Source: http://canonlawsocietyindia.org/CanonicalStudiesYearwise/Year2010CS_page_3.aspx
Timestamp: 2019-04-18 17:04:12+00:00

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The Church founded by Jesus Christ as a sacrament of salvation to proclaim the Good news to all the creatures in the world till the end of time (Mt. 28:19), continually lives and grows by the blessed Eucharist. Born of the Paschal mystery, the Church makes centre of its life the Eucharist, a sacrament of the paschal mystery in an outstanding way. To the Church Eucharist is a gift par excellence from Christ, her Lord – it is the gift of himself as well as the gift of his saving work. Eucharist is the sacrifice of the cross perpetrated down the ages. It is a sacrifice in the strict sense. Christ suffered for all men, so it doe not remain confined to the past, but it transcends the time.
The sacrifice is so decisive for the salvation of the human race that Jesus Christ offered it and returned to the Father only after he had left us a means of sharing in it as if we had been present there. This aspect of the universal charity of the Eucharistic sacrifice is based on the words of the Savior Himself (Lk. 22: 19-20). It is as the living and risen One that Christ can become in Eucharist the living bread (Jn. 6: 51). The sacrifice of Christ is made present ever anew, sacramentally perpetrated in every community which offers at the hands of the consecrated ministers. As the Church acknowledges with steadfast faith in the Most Holy Eucharist, sacrament of redemption.1 the Eucharist must be celebrated properly observing all the liturgical norms so as to make the faithful to have a more conscious, active and fruitful participation in the Holy Sacrifice of the Altar.
It is in this connection the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments issued an Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum, on certain matters to be observed or to be avoided regarding the Most Holy Eucharist. In fact this Instruction was prepared by the above said Congregation by the mandate of the Supreme Pontiff John Paul II in collaboration with the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith. The Holy Father approved it on 19th March 2004 and order it to be published for the immediate observation of all concerned.
While the Apostolic See5 regulates the sacred liturgy of the universal Church publishing liturgical books and reviewing the vernacular translations done by the Bishop’s Conferences (c. 838 §1, 2), it pertains to the diocesan Bishop to set forth the liturgical norms in his diocese and to ensure that abuses do not creep in the liturgical celebration, especially of the Eucharist (c. 838 §4, c. 392 §2, RS nn. 19, 22, 24).
A validly ordained priest is the only minister of the sacrament of the Eucharist (c.900 §1, RS n. 146). In the person of Christ he may preside at or concelebrate the Eucharist and validly consecrate the bread and wine. If laypersons or deacons attempt to celebrate the Holy Mass, they incure the penalty of a latae sententiae interdict or the penalty of latae sententiae suspension respectively (c. 1378 §2, n.1).
While any priest may validly consecrate the sacrament, for lawful celebration of the Eucharist a priest, besides observing canonical norms for the celebration, must not have been deprived of the exercise of his Order by an irregularity or impediment (c. 1044), or by a penalty (cc. 1331 §1, n.2, 1332, 1333 §1, n.1, 1338 §2), or must suffer the lose of the clerical state (cc. 290, 292, 1336 §1, n.5).
3. Pope John Paul II, Encyclical Letter, Ecclesia de Eucharistia. n. 10.
5. The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments attends to those matters that pertain to the Apostolic See as regards the regulation and the promotion of the Sacred liturgy, and especially sacraments, with due regard for the competence of Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith. See Pastor Bonus, nn. 62, 63, 66, RS, n, 17.
Though a priest is not obliged to celebrate the Eucharist everyday as per the provision of c. 805 of the old Code c. 904 of the present Code, taking the words from Presbyterorum ordini, n. 13, asks the priests to celebrate the Eucharist frequently, indeed daily, as the work of the redemption is continually being carried out in the mystery of the Eucharistic sacrifice (RS. n. 110), As the Eucharist is an action of Christ and of the Church, the priests fulfill their principal function by celebrating it everyday (c.276 §2, n.2). The 1994 Directory in the ministry and life of Priests in its number 49 also speaks of the importance of the daily Eucharist for priestly spirituality.
