The John-Henry Westen Show - July 23, 2020


Renowned scholar debunks myths around Communion in the hand

Topics
kneeling for communion
Hosted by
John-Henry Westen
Mentioned
Redemptionis Sacramentum Peter Kwasniewski Peter Kwevnevsky Pius XII Paul VI Episcopal Domine Juan Rodolfo Laiz Amoris Laetitia St. Augustine Mediatra Dei Jesus Christ Krasnetsky Apostles Compline Gospels Luther Calvin Pope Rite
Abby Johnson explains why she attends Latin Mass and receives Communion on the tongue The long list of Donald Trump's pro-life accomplishments

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Length

44 minutes

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7,968

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424

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Summary

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Dr. Peter Kwevnevsky is a Thomistic theologian, a liturgical scholar, and a choral composer. He is a graduate of Thomas Aquinas College and the Catholic University of America. He has taught at the International Theological Institute in Austria, the Franciscan University of Steubenville s Austria Program, and he's taught at Wyoming Catholic College, which he helped to establish in 2006. He's a writer and speaker on traditional Catholicism known all around the world, and an author of eight books.

Transcript

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00:00:00.600 We're very pleased to have with us Dr. Peter Kwevnevsky.
00:00:04.360 He is a Thomistic theologian, a liturgical scholar, and a choral composer.
00:00:08.560 He's a graduate of Thomas Aquinas College and the Catholic University of America.
00:00:12.940 He has taught at the International Theological Institute in Austria,
00:00:17.020 the Franciscan University of Steubenville's Austria program.
00:00:20.100 And he's also taught at Wyoming Catholic College,
00:00:23.120 which he in fact helped to establish in 2006.
00:00:25.880 He's a writer and speaker on traditional Catholicism known all around the world.
00:00:29.820 He's an author of eight books.
00:00:51.540 Dr. Peter Kwevnevsky, thank you for joining us on the John Henry Weston Show.
00:00:55.720 Thank you for having me.
00:00:57.600 Let's start off, if we could.
00:00:59.100 Can you give us, first of all, a short history of the manner or the way of receiving Holy Communion in the Church?
00:01:07.020 Yes.
00:01:07.600 Well, actually, the early centuries of the Church don't give us as full a picture as we would like to have.
00:01:13.620 We have a lot of fragmentary evidence.
00:01:16.380 It seems that there was a diversity of manners of receiving Communion in the early centuries.
00:01:21.820 Communion was received in the hand, but in a very reverent manner that I think we'll get to.
00:01:26.120 It's not the way it's done today.
00:01:28.240 However, we also have evidence from St. Ephraim the Syrian, from the Liturgy of St. James,
00:01:32.800 from St. Gregory the Great, and from some other Fathers of the Church,
00:01:36.080 that Communion was given in the mouth as well,
00:01:39.380 and that the clergy were the ones who most properly communicated with their own hands.
00:01:43.540 We have a council, a regional council of Rouen, in the year 878, that mandated Communion in the mouth.
00:01:52.540 We have the canons of the Coptic Church demanding that the, they say the canons of the Coptic Church, 0.96
00:02:01.280 God forbid that any of the pearls, by which they mean the consecrated fragments, should adhere to the fingers or fall to the ground.
00:02:09.720 And even St. Cyril of Jerusalem, who's often quoted as a proponent of Communion in the hand,
00:02:15.500 he says the fragments are more precious than gold dust,
00:02:18.820 and that, you know, we would sooner lose one of our own members than lose, you know, any fragment.
00:02:24.240 So, there's a very heightened awareness early on of the awesomeness of the sacrament,
00:02:30.400 and in fact, you know, not to get too ahead of myself here,
00:02:33.900 but in fact, it's this growing sense of reverence that leads the Church, over time,
00:02:39.240 progressively to restrict and finally to abolish Communion in the hand,
00:02:43.580 except, of course, for the clergy, which is a different story for them.
00:02:47.660 But for the laity, by the time you get to the second millennium, 0.97
00:02:51.800 by the time you reach the year 1000, Communion in the mouth is universal.
00:02:56.680 And in fact, that goes along with a decrease in Communion under both kinds.
00:03:02.520 So, that is, Communion kneeling and on the tongue is for the host, 0.86
00:03:07.300 and the chalice then becomes more and more reserved just for the celebrating priest or bishop.
00:03:13.060 So, that's just, and then basically for the second millennium of Catholic history, 0.64
00:03:17.460 it's always Communion on the tongue in the mouth for the laity.
00:03:20.620 Out of honour for our Lord and in a spirit of adoration.
00:03:24.800 So, do you want me to talk at all about how that got reversed?
00:03:28.760 Yeah, well, actually, if you don't mind going a little bit more into that,
00:03:32.300 because you mentioned that it was condemned.
00:03:35.740 In what way was it condemned?
00:03:37.740 You mentioned the Council of Rouen, I believe.
00:03:40.980 And how was that, and what did that even sound like?
00:03:43.340 Well, as I understand it, the earliest records we have,
00:03:48.980 they don't seem to be condemning Communion in the hand so much as enjoining or requiring Communion in the mouth
00:03:55.480 as the more reverent way.
00:03:56.920 And it's actually remarkable how universal the practice is in the second millennium
00:04:03.380 to the extent that it simply isn't discussed anymore.
00:04:06.200 It's not a topic of discussion.
00:04:08.520 And so, what we're dealing with here is, in my opinion, a clear example of organic development.
00:04:13.960 That is, the Church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit responding more and more appropriately
00:04:19.040 to the gifts that she has received.
00:04:21.220 This is not to say that, you know, in the 3rd or 4th century, it was wrong for them to do things the way they did.
00:04:28.560 But they hadn't yet arrived at the most reverent and the safest and the most efficient way of giving Communion.
00:04:36.420 We also just have to bear in mind a practical question,
00:04:39.000 which is that there were far fewer communicants in the early Church.
00:04:43.700 As the Church grew and spread, and there were more and more faithful,
00:04:47.200 the question arose, how are we going to give Communion to so many people?
00:04:51.840 And it's, I mean, as anyone who's been to a Mass nowadays can testify,
00:04:56.680 a traditional Latin Mass, for example, where all the faithful are lined up along a Communion rail,
00:05:01.480 kneeling, and the priest, you know, is going right along and giving Communion to each one in turn.
00:05:06.380 It's a much more efficient way of giving Communion, in addition to being safer and more reverent.
00:05:12.260 Right, right.
00:05:13.640 So, since the Church has been doing this for a thousand years,
00:05:17.160 it comes to basically from, you were mentioning, I think, Council of Rent is around 650,
00:05:23.460 but you mentioned by the time a thousand comes along, no one's doing this.
00:05:27.400 And yet, in 1969, we have this come back for the first time since 650 or slightly thereafter.
00:05:37.740 How did this even happen?
00:05:39.020 Yeah, well, it's a very sad story.
00:05:43.400 It's told very well by a bishop named Juan Rodolfo Laiz.
00:05:46.980 He wrote a book on the history of Holy Communion and the manner of giving it.
00:05:50.600 And he basically documents in detail, it's a case of really rank disobedience,
00:05:57.860 because the Church had a clear policy about what was to be done, even into the 1960s,
00:06:03.280 but there were already priests who were experimenting.
00:06:06.520 You know how the 60s were.
00:06:07.840 It was, you know, experimentation in every direction.
00:06:11.700 And so, there were priests who, unauthorized, were giving Communion in the hand.
00:06:15.640 There were bishops' conferences that were agitating for it.
00:06:18.340 This is all happening in, you know, towards the end of the 1960s.
00:06:23.260 And what's most surprising, I think, to people is that initially Paul VI,
00:06:30.360 who favored, tended to favor liturgical change on a huge scale,
00:06:35.620 that he initially opposed Communion in the hand,
00:06:38.540 and in fact, opposed it very strongly.
00:06:41.220 He sent out a questionnaire to all the bishops in the world in,
00:06:46.260 I believe the questionnaire was in 1968, asking them,
00:06:49.740 should the traditional manner, namely kneeling and on the tongue, be retained?
00:06:55.780 And should we allow Communion in the hand?
00:06:58.860 And the overwhelming majority of bishops responded,
00:07:01.960 yes, we should retain the traditional manner.
00:07:03.640 No, the Communion in the hand should not be allowed.
00:07:05.560 And those results, the actual vote numbers, were published,
00:07:09.480 along with the rationale for the traditional practice,
00:07:13.400 in a 1969 instruction called Memoriale Domini,
00:07:16.560 which was initiated by Paul VI and approved by him.
00:07:19.620 It actually came out from the Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship.
00:07:23.540 But if you don't mind, I just want to read this section from Memoriale Domini.
00:07:27.780 It's a remarkable document.
00:07:29.760 It says,
00:07:31.760 In view of the state of the Church as a whole today,
00:07:36.080 this manner of distributing Holy Communion,
00:07:38.860 the traditional manner, must be observed.
00:07:41.880 The Latin could also be translated preserved.
00:07:44.360 Not only because it rests upon a tradition of many centuries,
00:07:47.980 but especially because it is a sign of the reference of the faithful toward the Eucharist.
00:07:52.540 The practice in no way detracts from the personal dignity
00:07:56.440 of those who approach this great sacrament.
00:07:58.220 You see, there were some people who were saying,
00:08:00.940 it's not dignified to get down on your knees and act like a slave or a servant, right?
00:08:05.800 But this document is saying, no, it doesn't detract from dignity.
00:08:08.920 It goes on,
00:08:09.520 And it is a part of the preparation needed for the most fruitful reception of the Lord's body.
00:08:14.900 This reverence is a sign of Holy Communion being not in common bread and drink,
00:08:20.260 but in the body and blood of the Lord.
00:08:22.960 And it goes on,
00:08:23.740 In addition, this manner of communicating,
00:08:25.760 which is now to be considered as prescribed by custom,
00:08:29.260 gives more effective assurance that Holy Communion will be distributed
00:08:32.220 with the appropriate reverence, decorum, and dignity.
00:08:35.800 That any danger of profaning the Eucharistic species,
00:08:38.840 in which the whole and entire Christ, God and man,
00:08:41.740 is substantially contained and permanently present in a unique way,
00:08:45.160 will be avoided.
