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

Sunday Obligation? Maybe I'm wrong but in the Orthodox there's no such a "Sunday Obligation" as it exist in the Latin tradition, so you don't have to worry very much about attending a Roman parish when you can't approach to Liturgy.

Hannah,

I've never run into the problem you have described. Whenever we have travelled and there is no Byzantine Church and we attend an RC parish, the priests have always communicated my younger children after I tell them that we are Byzantine Catholic. I have three children attending a local RC diocesan grade school 6th, 4th,and 1st. When my 1st grade daughter informed that only 4th grade students and older receive Communion, I politely informed her teacher that my daughter is a communicant at our parish and to please verify the Sacramental Record in my daughter's file. She e-mailed an apology and thanked me for bringing this to her attention. She escorts my daughter to receive the Eucharist.

Since I see you are from Alaska, I assume Fr Wes Izer is your pastor? Have you informed him of the situation? I imagine he would make the appropriate call to the local RC parish.

John

I did speak with a local biritual priest who has stated that this is the Cannon Law of the Roman Church to wait until the "age of reason" but I disagree. Therefore my children can not receive in their church.

I diagree, in the 1983 Code we read in Canon 923: "Christ's faithful may participate in the eucharistic Sacrifice and receive holy communion in any catholic rite, without prejudice to the provisions of can. 844." (Canon 844 deals with cases where Catholics may receive the sacraments from and administer the sacraments to non-Catholics)

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that only Catholics who are initiated into the sacrament (i.e. have performed their "First Communion") and who are in a state of grace may receive Communion. (CCC 1385).

Age of body does not determine age of soul. Even in childhood man can attain spiritual maturity: as the book of Wisdom says: �For old age is not honored for length of time, or measured by number of years.� Many children, through the strength of the Holy Spirit they have received, have bravely fought for Christ even to the shedding of their blood.� (CCC 1308)

The Committee on the Relationship between Eastern and Latin Catholic Churches of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, in their work �Eastern Catholics in the United States of America,� in 1999, explains that in the USA, �It is the normal practice of the Church that Catholics celebrate the Lord�s day by participating in the celebration of the Eucharist in a community of their own church. Nevertheless, where there is diversity of Churches in the one place, the faithful worthily celebrate the resurrection of Jesus by attending the Eucharist in any of the autonomous ritual Churches.�

The Holy Eucharist forms a whole with Baptism and Chrismation. Grace is a principle of life. Baptism gives a rebirth into life in the spirit. That life is strengthened in Confirmation. And it is given nourishment in the Eucharist.

"Eucharist is the Bread of life, and infants need to be nourished constantly, from then on, to grow spiritually. The method of their participation in the Eucharist corresponds to their capacity: they will initially be different from the adults, inevitably less aware and not very rational, but they will progressively develop, through the grace and pedagogy of the sacrament, to grow until �mature manhood to the extent of the full stature of Christ� (cf. Eph. 4:13). The sacrament is always a gift which operates efficiently, in different ways just as every person is different. Special celebrations which correspond to the various steps of human growth can possibly be of some use for the pedagogy of the faith and to accompany specifically the indispensable catechesis of children and young people, but it must be clear that the initiation into the Mystery of Christ is totally complete upon receiving the first three sacraments.� (Applying the Liturgical Prescriptions of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches� issued by the Congregation of the Eastern Churches in Rome in 1996, pg51)

"Parents do not deny their children food until they are old enough to understand the necessity of food. As any parent can tell you, food is not treated by an infant with any great respect for its life-giving qualities. But parents do not wait to feed their children until they understand these qualities. It is sufficient that the parents understand. The same is true for the Eucharist. The Eucharist is a desirable food for the many gifts that come from Its partaking. In the Churches of the East, for the most part, the Eucharist was given to children from the time of their baptism and if they were infants when baptized, they would receive Communion.". (http://members.tripod.com/~cerkva/communion.html)

I've contacted the local Roman Archdiocese to make an appointment to meet with their Bishop regarding this matter.

Does anyone have any other suggestions to help me?
Hannah

Glory to Jesus Christ!

Hannah,
You are wasting your time. You are not going to change the status quo of the Roman Church. All the ink in the world on paper will not persuade Roman's of their errors. Return home to your Father's house. Stop making an issue of meeting with Latin bishops. Western & Eastern theology do not mesh nor will they ever. Don't believe the nonsense of two "valid" Traditions. Continue with your journey eastward.

Hannah,

If it seems to be such a problem in the Latin parishes,just make the effort to worship at the local Byzantine parish so that your children can receive the Mysteries.

You stated you "did speak with a local biritual priest", are you referring to Fr Wes Izer at St Nicholas? Fr Wes in addition to being the pastor of St Nicholas is syncellus of the Northwest syncellate of the Eparchy of Van Nuys.

Dear Hannah,
God's grace flows where He wills.
Your children will receive all the grace of
Holy Communion because of your heart and intention, even in the western churches that
will not give your children the Sacrament.
I think you should stop worrying so much, you've
already made as much effort as God expects.
He sees you and blesses you and yours.
denise