www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Receiving communion - Reverence for the Eucharist

Friends,

Christ is risen!
Glory to Jesus Christ!

I was recently at a BC Divine Liturgy and noticed that many people who went up to receive Holy Communion just threw their heads back and opened wide. These persons did not hold the cloth under their chin nor did anyone else (servers). Now, this was not a shock to me but it seemed more obvious than usual.

I became Orthodox some time ago in part compelled by things like this. Many people groan and complain that they don't have "Suplikacio" in their parishes any more. I am speculating here, but I bet that many of those moaners and groaners are the ones who receive Holy Communion very casually. I remember reading in the MIKITA Typikon that one was to -at least- wipe one's mouth with the 'lention' after communion. I don't have that resources in front of me right now but I think that it also says one should hold the cloth under the chin. I have heard some BCs say "that is not our tradition!" I thought to myself, 'hmmm...respect for the Holy Eucharist is not part of the BC tradition?' That is what it comes down to. The communion cloth is simply very practical. It is to prevent any accidents and to make sure that the Eucharist is not disrespected. How can that not be part of the BC tradition? If suplikacio/benediction was so much a part of BC tradition, why was it so since reverence for the Sacrament isn't part of that tradition?

Can someone help me with this? I was going to put the little question mark to mark this topic but the blue frowny face represents my feelings better.

Bob

Slava Jesu Kristu,

Actually, I would like to take this question a step further. Why is is that Byzantine Catholics receive so frequently? Since returning from Orthodoxy, one of the things I miss is that very few people actually received the Holy Mystery on a regular basis. Now, of course, one could argue whether it is spiritually appropriate to not receive often. However, it often struck me that infrequent Communion does appear to increase the respect shown. It is something that must be planned ahead for as it should be. In some traditions, one would not be given the Gifts unless they had been to Confession the day before. What is the general opinion on this?

Please enlighten,
Dmitri

In 1679, reacting to Jansenism, Pope Innocent XI issued Cum ad aures, which stated that no one, no matter their station, should be denied daily reception of Communion if they were so inclined and their confessor deemed them spiritually fit to do so. More recently (1905 I think), Pope St. Pius X issued Sacra Tridentia which reiterated this point and ever since then Catholics have been encouraged to receive frequently, even daily, if at all possible. Of course, this can and has led to abuses whereby those with serious sins on their conscience receive the Sacred Mysteries with the excuse "The Pope said I should" or something like that.

I first came across the idea that one shouldn't receive all the time when I first read "The Story of a Soul" by St. Therese. She writes about how one time her confessor told her she was ready to receive Holy Communion and that struck me, a cradle post-Vatican II Latin Catholic, as, well, strange. I researched the matter a bit and found that, for most of the past, Catholics did not receive daily or even monthly, sometimes only once or twice a year! I quickly found that the Orthodox do the same. The idea intrigued me and I saw the found theological basis for the practice and decided to try it out myself. I most certainly discovered an increase in reverence for the Holy Eucharist. I think it boils down, though, to the individual and his/her own spiritual readiness. If one truly is ready to receive all the time, then s/he most certainly should do so!

In Christ,
mikey.

Dear Friends,

Interesting questions!

Certainly, the return of the red cloth in our "Byzantinized" parishes is welcome but not everyone does this.

It is meant as a sign of respect for Holy Communion, to be sure, to prevent any accidents from occurring and to minimize their impact when they occur.

Some parishes then have the communicants "wash down" Holy Communion with warm water and antidoron.

I do know that certain practices are more Eastern than others and that our primary goal is toward the Eastern ones.

I don't know if certain practices, in and of themselves, imply whether a person is more pious about receiving Holy Communion or not.

I think that that is something that comes from the individual. One may perform all the external rules and prayers to the letter, and yet lack something of a true desire to be in Communion with Our Lord.

Or one's perfunctory observance of external rites may be an indication of a lackadaisical attitude as well.

Also, in response to Dmitri, I think that frequent Communion is also something we should strive for.

St John of Kronstadt and others promoted more frequent Communion.

In terms of the respect that is owed the Lord in Holy Communion, there is no question that the prayers and other aspects of the Preparation must be carefully observed. It is up to our Priests to constantly teach the faithful on this score.

To be frank, I think that we Byzantine Catholics are all talk when it comes to true spiritual renewal with respect to the Divine Liturgy.

We can't seem to get beyond the removal of certain antiphons etc. in an effort not to make the Liturgy "too long."

Our faithful need to be more exposed to the rules of preparation and to the richness of our liturgical rites that include the red cloth, that include the kissing of the side of the Chalice and the touching of it to our heads, and the many other pious ways in which our Church teaches us to honour our Lord in Holy Communion.

We need to unite the beauty of our external observances with a renewed inner piety and worship of God in the Divine Liturgy.

Alex

According to our tradition the faithful are to receive with arms crossed upon their breast, mouths open, head back. It is for the deacon to hold the lention or discos under their chin or in his absence the server.

Now something that pervades in our Metropolia, at least in Pittsburgh, many priests use a discos without pedestal. When it is time to distribute the Holy Gifts, the priest will hold the discos between his first and ring finger in the same hand he holds the chalice, along with the lention. The discos bridges the gap between chalice and chin. The lention is generally reserved for wiping the mouths of infants after they receive the Precious Blood.

I see no disrespect in not wiping ones mouth if there is nothing to wipe. In all my years I have never had a spill on the outside of my mouth nor seen it happen to anyone else when I was serving.

In Christ,
Lance

Dmitri,
As we are Catholics, one just has to turn to the Catechism of the Catholic Church to see what the Church recommends here.

