PedroX Posted December 22, 2003 Posted December 22, 2003 Hey, this may be the wrong board to post on (maybe belongs in questions and answers?) but, I seem to remember that we talked a while back that people not recieving communion should stay in the pew rather than going forward to ask for a blessing. Am I right? Any documentation on this? peace...
cmotherofpirl Posted December 22, 2003 Posted December 22, 2003 You don't need documentation, this has always been done this way. THis blessing thing is new, and nowhere is there any documentation says blessings are to be given out in lieu of Communion.
foundsheep Posted December 22, 2003 Posted December 22, 2003 Our Bishop just ordered it stop except for very small children that have to come up with a parent.
dUSt Posted December 23, 2003 Posted December 23, 2003 Why would a priest deny someone a blessing? Personally, it is way more of a distraction for me to climb over people that remain in the pews. I understand the argument about the communion line being one unified body, but don't believe that people going up for a blessing destroys this. I'm open to read documentation regarding this though.
nikkan_hanil Posted December 23, 2003 Posted December 23, 2003 Why would a priest deny someone a blessing? Why would a priest deny someone absolution? This happened to me once and I'm still trying to recover from the shock from that.
dUSt Posted December 23, 2003 Posted December 23, 2003 Oh, and Tony Blair went up during communion and received a blessing from JPII. The Holy Father didn't seem to mind.
dUSt Posted December 23, 2003 Posted December 23, 2003 Why would a priest deny someone absolution? This happened to me once and I'm still trying to recover from the shock from that. What was the reason the priest gave? I'm sure his answer is better than anything we could guess.
Anna Posted December 23, 2003 Posted December 23, 2003 The period of time reserved for reception of the Eucharist during the Mass is for reception of the Eucharist. After Communion, at the time of dismissal, the entire assembly is blessed by the priest and dismissed. Going up the Communion line for a blessing rather than for Communion, then, seems inappropriate for two reasons: 1. You're inserting a different function into this part of the liturgy than was originally intended. 2. You're rendering the final blessing to be somewhat redundant. Further, many peeps go up to Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, expecting a blessing in lieu of Communion. This is terribly wrong, and puts them in the akward spot of either denying the blessing, or performing an inappropriate act, for during the Sacrifice of the Mass, it is the celebrant who renders blessings, not the laity. We mustn't re-write things just cuz they suit us for the moment. As far as having absolution denied, there are a number of reasons this may have been done: Perhaps the priest questioned you... He may have found that you were not guilty of a sin, that you hadn't intentionally committed any sin; therefore absolution would be unnecessary. He may have determined through questions that you were not completely sorry for having offended God, (true contrition) but maybe just sorry cuz you offended someone...(imperfect contrition). Or, he may have determined, again, through his questions, that you did not have a firm purpose of ammendment...That you didn't really have any plan in mind to avoid committing this same sin again in the future. The only other reason your sins wouldn't be absolved would be if you didn't perform the imposed penance. Pax Christi. <><
phatcatholic Posted December 23, 2003 Posted December 23, 2003 how did this practice of receiving a blessing during communion come about? is it expressly condemed in any church documents? what does the canon or the GIRM say?
hyperdulia again Posted December 23, 2003 Posted December 23, 2003 absolution cannot be denied because someone's contrition isn't perfect contrition.
foundsheep Posted December 23, 2003 Posted December 23, 2003 absolution cannot be denied because someone's contrition isn't perfect contrition. Biblicaly they can deny someone. Maybe he didnt show sincerety or was giggling when he confessed(didnt take it seriously). But Nikkan is kind of young to be denied. It can give a young person the wrong idea.
cmotherofpirl Posted December 23, 2003 Posted December 23, 2003 We are talking to different things here.
Adeodatus Posted December 23, 2003 Posted December 23, 2003 I can't find any documentation on getting blessed during communion. Anyone else had any luck? It is a very common practice here (U.K.), and I have to admit that unless the Church decrees otherwise, I personally think that it's a good thing. For one thing, these days it seems almost expected that you HAVE to go to Communion, and there are plenty of people who can't receive the Sacrament for one reason or another (e.g. non-Catholics at Mass, waiting for an annulment, conscious of mortal sin but not yet confessed sacramentally, etc.). So if they get up and go forward for a blessing, it means other (nosey) people won't look and ask questions, and the flow of people keeps going without us having to clamber over each other in the pews. But more importantly, I think it's a way for such people to seek the Church's blessing as they make a "spiritual communion"---to seek some of the graces in the Eucharist without physically being able to receive Communion. So in that way maybe the grace of God can help them to sort out their irregular situation and come back into full communion. Nikkan, a friend of mine was once refused absolution because he hadn't really thought through his confession and what he was sorry about, and whether he was actually sorry (even a little contrition). He said it was the best thing that could have happened to him. I hope you'll be able to say that some day soon!
cmotherofpirl Posted December 23, 2003 Posted December 23, 2003 This is because we don't want to hurt anybodys feelings or (gasp) expect them to go to confession and confess actual sins ( if they remember what they are). Its just another form of political correctness.
