Pastor's Page
Contents updated 8/20/2011
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1. Pastoral Letter on Reception of Communion by Non Catholic Christians
2. Revised Mass Etiquette Document
Pastoral Letter on Reception of Communion at Mass
We hear perhaps the first prayer ever for Christian unity in chapter 17 of John’s gospel, offered from the lips of Jesus to the Father. Sadly, it doesn't seem like that prayer was answered, at least not in enduring fashion. The scriptures themselves speak of rifts among the apostles, and fractures in early Christian communities. More tragic splits occurred when the Eastern Churches broke communion with Rome, to form the Orthodox Churches, and centuries later, when Martin Luther initiated the Protestant Reformation. Nowadays, there are more Christian denominations than you can shake a stick at.
For a long time the Catholic Church assumed a defensive posture, and was content to be at odds with other Christian communities. That's no longer the case, and in recent decades, great strides have been made through open, honest dialogue between Catholics and other Christians. The fruit of that dialogue includes some remarkable statements of agreement, about what we believe, and how we live the Christian life, on issues that were previously points of division. Among the most notable was a document issued by the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches in the early 80's. It was called the Lima Report, and established some profound common ground, on the theology of baptism, eucharist, and ordained ministry.
However, despite the vast progress that we've made toward unity with other Christians, more work needs to be done. And the way things stand right now, from the Catholic Church's perspective, general intercommunion is not yet possible. That means that non-Catholic Christians are not free to receive communion, when they attend our eucharistic liturgies; nor are Catholics free to receive communion at non-Catholic liturgies.
And this is what I want to focus on in this letter, because there's a lot of misunderstand-ing, about why this is the case. I'm going to limit the discussion to the Catholic – Protestant situation because the Catholic – Orthodox situation is slightly different. As always, I'd be happy discuss this issue further with anyone, and provide explicit references from the relevant documents. For now, suffice to say that what I'm about to share comes from Vatican II, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Code of Canon Law, the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, and affirmations of these norms in more recent documents by Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI.
I'll begin by stating what's not true. We do not fancy ourselves some exclusive or elitist club, that other Christians aren't good enough to be a part of. Anyone can become Catholic if they want to. But communion isn't about what some of us get, while others don't … it's more than just something individually received. It is an action of this celebrating community that signifies and expresses our unity: our oneness in faith, worship, ecclesial reality, and communal life. It also serves to foster, strengthen, and if needed, heal this established unity. But it is not to be used as a means of restoring the unity of Christians, among whom divisions persist.
Rev. Dr. Paul McPartlan puts it well in his book The Sacrament of Salvation. He writes, "Unity at the altar is inseparable from unity in the world; lack of the latter precludes the former. The Eucharist, of its nature, cannot be celebrated together by those who intend to depart with denominational divisions still intact. We simply cannot bring disunity to the altar, and have it endorsed by the imprint of the heavenly Jerusalem, in which there is no disunity. We cannot content ourselves with unity at the Lord's table, while remaining disunited in the eyes of the world. Oneness at the altar must go with oneness in witness."
But there is another principle of sacramental theology which the Church teaches must always go hand in hand with the principle of unity. It's that sacraments are a source of grace. And that by baptism, other Christians are brought into real, though not full communion with the Catholic Church, and their baptism is directed toward acquiring the fullness of life in Christ. For all the baptized, the eucharist is a spiritual food, which enables them to overcome sin, and to live the very life of Christ. Because of this principle, the Church allows other Christians, in certain exceptional circumstances, and under certain conditions, to receive eucharist, penance, and the anointing of the sick.
If there is a danger of death, or some other grave necessity, as determined by the local bishop, a non-Catholic, baptized Christian may receive the sacraments, provided they ask to do so themselves, they have no access to their own minister, they profess Catholic faith in the sacrament they wish to receive, and they are properly disposed. I want to point out that neither I, nor any other priest can legally give general permission for a non-Catholic to regularly receive communion at mass. Not even the bishop can do that – he can only define the circumstances for which a "grave necessity" exists, which would allow for exceptions.