1389. "The Church obliges the faithful 'to take part in the Divine Liturgy on Sundays and feast days' and, prepared by the sacrament of Reconciliation, to receive the Eucharist at least once a year, if possible during the Easter season.[OE 15; CIC, can. 920.] But the Church strongly encourages the faithful to receive the holy Eucharist on Sundays and feast days, or more often still, even daily."


Your brother in Christ,
David

Dear David,

Yes, but I wish our Catechisms would "call a spade a spade" and say that the yearly reception of Communion is really a last ditch effort to keep oneself in union with the Church of Christ.

It is a completely minimalist approach to the Holy Mysteries that is really unworthy of a true Christian.

Alex

Long ago, we were taught that the chalice, diskos, and lention were to be touched only by a priest. (Remember Uzzah?) Hard to call this perspective disrespectful.

Slava Jesu Kristu,

Yes, David, I know what the Catechism says. I am asking about the actual practice among Byzantines. Romans receive pretty much all the time. Is it a latinization that we receive as often since it is not the general practice in the East? After all, many Saints of the Eastern FAith have advocated frequent communion, but it is still not widely practiced amongst the Orthodox that I know. Of course, this many be a cultural out-growth of the unleavened Host being easier to distribute than ours. As I recall, the Latins used a diskos when detributing their Communion at one time as well.

Dmitri

It sounds as if we all, Catholic and Orthodox, agree that everyone ought to receive as often as possible, provided they are fully prepared. The difference comes in discerning how much preparation is enough. (I say "prepared" rather than "worthy," as I don't think we can ever be worthy.) I've seen RC friends park their gum on one side of their mouths to receive. The Greek priest who chrismated me told me I ought to receive Holy Communion every Sunday, and that if I did so, I only need go to Confession two or three times a year, "unless, of course, ya kill somebody in the meantime."

I tend to follow his advice on this, receiving every Sunday (and not killing anybody). On the other hand, I've had Russians turn me down because I had not made a Confession within the previous 24 hours. I had just been chrismated when a nun who seemed to be in charge of policing the Communion line in the Cathedral of St. Alexander Nevsky in Paris asked me when I had made a confession. When I told her last month, "Non, monsieur. NON, MONSIEUR! C'est necessaire pour faire une confession aujord'hui. AUJORD'HUI." :-) "Today."

Dear Tim,

Yes, you've brought up some very important points.

The Catechism of St Peter Mohyla counselled Confession once during each of the four Fasts of the year but twice during the Great Fast.

For those who wished to communicate more, confession once a month, with their spiritual father's permission, sufficed.

For me, once a month is more than enough. I try not to hurt people, and be nice, at least most of the time .

The true in depth repentance comes with the preparation.

You are absolutely correct and we can never be worthy of Holy Communion which is why the Church sings: "One is Holy, One is Lord, Jesus Christ to the Glory of God the Father."

We become worthy only insofar as we partake of Christ's worthiness in receiving Him.

As for the Russian practice, I think I mentioned my former employer who was told off by his Russian confessor during confession.

As he was leaving, the priest asked if he had said the Canon of Repentance of St Andrew of Crete . . .

That's what I found him doing later that afternoon.

Alex

There is a wide variety of practices. Most of the OCA parishes I have seen feature 80% or better communicating week after week. But even in OCA there are differences between dioceses -- the diocese of the West seemed to have less participation in communion (I would guess that at the liturgy I attended at Holy Trinity Cathedral in SF in late 2000 it was about 50-60%). The GOA parishes around here don't feature frequent communion -- it's interesting, the folks bring all of the kids up and they receive but neither the parents who are bringing the kids up nor nearly anyone else receives -- seems like "Yia-Yia theology" to me, but obviously not to them! :-)

The Russian Orthodox Synodal parish I visit from time to time does not feature frequent communion, either. As my priest once advised (wisely): If you find yourself visiting a parish, call in advance and ask what their practice is regarding communion to avoid misunderstandings.

Brendan

Dear Brendan,

I remember with fondness the practice of St John of Kronstadt one Sunday.

When he asked the people why so many weren't approaching Holy Communion, they said they hadn't been to Confession.

The holy Father then asked everyone to say their sins out loud so he could give them absolution!

I attended a Lenten service with a ROCOR friend at a nearby parish here.

There was a lady in a wheel-chair and he nudged me to look at her.

"Her father was cured by St John of Kronstadt" he said. "That's why she's always by his icon."

Alex

Friend,

1) What is your source for "our tradition"? This is an honest question not an attack, please reply. 2) What do the faithful do when neither deacon nor server holds a cloth or discos/paten under the chin? (this seems to be the usual case) 3) I was altar boy/server for some years in BC churches and at the Uniontown pilgrimage, and I saw people start to walk away with the Precious Blood (or some fluid) on the outside of their mouths. Also, when there was a person (deacon/server) holding the discos/paten oftentimes there was a small amount of splash or droplets on it.

Bob

Dear djs,

Long ago we were taught many things that we now know are not and were not accurate. I remember one Byzantine Catholic priest telling me how the sisters had told him not to crush the Eucharist with his teeth when he received as that was like crushing Our Lord's body and bones! Further, if only the priest can touch the chalice and the discos and the lention, what happens to the deacons? The sluzhebniki of our church says that the deacos take the chalice and elevate it together with the discos at "Tvoja ot Tvojich..." I guess that is disrespectful? And what about that MIKITA? He was "Ruthenian" Greek Catholic and is still, to my knowledge, considered a valid source. I am still confused, it is better to risk an accident that to touch the communion cloth?

Bob