Saturday, June 09, 2007

Mother Theresa on Communion in the Hand

From the Latin Mass Society, I came across this often quoted statement of Mother Theresa, though this is the first time I have ever seen an actual reference to it with it's origin.

"I will tell you a secret, since we have just a thousand close friends together, and also because we have the Missionaries of Charity with us... "Not very long ago I said Mass and preached for their Mother, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and after breakfast we spent quite a long time talking in a little room. Suddenly, I found myself asking her -- don't know why -- 'Mother, what do you think is the worst problem in the world today?' She more than anyone could name any number of candidates: famine, plague, disease, the breakdown of the family, rebellion against God, the corruption of the media, world debt, nuclear threat, and so on. "Without pausing a second she said, 'Wherever I go in the whole world, the thing that makes me the saddest is watching people receive Communion in the hand.'"
- Father George William Rutler, Good Friday, 1989 in St. Agnes Church, New York City (a precise transcript taken from a tape of his talk available from St. Agnes Church)

6 comments:

Karin said...

THis saddens me also...I just wish it sadden more Catholics then we could get rid of this practice!

PG- let me ask you I know recieving in the hand in popular here in the USA is it as wide spread in the Great North?

Anonymous said...

PG - would you agree that is considered the "norm" in Canada? Most people I know that receive this way don't want "someone's hand in their mouth." These are usually the same people who won't drink from the chalice too for fear of germs.

paramedicgirl said...

Angela, yes, communion in the hand is the norm in Canada. So is diregarding the GIRM, and not accepting the moral teachings of Pope Paul VI on birth control in his encyclical Humane Vitae. So is using the wrong lectionary.

paramedicgirl said...

BTW, have you ever read Memoriale Domini?It's the document of the Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship that states communion in the hand started as an abuse and tells how the bishops voted against it.

AquinaSavio said...

Wow...that's good "Quote of the Week" material. :)

Michael Leggett said...

I'm receiving it exclusively by receiving on the toungue, as the TLM put me back into that practice.