00:08:46.680 And finally, that the diligent care,
00:08:48.660 which the Church has always commended for the very fragments of the consecrated bread,
00:08:52.220 will be maintained.
00:08:54.640 So that's Memoriale Domini 1969,
00:08:58.160 initiated and approved by Paul VI.
00:09:02.520 The weird thing is that in the same document,
00:09:06.480 after laying this out and giving the results of the vote
00:09:08.920 and saying it should be retained,
00:09:10.800 then Paul VI says,
00:09:12.200 Nevertheless, since there are some places in the world
00:09:15.020 where communion in the hand has already been introduced,
00:09:17.680 in order to regulate it better,
00:09:19.660 the Episcopal conferences are allowed to permit it,
00:09:21.780 but under certain conditions.
00:09:23.600 So it's an odd document,
00:09:25.580 because it really persuades you,
00:09:27.740 you know, rhetorically,
00:09:28.660 as you're going through,
00:09:29.760 that, you know,
00:09:30.420 we should keep this traditional manner.
00:09:31.820 And then it says,
00:09:32.320 but the Episcopal conferences can decide otherwise.
00:09:34.640 And unfortunately,
00:09:35.380 we've seen that kind of problem before in the 60s, 70s,
00:09:38.680 even more recently with Amoris Laetitia.
00:09:40.620 We've seen that a lot of hot button issues
00:09:43.260 are just pushed off to the bishops' conferences,
00:09:46.660 you know,
00:09:46.880 almost like,
00:09:47.560 you know,
00:09:48.660 passing the buck or something like that.
00:09:50.980 So that's an unfortunate tension
00:09:54.180 or even contradiction within this document.
00:09:57.760 However,
00:09:58.480 it does say there's a condition
00:10:00.660 for giving communion on the hand,
00:10:04.460 Memoriale Domini.
00:10:05.860 And it says,
00:10:07.240 it cannot be done
00:10:09.560 if there is,
00:10:10.760 and this is a quote now,
00:10:11.940 any possible lack of reverence
00:10:14.100 or false ideas about the Eucharist
00:10:16.700 engendered in the attitudes of the people,
00:10:19.380 unquote.
00:10:21.160 So it seems like
00:10:23.040 maybe Paul VI was thinking,
00:10:25.300 naively,
00:10:26.460 that this change could somehow happen
00:10:28.600 without lessening reverence and devotion,
00:10:31.740 without lessening the faith of the people
00:10:33.520 in the real presence.
00:10:35.860 But he was wrong.
00:10:36.680 I mean,
00:10:36.840 we know factually that he was wrong.
00:10:38.540 If we look in retrospect,
00:10:39.680 hindsight is 20-20.
00:10:40.760 I mean,
00:10:41.500 I would say they should have known
00:10:42.860 back then
00:10:43.740 if they were thinking it through
00:10:45.320 that this would have profound consequences.
00:10:48.280 But nevertheless,
00:10:48.980 now it can't be denied
00:10:50.160 that there have been
00:10:50.940 these profound consequences.
00:10:52.420 And so,
00:10:52.860 as far as this document is concerned,
00:10:54.320 we should not be giving communion
00:10:55.540 in the hand anymore
00:10:56.200 because just the problems
00:10:57.580 that he pointed to have happened.
00:10:59.360 Right.
00:11:00.060 Right.
00:11:00.500 One of the, I guess,
00:11:02.200 powerful arguments
00:11:03.360 that seems to come
00:11:05.240 from those who promote
00:11:06.680 communion in the hand
00:11:07.500 is that this is
00:11:08.940 a restoration
00:11:10.020 of a legitimate,
00:11:11.700 ancient Christian practice
00:11:13.020 and therefore,
00:11:14.040 why can't we do it?
00:11:14.840 Aren't we getting back to the roots?
00:11:16.680 What do you respond?
00:11:17.560 Yeah.
00:11:18.300 Yeah, exactly.
00:11:19.360 Well,
00:11:19.540 this is a problem
00:11:20.280 that Pope Pius XII
00:11:21.280 dealt with
00:11:22.060 in his 1947 encyclical,
00:11:24.440 Mediatra Dei,
00:11:25.280 on the sacred liturgy,
00:11:26.640 where he defined an error
00:11:30.500 that he called
00:11:31.460 false antiquarianism
00:11:32.760 and then condemned it.
00:11:34.880 So,
00:11:35.340 he said,
00:11:36.020 he said,
00:11:36.740 it's a mistake
00:11:37.680 to try to restore
00:11:39.040 later in the church's history
00:11:41.380 practices that occurred
00:11:42.920 much earlier on
00:11:44.080 because it was not
00:11:45.820 without the guidance
00:11:46.740 of the Holy Spirit
00:11:47.540 that the church developed
00:11:48.660 in the way that she did.
00:11:49.980 So,
00:11:50.560 if you,
00:11:51.360 and then he goes on to say,
00:11:52.620 you know,
00:11:52.780 this is,
00:11:53.220 it's dangerous.
00:11:54.960 For example,
00:11:55.700 he gives these examples,
00:11:57.160 right?
00:11:57.320 It would be dangerous
00:11:58.060 to turn the priest around
00:11:59.360 and have him facing the people.
00:12:01.480 It would be wrong 0.99
00:12:02.660 to get rid of black 1.00
00:12:03.620 as a color
00:12:04.400 for liturgical vestments.
00:12:05.920 You know,
00:12:06.120 he gives these various examples
00:12:07.340 which unfortunately
00:12:07.980 all came to pass
00:12:08.960 only about,
00:12:10.460 you know,
00:12:11.200 15 or 20 years later.
00:12:12.720 Yeah.
00:12:13.320 Right?
00:12:14.200 But he says
00:12:14.940 this would be a mistake
00:12:15.780 because the church
00:12:16.580 does in fact
00:12:17.560 deepen her understanding.
00:12:19.320 You know,
00:12:20.080 the liturgy
00:12:20.980 doesn't stop developing
00:12:21.800 in the 5th
00:12:22.420 or the 6th century.
00:12:23.680 It doesn't.
00:12:24.600 Neither does the piety
00:12:25.660 of the Christian people
00:12:26.500 nor the theology.
00:12:28.540 You know,
00:12:28.800 when you look at
00:12:29.280 the Council of Trent
00:12:30.040 in the 16th century,
00:12:31.540 it is one of the most
00:12:32.560 magnificent expositions
00:12:33.780 of Catholic doctrine
00:12:34.660 and there are things
00:12:35.500 that are clarified
00:12:36.120 in the Council of Trent
00:12:37.020 that were unclear
00:12:38.640 prior to that council,
00:12:40.220 you know,
00:12:40.420 for 1,500 years.
00:12:41.760 So,
00:12:42.200 we have to,
00:12:43.580 basically,
00:12:44.400 if we disagree
00:12:45.140 with Pius XII
00:12:46.360 on that point,
00:12:47.660 we will end up saying
00:12:48.580 with the Protestants 0.75
00:12:49.500 that the church
00:12:50.680 got corrupted,
00:12:51.780 that for many centuries
00:12:53.420 the dark ages,
00:12:55.060 the church
00:12:55.700 went off the rails,
00:12:57.340 you know,
00:12:57.700 like a careening train
00:12:59.180 that just flew off the rails
00:13:00.520 and if we want
00:13:02.380 the authentic
00:13:03.000 Christian church,
00:13:03.940 we have to go back
00:13:04.620 to the Apostles
00:13:05.380 or at least
00:13:06.160 to the Apostolic period.
00:13:07.480 That's a Protestant error. 0.78
00:13:09.000 It's a characteristically
00:13:09.920 Protestant error.
00:13:10.680 It's something that
00:13:11.100 Luther and Calvin
00:13:12.020 and Zwingli
00:13:12.620 and Melanchthon
00:13:13.220 and all these people said
00:13:14.180 and lo and behold,
00:13:15.720 there were some
00:13:16.080 liturgical reformers
00:13:16.960 in the 20th century
00:13:17.580 saying exactly
00:13:18.260 the same thing.
00:13:19.220 You know,
00:13:19.420 what the church did
00:13:20.480 in the Middle Ages,
00:13:21.840 you know,
00:13:22.540 we have to get,
00:13:23.240 we have to go back
00:13:24.380 before that
00:13:25.120 because somehow
00:13:25.640 that's corrupt.
00:13:26.720 Right, right.
00:13:28.280 So, oh,
00:13:28.800 but you did bring up
00:13:30.360 this question though,
00:13:30.960 the ancient manner.
00:13:31.880 I did want to comment
00:13:32.780 that the ancient manner
00:13:34.340 of receiving the hand
00:13:35.220 was much different
00:13:36.120 and it would look today
00:13:37.400 much more reverent
00:13:38.500 than what is done
00:13:39.940 in the Novus Ordo.
00:13:41.780 That is to say,
00:13:43.040 it's clear
00:13:44.080 from the patristic description
00:13:45.360 that you wouldn't,
00:13:48.480 you don't stick
00:13:49.520 your left hand
00:13:50.580 over your right hand
00:13:53.120 and then feed yourself
00:13:54.820 with the right hand.
00:13:55.860 That's how it's done nowadays.
00:13:57.280 In the patristic period,
00:13:58.660 the right hand
00:14:00.300 was placed forward
00:14:01.820 because the right hand
00:14:02.820 you always would receive
00:14:04.140 in the right hand,
00:14:04.580 never in the left hand.
00:14:05.300 The left hand signifies,
00:14:06.660 you know,
00:14:07.860 sin and the devil,
00:14:08.960 right?
00:14:09.240 And so,
00:14:10.080 and then once the holy bread
00:14:12.880 was placed in your hand,
00:14:13.980 you bowed down
00:14:15.180 and took it up
00:14:16.420 with your mouth.
00:14:16.940 You licked it up 0.70
00:14:18.400 with your,
00:14:19.080 which is you still,
00:14:19.820 you still see this
00:14:20.460 in Byzantine liturgy,
00:14:21.360 the priests,
00:14:22.120 when they're cleaning afterwards,
00:14:23.260 they're licking their fingers,
00:14:24.280 right?
00:14:24.580 So,
00:14:25.140 you would bow down
00:14:26.280 in adoration,
00:14:27.420 take it in with your mouth 1.00
00:14:28.480 and then lick your hand 0.99
00:14:29.640 to make sure 0.67
00:14:30.120 there were no particles there,
00:14:32.160 right?
