old USCCB statement having to do with something else, I happened across this statement:

• usccb.org/liturgy/girm/bul5.shtml

Now this strikes quite the chord with me, as I am a person who almost never sings the communion hymn, much preferring to use the time to prepare myself for Communion and to meditate and offer thanks after having received it. Not recalling ever having seen any such thing in the GIRM as the statement indicated, I went looking for it and came across this:

My take on this is that the GIRM calls for a communion antiphon/hymn while Communion is being distributed, followed by a period of private prayer afterwards. If that is the case, then the problem would seem to be in practice: rarely, if ever, is there anything (in my experience) after the Communion has been distributed that would provide time for private prayer. So given that, ought a person to neglect the hymn so as to make time for prayer?

Even given that, a few problems still present themselves. First, this makes no provision for prayers in preperation for receiving the Lord, but rather seems to require taking part in whatever is sung beforehand. Second, even supposing a nice long period of silence were granted for prayer after the hymn is over, it would still be very jarring for me, and I would imagine many, to need to “put the Lord on hold” after having received Him in order to finish up the hymn before being able to pray. Finally, the GIRM seems to even introduce the possibility that no private time for prayer is permitted, in the event that “a psalm or other canticle of praise” is “desired” in its place.

I must admit, I am not a “traditionalist” (for lack of a better term), and I am not in agreement with many of those of that leaning who seem to be opposed to external forms of participation in Mass such as singing in favor of silent, personal prayer, but I am squarely on that side in this case. Does the Ordinary form of Mass truly not allow for private prayer during one’s Holy Communion?

I would refer to the Code of Canon Law first rather than the USCCB. The USCCB seems a little to shady for me

 

[Lazerlike42]

I would refer to the Code of Canon Law first rather than the USCCB. The USCCB seems a little to shady for me

Well this is why I checked the GIRM, which is the official Liturgical instruction for the celebration of Mass. Canon law doesn’t have anything to say about this sort of thing; the GIRM (General Instruction to the Roman Missal) has all that good stuff.

 

[peregrinus_sg]

We must actively participate at Mass, yes, but this doesn’t mean we must be actively seen to be doing things. If singing the Communion chant helps your prayer, go for it; if it is a distraction, you may pray in your own ways.

 

[Deacon_Ed]

I fully sympathize wi8th those who want time for private prayer following communion. I grew up before Vatican II and that was always a part of the the Eucharistic experience. At the same time, one of the problems we as Catholics had was expressing communion as a “me and Jesus” time. It isn’t! This is a “we and Jesus” time since we are the Body of Christ receiving the Body of Christ ministered to us by the Body of Christ.

If we understand the communal nature of communion it makes sense that we submit our personal experience of Jesus in the Eucharist to the community at large. This is the purport of joining in the hymn following communion.

So, yes, we are to participate in the hymn.

Deacon Ed

 

[John_Lilburne]

Silence is also encouraged, after Communion, in the GIRM:
“Silence
45. Sacred silence also, as part of the celebration, is to be observed at the designated times.Its purpose, however, depends on the time it occurs in each part of the celebration. Thus within the Act of Penitence and again after the invitation to pray, all recollect themselves; but at the conclusion of a reading or the homily, all meditate briefly on what they have heard; then after Communion, they praise and pray to God in their hearts.”

 

[peregrinus_sg]

I fully sympathize wi8th those who want time for private prayer following communion. I grew up before Vatican II and that was always a part of the the Eucharistic experience. At the same time, one of the problems we as Catholics had was expressing communion as a “me and Jesus” time. It isn’t! This is a “we and Jesus” time since we are the Body of Christ receiving the Body of Christ ministered to us by the Body of Christ.

If we understand the communal nature of communion it makes sense that we submit our personal experience of Jesus in the Eucharist to the community at large. This is the purport of joining in the hymn following communion.

So, yes, we are to participate in the hymn.

