Ranjith on Kneeling for Communion and Communion on the Tongue

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Ranjith on Kneeling for Communion during the liturgy and Communion on the Tongue

Excerpt:
"*the book written by Bishop Athanasius Schneider, Auxiliary Bishop of Karaganda in Kazakhstan entitled Dominus Est is significant and appreciated. He wants to make a contribution to the current debate on the real and substantial presence of Christ in the consecrated species of bread and wine… from his experience, which aroused in him a deep faith, wonder and devotion to the Lord present in the Eucharist, he presents us with a historical-theological [consideration] clarifying how the practice of receiving Holy Communion on the tonue and kneeling has been accepted and practiced in the Church for a long period of time.
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Now I think it is high time to review and re-evaluate such good practices and, if necessary, to abandon the current practice* that was not called for by Sacrosanctum Concilium, nor by Fathers, but was only accepted after its illegitimate introduction in some countries. Now, more than ever, we must help the faithful to renew a deep faith in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharistic species in order to strengthen the life of the Church and defend it in the midst of dangerous distortions of the faith that this situation continues to cause.
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The reasons for this move must be not so much academic but pastoral - spiritual as well as liturgical - in short, what builds better faith. Mons. Msgr. Schneider in this sense shows a commendable courage because he has been able to grasp the true meaning of the words of St. Paul: “but everything should be done for building up” (1 Cor 14, 26). "
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Thank heavens we have Church leaders who are willing to admit the obvious and speak out against the bad disciplines that have harmed the Church.
 
Great! The Church is headed back in the right direction.

I couldn’t believe what I saw yesterday at the Tridentine Mass I attend. As we all knelt at the rail, a woman in her 20’s did not receive on the tongue but in the hand. I couldn’t believe it! I know that communion in the hand is accepted in the NO but that is something I never thought I’d see at the TLM. She saw everyone else receive on the tongue so she knew it was the norm.

It saddens me when I see communion in the hand. It is an abuse that lessens the respect shown to the Eucharist.
 
Dempsey1919 said:
Great! The Church is headed back in the right direction.

I couldn’t believe what I saw yesterday at the Tridentine Mass I attend. As we all knelt at the rail, a woman in her 20’s did not receive on the tongue but in the hand. I couldn’t believe it! I know that communion in the hand is accepted in the NO but that is something I never thought I’d see at the TLM. She saw everyone else receive on the tongue so she knew it was the norm.

It saddens me when I see communion in the hand. It is an abuse that lessens the respect shown to the Eucharist.
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In these cases I simply like to think that she had a good reason to do this and because it’s allowed she went for it. Maybe it’s unlikely and there probably aren’t many reasons for doing that (oral herpes maybe) it’s still simply better to suppose that. Also, she might have been attending for the first not, not knowing the norms and practices.

As for the archbishop - I’ve already read some of the things he wrote before and I think that if every leader of the Church would be like him, things would change very quickly. Lets pray that more will come.

Two thumbs up for Archbishop Ranjith. 👍
 
I agree that the Archbishops letter is right on target. I would not at all be upset if tomorrow morning I awoke and Pope Benedict had declared that the NO was to be done away with and the Tridentine Mass was to be back in full use within the next 6 months every were.

That said The biggest mistake made after VII was that everyone was in a big hurry to make changes and in doing so made big mistake very fast. so I hope in the move back to your heritage we take a respectable time to do so.
 
Dempsey1919 said:
Great! The Church is headed back in the right direction.

I couldn’t believe what I saw yesterday at the Tridentine Mass I attend. As we all knelt at the rail, a woman in her 20’s did not receive on the tongue but in the hand. I couldn’t believe it! I know that communion in the hand is accepted in the NO but that is something I never thought I’d see at the TLM. She saw everyone else receive on the tongue so she knew it was the norm.

It saddens me when I see communion in the hand. It is an abuse that lessens the respect shown to the Eucharist.
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O am surprised that the Priest gave it to her. Though it is exceptable in the NO it is not in the TLM.
 
TMC said:
Is this true? Redemptionis Sacramentum does not make a EF/OF distinction.
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I could be wrong but I have never seen any thing that would change the any aspect of the TLM. That would Include the way in which the Eucharist is recieved.
 
Either way, I would like to see communion in the hand prohibited because it lessens the respect due to the Real Presence.

I have already written about this in previous threads so I will refrain from doing so here.

However, I will say that the Latin rite has historically been against communion in the hand in favour of communion directly on the tongue.

Communion in the hand was originally an abuse that came to be tolerated. Many will say that the early church endorsed this practice but the historical evidence for this has proven to be faulty.

Those in favour of communion in the hand will often cite St Cyril of Jerusalem to prove that this practice is ancient. However, the orthodoxy and origins of this text is dubious.

A search in google will provide more than enough information to prove that communion in the hand has been condemned thoroughly in the past.
 