Now in my mind, the provisions for non-Catholics to receive our sacraments do not bespeak of exclusivity or condescension, but of genuine concern and love. Furthermore, when you hear how the Church views their eucharistic celebrations, you'll know that we also look upon them with the utmost respect. The reason why we can't receive their communion, is these communities have not preserved the proper reality, of the Eucharistic mystery in its fullness, especially because of the absence of the sacrament of Holy Orders. However, the Catholic Church recognizes that when they commemorate the Lord's death and resurrection in the Holy Supper, they profess it signifies life in communion with Christ, and await his coming in glory.
Ok, I wanna wrap this up by addressing a common response I've heard from non-Catholics, regarding this state of affairs. They say something like, "Oh, so you mean I'm not welcome here?" Nothing could be further from the truth. I don't want to minimize anyone's feeling unwelcome, or left out, or awkwardly conspicuous by not receiving communion. Those feelings are genuine and understandable. But first, I have to say, that no matter which way you slice it, these feelings do not constitute a grave necessity, required for receiving communion. Second, these feelings shouldn't be construed as being imposed on anyone, by our very welcoming Church. We're overjoyed to have other Christians worship with us, and hope it might lead to their full communion someday. At the same time, we hope they will respect our tradition and practice, around the sacraments. Third, these kinds of feelings are really internal, and spring from a person's own insecurity or self-consciousness. Let me give you my perspective to help non-Catholics overcome these feelings, and to help Catholics adopt the proper perspective, if they don't have it already.
When I notice someone doesn't come up for communion, or comes up with arms folded to receive a blessing, I know one of three things is true. Either the person isn't Catholic, or is currently in a life situation that is against Church teaching, or is conscious of serious sin, and hasn't yet received reconciliation. Regardless of what the case is, this is an opportunity for me, and for the rest of us, to hold up this person to God in prayer. To pray either that the Spirit will inspire, encourage, and guide them to the Catholic faith, or that they will soon be granted the healing and forgiveness they need, or that they will be converted from their current state in life, and be reconciled with the Church.
Now, I have to ask you, what could be more welcoming, hospitable, and charitable than that? Well actually, the RCIA program! This is a spiritually enriching, formative process designed for the express purpose of welcoming people into our church! It allows them to worship with us, be supported by us, share their faith with us, and learn about our faith from us. It helps them build the unity with us, that will be simultaneously completed and authentically expressed at the Easter Vigil, when they're received into the Church.
To willfully circumvent this process, and selfishly set aside our liturgical laws for appearance's sake, is a disservice to oneself, disrespects the Church, is dishonest because it claims to express something it can't, and adversely affects the integrity of this celebration, by introducing an act of disunity, into what the Church calls the sacrament of unity. Now I know, these probably are not the intentions of most non-Catholics who receive communion at mass. People simply want to feel included, so they come up without critically reflecting on what they're doing. But the Church has critically reflected on this issue, and that's why in 2007, Pope Benedict wrote in an apostolic exhortation on the eucharist, that everyone is obliged to faithfully observe the norms, I've presented in this letter.
My brothers and sisters in Christ, it is our shared responsibility to prayerfully yearn for, and actively promote Christian unity, but we are to do so with humility, in keeping with the guidelines of the Church.
Mass Etiquette, Revised by Fr. Michael, May 3, 2011
Here are a few reminders with regard to proper etiquette to be observed during our celebration of the Eucharist.
In the absence of emergencies and other unexpected events, please be seated comfortably for mass before the entrance procession begins, and do not leave your seat to go home until after the presiding priest leaves the worship space.
All cell phones, pagers, beepers, and other electronic devices are to be turned off for mass. If you must be reached because of an impending birth, or surgery, or some other emergent need, you may leave your device on in vibrate mode.
The faithful are obligated to celebrate mass in Church as the local Body of Christ on Sundays and other holy days determined by our nation’s Bishop’s Conference.
Receiving communion is part of that celebration, but is not equivalent to it. In fact, the faithful are only obligated to receive communion once a year, during the Easter season.
The person who is present for the whole mass, but does not receive communion for some reason, still fulfills the obligation. The person who is late enough to miss most of the Liturgy of the Word, i.e. readings, homily, creed, and / or prayer of the faithful, but is in time to receive communion, does not fulfill the obligation.
