Komunia Święta wiernych

Abstract

In the history of the Church we can observe manifold changes concerning the Holy Communion of the faithful. The frequency of receiving it, the mode and the time of receiving the Lord’s Body and Blood as well as the Eucharistic fast changed. In the ancient Church the Eucharist was the center of Christian life. Participation in the Eucharist meant at the same time receiving the Lord’s Body and Blood. Cyril of Jerusalem’s testimony has been preserved that explains the meaning of the gestures made when receiving the Holy Communion. In the Middle Ages the Holy Mass is perceived first of all as an offering. Receiving the Holy Communion becomes rare. It is replaced by adoration of the Holy Sacrament. From the 8th century it becomes usual to put the Lord’s Body into a man’s mouth. In the Middle Ages people stopped receiving the Communion in both kinds. There were several reasons: plagues, the danger of spilling, and heresies negating Christ’s real presence under the species of bread and wine. Ultimately the Council of Constance in 1415 made the decision about receiving the Holy Communion under the species of bread only and remarked that the person receives the whole Christ in this way. In the face of the Reformation errors the Council of Trent focused on defense of Christ’s real presence in the Holy Sacrament, and made liturgy absolutely juridical. The II Vatican Council revived both the theological understanding of the Eucharist and a lot of practices connected with the Communion of the faithful that had existed in the Church in its first millennium.