MrsFrozen Posted December 23, 2003 Posted December 23, 2003 I also would like to know when this whole blessing thing came about. Before I had my First Communion, I don't think I remember ever being blessed when I went up with my parents. Now that I think of it, though, I do remember seeing my priest give a little girl a blessing, but it wasn't someone who couldn't take Communion before they went to Confession. I tend to agree with Anna, though.. We're all blessed before Mass ends.
Adeodatus Posted December 23, 2003 Posted December 23, 2003 There are other blessings that occur during Mass. The deacon gets blessed before he proclaims the Gospel. Water is blessed during Mass for baptisms that occur in that context. The incense in the thurible is blessed when it's put in. People have their throats blessed on St Blase's day. Roses are blessed and distributed on the Sunday nearest Our Lady of the Rosary. Cmom, not at the results of a sinful situation can be undone by confession alone (that's why penance helps). Think about this scenario: a divorced man remarries and has some kids by this new wife. He repents and wants to have his 'impaired communion' with the Church put right. If his kids are under 18 years old, he has a duty to be a father to them and raise them. So he and his 2nd wife have to live "like brother and sister". But his fellow parishioners don't know this. So to avoid scandalising them, he must go to another parish where he is not known, in order to receive Communion. But in his own parish his receiving communion would scandalise the parishioners. Think about Jesus's approach with the Samaritan woman at the well. He doesn't pretend she isn't a sinner, and He doesn't shy away from the truth, but He still gets her to make an honest confession ("I have no husband....."). Still.... to paraphrase St Paul, if this blessing at communion scandalises my brother, then I will do without it!
cmotherofpirl Posted December 23, 2003 Posted December 23, 2003 I think any man who was humble enough to accept the teachings of the Church and live as brother and sister ought to be commended and held out as an example of a good a faithful Catholic. Its not a scandal to have the guts to say you are living as the Church asks you to. THere have been many times I have been to Mass and not been able to go to Communion, while everyone else went up. So what. If I am embarrassed then it is just a bigger incentive to get my butt to Confession. I think the idea that somebody's feelings gives a priest permission to change the Mass is hogwash. And what about EEMs? Who gives them a right to bless people in the name of the Church? THey are not consecrated by God for any such activity.
Anna Posted December 23, 2003 Posted December 23, 2003 There are other blessings that occur during Mass. The deacon gets blessed before he proclaims the Gospel. Water is blessed during Mass for baptisms that occur in that context. The incense in the thurible is blessed when it's put in. People have their throats blessed on St Blase's day. Roses are blessed and distributed on the Sunday nearest Our Lady of the Rosary. Not a single one of these blessings is done during distribution of the Body and Blood of Our Lord; the Source, Summit, and Center of Our Faith. Also, these blessings are conducted at the direction of the celebrant, not the recipient. By this, I mean, it isn't the recipient stepping forward forward to request a blessing, but rather, the priest calling the person or the item forward to be blessed. It is the celebrant's job to direct the course of the Mass, not the participants'. Blessings instead of Communion, during Communion time is an obvious example of poorly formed people, acting on feelings rather than on a good understanding of the liturgy, and distorting the purpose of the Communion procession, as well as the duties of those distributing the Body and Blood of Jesus. But, of course, I mean this in only the most loving & corrective way...not as a harsh putdown...Hope it doesn't come off sounding as such. Pax Christi. <><
dUSt Posted December 24, 2003 Posted December 24, 2003 Blessings instead of Communion, during Communion time is an obvious example of poorly formed people, acting on feelings rather than on a good understanding of the liturgy, and distorting the purpose of the Communion procession, as well as the duties of those distributing the Body and Blood of Jesus. Okay, I'll give you that. But are you saying that the people should be denied a blessing when they go up for such a reason? If so--why did John Paul II not deny Tony Blair a blessing when he went up for said reason?
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