00:14:32.740 I mean,
00:14:33.080 and sometimes
00:14:33.560 we even have records
00:14:34.360 that sometimes
00:14:34.920 a cloth was used.
00:14:36.040 So,
00:14:36.220 a cloth would be put
00:14:36.940 in your hands,
00:14:38.020 the holy bread
00:14:38.640 placed on the cloth
00:14:39.440 and then you would bow down
00:14:40.600 and receive it
00:14:41.240 and that way
00:14:41.720 whatever fragments
00:14:42.680 might be there
00:14:43.140 would be retained
00:14:43.780 in the cloth
00:14:44.380 which would be held
00:14:44.940 by acolytes.
00:14:45.660 So,
00:14:46.620 there are ways,
00:14:48.660 at least theoretically,
00:14:50.200 that communion in the hand
00:14:50.980 could be much more,
00:14:51.980 could be a sign of reverence
00:14:53.200 and could be done
00:14:53.720 without danger
00:14:54.540 or without as much danger.
00:14:56.220 But even so,
00:14:57.760 the Church decided
00:14:58.640 to stop doing it,
00:14:59.800 you know?
00:15:00.280 And what we're doing now
00:15:01.440 bears very little resemblance
00:15:02.800 to what I just described.
00:15:05.080 Wow.
00:15:05.800 So,
00:15:06.440 okay,
00:15:06.860 run that down for us then.
00:15:07.980 What are then
00:15:08.800 the basic problems
00:15:09.900 with communion in the hand?
00:15:11.800 Yeah.
00:15:12.300 So,
00:15:12.540 number one problem
00:15:13.420 and for me,
00:15:14.840 you know,
00:15:15.100 I come back to this
00:15:16.000 on so many different topics.
00:15:17.740 It's contrary
00:15:18.620 to at least
00:15:19.860 a thousand years
00:15:20.520 of tradition.
00:15:22.660 The Council of Rouen
00:15:23.920 that I mentioned before
00:15:24.560 was 878.
00:15:25.960 That's not an ecumenical council.
00:15:27.460 It's a regional council
00:15:28.420 but it's indicative
00:15:29.320 of the thinking
00:15:30.120 and of the practice.
00:15:31.640 So,
00:15:31.840 for at least
00:15:32.440 a thousand years,
00:15:33.800 Catholics have seen fit, 1.00
00:15:35.600 the Church has seen fit
00:15:36.780 to give communion
00:15:37.520 in this manner.
00:15:39.100 That's not accidental.
00:15:40.700 That's not
00:15:41.240 some kind of mistake
00:15:43.680 or chance event.
00:15:45.060 That has everything
00:15:45.780 to do with
00:15:46.480 the Church's growing faith,
00:15:48.360 especially in the Middle Ages
00:15:49.260 when the first heretics
00:15:50.700 rose up
00:15:52.080 who denied
00:15:52.560 the real presence,
00:15:53.640 right?
00:15:53.820 For the first thousand years
00:15:54.780 of Christianity,
00:15:55.460 nobody denied
00:15:56.180 the real presence.
00:15:57.320 Nobody.
00:15:57.960 The heretics denied 0.99
00:15:58.740 everything else
00:15:59.340 but nobody denied that.
00:16:02.100 But once there were heretics
00:16:04.560 actually denying
00:16:05.220 the real presence,
00:16:06.020 the Church emphasized
00:16:07.200 in every way she could
00:16:08.640 know this is really
00:16:09.840 the body and blood
00:16:10.600 of our Lord Jesus Christ
00:16:11.860 and His soul and divinity.
00:16:13.380 So,
00:16:13.760 we should do everything
00:16:15.360 in our power
00:16:16.060 not just spiritually
00:16:18.100 to be ready
00:16:19.280 to receive,
00:16:20.380 you know,
00:16:20.560 not to be in a state of sin
00:16:21.700 but also physically
00:16:23.480 with our bodies
00:16:24.320 we should show
00:16:25.180 that we adore
00:16:26.960 the Word made flesh
00:16:28.880 in the Blessed Sacrament.
00:16:30.540 And that's why
00:16:31.060 it's not just kneeling
00:16:32.400 and receiving communion
00:16:33.620 on the tongue
00:16:34.100 that developed
00:16:34.680 in the early Middle Ages
00:16:36.020 but it's also
00:16:36.760 all the genuflections
00:16:37.960 that priests do
00:16:38.760 during the liturgy
00:16:39.480 during the traditional
00:16:40.180 Latin Mass.
00:16:41.600 Many of those
00:16:42.460 developed in the Middle Ages
00:16:43.620 precisely for the same reason,
00:16:45.080 right?
00:16:45.200 We're going to affirm
00:16:46.040 over and over and over again
00:16:47.480 our faith
00:16:48.100 in the Word made flesh
00:16:50.840 present on the altar.
00:16:54.080 So,
00:16:54.960 yeah,
00:16:56.060 that's the number one problem.
00:16:59.760 A number two problem
00:17:00.840 is a practical problem
00:17:01.820 and that is
00:17:02.280 particles are lost
00:17:03.680 in fact.
00:17:05.000 When communion
00:17:05.580 is given
00:17:06.500 in the hand
00:17:07.780 and this research
00:17:08.700 has been done
00:17:09.160 to show this,
00:17:09.680 there's an article
00:17:10.180 that you can find online
00:17:11.360 from the Latin Mass Magazine
00:17:12.600 from many years ago
00:17:13.420 where somebody did experiments
00:17:14.880 using black gloves
00:17:16.200 so that it would be
00:17:17.800 very obvious
00:17:18.480 where the particles were.
00:17:20.460 And,
00:17:20.680 you know,
00:17:21.420 you can also,
00:17:22.540 I mean,
00:17:23.740 this is,
00:17:24.400 it's not hard
00:17:25.020 to understand
00:17:25.540 that if you
00:17:26.020 put a host
00:17:27.040 in someone's hand,
00:17:28.480 especially some of the hosts
00:17:29.520 are a bit crumbly
00:17:30.340 and sometimes
00:17:30.920 the whole weak ones,
00:17:31.980 you know,
00:17:32.060 they're not as compact
00:17:33.380 as the old hosts used to,
00:17:34.980 the traditional hosts used to be,
00:17:36.680 it's not surprising
00:17:38.000 that there are little crumbs,
00:17:39.540 you know,
00:17:39.940 that might remain
00:17:40.920 and then fall onto the floor,
00:17:42.860 you know,
00:17:43.200 and be scattered.
00:17:44.400 And this is something
00:17:44.920 the Church Fathers
00:17:45.680 beheld with horror.
00:17:47.420 I mean,
00:17:47.560 they would never have tolerated
00:17:49.060 anything like that.
00:17:50.540 And in fact,
00:17:51.340 that's,
00:17:51.720 you know,
00:17:52.260 that's exactly
00:17:52.840 one of the conditions
00:17:53.720 that the Church lays down.
00:17:56.340 Redemptionis Sacramentum.
00:17:57.960 If there's a risk
00:17:58.900 of profanation,
00:18:00.600 Holy Communion
00:18:01.260 should not be given
00:18:02.180 in the hand
00:18:02.900 to the faithful.
00:18:04.200 That's what
00:18:04.780 Redemptionis Sacramentum says.
00:18:06.340 Well,
00:18:07.080 frankly,
00:18:08.540 there's always
00:18:09.100 a risk of profanation
00:18:10.200 if it's given
00:18:10.840 in the hand,
00:18:11.820 you know,
00:18:12.020 even just because
00:18:12.920 of what I was describing.
00:18:14.120 So,
00:18:14.620 this seems to be
00:18:15.620 a very basic problem.
00:18:17.040 And that's why
00:18:17.500 if you look at
00:18:18.000 the traditional liturgy,
00:18:19.460 you know,
00:18:19.820 the rubrics
00:18:20.860 governing how the priest
00:18:22.160 cleans off the paten
00:18:25.080 and how he cleans
00:18:26.400 the corporal
00:18:27.440 on the altar,
00:18:27.980 it's all very detailed
00:18:29.800 and very thorough
00:18:30.740 because we don't want
00:18:31.480 to lose one pearl
00:18:32.720 as St. Ephraim
00:18:33.720 the Syrian says,
00:18:35.360 right?
00:18:35.500 We don't want
00:18:35.840 to lose anything.
00:18:37.100 So,
00:18:37.420 our manner of giving,
00:18:38.360 now when you give
00:18:38.860 a host on the tongue
00:18:40.900 to someone kneeling,
00:18:42.440 that danger is almost
00:18:43.300 completely removed.
00:18:44.780 And there's also,
00:18:45.520 by the rubrics,
00:18:46.020 there's supposed to be
00:18:46.400 a paten,
00:18:47.180 a hand paten,
00:18:48.280 or a chin paten
00:18:49.140 placed underneath
00:18:50.020 so that if there were
00:18:51.600 a fragment to fall,
00:18:52.580 it would fall right
00:18:53.160 onto the paten
00:18:53.760 and then the priest
00:18:54.340 cleans the paten.
00:18:55.120 So,
00:18:55.580 the Church has thought
00:18:56.320 of everything.
00:18:57.440 in this practice
00:18:58.860 leaves nothing
00:18:59.860 to chance,
00:19:00.760 right?
00:19:02.660 Okay,
00:19:03.160 other problems.
00:19:04.580 Communion in the hand,
00:19:05.920 especially as we do it
00:19:06.720 nowadays,
00:19:07.220 and standing up,
00:19:08.280 it lessens reference
00:19:09.480 for the Lord.
00:19:10.840 You know,
00:19:11.160 when the Magi
00:19:12.060 got to the manger,
00:19:14.480 they didn't just
00:19:15.160 stand around
00:19:15.880 and pass gifts
00:19:16.720 like they were
00:19:17.140 at some kind of
00:19:17.660 convention or whatever.
00:19:18.500 They got down
00:19:19.040 on their knees.
00:19:19.780 That's what it says
00:19:20.340 in Scripture,
00:19:21.220 right?
00:19:21.840 When the,
00:19:22.860 you know,
00:19:23.240 in the Gospels,
00:19:24.180 when people come up
00:19:24.980 to our Lord
00:19:25.560 to be healed,
00:19:26.240 they fall
00:19:26.700 on their knees.
