...[Jos. Shaw's] point about it being “hard to imagine” not receiving Communion at Mass underscores a major crisis in the Church today: Have people been adequately catechized about what Mass is?In the dark recesses of my memory, there were folks called "daily communicants" who would show up at the very end of the 6:00 AM Mass and receive communion. They were not present for the prayers at the foot of the altar, the readings, the offertory, the canon........just for communion.
Have PRIESTS?
It seems also to me that Communion outside of Mass, and less frequently, may be a way forward as Chinese COVID-1984 continues or some other demon virus comes along....
OK, so? We were taught later on that communion is integral to the Mass, and frequent communion is the ideal. (Obviously, the state of one's soul, fasting, etc......) So is communion NOT integral? Is frequent communion NOT an ideal?
Or is someone trying to exculpate the Bishops for their supine roll-over-play-dead acquiescence to the continuing interference with free exercise? Hmmmmmmm??
Early on in this pandemic, when nobody knew the statistics, the Bishops allowed Catholics to self-excuse from Mass attendance. Well and good; I observed a drop-off of about 33% in attendance during those few weeks. That was sufficient for a natural 'social estrangement' in the pews.
But now we're 12 weeks in. There is LOTS of data, and it's clear that if you're over 60 and are obese, have a heart condition, have diabetes or COPD and are male, you're a target of this little bug. As to the rest--about 85% of Mass-going Catholics? You're probably going to be fine.
Anybody can read the information. At this point in time, the Catholic Bishops should be standing up and barking at Governors: "Let My People GO!!" Instead, the Protestants are leading the charge. Kinda embarrassing, ain'a?
If 'Fr. Z' thinks that Pope Pius X was wrong about frequent communion, or if he thinks that communion is NOT an integral part of the Mass, he should 'splain that for us pew-sitter rummies. And it doesn't have to be a spittle-flecked nutty, either.
Meantime, maybe we'll win the Lotto and be able to attend a Mass on Pentecost.
11 comments:
To quote Benedict XVI, "The practice of indiscriminately presenting oneself to receive Holy Communion, merely as a consequence of being present at Mass, is an abuse that must be corrected"
Frequent communion as Pope Pius X imagined it really was with the best of intentions but in practice 50+ years of it has been a failed experiment.
Time to return to the historical practice of spiritual communion and, for most laypeople, occasional reception, kneeling, usually on major holidays, after a process of prayer, fasting, confession and penance.
"Failed experiment" is your opinion, of course. So in your opinion, the innocent should be punished because of the guilty.
"Let's punish the innocent for the crimes of the guilty".....is exactly the same "reasoning" as killing the baby who results from rape.
Good thinking.
So, for the approximately first 1900 years of the Church, with respect to frequent communion, everyone was doing it, well.... wrong?
The reason Our Lord constituted the Eucharist was so that EVERY Christfaithful should consume it WORTHILY.
St. Pius X was fulfilling what Our Lord intended. Moreover, the essence of the Mass is the Sacrifice, and thus the consumption by anyone worthy of receiving ought to be in the context of the Mass.
Exceptions, there might be, but exceptions are not the norm.
It seems that some people are confounding the erosion of reverence for the Eucharist in the post-Vatican ii era with what existed previously.
I recall vividly that many in the pre-Vatican ii era would not receive the Eucharist because they judged themselves unworthy. Of course, a very few occasionally did such as a matter of personal spiritual asceticism.
However, the norm should be that all worthy receive worthily the Eucharist:
"Amen, amen I say unto you: Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you. [55] He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath everlasting life: and I will raise him up in the last day." [John 6, 54, Douay translation]
Well, at least you are having Mass. Out here on the left coast we got nuthin' My bishop has communicated the status of the sacraments twice since Mar 1 thru letters posted on the diocese web site. Last on was Ma2 29th saying that the starting up the sacraments again is being examined but "probably maybe" exemptions from attending Mass will still be present. I'm not kidding, he actually wrote "probably maybe".
This is the a county of 300k residents, 140 cases and two deaths total. It's just incredible.
Well, at least you are having Mass.
Wrong. We have no real men serving as Bishops in this State. They allow Caesar to run the Church. There's a lot of money at stake, ya'know.
Bonaventure, the record indicates that there was NOT 'frequent communion' during at least the 400 years up to 1910 or so, when SAINT Pius X asked for more frequent communion.
Some Catholics only went to communion once/year--the Easter Duty--thinking that they were not worthy. However, we are also instructed that communion is a source of grace AND strength against sin.
I happen to think that a 1-hour fast is silly. Nothing wrong with the old 'fast from midnight'--or at least, a 3-hour fast.
Jansenism is a heresy; it's the same thing you see in the "holier than thou" people who DEMAND that you wear a mask when in public, and DEMAND that you remain inside your home unless you have an Official Permission Slip from the Officials.
And Jansenism is sneaky. Sometimes priests have a case of it.
I read Fr. Z last night and I couldn't figure out what he was trying to signal. Some times he can be clear as pudding.
I couldn't agree more. I understand Fr. Z is concerned about people only concerned with "getting the white thing.". It seems to me a little like throwing the baby out with the bath water. the problem is no one is being catechised properly and also the faith is not lived out and taught in the home! it's a crisis of faith.... and it's everywhere.
The Sacraments are supposed to help us live the faith, to help us to stay on the narrow path. I'm all for frequent Communion and of course for people to be well disposed. Christ Jesus gave us this gift and He wants us to have it. Lord have mercy.
Ahh... so unless one attends daily communion (or at least weekly), then one is guilty of the heresy of Jansenism. Gotcha.
Obviously, I'm being facetious. And obviously, you paint with too broad a brush. Having actual reverence for the Eucharist is now tantamount to Jansenism?
Face it. One of the unintended consequences of 'frequent communion' is the "bread line" formed towards the end of every Mass. And that's literally what it has become to the vast majority. I for one believe this ship need be steered back to its former course prior to 1910, not because the laity lack worthiness (and let's face that too... many of them do), but as an attempt to bring back reverence for the Eucharist.
Glad you have an opinion, Bonny.
It's not the ONLY opinion. And maybe it's not the best one, either.
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