Deacon Ed

I am of the opinion that it is a mistaken notion to assume that just because someone isn’t singing with the group, someone isn’t part of the group. Receiving Holy Communion is at the same time a deeply intimate, personal encounter with God, as well as a communal relationship with one another. It is only because at Communion, I enter into a deep, personal communion with the God-made-man that I also enter into communion with my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

The Communion chant is meant to help build this sense of Communion with God and with one another through music and words. It is an aid, not a necessity. Let’s not turn something that is helpful into something that would hurt people’s consciences.

Furthermore, it is perfectly acceptable way to participate in religious song by listening. It’s really options for the people: there are many ways of participating at Mass, but only one way for the Priest to preside at Mass.

 

[benedictgal]

Thanks for this thread, Lazerlike42. I have a very difficult time singing immediately after receiving Communion. I have always been taught that Jesus remains physically present within you for about fifteen minutes, and that this should be a time of intimate private prayer.

The only exception is when the Communion hymn is something intensely Eucharistic and Christ-centered which actually helps me to pray. Examples are “Soul of My Savior” (a translation of the Anima Christi), “Jesus, My Lord, My God, My All,” or “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence.” I can softly sing along with one of these and make it my prayer.

Unfortunately, a lot of the songs chosen as Communion hymns are me-centered or us-centered drivel.

This is coming from someone who is a cantor at Mass. On the weekends when it is my turn to cantor, I start the Communion hymn as soon as the priest has received and begins to distribute Communion to the altar servers and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion. That way the people are still in the pews with access to their hymnals as the song begins. We can usually get in a verse or two before they begin to process to receive. And we are often finished well before people have finished receiving Communion. This is intentional on my part; that way they will have some time of silence (or soft organ music) for personal prayer before the closing prayers of the Mass.

And when it’s my turn to cantor, if the assigned Communion hymn is something I find inappropriate or un-Eucharistic, I change it.

That is why I do not sing the Communion hymn in my parish. My parish bought into OCP hook, line and sinker and a lot of the songs in the arsenal are not suitable for Communion, let alone, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. I cannot, in good conscience, sing something that is, as you put it me/we centered.

I think that we need to rediscover the importance of sacred silence. Just becasue there is silence, that does not mean that this is a void that mjust be filled with either instrumental music or singing. The Communion hymn should end when the last person has received Holy Communion. The Papal Masses from St. Peter’s Basilica give a good example. There is time for silent prayer after Holy Communion. The Holy Father is seting the example. I think that we should follow it.

 

[Lazerlike42]

I fully sympathize wi8th those who want time for private prayer following communion. I grew up before Vatican II and that was always a part of the the Eucharistic experience. At the same time, one of the problems we as Catholics had was expressing communion as a “me and Jesus” time. It isn’t! This is a “we and Jesus” time since we are the Body of Christ receiving the Body of Christ ministered to us by the Body of Christ.

If we understand the communal nature of communion it makes sense that we submit our personal experience of Jesus in the Eucharist to the community at large. This is the purport of joining in the hymn following communion.

So, yes, we are to participate in the hymn.

Deacon Ed

The problem is that it is also a “me and Jesus” time, and in fact it is the only “me and Jesus” time with such a profound level of Communion and intimacy. Perhaps it is not the best analogy, but I would compare it to a married couple… certainly, they are to engage their union in society at large in various ways, but can anyone imagine a couple engaged only in society at large and without any time between themselves alone?

 

[ASD]

I fully sympathize with those who want time for private prayer following communion. I grew up before Vatican II and that was always a part of the the Eucharistic experience. At the same time, one of the problems we as Catholics had was expressing communion as a “me and Jesus” time. It isn’t! This is a “we and Jesus” time since we are the Body of Christ receiving the Body of Christ ministered to us by the Body of Christ.

If we understand the communal nature of communion it makes sense that we submit our personal experience of Jesus in the Eucharist to the community at large. This is the purport of joining in the hymn following communion.

So, yes, we are to participate in the hymn.