00:19:27.980 You know,
00:19:28.300 when Peter says,
00:19:29.300 depart from me,
00:19:29.860 Lord,
00:19:30.000 I'm a sinful man,
00:19:30.880 right?
00:19:31.380 He's,
00:19:31.780 you know,
00:19:32.460 he's on his knees.
00:19:33.220 I mean,
00:19:33.500 it's the most obvious
00:19:34.620 and the most natural sign
00:19:36.060 of adoration
00:19:36.920 and reverence
00:19:37.460 that we have.
00:19:38.400 And that's why,
00:19:39.320 you know,
00:19:39.560 even in the
00:19:39.960 Novus Ordem Mass,
00:19:40.620 we're kneeling
00:19:41.060 during the Eucharistic prayer.
00:19:42.400 Why are we doing that?
00:19:43.620 And then we don't kneel
00:19:44.440 for communion
00:19:44.980 when we go up
00:19:45.580 to our Lord,
00:19:46.140 the most sacred moment
00:19:47.660 for us.
00:19:48.260 You know,
00:19:48.400 the most,
00:19:49.000 we're coming into contact
00:19:50.100 with the Lord.
00:19:52.020 So,
00:19:52.600 there's a real incoherence
00:19:54.120 there to sometimes kneeling
00:19:55.480 but then not kneeling
00:19:56.320 for that.
00:19:56.960 The traditional practice
00:19:57.940 was consistent,
00:19:59.020 was perfectly consistent.
00:20:01.540 Then,
00:20:02.020 I mean,
00:20:02.220 I think we can see
00:20:02.960 in connection
00:20:03.680 with all of this,
00:20:04.360 it lessens belief
00:20:05.160 in the real presence,
00:20:06.400 you know?
00:20:07.560 I mean,
00:20:08.100 if you really believe
00:20:09.020 that our Lord is present,
00:20:10.560 then you're not going
00:20:11.380 to treat it like ordinary,
00:20:12.820 like a cracker
00:20:13.760 or like a wafer
00:20:14.440 or something like that.
00:20:15.760 I mean,
00:20:16.040 this is like a bus ticket,
00:20:17.300 you know?
00:20:17.640 You can't imagine that.
00:20:19.020 And the fact,
00:20:20.500 you know,
00:20:20.740 that we don't show
00:20:21.620 our reverence
00:20:22.280 or that we treat it
00:20:23.560 in this common
00:20:24.620 and familiar way
00:20:25.560 is borne out
00:20:27.360 in the surveys
00:20:28.160 and the various polls
00:20:29.880 that have been done
00:20:30.560 showing how even Catholics 1.00
00:20:32.000 who go to Mass
00:20:32.600 don't believe
00:20:33.200 in transubstantiation anymore.
00:20:36.380 I think that communion
00:20:37.640 standing and in the hand,
00:20:39.080 you know,
00:20:39.380 bears a lot of the blame
00:20:40.760 for that.
00:20:42.920 Let me just mention
00:20:43.920 one other thing.
00:20:44.720 It lessens
00:20:45.440 our awareness
00:20:46.680 of the dignity
00:20:47.700 of the ordained
00:20:48.620 priesthood as well
00:20:49.940 because the ordained priest,
00:20:52.160 he's ordained
00:20:52.700 to offer sacrifice
00:20:53.740 but also to convey
00:20:56.460 the sacraments
00:20:57.220 to the faithful.
00:20:58.080 So St. Thomas says
00:20:58.960 it belongs to the same one
00:21:00.360 to consecrate
00:21:01.480 and to distribute
00:21:02.360 the Eucharist.
00:21:04.020 His hands,
00:21:05.100 the priest's hands
00:21:05.700 are anointed
00:21:06.380 with sacred chrism
00:21:08.280 in the ordination rites
00:21:09.600 so that he can worthily
00:21:10.840 handle the body
00:21:11.800 of Christ.
00:21:13.000 The faithful's hands
00:21:14.160 are never consecrated
00:21:15.200 that way,
00:21:15.660 right?
00:21:16.240 That's not
00:21:16.680 that's not something
00:21:17.760 that, you know,
00:21:19.340 we're not set apart
00:21:20.220 for the service
00:21:20.880 of the Eucharist
00:21:21.580 in the same way.
00:21:22.780 So it's actually
00:21:23.700 to have lay people
00:21:24.920 receiving in the hand
00:21:25.960 just in a way
00:21:27.400 it sends the subtle
00:21:28.360 message of equalization,
00:21:30.480 a kind of egalitarianism
00:21:31.980 between the faithful
00:21:32.760 and the priest.
00:21:34.100 You know,
00:21:34.620 and I think a lot of people
00:21:35.400 don't necessarily
00:21:36.060 formulate that in words
00:21:37.320 but it has definitely
00:21:38.600 lessened the respect
00:21:40.240 and the honor
00:21:40.800 that we owe to the priest.
00:21:41.840 I mean,
00:21:41.980 if the lay people
00:21:42.560 can distribute
00:21:43.280 then,
00:21:44.540 you know,
00:21:44.900 why,
00:21:45.200 I mean,
00:21:45.420 you know what I mean?
00:21:45.900 It just introduces
00:21:46.580 all kinds of confusion
00:21:47.720 about why is the priest special?
00:21:49.960 What is his role?
00:21:51.100 Right,
00:21:51.720 right.
00:21:52.300 So after saying all this,
00:21:54.120 is it true then
00:21:55.900 that communion
00:21:56.420 in the hand
00:21:57.020 is actually wrong,
00:21:57.920 like even sinful
00:21:58.900 for the faithful
00:22:00.200 to receive that way?
00:22:01.860 Mm-hmm.
00:22:02.920 Yeah,
00:22:03.420 so I would answer
00:22:04.160 this question
00:22:04.800 by first saying
00:22:07.100 that the church
00:22:07.660 clearly stipulated
00:22:09.400 conditions
00:22:10.040 as we discussed before.
00:22:11.900 There are conditions
00:22:12.780 for if you're going
00:22:14.000 to do communion
00:22:14.540 in the hand,
00:22:15.020 these things
00:22:15.440 have to be in place
00:22:16.180 and the two conditions
00:22:16.940 just to reiterate
00:22:17.740 are any possible
00:22:19.220 lack of reverence
00:22:19.920 or false ideas
00:22:20.520 about the Eucharist
00:22:21.280 cannot be engendered
00:22:22.720 in the people
00:22:23.200 and if there's a risk
00:22:24.680 of profanation,
00:22:25.480 holy communion
00:22:25.880 should not be given
00:22:26.560 in the hand.
00:22:27.820 I would say
00:22:28.520 those conditions
00:22:29.020 are never met.
00:22:30.340 Usually both of them
00:22:31.160 are not met,
00:22:32.160 almost,
00:22:32.580 I mean universally
00:22:33.080 neither one is met
00:22:34.120 and most of the time
00:22:35.480 neither,
00:22:35.900 both of them
00:22:36.580 are flagrantly violated
00:22:39.400 and so I would say
00:22:41.140 it's wrong,
00:22:42.460 you know,
00:22:42.780 on a legalistic level
00:22:44.100 it's wrong
00:22:44.640 because we can't
00:22:45.520 fulfill those conditions.
00:22:47.000 Those conditions
00:22:47.600 were set down
00:22:48.400 I think somewhat naively
00:22:50.540 but they were set down
00:22:51.700 and now we can look back
00:22:53.020 and say yeah,
00:22:53.660 that's true,
00:22:54.640 we can't actually
00:22:55.340 fulfill these conditions
00:22:56.300 but then in terms
00:22:58.600 of our particular situation
00:22:59.780 now,
00:23:01.160 if we can't,
00:23:02.640 if we come to see
00:23:04.540 in the year 2020
00:23:05.780 how much damage
00:23:07.720 this has done
00:23:08.860 to faith in the real presence
00:23:10.280 to the adoration
00:23:11.740 we should give
00:23:12.580 to our Lord
00:23:13.120 to the dignity
00:23:14.040 of the priesthood
00:23:14.920 that it allows Satanists
00:23:17.120 access to hosts,
00:23:18.320 right,
00:23:18.560 if we know these things
00:23:20.720 and it's not difficult
00:23:22.520 to know them
00:23:23.240 then it would be wrong
00:23:25.120 to receive in the hand
00:23:25.920 because you would just
00:23:26.600 be augmenting the problem,
00:23:27.860 you'd be contributing to it,
00:23:28.880 you'd be saying
00:23:29.260 I agree with this,
00:23:30.140 I consent to this,
00:23:31.500 you know,
00:23:31.740 yes it should keep
00:23:32.460 happening this way
00:23:33.240 and I think no,
00:23:34.440 I think that's wrong
00:23:35.120 so in my conscience
00:23:36.280 right now,
00:23:37.000 just speaking for myself,
00:23:37.900 Dr. Krasnetsky,
00:23:39.020 I could not receive
00:23:40.840 in the hand,
00:23:41.460 I would feel like
00:23:42.080 it was sinful
00:23:42.660 to receive in the hand.
00:23:44.120 Yeah,
00:23:44.960 yeah,
00:23:45.200 no,
00:23:45.440 I'd be exactly the same
00:23:46.780 and not only that,
00:23:48.280 I wonder though
00:23:49.260 that has to be parsed
00:23:50.340 a little bit
00:23:50.840 because of the,
00:23:52.080 you know,
00:23:52.720 the faithful are being told
00:23:54.200 they should receive this way
00:23:55.460 and some of them told,
00:23:56.960 especially now
00:23:57.500 during the coronavirus pandemic,
00:23:59.260 they may not receive
00:24:00.560 any other way,
00:24:01.480 they'd have to just make
00:24:02.340 a spiritual holy communion
00:24:03.140 and that this is right
00:24:04.280 and good
00:24:04.640 so for those people
00:24:06.740 who don't know,
00:24:08.260 is it still a sin
00:24:09.060 and if it is
00:24:11.480 on the part of the bishop
00:24:12.520 or the priest,
00:24:13.560 is it a sin for them?
