Communion in the Hand has no traditional basis!

One of my favorite blogs has posted a very powerful article disputing what Communion in the Hand proponents have been trumpeting...that it is an ancient practice. I will not make any comments and even emphasize certain entries because the post was excellently written and everything stands by itself. Excellent post Robert, of St. John's Valdosta Blog! Hope Frs. Genaro Diwa and Anscar Chupungco are reading this.


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In an interview with Pontifex.Roma, Msgr. Nicola Bux, an advisor to the Holy Father and various congregations in the Curia, gave his take on the proper way to receive Holy Communion.

When asked what is the correct way to communicate, Bux says:

“I would say there are two ways. There is the position where one stands up, taking the Host in the mouth, or else on one’s kneels. I do not see any third way.”

The interviewer does remind him of the "standing up" position. His reply:

“OK, I have nothing against it. The important thing is that the faithful are intimately conscious of what they are about to receive, that is that they do not approach the communion with a lightheartedness that shows immaturity and being at a complete distance from God.”

When asked about the Holy Father's policy of distributing to communicants who are kneeling, Bux says:

"Yes, he was very right to do so. I believe that kneeling when receiving the communion helps one to gather oneself together and to understand the mystery in a more reverential way. To kneel in front of the Body of Christ is an act of gratuitous love and humility before God, and this sense of the sacred is seldom understood. In our days it is mostly adrift and lost or almost muted. “

Finally Msgr. Bux is asked about receiving Holy Communion in the hand. His answer:

“I am sorry to say, but there is no text of the Tradition which supports it. Not even if everybody takes it and eats it in this way. There is no text concerning this, and if we wish we could say that the Apostles were priests and thus had the right to take it by the hand. The Oriental Church does not permit it.”

You've got to love a priest like Msgr. Bux. This is the same priest who offered this advice in 2008 about dealing with bishops who defied Summorum Pontificum:

"St. Joseph is Patron of the Church. You must pray a lot to St. Joseph in this situation, that he either open the bishop’s eyes or he close them for good. This isn’t a joke, eh? St. Joseph is truly very powerful. You must pray a lot to St. Joseph. Moreover St. Joseph was placed in the Roman Canon by Pope John. You can also put him into all the other Eucharistic Prayers after the Blessed Virgin Mary saying ‘and St. Joseph her Spouse’. I am convinced that St. Joseph will do a great deal."

All indicators in the Vatican show that Holy Communion in the hand is on its way out, but the indults have still not been revoked. Let us pray that they are revoked soon to end the sacrileges that have accompanied this misguided permission that was obtained dishonestly.