Deacon Ed

Sorry, but I gotta reduce all this to punch lines for eighth graders.

Not sure if you’re saying that the conception changed or that old conception was mistaken for hundreds of years?

I assume you mean the former. So, is this a fair paraphrase of what you’re saying, and is it correct?

The philosophy or theology of Communion has changed over the years from

TLM past and EF now: Communion properly understood as a quiet moment of personal prayer, the most intense time of private communication with Christ. (Cf. Calvary and the Mass)

OF: Communion viewed as community act of Body of Christ during which private devotions are not appropriate. The communal nature of the action is expressed in Communion Hymn.

Does that seem correct to you?

TIA. ASD​

Compare Two Forms of Single Roman Rite

 

[Deacon_Ed]

Sorry, but I gotta reduce all this to punch lines for eighth graders.

Not sure if you’re saying that the conception changed or that old conception was mistaken for hundreds of years?

I assume you mean the former. So, is this a fair paraphrase of what you’re saying, and is it correct?

Does that seem correct to you?

TIA. ASD​

Compare Two Forms of Single Roman Rite

I think you are oversimplifying what I was saying. Originally it was the ekklesia (church, community called out) that made the reality of Christ present among us under the form of bread and wine a communal experience. Over the course of years, and without explicit action, the communal nature of the reception of the eucharist, at least in the Western Church, shifted from communal to personal. By the beginning of the 20th century the entire Mass had taken on a more personal than communal aspect (regardless of the “uniformity of posture”).

One of the goals of the reforms of the Second Vatican Council was to restore a sense of the communal nature of the Mass and, especially, the reception of communion.

I’m not saying that we were “mistaken” for so many years but, rather, that we had not glimpsed the fullness of the reality of what it means to be ekklesia.

Deacon Ed

 

[Annc]

In some ways this is the oddest thing that I have ever heard. I am completely puzzled by the thought that I “have to” sing at any time during Mass let alone after Communion. I stll have Jesus on my tongue for a minute or two so how is it possible? I have nothing to add to what others have said on the appropriateness of private prayer. I will have to look for more references to this issue.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Corki]

I rarely sing the Communion Hymn. I am not theologically opposed but it just isn’t practical in my parish.

1. There is no silence after Communion for prayer. Father doesn’t even sit down. He goes straight from the purification to the lecturn for announcements.
2. I can’t remember the last time the Communion hymn was one of Thanksgiving.
3. Our cantor generally picks an obscure hynm for the Communion hymn. Many of these are beautiful but are usually not easy to sing.

If the time during and after Communion is to be a time of corporate thanksgiving, in my parish, this is not accomplished by singing the hymn given to us to sing.

So that intruction seems to be to reflect the ideal. Some of us may experience that but for many of us we have to adapt to the reality of our parish situation. In my case that reality says my thanksgiving is my priority over joining in singing a hymn that may or may not have anything to do with Communion.

 

[ASD]

One of the goals of the reforms of the Second Vatican Council was to restore a sense of the communal nature of the Mass and, especially, the reception of communion.

OK. Are you referring to specific language in Sacrosanctum Concilium? Or some ideas that emerged later?

I’m not saying that we were “mistaken” for so many years but, rather, that we had not glimpsed the fullness of the reality of what it means to be ekklesia.

I appreciate the notion of a fuller conception of ekklesia. However:

1. Communion is the time for private devotion.
2. Communion is not the time for private devotion.

Hmm. One doesn’t want to oversimplify, but . . …

ASD​

Sacrosanctum Concilium

 

[Phemie]

In some ways this is the oddest thing that I have ever heard. I am completely puzzled by the thought that I “have to” sing at any time during Mass let alone after Communion. I stll have Jesus on my tongue for a minute or two so how is it possible? I have nothing to add to what others have said on the appropriateness of private prayer. I will have to look for more references to this issue.

Thanks for sharing.

We don’t “HAVE” to sing the hymns but the sung responses are our responsibility, particularly the dialog with the priest.