00:24:16.140 Yeah,
00:24:16.500 yeah,
00:24:16.900 I think,
00:24:17.440 so these are obviously
00:24:18.860 getting to some
00:24:19.600 much more controversial
00:24:20.720 topics
00:24:21.740 and I,
00:24:22.680 you know,
00:24:22.880 I'm going to say
00:24:23.560 what I think is the case
00:24:24.620 although,
00:24:25.460 you know,
00:24:25.920 somebody might be able
00:24:26.700 to refute me on this.
00:24:28.480 I think that
00:24:29.580 the bishops,
00:24:30.560 many bishops
00:24:31.020 are abusing
00:24:31.580 their authority right now
00:24:32.580 because their authority,
00:24:34.120 first of all,
00:24:34.720 they're supposed
00:24:35.040 to uphold canon law
00:24:36.360 and canon law
00:24:37.560 is really clear
00:24:38.580 that the faithful
00:24:40.580 have the right
00:24:41.260 to receive communion
00:24:42.020 on the tongue.
00:24:42.900 That's spelled out
00:24:43.940 without any exceptions.
00:24:45.740 As long as the faithful
00:24:46.820 are properly disposed
00:24:47.920 to receive the sacraments,
00:24:49.220 they cannot be denied
00:24:50.300 the sacraments
00:24:51.140 and,
00:24:52.940 you know,
00:24:53.640 when bishops invoke
00:24:54.920 the canon about,
00:24:56.140 you know,
00:24:56.600 a bishop can decide
00:24:57.600 how the rights
00:24:58.260 of the faithful
00:24:58.840 are to be,
00:24:59.720 you know,
00:25:02.200 exercised,
00:25:02.940 there is a canon
00:25:03.640 that says that.
00:25:04.960 It's not a blanket statement.
00:25:06.540 I mean,
00:25:06.760 the bishop can't tell me
00:25:07.760 that I'm not allowed
00:25:08.400 to get married
00:25:09.020 or that I have to become
00:25:09.880 a monk or something like that.
00:25:10.880 I mean,
00:25:11.040 those are my rights
00:25:11.940 but he can't determine
00:25:12.820 the exercise of those rights.
00:25:14.120 So,
00:25:14.580 that's a general statement
00:25:15.800 but it doesn't necessarily,
00:25:17.660 I mean,
00:25:17.860 without a clarification,
00:25:18.980 it wouldn't apply
00:25:19.660 in this case.
00:25:20.440 The default position
00:25:21.600 is that the faithful
00:25:22.300 should be able
00:25:22.840 to receive on the tongue.
00:25:25.160 But,
00:25:25.840 more deeply than that,
00:25:27.200 I think what this
00:25:27.900 coronavirus
00:25:28.380 is bringing out
00:25:29.440 is a real crisis
00:25:30.380 in the faith
00:25:32.700 of the bishops
00:25:33.440 in the real presence
00:25:34.680 of our Lord
00:25:35.300 and in the reverence
00:25:36.140 and adoration
00:25:36.600 we owe him.
00:25:37.720 Why do I say that?
00:25:38.840 Because they've been
00:25:40.320 acting for months
00:25:41.420 as if physical health
00:25:42.640 is the highest good,
00:25:43.960 as if it's the sumum bonum.
00:25:45.580 The number one thing
00:25:46.720 we have to do
00:25:47.300 is to protect ourselves
00:25:48.340 from the coronavirus
00:25:49.000 and therefore
00:25:49.960 how we treat the Eucharist
00:25:51.340 should be dictated
00:25:52.180 by preventing
00:25:53.180 the coronavirus.
00:25:54.580 I mean,
00:25:55.120 that's such a backwards 1.00
00:25:56.380 way of thinking.
00:25:57.180 It's completely upside down
00:25:58.440 and it sends
00:25:59.260 to the faithful,
00:25:59.940 I mean,
00:26:00.200 you know this,
00:26:00.880 I'm just,
00:26:01.280 you know,
00:26:01.860 telling you things
00:26:02.800 you already know,
00:26:03.180 but this,
00:26:04.100 you know,
00:26:04.420 it sends to the faithful
00:26:05.420 that the signal
00:26:06.140 that,
00:26:06.520 you know,
00:26:06.760 this sacrament
00:26:07.460 is kind of a means
00:26:08.860 to some end
00:26:09.780 that the church
00:26:10.800 gets to determine.
00:26:11.700 It's not God himself,
00:26:12.880 the end,
00:26:13.580 the ultimate good,
00:26:14.680 but it's just one more,
00:26:16.220 you know,
00:26:17.340 negotiable item
00:26:18.420 in Catholic life,
00:26:19.680 like a parking spot
00:26:20.940 or,
00:26:21.820 you know,
00:26:22.280 I mean,
00:26:22.600 it's,
00:26:23.240 in a certain sense,
00:26:24.500 it's like saying
00:26:25.360 mass is a non-essential
00:26:26.740 service.
00:26:27.180 Right?
00:26:28.440 You know,
00:26:29.120 the groceries are essential,
00:26:30.780 food for your body
00:26:31.460 is essential,
00:26:32.000 but food for your soul
00:26:32.980 is not essential.
00:26:34.220 That's the message
00:26:34.860 that's been sent.
00:26:36.020 And similarly,
00:26:37.040 you know,
00:26:37.660 well,
00:26:37.920 the blessed sacrament,
00:26:38.880 yes,
00:26:39.080 it's a very special thing.
00:26:40.360 It's a really important
00:26:41.120 symbol for us,
00:26:41.980 but it's not almighty God
00:26:43.260 and therefore it takes
00:26:44.300 second place
00:26:44.880 to physical health.
00:26:46.120 Right?
00:26:46.560 So I think that this,
00:26:47.700 this is a terrible message
00:26:49.040 to be sending
00:26:49.620 and it's wrong
00:26:50.740 for that reason.
00:26:51.780 It's wrong for that reason.
00:26:53.840 Reverence is more important
00:26:55.560 than it,
00:26:58.340 and there's a paradox here,
00:27:00.040 right?
00:27:00.180 The faithful,
00:27:00.900 they're hungry
00:27:01.340 for their blessed sacrament.
00:27:02.600 They desperately want to receive,
00:27:04.900 they want to go back to mass.
00:27:05.880 I feel the same way.
00:27:06.720 I've been able to go back to mass
00:27:08.200 and communion,
00:27:09.080 thanks be to God.
00:27:09.620 But we should never place
00:27:13.080 our own private good
00:27:14.620 over the common good
00:27:15.640 of the church
00:27:16.200 and over the homage
00:27:18.280 and worship
00:27:19.420 that we owe to God.
00:27:20.860 I mean,
00:27:21.140 even if that meant
00:27:21.960 sacrificing,
00:27:22.860 reception of communion,
00:27:23.840 I think it's more important
00:27:25.100 to,
00:27:26.260 I think we will actually
00:27:27.460 merit more
00:27:28.240 in the sight of our Lord
00:27:29.140 if we,
00:27:30.320 if we defend
00:27:31.860 his right
00:27:32.680 to be treated
00:27:33.400 with due honor
00:27:34.420 than if we insist,
00:27:36.440 I have to receive
00:27:37.320 at any cost
00:27:38.220 and I'll do whatever
00:27:38.940 they tell me to do.
00:27:40.440 Right, right.
00:27:41.820 So,
00:27:42.420 just to make that point clear,
00:27:44.260 is it then
00:27:45.940 the case
00:27:46.500 that a bishop
00:27:47.700 cannot really
00:27:49.860 refuse
00:27:50.740 or forbid
00:27:52.060 Holy Communion
00:27:52.840 on the tongue?
00:27:56.340 Yes,
00:27:56.860 that's my position
00:27:57.900 and I've tried
00:27:58.920 to document that.
00:28:00.580 I've got an article
00:28:01.540 at 1 Peter 5
00:28:02.380 that gives
00:28:03.860 all of the quotations
00:28:04.760 from different
00:28:05.220 Vatican documents
00:28:06.120 that make it clear
00:28:07.100 that this is not,
00:28:08.780 this is not just,
00:28:12.020 how should I put it?
00:28:13.160 They make it clear
00:28:13.900 that the normative
00:28:14.800 and universal manner
00:28:16.200 of reception
00:28:16.720 is on the tongue.
00:28:19.060 And that remains
00:28:19.980 the case.
00:28:20.700 That's never been changed.
00:28:23.180 The communion
00:28:23.840 in the hand
00:28:24.280 is an exception.
00:28:25.380 It's what's called
00:28:26.200 an indult.
00:28:26.840 It's a permission.
00:28:27.860 It's a permission,
00:28:28.700 in my opinion,
00:28:29.040 that should never
00:28:29.520 have been granted,
00:28:30.200 but that's all it is.
00:28:31.660 It's saying,
00:28:32.420 you don't have to do
00:28:33.200 the universal norm.
00:28:34.580 You can do this
00:28:35.280 particular exceptional way.
00:28:37.300 And so,
00:28:37.660 what bishops are doing
00:28:38.400 is they're flipping
00:28:38.960 that around
00:28:39.480 and saying,
00:28:40.360 the universal norm
00:28:41.340 now is communion
00:28:42.320 in the hand
00:28:42.920 and,
00:28:43.440 you know,
00:28:43.700 by exception
00:28:44.360 or by permission
00:28:45.040 on the tongue.
00:28:45.840 That's just,
00:28:46.360 that's completely
00:28:46.900 to invert
00:28:47.380 all that the church
00:28:48.140 documents have ever
00:28:48.940 said about this.
00:28:50.440 And that being said,
00:28:51.740 they could,
00:28:52.460 a bishop then
00:28:53.300 could legitimately
00:28:54.280 forbid completely
00:28:56.720 communion on the hand.
00:29:00.640 Are you saying,
00:29:02.020 so on what basis?
00:29:03.340 What are you saying?
00:29:03.740 Could a bishop
00:29:04.420 then forbid
00:29:05.560 in his diocese
00:29:06.840 communion on the hand?
00:29:08.300 Oh, yes,
00:29:08.820 absolutely.
00:29:09.600 Yeah,
00:29:09.880 that's possible
00:29:10.780 because that's only
00:29:11.800 a permission.
00:29:13.040 It's a permission
00:29:13.760 that has to be requested
00:29:14.700 from the Vatican
00:29:15.420 and nobody needs
00:29:16.860 to take advantage
00:29:17.620 of a permission.
00:29:18.520 In fact,
00:29:18.800 there have been
00:29:19.200 a few bishops
00:29:19.820 in the world.
