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Sacraments

Communion Gestures

Father Reginald Martin

January 23, 2020 7:12 am January 23, 2020

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The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) specifies three times during the Mass when the celebrant must genuflect: after showing the host (1) and chalice (2) at the consecration,…

The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) specifies three times during the Mass when the celebrant must genuflect: after showing the host (1) and chalice (2) at the consecration, and before Communion (3). The text adds, “If, however, the tabernacle with the … Blessed Sacrament is situated in the sanctuary, the priest…and the other ministers genuflect when they approach the altar and when they depart from it, but not during the celebration of Mass itself” (No. 274).

The GIRM also prescribes appropriate devotional posture for the faithful who wish to receive communion, “When receiving Holy Communion, the communicant bows his or her head before the Sacrament as a gesture of reverence and receives the Body of the Lord from the minister” (No. 160).

What response should we give a communicant — or a celebrant — who feels these gestures are insufficient? We might remark that the GIRM establishes minimum requirements. Should we wish to do more, only the practical limitations of the worship space limit us.

Thus if a celebrant wishes to genuflect before returning consecrated Hosts to the tabernacle, nothing prohibits him. Likewise, a communicant might genuflect or even kneel to receive Communion if this does not impede the progress of others wishing to receive the Eucharist.

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Sacraments

Divorce and Communion

Father Reginald Martin

January 21, 2020 7:58 am January 21, 2020

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If one is civilly divorced and has not remarried, can he or she receive Communion? The Church’s Code of Canon Law describes marriage as an indissoluble covenant (see Canons 1055-1057)….

If one is civilly divorced and has not remarried, can he or she receive Communion? The Church’s Code of Canon Law describes marriage as an indissoluble covenant (see Canons 1055-1057). The law derives these terms from scriptural sources, including St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, where he compares the union of marriage to that of Christ and the Church (see Eph 5:22). This mystery is so profound that if we were to lose every other sign of God’s love, we would have the right to look at married couples in our midst and conclude that what keeps them in love with one another is the same mysterious force that keeps Christ in love with us. The result, the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches, is the same: “The union of man and woman in marriage is a way of imitating in the flesh the Creator’s generosity and fecundity” (No. 2335, emphasis in original).

Divorce alters the domestic arrangements of a married couple, but does not affect the indissoluble nature of their union. Church law, thus, views a divorced person as married. This means divorced Catholics cannot remarry unless a Church court finds some flaw in their previous marriage. However, the law states, “On the other hand, [divorced persons] are neither excommunicated nor prohibited from receiving the sacraments” (Commentary on Canon 1155).

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Sacraments

Is Frequent Confession Necessary?

Father Reginald Martin

January 17, 2020 7:00 am January 17, 2020

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Church law requires us to confess serious sins at least once a year. Many Catholics find this difficult, so we should investigate the reasons for this precept. The Catechism of…

Church law requires us to confess serious sins at least once a year. Many Catholics find this difficult, so we should investigate the reasons for this precept. The Catechism of the Catholic Church observes that “setting things right” with God establishes the foundation on which we properly build or rebuild relations with one another (see Nos. 1455-1458). Admitting guilt is a way of looking at ourselves the way God does. This is not an invitation to self-punishment, but is a way of recognizing God’s mercy to us, and of encouraging us to show the same mercy to others.

Such reconciliation insures our readiness for the Eucharist (see Catechism, No. 2042) and also equips us to proclaim the Gospel. “In order that the message of salvation can show the power of its truth and radiance before men, it must be authenticated by the witness of the life of Christians” (No. 2044).

Why hesitate to avail ourselves of sacramental confession? Fear? If so, we might approach the priest outside the confessional and explain our reluctance. He will surely be compassionate. We must remember the loving Christ who longs to welcome us. St. Augustine wrote: “Whoever confesses … sins … is already working with God.… Destroy what you have made, so that God may save what he has made.”

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Sacraments

Can Children of Unwed Parents Be Baptized?

Father Reginald Martin

December 30, 2019 7:40 am December 30, 2019

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The Church’s Code of Canon Law states very clearly about individuals’ rights to receive the sacraments. “Sacred ministers cannot refuse the sacraments to those who ask for them at appropriate times, are properly disposed and are not prohibited by law from receiving them. Pastors of souls and the rest of the Christian faithful … have the duty to see that those who seek the sacraments are prepared to receive them by the necessary evangelization and catechetical formation” (Canon 843). Therefore, whether a child’s parent is married has little to do with presenting the child for baptism.

What must be considered, however, is whether the child will take subsequent steps in the faith after taking the first. The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us, “Baptism incorporates us into the Church” (No. 1267). If a baptized child will not grow with other members of the Church, she or he gains the sacrament’s remission of sin, but misses every other blessing baptism offers. Thus Church law cautions that for the licit baptism of an infant, it is necessary, “there must be a founded hope that the infant will be brought up in the Catholic religion; if such a hope is altogether lacking, the baptism is to be delayed … after the parents have been advised of the reason” (Canon #868).

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Christmas

When Was Jesus Really Born?

Father Reginald Martin

December 20, 2019 7:43 am December 20, 2019

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Easter has always been the principal feast on the Christian calendar. Christmas was not commonly observed until the fourth century, when Constantine established Christianity as the state religion of the Roman Empire. At that time, the ancients celebrated a festival, named “Birthday of the Unconquered Sun,” to herald the lengthening of days after the winter solstice. The celebration ended around Dec. 25, therefore, many believe Christians simply “took over” the feast and substituted Jesus in their celebrations.

A better case can be made for Jesus’ December birth by consulting Luke’s Gospel, where we learn John the Baptist’s father was chosen by lot “to enter the temple … and burn incense” (Lk 1:9, RSV). Israel had a plethora of priests, so the actual temple service may have occurred only once in a priest’s lifetime. Because an angel appeared to Zechariah during his service, some scholars feel this all-important event may have taken place on the Day of Atonement, which fell then (as now) in late September.

When Gabriel appears to Mary, he says, “Your kinswoman Elizabeth . . . has also conceived … and this is the sixth month with her” (Lk 1:36, RSV), which means it was about March. Mary spends “about three months” with Elizabeth, so this places John the Baptist’s birth late in June, and Jesus’ in December.

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Advent

What are Advent’s Origins?

Father Reginald Martin

December 5, 2019 9:07 am December 5, 2019

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Easter is the Church’s principal liturgical feast, and Easter celebrations set the pattern for every other feast during the liturgical year. Although we cannot determine exactly when the Church began to celebrate Advent, the Church’s celebration of the Advent season goes back at least 14 centuries. We have Advent sermons from Gregory the Great (who died in 604) and evidence shows the Church in Spain celebrated the Advent season by the middle of the seventh century.

Fifty years earlier, a Church synod (a meeting of Church leaders to discuss questions of Church discipline, faith or morals) determined that during the days from Nov. 11 to Dec. 25 should be observed like the days of Lent. When November 11 came to be observed as the feast of St. Martin of Tours, this preparatory time became known as “St. Martin’s Lent.”

As this name suggests, Advent was initially far more penitential than it is today. After the Second Vatican Council, emphasis shifted from penance to spiritual preparation for Jesus’ birth. Thus although we adopt violet vestments and forego the Gloria at Mass, our liturgical readings call us to anticipate Jesus’ birth, sharing the joy of John the Baptist and the Virgin Mary.

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Byline: Father Reginald Martin

Communion Gestures

Divorce and Communion

Is Frequent Confession Necessary?

Can Children of Unwed Parents Be Baptized?

When Was Jesus Really Born?

What are Advent’s Origins?

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