Receiving a blessing

  • Thread starter Thread starter Blackbog
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
B

Blackbog

Guest
Hi, I just attended my first RCIA meeting yesterday. I plan to start attending mass soon, though I have a couple questions.
  1. During the meeting, a guest speaker suggested that though one was not yet baptized Catholic, one could receive a blessing during the Eucharist. I had always heard that the unbaptized should either not receive the Eucharist or leave prior to the Eucharist. What’s the correct way to go about this? What is the purpose of receiving a blessing?
  2. This question seems a bit dumb, but… If one gets paid every 2 weeks, and one wants to give a set % of one’s earnings to the Church, is it okay to give every other week? I don’t see any reason to spread it out.
 
  1. you approach the priest (and it must be the priest, not any of the lay people distributing communion) with your arms crossed over your chest.
Several purposes - the first being that you can receive some of the graces that come with the actual Eucharist. Another is to lessen the awkwardness that some people feel when they are the only ones not going up the front.
  1. The only dumb question is the one that you don’t ask. I don’t see why you can’t give every other week. You many need to make special arrangements re envelopes, or at least let someone know that this is your intent.
 
  1. PLease not emake sure your Parish does this (give a blessing) as not all of them do.
    And yes you should not reiceve the Eucharist but you do not need to leave the Mass…you are allowed to stay for the WHOLE thing:D
 
ESimmons said:
Hi, I just attended my first RCIA meeting yesterday. I plan to start attending mass soon, though I have a couple questions.
  1. During the meeting, a guest speaker suggested that though one was not yet baptized Catholic, one could receive a blessing during the Eucharist. I had always heard that the unbaptized should either not receive the Eucharist or leave prior to the Eucharist. What’s the correct way to go about this? What is the purpose of receiving a blessing?
  2. This question seems a bit dumb, but… If one gets paid every 2 weeks, and one wants to give a set % of one’s earnings to the Church, is it okay to give every other week? I don’t see any reason to spread it out.
Click to expand...
The Church assumes that a person who is not Catholic or not Baptized would not approach Communion. You will not find anything in the official Church documents or norms about “blessings at Communion”.

There seems to be crossed messages in this. The Catechumens in RCIA are dismissed before the liturgy of the Eucharist because they are not Baptized. Then we encourage others who are not Baptized but not in RCIA to approach and receive a blessing???
 
  1. You can do your monetary giving any way you want. Weekly, bi-weekly, monthly , by mail.
I tend to go with the don’t go up for a blessing crowd.There is no liturgical instruction for it. It is an innovation to make people feel included. Trust me, you are included. You will recieve a blessing along with everyone else at certain parts of the mass. You may bless yourself with holy water upon entering and leaving. You might as well learn to sit in the pew while it seems everyone else goes up because even after you come into the church that is going to happen at least once in a while… At least it does to me when I can’t get to confession or eat something too close to Mass…
 
Funny thing was when I had just started my RCIA class we were told it was okay to go up for a blessing. So I got blessed the next sunday. Sunday after that the Priest nixed the whole idea of blessings during communion in his homily.
 
hilde_the_dog said:
Funny thing was when I had just started my RCIA class we were told it was okay to go up for a blessing. So I got blessed the next sunday. Sunday after that the Priest nixed the whole idea of blessings during communion in his homily.
Click to expand...
It is very appropriate to make an Act of Spiritual Communion during this time. To make an Act of Spiritual Communion, simply ask Jesus to come and be with you in a spiritual way, since you cannot receive Him bodily, at this time.

Here is a sample for you:

My Jesus,
I believe that You
are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.
I love You above all things,
and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment
receive You sacramentally,
come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You.
Amen.
 
ESimmons said:
This question seems a bit dumb, but… If one gets paid every 2 weeks, and one wants to give a set % of one’s earnings to the Church, is it okay to give every other week? I don’t see any reason to spread it out.
Click to expand...
Do whatever makes the most sense to you, with regard to this. I agree that the easiest thing is just to take 10% off the top of each pay cheque and give it in the collection basket on the following Sunday.

You can also pick a set number, like the amount you make in half a day of work (10%, approximately) and give that amount each week.

It also doesn’t have to be 10% - it can be more, or less, depending on your ability.
 
I will probably give 10%, because it is a good number and I am dirt poor.

Even though I am struggling with college bills and such, and still being supported by my parents, I want to give at this time because I think it is important to support the Church community that is taking me in and devoting resources to educating me in the Faith.

As to the issue over blessings, it was recommended at our first RCIA meeting by a guest speaker, a recent RCIA “graduate,” though she was young which is why I had my suspicions. The priest, who also spoke before and after her, didn’t mention anything about blessings during the Eucharist.

I have prepared a question to formally submit to him at our next meeting. (We are encouraged to submit questions.) I will post it here for your review:

(begin quote)

What is the purpose of receiving a blessing at Communion?

In responding to a similar inquiry, Fr. Vincent Serpa, O.P. posted on EWTN.com on October 29, 2003:

“In some places those who, for whatever reason, may not receive Holy Communion in the Catholic Church are encouraged to come up, cross their arms and receive a blessing. There is, actually, nothing in the rubrics which calls for or even supports such a practice.”

Is there a precedent for this practice? If so, what?

(end quote)

I am submitting this partly because I want to know the answer, but also I think it is important to know where the priest stands on the matter. Let me know if you think anything should be added or subtracted from this submission.

Thank you all for your responses thus far.
 
Yes, it’s always important to know the priest’s attitude toward this.

Some are happy to do it and will even suggest it, while others either have not heard of it, or are opposed to it because they find it distracting if people are coming up in the Communion line, but not to receive Holy Communion.

I have no idea where the custom came from, or how it got started.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top