Catholic Liturgy - More on Blessings for Non-communicants

Zenit News Agency ^ | May 24, 2005 | Father Edward McNamara

[NYer]

Readers may send questions to news@zenit.org. Please put the word "Liturgy" in the subject field. The text should include your initials, your city and your state, province or country.

[NYer]

The Communion procession is an opportunity for parents to begin to teach their children about the great gift of the Eucharist. First of all, children could learn to give reverence to the Lord hidden under the forms of bread and wine. Children can already learn from their parents, and others receiving holy Communion, to give honor to the Lord by bowing reverently.

When my daughter was quite young, she would accompany me up for communion and come away forlorn at not having received anything from the priest. She eventually resorted to making her own "hosts" from white bread, flattened with the palm of her hand and into which she carved a cross. She would bring this with her to mass and consume it after we returned to the pew.

In the Maronite Tradition, each and every child accompanies their parents and/or family members up to the priest. He administers communion to the adults and then places the communion cup on the head of the child. They all come away with a big smile on their face (which matches the one worn by Father). Even infants are blessed in this manner. It is such an awesome sight and one that leaves a cherished mark on the child. They eagerly await this special moment each week.

[B Knotts]

My son, who is a couple months shy of three years old, accompanies me (or Mom) in line, but I don't have him go up to get a blessing.

He does, however hold his arms across his chest, and bows (sometimes several times). :-)

As far as making the sign of the cross after receiving, I have always done that. I think some "progressives" and "liturgists" dislike it, as it "disrupts the flow."

[sinkspur]

Some sort of blessing or acknowledgement of the child or the non-Catholic should be made by priest or EEM.

Chaput actually wrote an entire column on the subject? I wonder why.

[Coleus]

Years ago, in many parishes, many parents did NOT bring young children to Mass and churches had NO cry rooms since there were no children crying during mass because they weren't there.

[visualops]

I'll put my 2 cents in here since I have some experience with it.
As some of you know, my husband is converting and we are both in the annulment process. As such, we cannot take Communion (or any Sacrament). The Deacon suggested early on, in response to our question on how fully can we participate, that we could receive a blessing from the priest. Although there was some confusion initially about proper form- we were told by the Deacon to cross arms, but the priest let us know we needed to approach with finger over lips, since then we have done this every Mass. We always sit in the same place so we can be in our priest's line. We have had a couple of other priests who had different Blessing than our Pastor who makes the sign of the cross and says a Blessing. Others have touched the head, or in one case, made a cross on the forehead and said "you are the temple of Christ" which was really awesome.
I think for those converting or Catholics like myself who are not Confirmed, the Blessing is really special. As for children who haven't yet had first Communion, I think approaching for a Blessing, or simply to accompany a parent, is good "training" in teaching proper reverence and behavior. I also believe children are so special to our Lord that they are welcome, and I myself enjoy seeing the children.
I do not think it appropriate for non-Catholics who are simply "visiting".

[NeoCaveman]

As far as making the sign of the cross after receiving, I have always done that.

Me too

I think some "progressives" and "liturgists" dislike it, as it "disrupts the flow."

They dislike it? Ahhhh, an added blessing.

[NYer]

my husband is converting and we are both in the annulment process.

I'm guessing you mean annulment from a previous spouse. My prayers are with you!

[Salvation]

We were told this last Sunday that the priest, and only the priest, can make the Sign of the Cross and give the non-communicant a blessing.

What we can do is touch their forehead or shoulder and say, "May God bless you." (Or some personalized statement.) We cannot trace the Sign of the Cross as the priest does either in the air or on their foreheads.

I didn't read the article, but will go back and read it now. Maybe this is what it says.

[Salvation]

**Perhaps a lay minister could pronounce a generic formula calling down God's blessing, but it is rather short shrift compared to Communion.**

Exactly what we were taught. I am so thankful we finally have an orthodox priest who is up to date on things.

Thank you, God, for bringing us this priest. Amen.

[Salvation]

**I have always done that.**

Me too. And I don't care if it disrupts the flow. Communion should not be a hurried part of the Mass.

[visualops]

I'm guessing you mean annulment from a previous spouse

Yes lol, we were both previously married.
Thank you for the prayers!
In my favor, it turns out, is that my first husband, who is Greek Orthodox, had been married before, and so it seems he wasn't free to marry me.
The whole thing'll turn your brain in knots.

[Dominick]

lay extraordinary ministers of Communion are not authorized to give liturgical blessings

This is correct, absolutely correct. I may bless my children, as a father I am commissioned as the head of my "Domestic" Church. A stranger has no such commission.