“…in short, what builds better faith…”

That says it all doesn’t it ? 👍
 
It saddens me when I see communion in the hand. It is an abuse that lessens the respect shown to the Eucharist.
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Sorry, I have to completely disagree, it is the more ancient and authentic tradition, nothing wrong with communion on the tongue, but again, nothing wrong with communion in the hand either.

St. Cyril tells us:
When thou goest to receive communion go not with thy wrists extended, nor with thy fingers separated, but placing thy left hand as a throne for thy right, which is to receive so great a King, and in the hollow of the palm receive the body of Christ, saying, Amen
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My understanding is that the indult is not granted to the specific mass, but to the diocese. So if a Diocese has the indult for communion in the hand, it applies regardless of which mass is used and is therefore LEGAL even in the TLM.
 
Dempsey1919 said:
Either way, I would like to see communion in the hand prohibited because it lessens the respect due to the Real Presence.

I have already written about this in previous threads so I will refrain from doing so here.

However, I will say that the Latin rite has historically been against communion in the hand in favour of communion directly on the tongue.

Communion in the hand was originally an abuse that came to be tolerated. Many will say that the early church endorsed this practice but the historical evidence for this has proven to be faulty.

Those in favour of communion in the hand will often cite St Cyril of Jerusalem to prove that this practice is ancient. However, the orthodoxy and origins of this text is dubious.

A search in google will provide more than enough information to prove that communion in the hand has been condemned thoroughly in the past.
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"[T]he second objection we wanted to consider was directed against the act of receiving Communion: kneeling–standing, hand–mouth. Well, first of all, I would like to say that both attitudes are possible, and I would like therefore to ask all priests to exercise tolerance and to recognize the decision of each person; and I would further like to ask you all to exercise the same tolerance and not cast aspersions on anyone who may have opted for this or that way of doing it. But you will ask: Is tolerance the proper answer here? Or is it not misplaced with respect to this most holy thing? Well, here again we know that until the ninth century Communion was received in the hand, standing. That does not of course mean that it should always be so. For what is fine, sublime, about the Church is that she is growing, maturing, understanding the mystery more profoundly. In that sense the new development that began after the ninth century is quite justified, as an expression of reverence, and is well-founded. But, on the other hand, we have to say that the Church could not possibly have been celebrating the Eucharist unworthily for nine hundred years.
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If we read what the Fathers say, we can see in what a spirit of reverence they received Communion. We find a particularly fine passage in the writings of Cyril of Jerusalem, from the fourth century. In his catechetical homilies he tells the candidates for baptism what they should do at Communion. They should make a throne of their hands, laying the right upon the let to forma throne for the King, forming at the same time a cross. This symbolic gesture, so fine and so profound, is what concerns him: the hands of man form a cross, which becomes a throne, down into which the King inclines himself. The open, outstretched hand can thus become a sign of the way that a man offers himself to the Lord, opens hands for him, that they may become an instrument of his presence and a throne of his mercies in this world. Anyone who reflects on this will recognize that on this point it is quite wrong to argue about this or that form of behavior. **We should be concerned only to argue in favor of what the Church’s efforts were directed toward, both before and after the ninth century, that is a reverence in the heart, an inner submission before the mystery of God that puts himself into our hands. Thus we should not forget that not only our hands are impure but also our tongue and also our heart and that we often sin more with the tongue than with the hands. **God takes an enormous risk–and at the same time this is an expression of his merciful goodness–in allowing not only our hand and our tongue but even our heart to come into contact with him. "
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-Cardinal Ratzinger, Archbishop of Munich, 1978
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Perhaps you should let the Holy Father know that his view on Communion in the hand is incorrect and relies on “dubious” sources.
 
Yerusalyim said:
Sorry, I have to completely disagree, it is the more ancient and authentic tradition, nothing wrong with communion on the tongue, but again, nothing wrong with communion in the hand either.
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It may have been the norm in ancient times but was done away with because of the very abuses we are seeing today.
 
Eric_Olsen said:
It may have been the norm in ancient times but was done away with because of the very abuses we are seeing today.
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Eric,

Read what the Pope said on the matter…It was done for 900 years. It’s not a problem. What is a problem is lack of respect for the Eucharist.
 
Sure said:
Eric,

Read what the Pope said on the matter…It was done for 900 years. It’s not a problem. What is a problem is lack of respect for the Eucharist.
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It may have been done for 900 years but everything I have read was because of no respect for the Eucharist, is why receiving on the tongue was started. I am all for going back to kneeling and receiving on the tongue.
 
Eric_Olsen said:
It may have been done for 900 years but everything I have read was because of no respect for the Eucharist, is why receiving on the tongue was started. I am all for going back to kneeling and receiving on the tongue.
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Well, perhaps you should write to the Holy Father as he doesn’t seem to have read the same books as you. Perhaps the books you read were incorrect?
 
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