C. 906 forbids the celebration of the Eucharist without the participation of at least one faithful, unless there is a good and reasonable cause for doing so. In fact the old Code in its c. 813 §1 required the presence of at least a server for every mass. His presence was required for more than the material assistance to the celebrating priest, to signify the fact that the Eucharist is essentially an action of the whole church, priest and people. According to St. Thomas Aquinas, the server represented the whole catholic people, and in that capacity he answered the priest in plural.8 The new Code does not speak of the presence of a server, but the participation at least one of the faithful. But for good and reasonable cause a priest can celebrate the Mass alone also.
9. Sacrosanctum Concilium, n. 57. The liturgical law governing concelebration are found principally in the “General Instruction of the Roman Missal” (GIRM), nn. 153 208.
individually, save only at the same time a concelebration is taking place in the same church or oratory.
Concelebration among priests of different Catholic churches sui iuris can be done with permission of the diocesan / eparchial bishop for a just cause, especially that of fostering charity, and of the sake of manifesting unity between the churches. The liturgical rite of the principal celebrant is to be observed, and he is to wear the appropriate vestments and insignia of his own church sui iuris (CCEO 701). Ordinarily the concelebrants wear the vestments of their own church, but for a just cause and having removed any wonderment on the part of the faithful, they may wear the liturgical vestments of another church sui iuris (CCEO 707 §2).
A priest can celebrate Mass once a day unless the law allows him to celebrate or concelebrate the Eucharist a number of times on the same day. The occasions on which a priest can celebrate or concelebrate more than once a day, are Maundy Thursday, Easter vigil, Christmas celebrations and during Synod or Pastoral visitation of Bishop.11 Besides these occasions, the pastoral needs can make a priest celebrate Mass more than once on the same day. In 1963 Pope Paul VI had already granted to the diocesan Bishops the faculty to permit priests to celebrate twice on weekdays for a just cause and three times on Sundays and holidays of obligations when there is shortage of priests and is true pastoral need.12 C.905 §2 extends this faculty to all the local Ordinaries.
As of c. 810 of the 1917 Code, c. 909 of the present Code states that a priest should prepare for Mass by prayer and should give thanks to God afterwards. Though a priest be a man of prayer, he is asked to take immediate preparation for the Holy Eucharist. The appendix to the Roman Missal provides several prayers for preparation for and thanksgiving after Mass.
12. Paul VI, Pastorale Munus. n. 2.
As per c. 809 of 1917 Code, Mass may be applied for the dead in Purgatory or for the living with the exception of public Masses for the ex-communicated, and a private Mass may be applied for them, and that too only for their conversion (c. 2262 §2. n.2). Now as per the present canonical norm (c. 901), a Mass may be applied for anyone, living or dead, baptized or non-baptized, sinner or saint.
9. Functions restricted to the priest.
Liturgical actions are celebrations of the Church which manifest her nature and reflect her structure.15 They reflect both the common dignity of the faithful16 and their hierarchical differences. For this reason, ‘in liturgical celebrations each person, minister or lay man who has an office to perform, should carry out all and only those parts which pertain to his office by the nature of the rite and the norms of the liturgy.17 Since the only minister who can bring the Eucharist into being is the priest (c. 900 §1), c. 907 regulates that he alone should recite the Eucharistic prayer in full; neither a deacon nor a lay minister or an individual member or all the members of the faithful together recite some part of the Eucharistic prayer (RS. n. 52). In the same way, the prayers and actions designated as ‘presidential’ should be recited by the celebrating priest only.
10. Prohibition of the Inter denominational celebration.
As per c. 911 §1 the parish priest, assistant priests and chaplains have the duty and right to bring the Eucharist as viaticum to the sick. In houses of clerical religious or societies of apostolic life the same function belongs to the community Superior in respect of all those in the house, whether or not they are members of the institute.
19. RS, n. 54, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, n. 28.
When these ministers are not available, the second paragraph of c. 911 allows any priest, deacon, acolyte or authorized extraordinary minister to bring viaticum to the dying. In such case, the minister is obliged subsequently to inform the appropriate ordinary minister.
Any baptized person who is not forbidden by law is entitled to receive the Holy Communion (c. 912). As per c. 213 Christ’s faithful have the right to sacraments. While c.842 §1 affirms the necessity of baptism, for the reception of any other sacraments, c.844 § 3-4 restricts the access to the Eucharist by the baptized non-Catholics.
C.915 refuses Communion to two categories of the faithful: those upon whom the penalty of ex-communication or interdict has been imposed or declared, and hose who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin.
