“Perhaps some parishes will offer the chalice less frequently, perhaps some will offer it more.”
The Diocese of Phoenix is anticipating a decree from Bishop Olmsted clarifying the additional circumstances for communion under both kinds not listed in the General Instruction, he added.
Fr. Muir acknowledged that the practice of receiving communion under both species has become common in many parts of the United States.
“Explaining this change will require a lot of patience and charity,” he said.
He explained that some Catholics may “believe that reception from the chalice is necessary for true Holy Communion with our Eucharistic Lord,” while others “have simply grown accustomed to both species at every single Mass.”
In some instances, he observed, others “may have unfortunately burdened Communion under both kinds with ideological, political, or other agenda.”
But anyone who thinks that communion under both forms “was an attempt to share ‘power’ between clergy and lay faithful” is simply looking at the change through “the wrong lens,” he said.
“The central dogmatic point is that the faithful receive Christ whole and entire under only one species of Holy Communion,” he said, explaining that both the reception of communion under one species and under two species can be opportunities for understanding the Eucharist.
“One form reminds us of the one Christ received, whole and entire,” he said. “But reception of both species, at the proper times and circumstances, manifests the great reality received under one or both forms: Christ's body, blood, soul, and divinity, and all this in the context of a heavenly wedding feast.”
Fr. Muir also addressed the issue of parishes that violate liturgical norms.
“It is important to know exactly what both universal and diocesan norms are,” he said. Because bishops may determine norms for the distribution of Communion under both kinds in their diocese, the norms may differ among dioceses throughout the country.
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“If however, there is a serious violation happening, the principal of subsidiarity is a practical help,” he said.
If a parishioner finds that his parish priest is consistently violating Church law, Fr. Muir said, he should speak privately to the priest. If the grievance is not addressed, he can then turn to the pastor, the dean, the diocesan office of worship, and finally to the local bishop.
In dealing with such violations, Fr. Muir emphasized the need to act “with charity and patience.”
“We must always act with great respect and love for both our sacred rites and for our sacred pastors,” he said.
Michelle La Rosa is deputy editor-in-chief of Catholic News Agency. She has worked for CNA since 2011. She studied political philosophy and journalism at the University of Dallas.