What's wrong with blessing children in the Communion line?

Fr. Cory Sticha has stated, “I despise blessing children in the Communion line (and yes, I chose that strong language very carefully), and encourage other priests to stop immediately.” [read the article here]

Fr. John Zuhlsdorf has seconded Fr. Sticha’s article with the phrase (in his typical red-ink), “Do I hear an ‘Amen!’?” [here]

But I ask, What is wrong with a priest giving blessings to young children in the Communion line?

For what it’s worth

Fr. Sticha is a good friend of mine, as we are both priests of the Diocese of Great Falls – Billings in Montana, USA. He is a few years ahead of me in the priesthood, and I am currently serving in what was his first assignment. Fr. Sticha was recently appointed by our Bishop as the diocesan liturgist.

That being said, friends are able to have differing opinions. And in this case, I think that both Fr. Sticha’s and Fr. Zuhlsdorf’s articles are not at all helpful.

Limits of this discussion

We will discuss only the question of a priest giving a blessing to young Catholic children in the Communion line. This act of blessing is common in the United States at least, and perhaps also in Europe.

We will not discuss the “blessings” given by lay extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion. Nor will we consider the question of giving a blessing to non-Catholics or to Catholics who are not disposed at the time to receive Communion.

There is only one particular case we will be looking at, because this is what Fr. Sticha has addressed exclusively – the question of whether a priest should give a blessing to Catholic children who have not yet received their First Communion but who have joined their parents in the Communion line. [Fr. Zuhlsdorf broadens the question slightly, but still centers his argument around this one issue of a priest giving a blessing to Catholic children.]

The case against giving a blessing: It’s not in the rubrics

“Say the black, do the read”, says Fr. Zuhlsdorf. To be sure, there is nothing in the liturgical books which states that the priest should give a blessing to the young children who are in the Communion line with their parents.

Fr. Zuhlsdorf emphasizes this point stating: “This [practice] is not to be done, because it is outside what is prescribed at this very important moment during holy Mass.”

Fr. Sticha does the same, referring to the Second Vatican Council’s statement that “no other person, even if he be a priest ,may add, remove, or change anything in the liturgy on his own authority” (Sacrosanctum Concilium 22), and concluding that “a priest does not have the authority to add a blessing to the liturgy for anyone.”

Response

To this, I respond first that Fr. Zuhlsdorf is disingenuous in his critique. He has many times encouraged priests to wear the maniple (a vestment worn upon the left arm) while celebrating the Novus Ordo (i.e. the post Vatican II Mass), even though this vestment is nowhere indicated in the liturgical books. If a blessing cannot be given to child simply because it is not explicitly prescribed in the liturgical law, how can Fr. Zuhlsdorf justify the wearing of the maniple when it too is not mentioned in the revised rubrics of the Mass?

[Now, I am not here contending that the maniple should or should not be worn – that debate, to me at least, does not seem profitable. I only point out that Fr. Zuhlsdorf is not consistent in his approach to the liturgy.]

On the other hand, it is good to note that, compared to other parts of the Mass, there are very few liturgical guidelines regarding the distribution of Communion to the faithful. In times past, there was no mention of the Communion of the faithful in the liturgical books. In the Missal of 1962, the Communion of the faithful is simply indicated without any significant description of how this takes place. In the revised liturgical books of the Novus Ordo (the new Mass), there is a bit more on how the priest distributes Communion, but it is still quite minimal.

Further, we must recall that the practice of regular Communion has only fairly recently come back to prominence in the life of the Church. And, whether this is always to the spiritual benefit of the faithful (since many, it seems, are unaware of what is required to be well disposed for the Sacrament), the widespread practice of both the father and mother regularly coming forward in the Communion line is not much more than one hundred years old (at least in North America).

When it was less common for both the mother and father to come forward, it was more common for the young children to remain in the pew with one or both of their parents. However, now that it is more common for both parents to come to Communion, it has also become the practice that the parents bring their infants and young children with them in the Communion line (rather than leaving them alone in the pew).

This practice of bringing the young children forward in the Communion line is a bi-product of the practice of frequent reception of Holy Communion by parents. And, since regular Communion is rather new, it is no surprise that the liturgical books have not yet addressed the issue. The Church does not tell the parents what they are to do with their infants – neither does liturgical law tell the priest how he is to handle young children when they accompany (or are carried forward by) their parents in the Communion line.

