Receiving (not taking) Communion: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 15:47, 15 July 2024

The Rite of Communion is the summation of the Liturgy of the Eucharist in which the failthful receive the bread and wine as the Body and Blood of Christ.

In Catholic terminology and practice one "receives" and does not "take" Holy Communion. The Sacraments are gifts of the Lord worked through the Holy Spirit, and so we "receive" and do not "take" the Sacraments, including the Sacrament of the Eucharist.

The Holy Eucharist, i.e., the Body and Blood of Christ, are "distributed" by a Eucharistic Minister (a priest, deacon, or "extraordinary minister").

The worshipper "receives" the host or chalice, which is presented to him or her by a Minister under the authority of the Bishop

see "The distribution of Holy Communion" in Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum (vatican.va)

For more on the Rite of Comnmunion and the distinction between "taking" and "recieving" Communion see

See here for a discussion about Holy Communion and transfiguration.
Go here for an analysis of the difference between the incorrect "take" and proper "recieve" Communion: Blog:Recieving (not taking) Communion

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+The '''Rite of Communion''' is the summation of the Liturgy of the Eucharist in which the failthful receive the bread and wine as the Body and Blood of Christ.
-Even from Catholics, one may hear the Rite of Communion referred to -- incorrectly -- as "taking Communion."
+In Catholic terminology and practice one "receives" and does not "take" Holy Communion. The [[Glossary of terms for catechism of the Catholic faith#Sacraments, the|Sacraments]] are gifts of the Lord worked through the Holy Spirit, and so we "receive" and do not "take" the Sacraments, including the Sacrament of the Eucharist.
-A source of the confusion may stem from the verb "partake", which is used for reception of Communion by many Protestant churches. The use of "partake," however, is deliberately distinct from "recieve", indicating "sharing in" or "participating" as opposed to reception, so even in the Protestant sense of "sharing" Communion with the Lord, "receiving" is incomplete, at best.
+The Holy Eucharist, i.e., the Body and Blood of Christ, are "distributed" by a Eucharistic Minister (a priest, deacon,  or "extraordinary minister").
-This website is uninterested in apologetic debates (i.e., Catholic v. Protestant, etc.), so we will not get further into the Protestant choice of words here, and, instead, focus on Catholic teaching of the Sacrament of the Eucharist and Sacraments in general.
-== Receiving Communion ==
+The worshipper "receives" the host or chalice, which is presented to him or her by a Minister under the authority of the Bishop
-In the US Catholic Bishops (USCCB) guide [https://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/the-mass/order-of-mass/liturgy-of-the-eucharist/the-reception-of-holy-communion-at-mass The Reception of Holy Communion at Mass] the word "take" appears only twice, and both times in terms of the proper reception of the host on to one hand, then "taking" it by the other:
+* see "[https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccdds/documents/rc_con_ccdds_doc_20040423_redemptionis-sacramentum_en.html The distribution of Holy Communion]" in ''Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum'' (vatican.va)
- The host will then be laid in the palm of the left hand and then taken by the right hand to the mouth. If one is left-handed this is reversed. It is not appropriate to reach out with the fingers and take the host from the person distributing.
-While the guide does not provide a theological reason for not taking the host from the Eucharstic Minister, we can infer from "not appropriate" and "the person distributing" that the Eucharist is ''given'' and not ''taken''.
-By contrast, the word "receive" occurs nineteen times in the guide, always in terms of our participation in the Eucharist as recipients of the Lord's Body and Blood.
-== Gospel accounts of the Lord's Supper ==
+For more on the Rite of Comnmunion and the distinction between "taking" and "recieving" Communion see
-As we see in the Gospels, Jesus either "gave" the Bread and the Cup to the disciples or or instructed them disciples to "take" it from him -- key preposition there, "from", as it indicates they they are to receive it from him:
+* See here for a discussion about [[Holy Communion|Holy Communion and transfiguration]].
+* Go here for an analysis of the difference between the incorrect "take" and proper "recieve" Communion: [[Blog:Recieving (not taking) Communion]]
-'''Matthew''':
+[[Category:Mass and Liturgy]]
- ''and giving it to his disciples said, “Take and eat; this is my body."'' ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/26?26 Mt 26:26])
+[[Category:Catechism of the Catholic Church]]
-'''Mark''':
- ''and gave it to them, and said, “Take it; this is my body."'' ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/14?22 Mk 14:22])
-'''Luke''':
- ''Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them'' ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/22?19 Lk 22:19])
-There's no quibbling over the word "take" as it is a direct instruction from the Lord who is the giver of his body.
-In English, we "bring" and take" have a narrow distinction (in Spanish ''llevar'' and ''traer'' have clearer distinctions), as in, "Take that book and bring it over here."  In that sentence, take means "go and get" and bring means "move it to here." We could just as easily say, "Bring that book over here."
-However, when we "take" something, we are extracting it from where it is to our person. This act is distinct from "to receive," which is to be given something to our person. Thus when the Lord commands, "Take it" he is commanding  << to complete
-== Sacraments are Gifts ==