I usually take my young daughter around and for myself to take communion from the Priest, and she gets a proper blessing.

[te lucis]

I may bless my children, as a father I am commissioned as the head of my "Domestic" Church.

Interesting. I've often wondered about this. Is there a source for more information? As parents, my wife & I trace the Sign of the Cross on our childrens' foreheads, but this is something entirely different from a blessing one would receive from a priest, no?

As far as the topic of the thread, we go to the TLM, and thus have no such worries about some layperson "giving a blessing" by patting them on the head, with what they are supposed to believe are particles of the Blessed Sacrament on their fingers. Our SSPX priest does bless children at the Communion rail by silently making the Sign of the Cross over them.

But suppose it happened that Sister Pat "blessed" your child and you, arriving back at your pew, noticed a Particle in his hair? What would you do?

[Mershon]

As there is nothing in the rubrics that deal with this, it is left up to each pastor and/or bishop to decide the issue. I can see relatively little harm in it, other than the fact it emphasizes again why laymen and women should NEVER be distributing Holy Communion, as it takes away from the dignity of the priesthood, whom St. Thomas Aquinas said, "Only consecrated hands should ever touch the SACRED VESSELS." Imagine his horror at what goes on now.

The other thing to consider is that the priest gives all of us his blessing at the end of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, which accomplishes the same thing as the blessing in line. An appropriate "spiritual communion," even if done in one's seat (which is what I do when I am not properly disposed to receive) unites one directly with Christ through our desire for receiving Him.

Again, this comes back to confusion being added because "extraordinary" ministers of Holy Communion have no authority nor power to bless non-Communicants.

[murphE]

Interesting. I've often wondered about this. Is there a source for more information? As parents, my wife & I trace the Sign of the Cross on our childrens' foreheads, but this is something entirely different from a blessing one would receive from a priest, no?

I do this too, but the priest's blessing carries the blessing of the Church with it (I've read somewhere). Pinging someone who would know and be able to give a better explanation.

[Romulus]

we go to the TLM, and thus have no such worries about some layperson "giving a blessing"

I am occasionally called upon to serve as an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, and for some time have worried about what to do if a non-communicant were to present himself for a blessing. This is a real possibility, as one of my RCIA students from last year did not convert at Easter but continues to attend our indult Mass. In distributing Holy Communion to Catholics at trad Masses of course I use the trad formula ("Corpus Domini nostri..."). This strikes me as intercessory prayer rather than a blessing, and thus not inappropriate for me as a lay man to pronounce. In this same spirit, is presented with a non-communicant at the communion rail, I plan to alter the prayer thus: "Dominus noster Jesus Christus custodiat animam tuam in vitam aeternam, amen." I won't touch or make any gesture, for the reasons already noted, but instead, I think I might make a slight bow of the head.

[te lucis]

In distributing Holy Communion to Catholics at trad Masses

?!
What Trad Mass uses EEM's?

[Dominick]

My pleasure Te Lucis:

CCC 2685:
"The Christian family is the first place of education in prayer. Based on the sacrament of marriage, the family is the "domestic church" where God's children learn to pray "as the Church" and to persevere in prayer."

CCC 1656:
"In our own time, in a world often alien and even hostile to faith, believing families are of primary importance as centers of living, radiant faith. For this reason the Second Vatican Council, using an ancient expression, calls the family the Ecclesia domestica. [Domestic Church -Dominick] It is in the bosom of the family that parents are 'by word and example . . . the first heralds of the faith with regard to their children.'"

In this sense my wife and I can and (I think) have an obligation to bless our children as a sign of Gods Grace, and as a Prayer that they are safe as they go about in the World. Generally I use the formula, "May God bless you, (child's name)"

Really in that, I am praying that God blesses my Children, and impart in my case a Fatherly Blessing of a Parent. Maybe this is a Sicilian or Latin ( Mediterranean culture) thing, I am surprised that this isn't pretty universal.

I have alway taken the Blessing from a Priest in an entirely different sense, that is, it his his Priestly Blessing, from the Church. Even at that it isn't Fr. Smith Blessing me, but the Church.

[te lucis]

and impart in my case a Fatherly Blessing of a Parent.

That's where you lose me. There's a difference between asking God to bless someone, and imparting a blessing in the name of God, as a priest with the power to bless people & things does. The quotes you provide from the CCC don't seem to say that we have this power by virtue of our status as fathers of families. In fact, you only draw this conclusion from them. A quote from the Roman Rituale would really set me at ease.