Taking Communion by Accident

[ChristisRisen32]

Hey everyone,

I had a question. My sister and I invited a family friend of ours to youth group and then Mass afterward Sunday night. He’s not a Catholic and doesn’t have a deep religious background. My sister was sitting next to him and tried telling him that he can’t receive communion but can go up for a blessing instead. My priest(who’s English isn’t that great) misunderstood what he was doing in the communion line and gave him the host anyway. The kid(we’ll call him John for the sake of names) came back to the pew and asked my sister what to do with it because he knew not to receive it. My sister asked our youth minister(who was sitting next to her) what to do with it. So my youth minister Lynn took the host and consumed it.

Was this the right thing to do? It was a misunderstanding. I know going up for blessings is frowned upon, but it happened and I just want to know what was the proper way to deal with the incident.

Yours in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary,
Tony

 

[1ke]

Your youth minister handled it properly.

In the future, tell non-Catholic friends to stay in the pew during Communion. And don’t wait until during Mass, discuss it beforehand.

 

[TrueLight]

Edited.

 

[benedictgal]

Hey everyone,

I had a question. My sister and I invited a family friend of ours to youth group and then Mass afterward Sunday night. He’s not a Catholic and doesn’t have a deep religious background. My sister was sitting next to him and tried telling him that he can’t receive communion but can go up for a blessing instead. My priest(who’s English isn’t that great) misunderstood what he was doing in the communion line and gave him the host anyway. The kid(we’ll call him John for the sake of names) came back to the pew and asked my sister what to do with it because he knew not to receive it. My sister asked our youth minister(who was sitting next to her) what to do with it. So my youth minister Lynn took the host and consumed it.

Was this the right thing to do? It was a misunderstanding. I know going up for blessings is frowned upon, but it happened and I just want to know what was the proper way to deal with the incident.

Yours in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary,
Tony

While your sister may have meant well, the big problem was that the young person in question joined the Communion line in the first place. Your sister should not have suggested this because this is something that the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments states should not be done.

Please note what Rome states on the matter:

1. The liturgical blessing of the Holy Mass is properly given to each and to all at the conclusion of the Mass, just a few moments subsequent to the distribution of Holy Communion.

1. Lay people, within the context of Holy Mass, are unable to confer blessings. These blessings, rather, are the competence of the priest (cf. Ecclesia de Mysterio, Notitiae 34 (15 Aug. 1997), art. 6, § 2; Canon 1169, § 2; and Roman Ritual De Benedictionibus (1985), n. 18).

1. Furthermore, the laying on of a hand or hands — which has its own sacramental significance, inappropriate here — by those distributing Holy Communion, in substitution for its reception, is to be explicitly discouraged.

1. The Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris Consortio n. 84, “forbids any pastor, for whatever reason to pretext even of a pastoral nature, to perform ceremonies of any kind for divorced people who remarry”. To be feared is that any form of blessing in substitution for communion would give the impression that the divorced and remarried have been returned, in some sense, to the status of Catholics in good standing.
2. In a similar way, for others who are not to be admitted to Holy Communion in accord with the norm of law, the Church’s discipline has already made clear that they should not approach Holy Communion nor receive a blessing. This would include non-Catholics and those envisaged in can. 915 (i.e., those under the penalty of excommunication or interdict, and others who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin).

Your friend would fall under the last category, since he is not Catholic. Should he go to Mass with you again, charitably tell him that he cannot join the Communion line to receive a blessing. Tell him that whoever suggested this to him had made a mistake. Sometimes, when we think we mean well, we are doing more harm than good. I would also suggest gently telling your sister that she should perhaps refrain from recommending something that the Church does not.

 

[SKWill]

While your sister may have meant well, the big problem was that the young person in question joined the Communion line in the first place. Your sister should not have suggested this because this is something that the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments states should not be done.
[snip]
I would also suggest gently telling your sister that she should perhaps refrain from recommending something that the Church does not.

Don’t be too harsh on ChristisRisen32’s sister for encouraging a friend to go up for a blessing during the distribution of Communion. If their parish encourages this practice, how was she to know that “the Church” – i.e. a Vatican congregation – does not? The widespread nature of this practice, even at parishes that CAF regulars would praise for their reverential, “by the book” liturgies, shows that the Congregation’s ruling against Communion line blessings is little known and/or widely ignored.

