Why Is Communion In The Hand Still Allowed?

[Amory]

[quote name='cmotherofpirl' timestamp='1343690436' post='2460433']
I don't see the Church deciding to change something just because the laity goes ahead and does it without permission.
[/quote]

Actually, a good leader will often acquiesce to an initially disobedient practice in order to avoid undermining his own (practical) authority. If standing firm will mean that those under you will continue flagrantly to disobey you, it's often better just formally to approve of the practice so that disobedience won't become a precedent.

Edited July 30, 2012 by Amory

[Lil Red]

I went up to communion at Mass this weekend - I receive on the tongue, stuck my tongue out. The EME was shorter than me, and didn't want to touch me (didn't know how to give the host to someone on the tongue? i dunno??), and ended up dropping Jesus on the ground! Luckily she picked it up & consumed it, so on the second try, I just put my hands out to receive. It wasn't a fluke either because I saw another lady try to receive on the tongue; this time though the EME lady actually got it in her mouth.

[Lil Red]

[quote name='Amory' timestamp='1343691119' post='2460440']
Actually, a good leader will often acquiesce to an initially disobedient practice in order to avoid undermining his own (practical) authority. If standing firm will mean that those under you will continue flagrantly to disobey you, it's often better just formally to approve of the practice so that disobedience won't become a precedent.
[/quote]

that makes no sense.

[Tab'le De'Bah-Rye]

Yes, because the holy catholic church allows it. In the west i think we can recieve it in the hands or upon the tounge standing or kneeling, unsure if you can kneel and recieve in the hands. I've been having thoughts about this lately as to how powerful are the prayers,sacred tradition and the holy bible during holy mass. My point being for me personaly these factors clean me mind heart body and soul to be able to recieve the precious body in my hands, I get a bit urky sometimes if the confietor isn't omitted during holy mass, but not schizmatic it is a personal thing that i feel more worthy if the confietor is omitted to recieve christ in his fullness in the holy host,kneeling or not,in the hands or upon the tounge. There is also intinction, we can actually dip the precious body into the holy blood of christ than consume the holy host,but of course jesus being fully present in both species. Though if i attend an order that requires kneeling and recieving upon the tounge i do as such not begrudgingly either, i do not wan't to cause scandal to such congregations and they have permission to continue kneeling and recieving upon the tounge while not allowing one to recieve in the hands.

[Amory]

[quote name='Lil Red' timestamp='1343691332' post='2460445']
that makes no sense.
[/quote]

Sure it does. I'll give an historical example.

One was Prohibition. When the federal government attempted to ban a practice that millions of Americans had been engaging in, its prestige and the respect for it was gravely damaged. As Fabian Franlkin wrote in 1922:

[quote]We have the disrespect of the law involved in its daily violation by millions of citizens who break it without the slightest compunction or sense of guilt.[/quote]

[color=#000000]When the federal government tried to disallow an already widespread practice, its attempts basically failed, creating widespread disobedience to the law and even a contempt for the Constitution, whose 18th amendment was responsible. [/color][color=#000000]The lost respect for the law and the Constitution was restored with the 21st amendment, which repealed the 18th. Respect for government was increased by its no longer forbidding what it has once so unpopularly forbidden. [/color]

[cmotherofpirl]

[quote name='Amory' timestamp='1343692826' post='2460450']
Sure it does. I'll give an historical example.

One was Prohibition. When the federal government attempted to ban a practice that millions of Americans had been engaging in, its prestige and the respect for it was gravely damaged. As Fabian Franlkin wrote in 1922:



[color=#000000]When the federal government tried to disallow an already widespread practice, its attempts basically failed, creating widespread disobedience to the law and even a contempt for the Constitution, whose 18th amendment was responsible. [/color][color=#000000]The lost respect for the law and the Constitution was restored with the 21st amendment, which repealed the 18th. Respect for government was increased by its no longer forbidding what it has once so unpopularly forbidden. [/color]
[/quote]

Still makes no sense in terms of the Church. Even if every person on the planet decided to do something that the Church didn't allow She still would not change the rules.