00:29:21.080 I forget,
00:29:21.720 there was one
00:29:22.200 most recently,
00:29:23.240 I think in South America
00:29:24.260 who actually said,
00:29:26.260 in my diocese,
00:29:27.080 we are only receiving
00:29:27.940 on the tongue.
00:29:29.120 That's just the,
00:29:30.020 that's what we're doing.
00:29:30.540 We're following
00:29:31.180 the church's
00:29:31.760 universal norm
00:29:32.520 with no exceptions.
00:29:34.360 That's a quite
00:29:35.060 different situation.
00:29:37.040 Right.
00:29:37.800 The other thing
00:29:38.480 I just wanted to mention
00:29:39.360 about all of this
00:29:40.340 is that it does seem
00:29:41.740 to me important
00:29:42.480 to recognize
00:29:43.980 that it's not just
00:29:46.340 about communion
00:29:46.840 on the tongue,
00:29:47.420 but also communion
00:29:48.040 on the tongue kneeling.
00:29:49.640 The kneeling part
00:29:50.400 is very important
00:29:51.240 for this reason,
00:29:53.800 that, you know,
00:29:54.360 St. Augustine,
00:29:55.080 already way back,
00:29:56.580 you know,
00:29:56.880 in the 6th century,
00:29:57.760 St. Augustine says,
00:29:58.520 if we do not adore
00:30:00.800 the Eucharist
00:30:02.600 before we receive it,
00:30:04.000 we sin.
00:30:04.860 He said this,
00:30:05.600 this is, you know,
00:30:06.520 we would sin
00:30:07.680 if we did not adore it.
00:30:09.700 And so,
00:30:10.320 that's why,
00:30:11.540 technically,
00:30:12.120 on the books,
00:30:13.320 even in the Novus Ordo,
00:30:14.380 everyone is supposed
00:30:14.980 to make a sign
00:30:15.780 of adoration
00:30:16.420 towards the Blessed Sacrament
00:30:17.580 before they receive.
00:30:18.840 Some people,
00:30:19.520 I've seen,
00:30:19.980 genuflect,
00:30:20.640 some people bow,
00:30:22.220 but they're supposed
00:30:23.460 to make some kind
00:30:24.240 of sign of adoration.
00:30:25.320 If they don't do that,
00:30:26.420 they're sinning.
00:30:26.960 Now, they may not know, 0.99
00:30:27.900 they may be completely ignorant, 0.97
00:30:29.500 nobody's told them anything, 0.99
00:30:31.300 so they might not be
00:30:31.940 personally culpable,
00:30:33.280 but it's objectively wrong
00:30:34.720 not to show a sign
00:30:36.000 of adoration
00:30:36.720 towards our Lord
00:30:37.980 in the Blessed Sacrament.
00:30:39.040 Now,
00:30:39.520 kneeling was the traditional
00:30:40.480 way of doing that
00:30:41.100 because when you get down
00:30:41.860 on your knees,
00:30:42.440 that's why you're doing it.
00:30:43.920 You're not,
00:30:44.400 you know,
00:30:44.660 you're not getting
00:30:45.040 on your knees
00:30:45.440 to propose
00:30:45.980 to your wife-to-be.
00:30:47.420 You're getting down
00:30:48.080 on your knees
00:30:48.560 to worship God,
00:30:49.500 and that's in the context
00:30:50.340 of the Church.
00:30:50.920 We all understand
00:30:51.540 that that's what it means.
00:30:53.640 But practically speaking,
00:30:55.300 it's much easier
00:30:56.400 for the priest
00:30:57.100 to give communion
00:30:57.980 to someone who's kneeling.
00:30:59.420 The priest is standing
00:31:00.540 and his hand
00:31:01.100 is at just the right level
00:31:02.320 to put the host
00:31:03.640 on the tongue
00:31:04.160 without any contact
00:31:05.120 of the tongue.
00:31:05.960 You know,
00:31:06.180 I've been receiving this way
00:31:07.080 for decades,
00:31:07.900 and I think,
00:31:08.680 you know,
00:31:08.980 twice in 20 years
00:31:10.420 have I ever noticed
00:31:11.680 a priest's finger
00:31:12.260 touch my tongue.
00:31:12.920 It's a very safe way
00:31:14.140 of giving communion,
00:31:15.520 but that's because
00:31:16.300 there's a perfect
00:31:17.060 height relationship
00:31:18.200 between the minister
00:31:19.440 and the recipient.
00:31:20.260 In the Novus Ordo,
00:31:21.940 when people are
00:31:22.500 queuing up in lines,
00:31:24.700 you know,
00:31:25.760 as if they're going
00:31:26.620 to buy tickets,
00:31:27.900 you know,
00:31:28.240 bus tickets or something,
00:31:30.200 there's actually
00:31:31.520 a really weird relationship
00:31:32.740 then between the dispenser
00:31:34.320 and the recipient.
00:31:35.120 Often the priest
00:31:36.240 or the minister
00:31:37.440 is shorter
00:31:38.280 than the one receiving,
00:31:39.340 and they have to reach up,
00:31:40.580 you know,
00:31:40.900 and that's not really
00:31:42.780 a safe way
00:31:44.080 to do communion
00:31:45.160 on the tongue.
00:31:45.960 So if you're going
00:31:47.040 to receive communion
00:31:47.660 on the tongue,
00:31:48.440 kneel.
00:31:49.120 You've got to kneel.
00:31:49.740 That's what makes it
00:31:51.040 work practically.
00:31:52.240 Yeah.
00:31:52.840 And also,
00:31:53.660 it's the sign of adoration
00:31:54.600 that we owe.
00:31:56.400 Absolutely.
00:31:57.480 So there's also
00:31:58.940 this thing about
00:31:59.760 being unworthy
00:32:01.140 to receive altogether,
00:32:03.300 and people talk about,
00:32:04.980 well,
00:32:05.240 is my tongue
00:32:06.480 any more worthy
00:32:07.220 than my hand?
00:32:08.080 What's really
00:32:08.720 the problem there?
00:32:10.100 Yeah.
00:32:10.500 Oh gosh,
00:32:11.240 I've heard that
00:32:11.760 so many times.
00:32:13.140 And it's,
00:32:13.800 you know,
00:32:14.080 it's an absurd objection
00:32:15.600 because,
00:32:16.900 yes,
00:32:18.580 metaphysically speaking,
00:32:19.740 every creature
00:32:20.600 is unworthy of God.
00:32:22.520 So,
00:32:23.180 you know,
00:32:24.160 that's why we say,
00:32:25.120 Domine non subdenius,
00:32:26.320 Lord,
00:32:26.660 I am not worthy
00:32:27.340 that you should enter
00:32:28.140 under my roof,
00:32:28.980 but only say the word
00:32:29.700 and I shall be healed.
00:32:30.800 And that's true.
00:32:31.460 We're saying that
00:32:31.800 even if we're in a state
00:32:32.560 of grace,
00:32:33.120 you know,
00:32:33.780 even St. Thomas Aquinas
00:32:35.000 says,
00:32:35.460 Domine non subdenius,
00:32:36.560 right?
00:32:36.760 And so,
00:32:38.460 it's not,
00:32:39.620 but when we're talking
00:32:40.640 about,
00:32:41.380 we're talking about
00:32:43.020 something else,
00:32:43.500 we're talking about
00:32:43.920 fittingness,
00:32:44.680 about the way
00:32:45.620 we show
00:32:46.520 our humility
00:32:47.580 and our love
00:32:48.580 and our submission
00:32:49.500 and our worship
00:32:51.860 of the Lord.
00:32:52.620 We want to show that
00:32:53.980 in the best way
00:32:55.100 we can
00:32:55.700 and in that sense
00:32:56.640 make ourselves
00:32:57.320 more worthy.
00:32:58.400 So,
00:32:58.780 St. Thomas says,
00:32:59.400 a worthy communion
00:33:00.060 means that you receive
00:33:01.800 with lively faith
00:33:03.820 and actual devotion.
00:33:06.780 So,
00:33:07.100 what he means
00:33:07.660 is that you don't
00:33:08.160 just go up
00:33:08.700 by routine,
00:33:10.180 you know,
00:33:10.460 because everyone else
00:33:11.100 is going up
00:33:11.700 and you just receive
00:33:12.360 this thing
00:33:12.740 because,
00:33:13.160 you know,
00:33:13.300 your parents
00:33:13.720 are receiving it
00:33:14.380 or your neighbors
00:33:14.800 receiving it.
00:33:15.460 You don't even know
00:33:15.940 what it signifies.
00:33:17.080 That would be
00:33:17.680 without faith,
00:33:18.980 right?
00:33:19.140 We need to have
00:33:19.660 real conscious faith
00:33:20.920 that we're going
00:33:21.560 to receive the Lord,
00:33:22.860 Jesus.
00:33:23.700 And then actual devotion,
00:33:25.420 meaning not just
00:33:26.040 habitual devotion,
00:33:26.780 like I was devout
00:33:27.600 last week
00:33:28.200 or I'm capable
00:33:28.940 of being devout,
00:33:30.060 but I'm actually,
00:33:31.280 I'm encouraging
00:33:33.560 myself right now
00:33:34.660 to make acts
00:33:35.340 of faith,
00:33:35.780 hope,
00:33:35.960 and charity,
00:33:36.560 you know,
00:33:36.760 and asking the Lord,
00:33:37.600 please,
00:33:38.060 you know,
00:33:38.700 sanctify me
00:33:39.400 and cleanse me
00:33:40.120 and transform me,
00:33:40.960 right?
00:33:41.340 So,
00:33:41.960 lively faith,
00:33:43.040 actual devotion,
00:33:44.020 that's what we need
00:33:44.700 for a worthy communion.
00:33:46.140 So,
00:33:46.380 in that sense,
00:33:46.780 we can have
00:33:47.300 a worthy communion
00:33:48.000 or an unworthy communion.
00:33:50.640 Now,
00:33:51.320 the thing about the tongue,
00:33:52.640 this is very interesting,
00:33:54.360 the traditional rite
00:33:57.520 of baptism,
00:33:58.940 the one that was used
00:33:59.940 in the church
00:34:00.400 from ancient times
00:34:01.300 all the way
00:34:01.760 until 1970
00:34:03.040 or so
00:34:03.760 when it was changed
00:34:04.740 and changed horribly,
00:34:06.600 I would say,
00:34:07.060 but that's another conversation.