Of its very nature celebration of the Eucharist signifies the fullness of profession of faith and the fullness of ecclesial communion. Those upon whom the penalty of ex-communication or interdict has been imposed or declared are by definition no longer in full communion with the Catholic Church. Consequently they excluded from then Eucharistic Communion (cc. 1331, n. 2. 1332).
For those who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin, it must be made certain that the person has committed a sin that is objectively grave, and that he obstinately persevering in and that the sin is manifest. Those who are divorced and remarried find themselves in this situation.
Paragraph one of c. 913 states in broad terms the minimal requirements of admitting children to the Eucharist in ordinary circumstances. It is required that they have sufficient knowledge and are carefully prepared. As c. 914 states that the children who have reached the use of reason are to be properly prepared to receive first Communion, the normal age for the first Communion will be about seven years. At this age it is presumed that a child can sufficiently understand what is involved in the Eucharist.
Children who are in danger of death, even if they do not have the sufficient knowledge and undergone careful preparation required, may be given Communion as per c.913 §2, provided that they can distinguish the Body of Christ from ordinary food and receive it with reverence.
While the c. 914 insists that the parish priest must make sure that the children in their age of use and reason are not deprived of their right to the sacrament of Eucharist, it equally binds him not to allow the children below age of reason and those who are not sufficiently prepared to approach the First Holy Communion.
28. Ecclesia de Euchairstia, n. 36, Eucharisticum Mysterium, n. 35, RS, n. 81.
As the multiplication of the celebration of the Eucharist by priests is forbidden, so also is forbidden the multiplication of the reception of the Communion by the faithful. In fact the 1917 Code at cc. 857 and 858 §1 allowed the reception of Holy Communion a second time on the same day only in danger of death or in order to avoid irreverence to the Blessed Eucharist. In the new Code by c. 917 one is permitted to receive the blessed Eucharist again on the same day in the celebration of the Eucharist. Though the word ‘again’ is used in the canon, one is permitted to receive the Communion only a second time and not as often as a person attends Mass. This is clarified by the Pontifical Commission for the Authentic Interpretation of the Canons of Code of Canon Law in 1984. But of course in danger of death, even one has already perceived the Eucharist, can receive it again as Viaticum outside the Eucharistic celebration (c. 921 §2). Redemptionis Sacramentum takes up the same regulation in its number 95.
31. RS. nn. 88, 97.
be observed in distributing Communion outside Mass are contained in the Roman Ritual under the title, “Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharist outside Mass”.
To receive the Holy Communion the c. 858 §1 of the 1917 Code required a fast from midnight. This discipline was relaxed by Pope Pius XII in 1953. Pope Paul VI, at a session of Vatican II, shortened the fast form solid food to one hour for both priests and faithful. The present Code in its c. 919 §1 takes up this rule and states that anyone to receive the Communion must abstain for at least one hour before the holy communion from all food and drink with the exception of water and drink. The paragraph two of the same canon permits the priest who is to celebrate the Mass twice or thrice to consume something before the second and third celebration, even though there is no interval of one hour. In fact in 1963 Pastorale Munus allowed the Bishops to permit the priests who celebrate two or three masses to take something to drink even though an interval of one hour does not intervene before the celebration of the next Mass. But now the priests do nto need to get permission from the bishop on such occasion as the law itself allows them to do so. By virtue of c. 919 § the aged, the sick and those who are taking care of them are exempted from any law of Eucharistic fast. They are permitted to receive the Communion even if they have consumed something within the preceding hour.
All the faithful who have been admitted to first Holy Communion are obliged from then on to receive it at least once a year as pr c. 920 §1. As the reception of the Communion is the fullest way of participating in the Mass, the faithful are to be encouraged for the reception of the sacrament frequently. C.920 §2 prescribes the time of the fulfillment of this precept. The preferred time of the fulfillment of the precept is Paschal time which was defined in 1917 Code as being from Palm Sunday to Low Sunday and was capable of being lengthened. The new legislation though prefers that the obligation be fulfilled in the Paschal time, permits however for good reason the faithful to satisfy at any time during the year.
The 1917 Code in its c. 864 §1 considered the reception of viaticum by the faithful in danger of death as a ‘precept’ to which they were bound by law. Though the present Code uses a milder form of command to express this duty, there is still an obligation on each of the faithful to receive viaticum (c. 921 §1), and on the pastors of souls to see tht it is available to them (c. 922).