 

[ChristisRisen32]

Your youth minister handled it properly.

In the future, tell non-Catholic friends to stay in the pew during Communion. And don’t wait until during Mass, discuss it beforehand.

Good advice, thanks!

 

[ChristisRisen32]

While your sister may have meant well, the big problem was that the young person in question joined the Communion line in the first place. Your sister should not have suggested this because this is something that the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments states should not be done.

Please note what Rome states on the matter:

Your friend would fall under the last category, since he is not Catholic. Should he go to Mass with you again, charitably tell him that he cannot join the Communion line to receive a blessing. Tell him that whoever suggested this to him had made a mistake. Sometimes, when we think we mean well, we are doing more harm than good. I would also suggest gently telling your sister that she should perhaps refrain from recommending something that the Church does not.

Yeah, I know it’s not encouraged but my parish encourages it and my friend who goes to Mass with me weekly(a non Catholic) goes up there for a blessing and it would feel wrong of me to tell her to now stop doing it. I’ll let future people know not to go up there though.

 

[ChristisRisen32]

Don’t be too harsh on ChristisRisen32’s sister for encouraging a friend to go up for a blessing during the distribution of Communion. If their parish encourages this practice, how was she to know that “the Church” – i.e. a Vatican congregation – does not? The widespread nature of this practice, even at parishes that CAF regulars would praise for their reverential, “by the book” liturgies, shows that the Congregation’s ruling against Communion line blessings is little known and/or widely ignored.

Thanks.

Yeah, I particularly like the blessing thing, but my parish encourages it. I really don’t know what to tell non-Catholic friends. I do make it clear they cannot receive communion.

Yours in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary,
Tony

 

[benedictgal]

Yeah, I know it’s not encouraged but my parish encourages it and my friend who goes to Mass with me weekly(a non Catholic) goes up there for a blessing and it would feel wrong of me to tell her to now stop doing it. I’ll let future people know not to go up there though.

It is not wrong to discourage someone from engaging in a practice that Rome does not support. In my opinion, it would probably a genuine act of charity on your part. Explain to your friend that, despite what she sees happening, this is not something that the Church supports. She can receive the blessing like everyone else, at its proper time, the end of Mass.

This is why this quasi-ritual is so problematic. It causes confusion among the faithful. When we start inventing “rituals” and imbedding them within the Mass, we do great harm, as you saw first-hand.

 

[benedictgal]

Thanks.

Yeah, I particularly like the blessing thing, but my parish encourages it. I really don’t know what to tell non-Catholic friends. I do make it clear they cannot receive communion.

Yours in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary,
Tony

I do not know why folks, especially here at CAF, have such a hard time doubting the CDWDS. I am not saying that you do, but, just because we “like” something, that does not validate the practice. We form a line to receive Someone, Jesus, in Holy Communion, not something, a blessing, which will be imparted at its proper time, the end of Mass.

When the priest says the words “Behold the Lamb of God, blessed are those who are called to His Supper”, he issues the invitation to those properly disposed to receive Holy Communion. That is why we form a line. Passing of a blessing and making it as a substitute is not in any of the approved liturgical books.

I don’t mean to sound unfeeling, but, I believe that it is actually uncharitable to continue to perpetuate something when Rome does not even support it (as evidenced by the documents that the Holy See has referenced against having this kind of a practice).

 

[ChristisRisen32]

I do not know why folks, especially here at CAF, have such a hard time doubting the CDWDS. I am not saying that you do, but, just because we “like” something, that does not validate the practice. We form a line to receive Someone, Jesus, in Holy Communion, not something, a blessing, which will be imparted at its proper time, the end of Mass.

When the priest says the words “Behold the Lamb of God, blessed are those who are called to His Supper”, he issues the invitation to those properly disposed to receive Holy Communion. That is why we form a line. Passing of a blessing and making it as a substitute is not in any of the approved liturgical books.

I don’t mean to sound unfeeling, but, I believe that it is actually uncharitable to continue to perpetuate something when Rome does not even support it (as evidenced by the documents that the Holy See has referenced against having this kind of a practice).

Just for clarification, I meant to say I DON’T like the blessing thing. Sorry for the confusion.