00:34:08.300 We'll have to have
00:34:08.680 another time.
00:34:09.580 But in the traditional
00:34:10.500 rite of baptism,
00:34:11.840 the priest blesses
00:34:13.060 and exercises
00:34:14.140 some salt,
00:34:16.120 which,
00:34:16.540 as you know,
00:34:16.980 blessed salt
00:34:17.580 is used in the making
00:34:18.480 of traditional holy water
00:34:20.200 and it's also used
00:34:21.460 by exorcists as well.
00:34:23.160 So,
00:34:23.400 he blesses the salt
00:34:24.380 and then he puts
00:34:25.200 a little of the salt
00:34:26.100 into the mouth
00:34:26.920 of the child
00:34:27.720 or the adult
00:34:28.980 being baptized
00:34:29.640 and he says,
00:34:31.620 receive the salt
00:34:32.700 of wisdom,
00:34:33.420 may it be unto thee
00:34:34.160 a sign of reconciliation
00:34:35.160 unto life everlasting.
00:34:36.700 Amen.
00:34:37.380 And then he prays this,
00:34:39.140 God of our fathers,
00:34:40.240 O God,
00:34:40.820 thou source of all truth,
00:34:41.940 I'm reading from
00:34:42.460 the Rituale Romanum here,
00:34:43.800 Humbly we implore thee
00:34:46.440 to look with mercy
00:34:47.400 upon this thy servant
00:34:49.280 and no more let him hunger
00:34:51.300 who now tastes
00:34:52.220 this first nourishment
00:34:53.280 of salt,
00:34:54.260 but let him be enriched
00:34:55.240 with heavenly food
00:34:56.260 so that he may ever
00:34:57.180 be inflamed with zeal,
00:34:58.340 joyous and hope
00:34:59.000 constant in serving thee.
00:35:00.800 We bid thee, Lord,
00:35:01.820 lead him to the bath
00:35:02.880 where one is born anew
00:35:04.100 that in the company
00:35:05.540 of thy faithful
00:35:06.240 he may deserve
00:35:06.820 to win the everlasting reward
00:35:08.440 which thou hast promised
00:35:09.920 through Christ our Lord.
00:35:11.200 Amen.
00:35:11.540 And so the meaning of that
00:35:14.200 in the Rite itself
00:35:15.260 is that the tongue
00:35:16.100 is being blessed
00:35:17.260 for the eventual reception
00:35:18.700 of the bread of life.
00:35:20.540 And so again,
00:35:21.240 if you're baptized
00:35:22.260 in the traditional Rite,
00:35:23.200 your tongue is blessed
00:35:24.080 so that it may properly
00:35:25.240 receive the host
00:35:26.500 just as in the Rite of Ordination
00:35:28.300 the priest's hands
00:35:29.280 are properly blessed
00:35:30.280 and consecrated
00:35:31.020 so that he may handle it.
00:35:33.000 And this is very important.
00:35:34.260 I mean, just the Lex Orandi
00:35:35.980 of the Church said,
00:35:37.580 yes, there's a difference.
00:35:38.500 We're going to bless.
00:35:39.560 Just like the Church 0.72
00:35:40.200 also consecrates patents
00:35:41.500 because the host
00:35:42.280 will be put on them
00:35:42.960 so she blesses the tongue
00:35:44.620 of the one being baptized.
00:35:47.420 So in a way,
00:35:48.660 it seems to me
00:35:49.700 that we have to throw
00:35:50.860 that argument
00:35:51.380 right back in people's faces
00:35:52.620 and say,
00:35:53.060 no, the Church
00:35:53.660 for almost 2,000 years
00:35:55.720 blessed the tongue
00:35:56.760 for this reason.
00:35:58.260 Yeah.
00:35:59.680 One of the arguments
00:36:00.800 that's being made now, though,
00:36:02.420 is that in times
00:36:03.980 of this pandemic,
00:36:06.060 we need to do this
00:36:07.440 because communion
00:36:08.660 on the tongue
00:36:09.240 is far less hygienic,
00:36:11.380 say the bishops,
00:36:12.760 than, you know,
00:36:13.880 than communion in hand
00:36:14.760 and therefore
00:36:16.240 we have to do it this way.
00:36:17.660 How do you even respond
00:36:18.640 to that?
00:36:19.340 Right.
00:36:19.840 Well, I guess, I mean,
00:36:20.800 I responded earlier
00:36:22.280 on the theoretical level
00:36:23.380 that we shouldn't
00:36:24.700 make health
00:36:25.360 into our God
00:36:26.240 and we shouldn't
00:36:27.300 make human life,
00:36:29.080 this mortal life,
00:36:30.020 into the ultimate
00:36:30.900 standard
00:36:32.340 of every decision
00:36:33.340 we make.
00:36:34.360 But practically speaking,
00:36:36.900 there are people
00:36:37.660 who disagree,
00:36:38.480 experts who disagree
00:36:39.420 with that claim
00:36:40.700 about communion
00:36:41.520 on the tongue
00:36:41.960 being less hygienic.
00:36:44.400 As you know,
00:36:45.340 there have been
00:36:45.760 a number of
00:36:46.740 doctors of medicine
00:36:48.260 as well as bishops
00:36:49.400 who have come out
00:36:50.600 and said,
00:36:51.760 you know,
00:36:52.660 it's no less hygienic
00:36:55.260 to give properly
00:36:56.220 onto the tongue
00:36:57.080 than to put the host
00:36:58.400 in someone's hand.
00:37:00.280 A hand, you know,
00:37:01.020 our hands are quite dirty.
00:37:02.360 I mean, let's face it.
00:37:03.080 That's why they're
00:37:03.640 always telling us
00:37:04.140 to wash them,
00:37:04.820 you know,
00:37:05.040 wash them all the time.
00:37:06.480 Well, that's because
00:37:07.420 you can hardly live
00:37:08.540 for 15 minutes
00:37:09.360 without getting germs
00:37:10.200 on your hands
00:37:10.780 from somewhere, right?
00:37:12.600 And I mean,
00:37:13.320 I wouldn't,
00:37:13.760 I won't even go
00:37:14.340 into some of the studies
00:37:15.220 that have been done
00:37:15.820 about how dirty
00:37:16.540 things are
00:37:17.620 that people are touching,
00:37:18.720 right?
00:37:19.260 So I'm not at all convinced,
00:37:21.220 especially if a priest
00:37:22.180 or another minister,
00:37:23.240 his hand comes into contact
00:37:24.620 with the communicant's hand,
00:37:25.720 which often happens,
00:37:26.620 unless you're going
00:37:27.020 to drop the host
00:37:27.860 and what kind of
00:37:28.340 absurd idea is that.
00:37:29.880 But,
00:37:30.380 or, you know,
00:37:31.360 use machines
00:37:32.140 or something like
00:37:32.720 the Germans are doing. 0.94
00:37:33.580 I mean,
00:37:33.740 there's all kinds
00:37:34.360 of weird stuff,
00:37:35.260 irreverent,
00:37:36.240 you know,
00:37:37.000 unfitting,
00:37:38.480 unworthy,
00:37:40.000 mechanistic treatments
00:37:41.320 of our Lord
00:37:41.940 that are happening
00:37:42.820 all because of this
00:37:43.600 panic and craze.
00:37:44.680 but, you know,
00:37:46.280 it's just,
00:37:47.080 it's not more hygienic
00:37:48.480 to give in the hand
00:37:49.600 and in fact,
00:37:50.460 if a priest knows
00:37:51.160 what he's doing
00:37:51.760 and the people are kneeling,
00:37:53.120 as I said before,
00:37:53.860 it seems to be much more hygienic
00:37:55.640 to give on the tongue.
00:37:56.740 As I said,
00:37:57.020 I've been going
00:37:57.740 for 20 years,
00:37:59.720 I've,
00:37:59.980 let's see,
00:38:00.400 probably more than 20 years
00:38:01.440 at this point.
00:38:03.200 Yeah,
00:38:03.420 25 years I've been receiving
00:38:04.820 communion on the tongue
00:38:05.620 without exception
00:38:06.860 and I think twice
00:38:08.280 in that whole period
00:38:09.140 have I ever actually felt,
00:38:10.700 you know,
00:38:11.160 the priest's finger.
00:38:12.940 You know,
00:38:13.500 maybe he was clumsy,
00:38:14.460 maybe I was being clumsy,
00:38:15.600 whatever the case might have been.
00:38:16.980 But that's a lot of communions,
00:38:19.000 right?
00:38:19.500 Whereas when I,
00:38:20.520 at the time
00:38:20.880 when I was receiving
00:38:21.720 in the hand,
00:38:22.640 at least like I can remember
00:38:23.840 growing up,
00:38:24.680 there was constant contact
00:38:25.960 happening.
00:38:26.560 So I think it's absurd.
00:38:28.020 I think people
00:38:29.220 who are saying that
00:38:30.060 they've either been tricked
00:38:31.720 by experts,
00:38:33.160 they've let themselves
00:38:33.740 be talked into it
00:38:34.640 by experts,
00:38:35.620 or,
00:38:36.140 and I hate to make,
00:38:36.860 you know,
00:38:37.000 to sound like a conspiracy
00:38:38.540 theorist or whatever,
00:38:39.340 but I wouldn't put it past
00:38:41.200 some prelates
00:38:43.560 to be taking advantage
00:38:45.020 of this situation
00:38:45.880 to try to put an end
00:38:47.320 to what they see
00:38:48.120 as an undesirable resurgence
00:38:50.040 of traditional practice.
00:38:51.920 I mean,
00:38:52.540 let's,
00:38:52.840 we've seen that.
00:38:53.420 We've seen that happen
00:38:54.060 in different areas
00:38:54.780 in different respects,
00:38:55.560 so why not this one?
00:38:57.240 Why not this one?
00:38:57.920 It's funny,
00:38:58.480 my own,
00:38:59.300 well,
00:38:59.760 a priest friend of mine
00:39:00.360 said something very similar.