The parish priest, assistant priests, the chaplains or the superior of clerical religious Institutes or Societies of Apostolic life (cf. 911) must take care that those who are in danger of death receive the viaticum while they are still in possession of their faculties. Those who look after the sick – family members, nurses and other care takers – could also help the sick in receiving the viaticum on time.
Catholics are free to participate in the celebration of the Eucharist and to receive the Communion in any Catholic rite. This emphasizes the essential unity of different churches sui iuris. To receive the Communion from non-catholic ministers of churches in certain special circumstances, the provision of c.844 is to be followed.
III. The Rites and Ceremonies of the Eucharistic Celebration.
Basing on the gospel accounts of Last Supper whereby Jesus instituted the Eucharist (cf. Mt 26:26-29, Mk 14:22-25, Lk 22:17-20), the Church has ever made use of bread and wine as the matter of the Eucharist; and a small quantity of water is to be mixed with the wine. The addition of a small quantity of water is the symbolic of the union of divine and human nature in Jesus Christ, and also of the mystical union of faithful with Christ through the sacrificial death.
35. Eucharisticum Mysterium, n. 40.
36. GIRM, n. 284, Dominus Salvator Noster, n. 1.
The reception of Holy Communion under both species, once common in the Latin Church, was gradually abandoned and slowly it became the norm that, expect for the celebrant of the Mass, the Communion was served under the species of bread alone from 13th century and decreed as such by the Council of Constance in 1415. This is still preferred as traditional practice as the present canon shows. However, the Vatican II stated that “communion under both kinds may be granted when the Bishops think fit, not only to clerics and religious but also to the laity, in cases to be determined by the Apostolic See”.38 The c. 925 leaves to liturgical law the determination of when it may be allowed. A detailed list of occasions when communion under both kinds may be given are found in the General Instruction on the Roman Missal.39 Communion under the species of wine alone will be rather rare and confined to ‘cases of necessity’ e.g. for the sick who are unable to receive or to swallow even a tiny host.
Like c. 817 of the 1917 Code the present canon 927 presents in an absolute term a serious prohibition of consecration of one element without the other, and the consecration of both the elements outside the Mass. No reason will excuse from observing the law, not even ‘urgent and extreme necessity’.
41. Musicam Sacram, n. 48.
says that, “Except in the case of celebrations of the Mass that are scheduled by the ecclesiastical authorities to take place in the language of the people, priests are always and everywhere permitted to celebrate the Mass in Latin”43 Pope Benedict XVI by his Motu Proprio apostolic letter Summorum Pontificum, allowed the celebration of the Roman rite according to the Missal of 1962.
For the celebration of the Eucharist in the vernacular, the translation of the liturgical books with the appropriate adaptations done by the Bishop’s Conference, must get prior review of the Holy See (see c. 838 §2-3).
Unable to stand due to his illness or old age, a priest can celebrate Mass by sitting. He is to get permission from the local Ordinary only if he does it in public celebration (c. 930 §1). When he has problem of poor eye-sight or some other sickness, he is not obliged to follow the diverse Mass texts of the liturgical calendar. He is free to choose any approved Mass. He can very well make use of the assistance, for the celebration, of another priest, or deacon or even a lay person.
Both the celebration and distribution of Eucharist may take place at any time which is not forbidden by liturgical law; the time therefore will be determined chiefly by pastoral considerations. The anticipated Mass of Sunday and holy days of obligation may be celebrated only in the evening on Saturday or the day before the holy day (c. 1248 §1). The other exceptions for the time for the celebration and distribution of the Eucharist are for the days of Easter triduum. The rubrics given in the Missal for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter vigil are to be strictly followed.
The Eucharistic celebration is to be carried out normally, in a sacred place (c.1205). Sacred places include churches (c. 1214), oratories (c. 1223), and private chapels (c. 1226). In a particular case, like church being renovated, holiday camps for youth, Mass for children, anbiam gatherings, etc., for necessity Mass can be celebrated in some fitting places other than the sacred places.
For a priest to celebrate the Eucharist in a plce of worship of another Christian church, three conditions are to be fulfilled: there must be a good reason (for example no catholic church in the area), there must be no scandal, and the local Ordinary must give permission.
