Infant communion
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Infant communion refers to the practice of giving the
Theology
Support for infant communion is drawn from several gospel verses, including Matthew 19:14 and Mark 10:14. Among the Church Fathers, Cyprian, Augustine, and Leo the Great explicitly favored infant communion.[1]
History
In the
With no practical difficulties or theological qualms with giving communion to young children, this practice continues in the Eastern Orthodox Church to this day.
Catholicism
The practice of allowing young children to receive communion has fallen into disfavor in the Latin-Rite of the Catholic Church. Latin-Rite Catholics generally refrain from infant communion and instead have a special ceremony when the child receives his or her
The administration of the Most Holy Eucharist to children requires that they have sufficient knowledge and careful preparation so that they understand the mystery of Christ according to their capacity and are able to receive the body of Christ with faith and devotion.
— Canon 913
The reason given for the non-necessity of infant communion was articulated by the Council of Trent:
The same holy council teaches that little children who have not attained the use of reason are not by any necessity bound to the sacramental communion of the Eucharist; for having been regenerated by the laver of baptism and thereby incorporated with Christ, they cannot at that age lose the grace of the sons of God already acquired. Antiquity is not therefore to be condemned, however, if in some places it at one time observed that custom. For just as those most holy Fathers had acceptable ground for what they did under the circumstances, so it is certainly to be accepted without controversy that they regarded it as not necessary to salvation.
— Council of Trent, Sess. XXI, chap. iv
Thus, the Council declared:
If anyone says that communion of the Eucharist is necessary for little children before they have attained the years of discretion, let him be anathema.
— Council of Trent, Sess. XXI, can. iv
Formerly, the
This has led some of these Churches to restore the ancient practice of permitting infant communion.
The Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches (followed by the Eastern Catholic Churches) permits infant communion:
With respect to the participation of infants in the Divine Eucharist after baptism and chrismation with holy myron, the prescriptions of the liturgical books of each Church sui iuris are to be observed with the suitable due precautions
— Canon 710
Eastern Orthodoxy
In the Orthodox Church, any person of any age receives communion as soon as possible after baptism and chrismation, usually at the next Divine Liturgy. Young children are not usually required to fast or go to confession before communion until they are old enough to be aware of their sins, usually eight to nine years old.
In the Orthodox practice, the
Lutheranism
The examples and perspective in this section deal primarily with the United States and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. (March 2015) |
Infant communion is not the norm in the
The Evangelical Catholic Church, a now defunct denomination whose theology was partially based on Lutheranism (although also with some influence from Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy), differed from most Lutherans in embracing the practice of infant communion.[4]
Martin Luther's Table Talk recorded his thoughts on the subject:
It was asked, did the Hussites well in administering the sacrament to young children, on the allegation that the graces of God apply equally to all human creatures? Dr. Luther replied: they were undoubtedly wrong, since young children need not the communion for their salvation; but still the innovation could not be regarded as a sin of the Hussites, since St Cyprian, long ago, set them the example.[5]
Anglicanism
Practice varies widely throughout the
Other denominations
Many
Denominations which practice closed communion generally deny the Eucharist to those not members of their congregation or denomination, regardless of age.
In churches where membership is often not permitted until the teenage years (for example, the Amish), infant communion is very rare.
In recent years, the Eastern practice of paedocommunion has gained considerable attention in the West, including among some conservative Protestants.
Notable conservative Protestants in favor of the practice are
.The Federation of Reformed Churches practices paedocommunion in all its churches as do some congregations within the
See also
Notes
- ^ Father's quotations, Paedocommunion.
- PDF) on 2010-01-11, retrieved 2010-01-05.
- ^ "At what age do ELCA congregations allow members their first Communion?", Growing in faith (frequently asked questions), retrieved 2010-01-05.
- ^ A Brief Study of the Lutheran Churches in America (PDF) (Bible class), Church of the Lutheran Confession, archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-11-21, retrieved 2010-12-23.
- ^ Luther, Martin, "CCCXLVII", Table Talk, The Christian classics ethereal library.
- ^ "Church of England Canon B15A". Church of England.
- ^ "Church of England Canon B15A". Church of England.
References
- Strawbridge, Gregg. (ed.) The Case for Covenant Communion (2006) ISBN 0-9753914-3-7
- Lusk, Rich. "Paedofaith: A Primer on the Mystery of Infant Salvation" (2005) ISBN 0-9753914-2-9
- Armentrout, Don S.; Slocum, Robert Boak. (eds.) An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, A User Friendly Reference for Episcopalians (2005) ISBN 0-89869-211-3
External links
- Quotations by Church Fathers
- Catholic Encyclopedia: Communion of Children
- Quam singulari
- Catholic Encyclopedia: Frequent Communion
- Catholic Encyclopedia: Communion under Both Kinds
- Code of Canon Law (Roman Rite), from the Vatican
- Code of Canons of the Oriental Churches (Eastern Catholic Churches), from the IntraText Digital Library
- Proposed Presbytery In thesi Statement on Paedo-communion
- PCA (Presbyterian Church in America) Report on Paedocommunion (1988)
- OPC (Orthodox Presbyterian Church) Report of the Committee on Paedocommunion (1987)
- Administration of the Sacraments – Statement issued by the Church of Scotland.
- List of Denominations allowing Infant Communion
- Orientalium Ecclesiarum, from the Vatican