00:39:01.540 He said,
00:39:02.120 you know,
00:39:02.500 how,
00:39:02.960 for how many years
00:39:03.540 he's been giving
00:39:04.200 Holy Communion on the tongue
00:39:05.780 and he says,
00:39:06.540 you know,
00:39:06.960 he can count on his hand
00:39:08.580 how many times
00:39:09.220 he's touched the tongue
00:39:10.040 of a,
00:39:10.940 of a parishioner,
00:39:12.100 but,
00:39:12.660 you know,
00:39:12.880 with communion on the hand,
00:39:13.880 it's every mass,
00:39:15.060 and,
00:39:15.460 and,
00:39:15.920 you know,
00:39:16.900 he went on to describe
00:39:18.480 in his bulletin
00:39:19.240 that he's seen people
00:39:20.680 do weird things
00:39:21.300 with their hands
00:39:21.760 in the church
00:39:22.640 and receive Holy Communion
00:39:23.980 with the same hand.
00:39:24.940 So,
00:39:25.320 I mean,
00:39:25.600 it,
00:39:25.820 it really is
00:39:26.480 all over the place.
00:39:27.160 Yeah,
00:39:27.220 exactly.
00:39:28.920 Exactly.
00:39:29.760 What advice do you have
00:39:30.700 for Catholics
00:39:31.380 in dioceses
00:39:32.920 where the bishop
00:39:33.460 has forbidden
00:39:34.620 communion on the tongue?
00:39:36.940 Yeah,
00:39:37.540 that's,
00:39:38.100 and that is
00:39:38.760 extremely painful.
00:39:41.380 That's a,
00:39:41.680 that's a very painful
00:39:42.440 cross to have to bear.
00:39:44.620 I,
00:39:45.360 I think that there are
00:39:46.780 a few things they can do.
00:39:49.200 The first thing is
00:39:50.320 that they can try
00:39:51.160 to find a priest
00:39:53.080 who's willing
00:39:53.580 outside of mass
00:39:54.580 to give communion
00:39:56.000 to them.
00:39:56.640 You know,
00:39:56.840 just as communion
00:39:57.480 outside of the mass,
00:39:58.780 you know,
00:39:58.960 there's a,
00:39:59.280 there's a little ritual
00:39:59.940 for it.
00:40:00.820 It's permissible.
00:40:02.360 And,
00:40:02.940 you know,
00:40:03.880 that could be,
00:40:05.380 I mean,
00:40:06.980 that's what,
00:40:07.340 that's what I would
00:40:07.860 start with first
00:40:08.720 because there are
00:40:09.300 many priests out there
00:40:10.400 who are fully aware
00:40:11.300 of the problem
00:40:12.040 of being forced
00:40:14.240 to do this
00:40:14.960 against their will
00:40:15.800 and against the rights
00:40:16.720 of the faithful.
00:40:18.140 But that may not be possible.
00:40:19.500 It may not be possible
00:40:20.160 to find a priest
00:40:20.820 who's willing to do that.
00:40:22.400 So then I think
00:40:23.520 another thing
00:40:24.040 that could be done
00:40:24.520 is,
00:40:24.880 you know,
00:40:25.220 is to,
00:40:25.980 you know,
00:40:26.940 just intensify
00:40:27.820 your prayer life
00:40:28.480 in other traditional ways,
00:40:29.660 right?
00:40:30.320 Embrace the rosary
00:40:31.300 anew.
00:40:32.880 Pray some part
00:40:33.400 of the divine office,
00:40:34.280 whether that's Prime
00:40:35.220 or Compline
00:40:35.980 or Lauds
00:40:36.580 or Vespers.
00:40:37.660 Read the Missal.
00:40:38.780 You know,
00:40:39.060 if you can't get
00:40:39.800 to daily Mass,
00:40:40.700 take a traditional Missal 0.54
00:40:42.120 and just read the prayers.
00:40:43.260 They're so rich
00:40:43.900 and you can make
00:40:44.460 a spiritual communion
00:40:45.280 that way.
00:40:46.140 A very heartfelt,
00:40:49.260 earnest,
00:40:49.740 spiritual communion.
00:40:50.600 The saints say
00:40:51.420 that that can bring us
00:40:52.260 as much grace
00:40:52.860 as sacramental communion.
00:40:54.080 It's not a long-term solution,
00:40:55.580 right?
00:40:56.120 Nobody is saying
00:40:57.060 that we should all,
00:40:58.260 you know,
00:40:58.540 just do spiritual communions
00:40:59.540 for the rest of our life.
00:41:00.180 But for a temporary solution,
00:41:02.380 if we're going to do that,
00:41:03.300 we should really prepare
00:41:04.060 ourselves for it
00:41:04.840 as well as possible.
00:41:05.920 And, you know,
00:41:06.540 like, for example,
00:41:07.140 some people will light
00:41:07.920 a couple of candles
00:41:08.980 and they'll, you know,
00:41:09.920 early in the morning,
00:41:10.660 they'll pray through
00:41:11.260 the prayers of the Mass
00:41:12.420 and they'll, you know,
00:41:13.120 they'll make a spiritual
00:41:14.160 communion and meditate.
00:41:15.800 So I think we have
00:41:16.940 to do what we can.
00:41:18.700 And then maybe once a month,
00:41:20.160 they could drive someplace,
00:41:21.360 you know,
00:41:21.680 at different diocese
00:41:22.900 or a chapel
00:41:24.540 or someplace
00:41:25.000 that is actually
00:41:25.980 giving communion
00:41:26.660 on the tongue.
00:41:28.000 So I think it's going
00:41:29.440 to be like,
00:41:30.040 we're kind of in a battle.
00:41:32.680 We're in a battle right now
00:41:33.900 where the different dioceses
00:41:35.780 are almost like
00:41:36.540 in rivalry with each other
00:41:38.660 because some have good policies
00:41:40.280 and some have bad policies
00:41:41.560 and some are confused.
00:41:43.440 And, you know,
00:41:44.140 and so it's not,
00:41:46.020 the idea of a monolithic
00:41:47.500 Catholic church
00:41:48.220 is not anymore the case.
00:41:49.860 There's a lot of diversity
00:41:51.260 right now.
00:41:52.460 And so I think the lay people
00:41:54.140 are becoming aware of this,
00:41:55.540 you know,
00:41:55.740 and instead of despairing about it
00:41:57.560 or becoming angry,
00:41:58.600 they should just take
00:41:59.300 whatever concrete steps they can.
00:42:01.480 Right.
00:42:01.920 And when you are given
00:42:03.280 the opportunity
00:42:04.060 to go to Mass,
00:42:06.660 attend in other words,
00:42:08.220 but only receive
00:42:10.940 on the hand,
00:42:12.600 would you still go
00:42:14.320 or maybe just watch it on TV
00:42:17.420 since you're not receiving anyway?
00:42:19.780 Yeah.
00:42:20.100 I mean,
00:42:20.300 I think,
00:42:21.080 so there's a huge benefit
00:42:22.320 just to being present at Mass,
00:42:24.040 assisting at Mass
00:42:24.920 as it used to be called.
00:42:26.460 And, you know,
00:42:27.200 I've got an article about this,
00:42:29.000 1 Peter 5,
00:42:29.640 that might help people,
00:42:30.760 where it just,
00:42:31.340 it just,
00:42:31.720 it's called,
00:42:32.740 there's nothing you can do
00:42:33.960 to glorify God more
00:42:35.340 than to assist
00:42:36.400 at the Holy Sacrifice,
00:42:37.360 the Mass,
00:42:37.700 even if you don't receive.
00:42:39.300 Because at that Mass,
00:42:40.600 the Lord is being offered up
00:42:41.840 in the all-pleasing,
00:42:43.260 all-sufficient sacrifice,
00:42:44.420 and we join ourselves
00:42:45.260 spiritually with that sacrifice.
00:42:47.000 In fact,
00:42:48.040 it's by joining ourselves
00:42:49.040 spiritually to it
00:42:49.960 that we make ourselves
00:42:51.100 ready to receive
00:42:52.300 the sacrament.
00:42:52.960 And so it's not necessary
00:42:54.780 always to receive sacramentally.
00:42:56.440 And as you,
00:42:57.100 as I'm sure you know,
00:42:57.980 in the history of the Church,
00:42:59.540 you know,
00:42:59.860 sacramental reception,
00:43:00.820 I mean,
00:43:01.000 it's good to receive
00:43:01.900 frequently if one is
00:43:03.560 well-disposed,
00:43:04.940 you know,
00:43:05.140 with faith and devotion.
00:43:06.520 But there have been
00:43:07.600 long spans in Church history
00:43:09.200 where even saints
00:43:10.160 have received
00:43:10.820 once a week
00:43:12.000 or less.
00:43:13.620 And so we,
00:43:14.700 I think sometimes
00:43:15.400 we can also
00:43:16.220 use that
00:43:17.720 almost Eucharistic fast
00:43:19.220 to intensify
00:43:20.980 our desire
00:43:21.640 to be united
00:43:23.340 to the Lord
00:43:23.920 and use it then
00:43:25.060 to purify
00:43:26.460 our own motivations
00:43:27.660 but also to make
00:43:28.840 reparation
00:43:29.480 for profanations
00:43:30.760 and sacrilegies.
00:43:32.020 We can really
00:43:32.540 offer this up
00:43:33.240 and say,
00:43:34.100 Lord,
00:43:34.380 you know how much
00:43:35.040 I want to receive you
00:43:35.720 but I'm not going to.
00:43:36.960 I'm going to offer this up
00:43:37.820 for those who are
00:43:39.400 committing sacrilege
00:43:40.280 and profanation.
00:43:41.780 Amen.
00:43:42.940 Amen.
00:43:44.340 Dr. Peter Kwasniewski,
00:43:45.680 thank you for joining us
00:43:46.580 on the John Henry Weston Show.
00:43:48.180 Yes,
00:43:48.440 it was a pleasure.
00:43:48.900 Thanks for having me.
00:43:50.600 Hello,
00:43:51.220 this is John Henry Weston.
00:43:52.520 I'd like to invite you
00:43:53.540 to subscribe
00:43:54.120 to the John Henry Weston Show
00:43:55.900 YouTube channel
00:43:56.680 if you haven't already done so.
00:43:58.740 There you will find
00:43:59.720 all the past episodes
00:44:00.900 and much more.
00:44:02.280 Thanks again for watching
00:44:03.420 and may God bless you.