...FROM THE PASTOR...
Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
September 5, 2010
Dear fellow parishioners,
Questions come up from time to time about what we Catholics should do during the Communion Rite at Mass, and what people should do who are not receiving Communion.
I hope these words will be helpful as we make a couple of very minor changes in our traffic pattern here at St. Hilary.
The Roman Catholic Church, like many others, does NOT have "open Communion."
This means the only people who should come forward to receive the Body and Blood of Christ at Mass are Catholics and Orthodox who have been properly prepared for the sacrament and who are in a state of grace. I say "Orthodox" because the Catholic Church does welcome Orthodox Christians (e.g., Russian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, Serbian Orthodox, etc.), something that many of our own people may not know.
The only snag is that the Orthodox Churches usually frown upon their members taking the sacraments in Catholic services, so we leave this up to the individual communicant.
When people unfamiliar with our religion attend Mass, they sometimes walk up in the Communion line with everyone else, without really knowing what is going on. This means we later find consecrated Hosts on the floor or pew, or people walk away with the Host in their pocket. For this reason, the priest may ask noncommunicants to simply remain seated in the pew during the Communion procession; this is especially important at weddings and funerals, when numerous non-Catholics are present.
In some American parishes, people have tried to be more "inclusive" by inviting everyone to walk forward during the Communion Rite, even those who are not receiving the Eucharist.
However, this poses a bit of a problem for us who are giving out Holy Communion: what do we say to such people? what do we do? do we make the Sign of the Cross over Muslims and Jews? do we place our hands on someone's greasy hair gel and then reach into the ciborium for the Host we will put in the next person's mouth? Ick.
The Archdiocese of San Francisco sent out a letter last year instructing us NOT to touch people who come up for a blessing, so I would ask our priests and Eucharistic ministers to simply look the person in the eye and say "God bless you" before offering the Host to the next communicant. Everyone in the building will get their own blessing at the end of Mass anyway when the celebrant makes the Sign of the Cross over the congregation, so let's not get too carried away with any mini-blessings during Communion time.
When we have an entire GROUP not receiving Communion (e.g., the Kindergarten, 1st Grade, and 2nd Grade students together for a school Mass), I'm asking them to please remain in their pews and sing the Communion Song with gusto, watching their older friends, and thus learning the proper and reverent way to come up for Holy Communion when they themselves are old enough.
One of the major things the Church asks people to do during the Communion Rite is to sing, which means that even non-communicants can truly feel a part of what is taking place, and may even make a "Spiritual Communion." This is a traditional Catholic practice for people who cannot receive the Eucharist. This is what I did in Iowa while taking instruction, right up until the day I was able to walk forward and receive Holy Communion for the first time during the Easter Vigil Mass.
I appreciate your patience and understanding as we make these little changes to our Communion pattern. We are not trying to be unwelcoming, but as pastor, one of my responsibilities is to try to make sure our celebration of Mass is reverent, proper, and not terribly idiosyncratic.
Recently there was an incident at an Anglican church up in Canada, where the minister decided to be all-inclusive.
She invited "everyone" up to Communion, which on this particular day included a man who was not Anglican, and his dog — who was neither Anglican nor human.
Naturally, once this hit the news, people were sharing their opinions right and left, some calling this act sacrilegious, others calling it a wonderful outreach to animals. The dog owner found the whole thing lots of fun, giving interviews that were ridiculous, talking about how his dog bowed his head in prayer before receiving the wafer, but, being a teetotaler, passed by the chalice.
I mention this only to help us keep some healthy perspective, and to keep us grounded in our Catholic reverence for the Eucharist.
If you wish to read the official rules about the reception of Communion for our Church, you may always find them on the inside of the missals in church.
Father William E. Brown
Pastor
Question of the Week for Adults: How do you 'renounce' people and things, even while you remain among them?
For Children: Talk to your parents or teachers about the word "humble."
