The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-07-05

eagerness and regularity not always
to be found in our own time" AS re-
CARDS the Sunday Mass, it must be re-
membered that day was counted
from sunset to sunset. "A vespera
usque ad vesperam dies Dominica
servetur," said st. Theodore, but at a
later period, the freedom of Sunday
was more extended. The law as to
laymen was as foIlows:-"It is most
proper and right that every Christian
man should come on Sunday to the
Church and bring light with him,
and there hear the vesper song, and
after midnight the uht-song, and come
with his offering in the morning to
the solemn Mass. And after the holy
service, let him return home again
and regale himself with his friends
and neighbours and strangers, but be
careful that they commit no excess in
eating and drinking. The hallowed
maidens, however, whose custom it is
not to go out of their minister's: these
should continue within the enclosures
and there hear Mass" It was ordained
also that no one should break his fast
or taste any meat before the service
of High Mass was ended. This seems
to show the reception of Holy Com
munion was frequent.
Frequency of Communion.
Walafrid Strabo, at the beginning of
the ninth century, reviews both it's
good and bad customs. Some" he
says, thought they should prepare a
whole year for Communion, and these
usually received on Thursday in Holy
Week. But to others, it rightly
seemed that men should come all the
more unworthily to an annual Com
munion by as much as they esteemed
themselves purified Of all weaknesses
by long delay, and these thought that
frequent repetition of a holy act would
be better even though the soul be un-
worthy, since that spiritual medicine
both preserves the health and cures
diseases" Others received only on
Sunday Gradually, the custom came
in of receiving daily, but by only the
few. l have even found a suggestion
made, think, by Gennadius, that ex-
tremes were to be found. There are
some," he writes, who think it
enough to communicate once a day,
even though they are present at sew
eral Masses, while others commune
cate at as many Masses as they hear:
Quorum neutros culpandos existimo.'
(Migne, tom. CXIV).
Children and Holy Communion.
AS to the reception of Holy Com
munion by children, it is probable that
Communion was not given them before
they attained the use of reason. That
they received when still very little is
proved by a canon of St. Willibrord
If any communicate after breaking
his fast, let him do penance for seven
days on bread and water, But little
children if they do so, be logged The
most rigid fast was observed, and that
began early the evening before, and
often people would pass through the IA
tigue of three or four hours prayer
The etiquette for the attendance OF
women at Holy Communion was, as
st. Theodore proclaimed, Women
must receive Communion clothed with
black veil, as st. Basil decreed." Il
is evident then that at this period and
subsequently, the Blessed Sacrament
was indeed the life of the English
Church and around it conferred all the
devotion of the English people.
Shakespeare's Words.
Shakespeare gives expression to the
practice of the early English people in
his well-known triplet from Hamlet.
Unhouseled, disappointed, unaneled,
which undoubtedly means without
Communion, without preparation icon.
fession), without Extreme Unction
For the Host when received was said
to be "houseled."
Thou schalt hym soyle
And give hym hosul and holy oyle.'
(thou shalt him assoil or absolve him
and give him Communion and Extreme
Unction). What fuller proof could one
have, or could give in such a short
paper Of the truly practical Christian
ity of our brethren before the time OF
the Reformation
After the Reformation.
We shall now look at how the Bless
ed Sacrament was treated after the
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