In any case, a simple sign of the Cross made over an infant can hardly be said to disrupt the distribution of the Blessed Sacrament. This little blessing, given to young Catholic children, does not do any great violence to the liturgy but can instead be seen as a legitimate adaptation brought on by the rather recent phenomenon of both parents regularly coming forward to Communion.

The case against giving a blessing: Not in the presence of the Sacrament

Some will argue (though I am not aware of either Fr. Sticha or Fr. Zuhlsdorf doing so) that it is wrong for the priest to bless the young children in the Communion line because a priest is not to give a blessing in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament.

In fact, it has generally been the case that priests do not give blessings before the Eucharist when our Lord is not residing within the tabernacle – whether these be blessings of the incense, or of people, etc.

Response

I respond that the current liturgical books (of the Novus Ordo) no longer follow this norm. In the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper, before the procession with the Eucharist to the altar of repose, the priest is directed to place incense in the thurible and bless it even though he is in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament.

Another option: A Spiritual Communion?

Some will recommend that children who are too young to receive Communion should not be blessed but should instead be allowed to make a spiritual communion. These persons suggest that the Host be held before the child and that the priest allow a brief moment for the child to bow or make some other gesture of worship [or they recommend some other variation on this theme].

I do not think this practice is reasonable, on two accounts. First, a child too young to receive Communion is not capable of making a spiritual communion – if he is, then he should be receiving sacramental Communion. Second, providing this pause for a spiritual communion would be even more disruptive to the liturgy than the act of a simple blessing. Finally, this substitution would still be an “addition” (in legalistic terms) and would thus not really solve the so-called “problem” anyways.

A reason for blessing the young children

One reason for blessing the young children who are brought forward in the Communion line is that they are united to the Church by the living faith which they received in their baptism. Now, the Communion line is a sign of the unity of the Church; therefore, these little ones do no harm in coming forward with their parents, for they are truly united to the Church by the theological virtues of faith and charity.

However, according to the practice of the Roman Rite (a practice which, in my opinion, is very wise), children below the age of reason are not to take Communion. Still, I can see no reason why the communion with the Church, the mystical body of Christ, in which they share through their baptism cannot be expressed through a simple blessing given by the priest.

Now, I do not say that any parish or priest should introduce this practice. If, however, it is already a custom in a given parish, refusing to bless the children hardly seems a battle worth fighting. In any case, the parents clearly cannot leave toddlers and infants alone back in the pews, so the children will generally be brought forward in the Communion line when both parents are communicating.

What should be avoided

If a priest does give blessings to children, a few things should be avoided.

First, the priest should not be touching the children with the fingers which he uses to distribute Communion. The danger of the profanation of the Eucharist is far too great. Sacred Particles will surely be dispersed, resulting in sacrilege.

Second, extraordinary ministers ought not to make the sign of the Cross. It would cause great confusion, and they have not the authority. Indeed, they should not give any sort of “blessing”. Perhaps they could say something like, “Receive Jesus in your heart” (as Archbishop Chaput suggests) – personally, I see no easy solution to this aspect of the question.

Third, it seems to me that the situation of a Catholic child (who is too young to receive Communion) should not be lumped in with those who are non-Catholic or who are not disposed to receive Communion on account of mortal sin. The persons in these last groups are not visibly united to the Church through living faith, and so they are quite different from the little ones. Still, again, there is no easy solution to this problem.

Suffer the little children, and forbid them not to come to me

Though I think it is a really low blow to attack Frs. Sticha and Zulhsdorf with Matthew 19:14 (since the question is not whether to bless children, but when), I do think that there is a point to be made here.

Fr. Sticha, in his original post (which has been updated) said: “I despise blessing children” [later, “in the Communion line” was added]. He has stated that he chose this language carefully and purposefully. Fr. Zulhsdorf seems to agree, since he offers a positive comment on these words over on his own blog “WDTPRS?”.

[Update: I contend that Fr. Zulhsdorf has long ago abandoned a dignified and priestly approach to discussing the Sacred Liturgy - ever since he adopted the pro-abortion battle cry "safe, legal, and rare" to describe his views on concelebration (I'm not sure what is supposed to be funny about the legalized murder of unborn children).]

Now, I cannot see how such language is at all helpful in attempting to sort out the very sensitive (and recent) issue of what to do with young children when both parents wish to come forward for Communion.

In truth, I am not convinced that either Fr. Sticha or Fr. Zulhsdorf realize that the whole issue is only one part of the much bigger question of ensuring that, as often as possible, as many people as possible are well disposed and able to receive Communion worthily at Mass.