www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Infant Communion Trauma

If that's the case, Armando, then you must believe that we shouldn't Baptize infants either until they can understand the Christian faith in order to "worthily" receive the Mystery of Holy Baptism. The two views follow from the identical logic. I don't buy either one.

In reality all that needs to be done when an infant doesn't want to receive is... try again next week. Its pretty simple. Most time the child's reluctance results from detecting his parent's anxiety and/or desire for them to receive. If parents just go and receive on a regular basis, most times the child will naturally want to receive as well without any coaxing. There's certainly no need to have hit men at the end of the Communion line waiting to pry the child's jaws open with their bare hands.

If that would've been me and one of those guys tried to put their hands on my child... lets just say there would've been trouble. I don't care if you're the Pope of Rome, you don't reach and grab my child out of my hands and humiliate him or her in such a way. I'm sorry, but that's way out of line.

I know this stuff. I got burned when I was a child (nothing grave in fact nothing!) but now at 23 years I cannot even hold a candle in my hand or light a cigarette (I don't smoke though), anything with fire I try to avoid.

Children understand a lot more than we often give them credit for, and their faith is often profoundly deep in a way that puts adults to shame.

No matter what state my three year old and five year old are during the majority of the liturgy, they are always straightened out before they approach the chalice, because they are very much aware of what it means.

I strongly support the Orthodox tradition of communing children as soon as they are baptized.

Andrew

The idea of not administering Holy Eucharist to children actually seems to me to be at odds with OLGS Jesus Christ's admonition in Sacred Scripture.

It's been a few years since I was a bible-studying Protestant, so I don't know book, chapter and verse, but does the Lord not say to His disciples something like "unless you eat of my Flesh and drink of my Blood, you shall not have life within you"? This instruction of our Lord's was the reason given by our Pastor for infant communion in the BC / EO churches.

It's for this same reason - our Lord's own words - that the RCC church BAPTIZES infants rather than waiting for them to attain the "age of reason", so why the Roman church dropped infant baptism/chrismation/communion is puzzling.

God Bless,

Sam

Exactly. Well said.

And to add to my comments above, I have six children (with one on the way), ages 12 thru 2 years old, who are all quite happy to open their little mouths every week and receive Holy Communion. So I know of what I write.