The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1915-05-29
cHlLDREN's EASTER DUTY.

1t is during the recurring Easter
season that Holy Church calls to the
minds of Catholic parents the sacred
duty, upon consultation with and ad-
vice from the confessor of their chill
dren (Roman Catechism), to see to it
that their little ones approach the
Holy Table. ii
Somt time between the first Sunday
in Lent and Trinity Sunday MAY so,
1870, the DEGREES of Plus X, ION the
age of those to be admitted to, first
Holy Communion may be heard read
in the vernacular in every parish
church. 1t. is since the eighth day of
August, 1910, that every child that has
reached the use of reason, is to be adj
mitted to Holy Communion. AS a
rule, the use of reason is reached by
child at the age of seven years, or
thereabout.
All well-instructed Catholics under
stand it to be a grievous fault and sin,
if they do not comply with the COM
mandment of Holy Church to receive
Holy Communion worthily at Easter
time; but there is a large number of
those who, after lapse of nearly five
years, have not yet grasped the idea
that the same precept applies in an
equal measure to children who have
attained the use of reason.
Citing the Council of Trent, Pope
Plus X says: IF any one shall deny
that all the faithful of both sexes, who
have attained the use of reason, are
obliged to receive communion every
year, at least at Easter time, according
to the precepts of holy mother Church
let him be anathema," that is, exclud-
ed from the society of the faithful.
No distinction is here made between
adults and children who have come to
the age of reason. The inference,
therefore, is that the duty of com
memorating the death of the Lord"
q. Cor. II, 26) or complying with one S
Easter duty, devolves equally upon the
old and young.
Some parents find difficulty in get
ting rid of the spirit of the old prac-
tice of admitting children to Holy
Communion for the first time at a
later age, say when they are ten years
old.
st. Paul speaks of our faith be-
ing reasonable" We might interpret
that expression in the sense that in
the practice of our religion we should
be intelligent enough to adapt our
selves to the discipline and usage of
II oh 1lNeATs
that the time and frequency of receiv-
ing Holy Communion, are a matter of
discipline, not faith. The faith of
our Church never will, nor can
change, but it's discipline may vary
according to the times in which we
live.
=. There was a, time when. the Holy
Eucharist was given to the little ones
at baptism under the species of wine.
That practice obtained from the first
Christian era till the thirteenth CEN
fury. For long time the small frag-
ments left over after the Communion
of the adults were given to the chill
dren.
In the thirteenth century the dis
cipline not to allow children to ap-
proach the Holy Table before the
dawn of reason and before having
some knowledge of the august Sacra-
ment, was firmly established by the
fourth Lateran council.
In the Papal decree of 1910, the
Pope of the Holy Communion, as Plus
X is called, severely took to task the
Jansenists of the seventeenth century
who required an extraordinary prep
aration for the reception of Holy Com
munion. Their motive bore at least
the semblance of piety, while the rea-
son which prompts some parents to
withhold the divine grace from their
little charges, is sheer ignorance and
inexcusable carelessness. The fire.
quent objection advanced that chill.
dren do not understand their religion
may be met by the answer suggested
by the Decree on Holy Communion,
that "a complete and perfect knowl.
edge of the Christian doctrine is not
necessary" 1t suftices that the child
be able to distinguish the Eucharistic
from the common and material bread,
and knows how to approach the altar
with proper devotion"
AS to the complete and perfect
knowledge of all the Christian doc.
trine, this is matter of duty to be
attended to by the parents at a later
date. For that purpose we have the
Catholic parochial school and the
Christian doctrine classes, which the
children should properly attend, the
supporting of the former being the
duty of parents.
&C. H. W., in The Echo. "