49. GIRM, nn. 259 – 267.
The Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum after having given the regulations – on certain matters to be observed or to be avoided regarding the Most Holy Eucharist – finally proposes the remedies for the abuses committed in the celebration of the Eucharist. Both pastors and faithful should be given the biblical and liturgical formation, so that the Church’s faith and discipline concerning the sacred liturgy may be accurately presented and understood. If the abuses still persist, proceedings should be undertaken to safeguard the validity and dignity of the Eucharist.
The Instruction classifies the abuses in the celebration of the Eucharist into three categories: graviora delicta, grave matters, and other abuses.
The following abuses are considered to be graviora delicta.
i) Taking away or retaining the consecrated species for sacrilegious ends, or the throwing them away (c. 1367).
iii) The forbidden concelebration of the Eucharistic sacrifice with ministers of Ecclesial communities that do not have the apostolic succession nor acknowledge the sacramental dignity of priestly ordination (cc. 1365, 908).
iv) The consecration for sacrilegious ends of one matter without the other to the celebration of the Eucharist or even, of both outside the celebration of the Eucharist. (c. 927).
The Instruction considers any abuses that put at risk the validity and dignity of the most Holy Eucharist as grave matters.
• Not respecting the rule on the Eucharistic prayer.
• Not mentioning the name of the Supreme Pontiff and the diocesan Bishop in the Eucharistic prayer (n. 56).
• Introduction of the elements that are contrary to the liturgical books and taking from other religion (n. 79).
• Denying the sacraments to those who seek them in a reasonable manner and rightly disposed and are not prohibited by law from receiving them (c. 91).
• Not consuming the Eucharist received in hand in the presence of the minister (n. 92).
• The faithful taking by themselves the communion or distributing it by one another (n. 94).
• Permitting the communicant to intinct the host himself in the chalice or to receive the intincted host in the hand (n. 104).
• Pouring the blood of Christ after the consecration from one vessel to another (c. 106).
• Priest celebrating Mass in a temple or in a sacred place of any non-Christian religion (n. 109).
• Suspending the celebration of the Eucharist in n arbitrary manner contrary t th liturgical norms On. 115).
• Not using the proper vessel for Mass (n. 117).
• Lay persons assuming the role or the vesture of a priest or deacon (153).
Those actions that are contrary to the other matters treated in the Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum or in the norms established by law are considered other abuses that are to be carefully avoided and corrected.
Most Holy Eucharist, he should carefully investigate, either personally or by means of another worthy cleric, concerning the facts and circumstances as well as the imputability.
Delicts against the faith as well as graviora delicta committed in the celebration of the Eucharist and the other sacraments are to be referred without delay to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. In order abuses, the local Ordinary should proceed according to the canonical norms imposing penalty if needed.
The Second Vatican Council in its Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium has opened the way for the celebration of the Eucharist with active participation of the faithful. It allowed each country the adaptation of the Eucharistic celebration according to its own language and culture. And these adaptations are to be executed with the recognitio of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. And thus the unity of the universal Church in its liturgical and sacramental life is sought to be preserved.
The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments has published on 25th April 2001 Liturgiam Authentican giving norms for the liturgical celebration and the General Instructions of the Roman Missal in January 2002. Pope John Paul II in his encyclical letter on the Most Holy Eucharist Ecclesia de Eucharistia published on 17th April 2003, has underlined sadly the abuses in the celebration of the Eucharist in recent years by way of adaptations and innovations and called for a pure celebration with the liturgical norms set forth by the Church and thus to preserve the dignity ff the sacrament of Eucharist. As a follow up of this encyclical, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments published gain the Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum on 19th March 2004. This document does no more than reassert the liturgical norm in force. At the first reading of Redemptionis Sacramentum, one may be prone to say that this Instruction seems to be more juridical than liturgical in nature. It enumerates not only the liturgical norms, but also fixes canonical sanction for the violation or the non observation of the norms, in the liturgical celebrations. But in depth the Instruction responds to the urgent need for a “liturgical spirituality’. It is much interested in bringing out and exposing the faith in the celebrations, looking at the liturgy from the angle of theology. Liturgy can not thus be made as a free zone for experimentation and private arbitration. The abuses in the celebration can no way be justified in the name of the pastoral adaptation. Giving theological, pastoral and juridical guidance in the celebration of the liturgy, especially of the Most Holy Eucharist, the Instruction calls for a pure celebration of the Eucharist as the Church wants, and which is a right of the every Christian faithful.

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