In fact, if one is so late so as to miss the gospel reading, one should ask oneself if it is appropriate for him / her to receive communion at that mass. I’m NOT saying one must not receive; I’m saying he / she should do some serious reflection on the matter, before coming forward to receive.
KNOWING that it is gravely wrong, AND WILLFULLY missing mass without sufficient cause, is a serious sin. If guilty of this sin, one should confess it sacramentally before receiving communion again. Acceptable reasons for missing mass include, but are not limited to the following: one’s own illness, caring for another who is ill, dangerous weather / road conditions, lack of transportation, traveling for work / vacation where getting to a Catholic Church would be a hardship, or other serious reasons that don’t come to mind. If you’re unsure, ask me.
As a community we need to strike a fair balance between the need for some to have a quiet space for prayer before mass, and others to meet and greet each other in the absence of a real gathering space. I would ask folks to take note if people around them are praying before mass, and if so, to meet and greet each other with as low a voice as possible.
When using the kneelers, please do not slam them up or down, but gently put them in the desired position.
It is completely inappropriate to carry on casual conversations during any part of the mass, except perhaps during the few short moments when the sign of peace is shared. Particularly serious offenses are those conversations which occur during the readings, the Eucharistic Prayer, the communion procession, the quiet time after communion, and yes, my homily.
Communion may be received by mouth or in the hand, by Catholics who are in full communion with the Church.
This means people who were raised Catholic and are actively practicing the faith, and who are not publicly living in a way that contradicts Church teaching, or people who were raised in another tradition and have been received formally into the Church through the RCIA program and the celebration of baptism and / or confirmation, and who are faithfully living the Catholic life as just described.
Members of the Orthodox Churches excepted, Non Catholic, baptized Christians may NOT receive communion AT MASS, unless special permission has been granted in writing by Bishop Hubbard, and sent to my attention. Those who have not been baptized in any Christian tradition may not receive communion under any circumstances. I will address this issue more fully in a future homily and/or pastoral letter.
If you receive by mouth, please open it wide enough to stick out your tongue so the priest / minister can easily place the Lord upon it.
If you receive in the hand, place one hand under the other to form a kind of ‘throne’ upon which to receive the Lord. If you cannot do this because you’re carrying a child, or your hands are otherwise occupied, then receive by mouth.
Under no circumstances are you to reach out and ‘take’ the Lord from the priest / minister. We receive communion as a gift from the Lord, we don’t take it from him.
The proper response to “The Body / Blood of Christ” is an audible “AMEN.” It’s not, “thank you,” and it’s not silence.
Communion is not only something we receive during mass, it’s something we express as well. We express our communion, or unity, as one Body of Christ in various ways. We profess the same faith (creed); we say the same responses to prayers and invocations; we pray the same prayers; we sing the same songs; and we’re also supposed to adopt the same posture at any given point during the mass.
This means that at any given time, all should be seated, standing, or kneeling as that particular moment in the liturgy prescribes, if one is physically able to do so.
I request the following posture during the Eucharistic Prayer as an expression of communion. All kneel, if able to, immediately following the Holy, Holy and remain kneeling until the Great Amen. At that point all stand for the Our Father.
After the Lamb of God, kneel until you come up for communion. Return to your seat and kneel until the last person has received communion. Sing the communion hymn during this entire time.
After the last person has received, you may pray privately to the Lord, either on your knees or seated, until I invite all to stand for the prayer after communion.
EXCEPT for the private prayer time just described, it is strictly forbidden to pray the rosary at any other time DURING the mass, from the beginning of the entrance hymn to the conclusion of the recessional hymn. You dishonor the Lord by extracting yourself from full participation in any part of the mass, in order to pray the rosary. During the liturgy of the Word, Christ’s voice speaks to us through the scriptures, and his truth is broken open in the homily. The liturgy of the Eucharist commemorates, recalls, AND makes real on the altar, the one sacrifice of Christ offered for our salvation. As a whole, the mass represents our perfect form of praise and worship and thanksgiving offered to the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit. Relative to this reality, all other prayer, including the rosary, is insignificant, and Mary would tell you so herself.
- If you have any questions or concerns about any of these things, make an appointment with me, or call me to talk more about the issues. Otherwise, I expect the community to adhere to the guidelines as I’ve expressed here.
