Sunday, April 28, 2013

Hand Communion at Papal Masses continues :-(

Folks, Holy Communion starts around 1H23M into the RadioVatican broadcast...

K.C. has to respectfully company of with a couple of "compadres" with regards to what we see on the cameras....

Father MacDonald of Southern Orders, comments on the variety of ways of receiving our Lord in the  Blessed Sacrament and calls it a 'marvelous compromise'!

Tancred, of Eponymous Flower,  [http://eponymousflower.blogspot.com/]] lambasts the Holy Father and draws a contrast between him and Pope Benedict....

First, old friend, Tancred:  there are couple of errors in your post.
1. ) >>>>.Pope Benedict XVI. had only gave Holy Communion kneeling and on the tongue to the faithful shortly after he became POpe<<<<<<

Wrong.  Pope Benedict became Pope in April 2005.  Pope Bendict XVI started kneeling Communion on the tongue on the Feast of Corpus Christi, 2008.  For more than three years, Pope Benedict, himself, distributed Communion the same way the crowd-pleasing priests in the following video distribute, i.e. Any-Old-Way.  I remember the great disappointment I felt seeing this during his visit to America in 2008.

2)>>>>>>>> During dozens of scheduled Papal Masses, priests were instructed under Pope Benedict XVI. from 2008 to give the consecrated host only on the tongue. With few exceptions, the traditional practice was quickly put into effect again<<<<<<<<

Wrong.  Tancred!  please find me more than one video of Benedict's priests denying people Hand Communion.  I've only seen one....that's for 8 years of Benedict!!   I have seen three videos of this occuring  under Francis and that's for ONE MONTH.    Incidentally, extrapolating from that....Francis'  enforcement of the 'hand-Communion ban' is 250 times stronger than Benedict's.  Watch some of Benedict's WYD videos, friend!   outside of the sphere of the Pope's personal distribution, it was a free-for all!

Tancred and all fellow traddies!  I share your disappointment that the camera man could not catch a priest correcting hand-Communicants, nor did I get to see the Pope's own personal distribution to kneeling communicants ((this might have taken some of the shock/scandal value out of the first communicants being filmed casually taking the Host in their hands)).  Some of this could be the luck of the draw.....however it clear that IF MSGR Marini has instructed the Priests to emphasize and enforce Communion on the tongue, then many priests are simply defying him.

The confirmandi all received kneeling, but even there, there was a whole benchful who switched over to hand-Communion, once it was clear that the priest was not enforcing anything.  The first boy takes hand Communion and the others follow via peer pressure or whatever....

I'll try to update this post with some helpful pictures and also comment of Father M's remark later on.....

[[later update]]

Ok, Father MacDonald!  (I do go to your blog for the 'latest!)....however, sadly, I must disagree with your comment about 'marvelous compromise'.

I'm afraid we have been doing the marvelous compromise for 50 years....allowing hand Communion to anyone, and most people prefer it, not out of theological concerns, but as 'a preference'.  People vehemently opposed to hand Communion, like yours truly, oppose it on theological grounds--as you know!  So what we have is some people's personal preference trumping other people's theological grounds.  You see how this is bound to cause aggravation and grief?

I think there is a thing called 'cognitive dissonance' where someone is required to believe something and disbelieve it simultaneously, and it's not a good thing!  Father, why do priests cleanse their fingers after touching the Blessed Sacrament?  Is it only a symbolic gesture, or is it to assure that the Holy Fragments are not allowed to be casually rubbed off and to fall to the floor....more or less like someone might do with their  own dried-up-boogers?

Either, Father, the priest is just doing a symbolic gesture or he is not....(maybe the Church needs to explain that the Fragments should not be given any special care or that maybe Fragments are not the Eucharist?!!....otherwise people like me are going to want special care given!)  I'm sure you see where I am going....but I must 'go there' nonetheless......

Why are people allowed to touch the Blessed Sacrament, but not then told that they need to examine and cleanse their hands in the same way conscientious priests and EMHCs do?  If you can answer that question, then I'll sign onto your 'marvelous compromise'!!!






No comments:

Post a Comment