Posted on 04/10/2014 11:34:40 AM PDT by Welchie25
Over the winter break, I spent several days shifting through the survey results in the diocese’s archive, located in St. Mary’s Seminary. The survey results could provide evidence for many articles, even books, but I was initially only interested in questions dealing with the liturgy.
The simple answer to the laity’s reception of the liturgical changes can be found in question 19: “Changes in the Mass have harmed rather than helped me to worship” and 27% agreed and 68% disagreed. These results confirm the standard narrative that the majority of Catholics preferred the new Mass with its use of English and more community oriented worship. Yet, a sizable minority, nearly a third, desired to go back to the old Mass.
What piqued my interest was question 23. This question changed several times and I have not determined the reason behind the shift. Its three versions with survey results are: I like to participate actively at mass: 75% agree and 24% disagree; There should be more lay participation in Sunday Mass: 35% agree and 64% disagree; I would prefer to take Communion in my hands: 17% agree and 82% disagreed. The first two versions reveal that people wanted to be part of the Mass, but not front and center.
The version relating to the reception of Communion in the hand is perplexing for a variety of reasons. First, the 1970s were not a traditional era. As seen above, most people approved of the main liturgical changes, and when it came to social issues, they were exceedingly liberal, with 68% disagreeing with the church’s teaching of contraception. Second, it is also curious that there has been nearly a universal switch. I have no statistics about current practices, but from my own personal experiences, almost everyone receives Communion in the hand.
(Excerpt) Read more at catholicreview.org ...
As someone who serves Holy Communion, I prefer placing it in a hand than on a tongue.
Christ did say, “take this and eat”. You take in the hand. This, IMHO, is more scriptural.
after Communion, we still are supposed to keep standing in unison til everyone is through.....to me, from a young child on, I practice what my mother did...bow your head and hold your folded hands over your face to have a quiet personal moment of thanksgiving between you and the Lord, while kneeling of course...I find it hard to have that private converasation if we're doing another "required" activity....
Oh, bull. I want my Communion served on my tongue and by a priest - not some “deacon” in shorts. I want to be kneeling at the altar with an altar boy next to the priest - not some little girl.
Now I’m seeing dopey Catholics doing that hands up in the sky bit during the Mass. What’s that about? It looks like the Hitler salute.
“As someone who serves Holy Communion, I prefer placing it in a hand than on a tongue.”
As an alter boy many moons ago, I got to be the communion catcher. I wielded that golden plate on a stick in order to catch any wafer that was dropped. In several years, It happened once. Scared the pants off me.
I sometimes miss taking communion by mouth, but by hand does seems more sanitary.
Exactly. I was born after Vatican II went into effect. So some things-—like the Latin Mass and Communion on the tongue-—I don’t miss, because I never really experienced. I also have no problem with altar girls-—given what we’ve been through with past scandals, maybe altar girls are preferable. It is a weird when people come up to you sticking their tongue out at you. Based on the many paintings I have seen depicting the Last Supper, I don’t think Jesus served bread that way.
I know for certain that this is NOT part of the Liturgy. In fact the Liturgy specifically does not specify what one is to do with their hands during the Our Father. Because it isn't specified, the clergy would be wrongly establishing their own Liturgical practice by either telling you to hold hands or to not hold hands during the Our Father. Thus people do what they want.
I was instructed, during a CCD teachers class, that there is a slight preference that people don't hold hands during the Our Father. The symbolism of holding hands is that of unity. However, in the Mass, the parish isn't truly unified until after communion.
Feel free to stop the hand holding during the Our Father. My parish doesn't do it, nor do several neighboring parishes.
Right On!!
I’ve been to a lot of parishes. I’ve never had to stand after communion.
My understanding is that (from my time as an altar boy in the 70s), after communion, you remain in a quiet personal moment of thanksgiving between you and the Lord, until the Blessed Sacrament hosts are placed back in the tabernacle and the doors are closed.
I mean no offense or disrespect but unless you're a Priest AFAIC you have no business serving Holy Communion.
The use of Extraordinary Ministers at Mass is a huge abuse of the intended ministry...like everything else coming out of VII. EM's are only supposed to used in 'Extraordinary' situations.
Oh, it’s weird to you, is it? Yes, in my time during the 50s and 60s it was a Miley Cyrus event! We stuck our tongues out until they hung out below our chins. No instruction to barely push the tongue out beyond the bottom teeth.
Well....I’m one of those evil EMs I guess. Since I’ve been alive, we’ve had Mass said in English, altar girls, and Holy Communion served in the hand and with the help of the laity. I don’t believe any of these activities are prohibited in the Bible.
As long as you partake reverently, while free of serious sin, and you’re not a politician who has cast three abortion votes in the past year, does it really make that much difference?
Thank God someone on this thread has some sense. It’s a disgrace to me that a layman can give out the holy sacrament. In fact, it breaks my heart. I guess I come across to those who are allowed to give it out as a real meanie and an old woman (59). But I remember when the Mass was a deeply spiritual ritual - and a deeply cultural moment as well. To see it turned into a sloppy mess just makes me crazy.
When somebody reaches for my hand during the Lord’s prayer or the Grope of Peace, I just smile sheepishly and say, “I have tuberculosis.”
Come on, get with the program. It's a community meal, so come to supper.
Oh, and it's not Bring Your Own Wine.
Sadly, I’ve been invited to a Seder dinner next week which will, undoubtedly, be more devout and full of meditation than any Mass I’ve been to in the last 20 years.
Several years ago when I was the Grand Knight of my council one of my members was a LEM. He started blessing underage children who came in the Communion line with their parents...just like Father did. Well, Father approached me and complained about it. I laughed in his face. What do you expect when you confer one of the most sacred duties at Holy Mass to just anyone? I told him that I would not address the issue with him since I thought it was a scandal in the first place that LEM’s were employed at Mass at all.
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