[Amory]

I'm not saying that this is what actually went through the pope's mind, but it's quite possible that he was thinking the following:

[quote]I see that people around the world are now receiving Communion in the hand, even though this is currently forbidden by Church law. The practice is so widespread that it's unlikely to be weeded out; after all, I'd have to get all the bishops in whose dioceses the practice is present to work diligently to root it out. Even if I told them to, I don't know that they'd all make it a priority. So instead of letting the practice continue in direct obedience to papal authority, I'll just let bishops allow it in the dioceses where it's already present, so that people don't become accustomed to the idea of their everyday liturgical practices being done in disobedience to Rome. After all, I'd rather concede this one point than lose entirely my effective control over the liturgy in these dioceses.[/quote]

[Amory]

[quote name='cmotherofpirl' timestamp='1343692996' post='2460453']
Still makes no sense in terms of the Church. Even if every person on the planet decided to do something that the Church didn't allow She still would not change the rules.
[/quote]

Why not?

The Church is certainly a divine institution guided by the Holy Spirit. At the same time, though, she's also a human institution, and her laws are made by real men--our popes and bishops--who often have to make one good a priority over another.

In his work [i]On Consideration[/i] (which popes have often kept close at hand and used as a guidebook for how to govern the Church), St. Bernard basically says that an ecclesiastical pastor should not to try to change everything at once. A ruler has to move slowly, and can only focus on so many issues at a single time.

[Papist]

[quote name='Amory' timestamp='1343686887' post='2460407']
In some places.

And, of course, it was universally disallowed before--at least in the Roman rite--and could easily disallowed again.
[/quote]

There are times we should trust the Church, rather than question Her. This is such a time.

"I can be obedient, because it is my fundamental conviction that my intelligence is limited and the Church is wiser." --Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger

[Groo the Wanderer]

it's coming.


soon....

[Lil Red]

[img]http://chzmemebase.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/memes-soon-llama.jpg[/img]

[Adrestia]

[quote name='Amory' timestamp='1343692826' post='2460450']
Sure it does. I'll give an historical example.

One was Prohibition. When the federal government attempted to ban a practice that millions of Americans had been engaging in, its prestige and the respect for it was gravely damaged. As Fabian Franlkin wrote in 1922:



[color=#000000]When the federal government tried to disallow an already widespread practice, its attempts basically failed, creating widespread disobedience to the law and even a contempt for the Constitution, whose 18th amendment was responsible. [/color][color=#000000]The lost respect for the law and the Constitution was restored with the 21st amendment, which repealed the 18th. Respect for government was increased by its no longer forbidding what it has once so unpopularly forbidden. [/color]
[/quote]

Plenty of popular things remain illegal. The Great Depression at least accelerated the case for repeal of the 18th. The government couldn't afford to enforce prohibition, there weren't enough jobs to replace those lost during prohibition, and all law-abiding parties missed the income from alcohol sales.

[BG45]

It's been a while since the last time we had an anger fest over this. I mean, discussion, that's right, discussion.

[quote name='Lil Red' timestamp='1343697738' post='2460480']
[img]http://chzmemebase.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/memes-soon-llama.jpg[/img]
[/quote]

LLAMA!!! Photobombing llama...

[quote name='Adrestia' timestamp='1343699094' post='2460485']
Plenty of popular things remain illegal. The Great Depression at least accelerated the case for repeal of the 18th. The government couldn't afford to enforce prohibition, there weren't enough jobs to replace those lost during prohibition, and all law-abiding parties missed the income from alcohol sales.
[/quote]

IAWTC.

[PhuturePriest]

[quote name='HisChildForever' timestamp='1343678984' post='2460354']
Since when is the [i]manner[/i] in which one receives a "central teaching?"
[/quote]

I'm not sure on this one. I remember once hearing about a Priest putting the Chalice on the altar and letting the people attending walk up and take the hosts out and receive them themselves. This is obviously very bad on many accounts and the Dominican Priest who was told this did not appear to be a happy clam about it. I don't think I would say it is a central teaching that people are not allowed to do this, but it is definitely important for people not to and I do not think the Church would ever allow this.

[PhuturePriest]

[quote name='Lil Red' timestamp='1343691257' post='2460443']
I went up to communion at Mass this weekend - I receive on the tongue, stuck my tongue out. The EME was shorter than me, and didn't want to touch me (didn't know how to give the host to someone on the tongue? i dunno??), and ended up dropping Jesus on the ground! Luckily she picked it up & consumed it, so on the second try, I just put my hands out to receive. It wasn't a fluke either because I saw another lady try to receive on the tongue; this time though the EME lady actually got it in her mouth.
[/quote]

Ugh. I hate it when they aren't told how to do this. I receive on the tongue only and it annoys me when people look at me in bewilderment and try to figure out how to place it in my mouth without having to touch my icky germs.