{"id":30155,"date":"2015-05-18T12:35:40","date_gmt":"2015-05-18T17:35:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/?p=30155"},"modified":"2015-05-19T09:04:12","modified_gmt":"2015-05-19T14:04:12","slug":"5-quick-pastoral-reasons-why-we-should-restore-infant-communion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2015\/05\/18\/5-quick-pastoral-reasons-why-we-should-restore-infant-communion\/","title":{"rendered":"5 quick pastoral reasons why we should restore infant communion"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many dioceses are currently adopting or considering the \u201crestored order\u201d of initiation, which means baptism is followed by confirmation before the Eucharist. This order serves as a reminder of the natural connection between baptism and confirmation, and also promotes the Eucharist to the consummation of initiation, where it should be. I commend these bishops, diocesan staff, and the many parents who are thus engaged in theologies and practices of initiation that don\u2019t match their own experience. Nevertheless, I think we should, as a church, consider going further.<\/p>\n

\"Hildegard,
Hildegard, deep in contemplation of the Abbey Church after her baptism.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Here are five quick pastoral reasons why we should consider communing infants right after their baptism at least in many cases (more on this “many cases” in a later post):<\/p>\n

1. They\u2019re more able to recognize the real presence than their parents. Since young children haven\u2019t demythologized their world, they are still much more sensitive to the awe-inspiring presence of God in the Eucharist and elsewhere. It\u2019s those of us that have reached the age of reason, and thus need to be able to explain it to ourselves, that find this faith difficult to maintain. As one of my undergraduates wisely said last semester, \u201cYou really need a first naivete to be able to attain a second naivete.\u201d<\/p>\n

2. An \u201cage of reason\u201d theology of communion greatly impedes our ministry to the developmentally disabled as well as to young children and their families. And the church did ministry without it for centuries, so we probably don\u2019t need it that badly.<\/p>\n

3. The \u201cage of reason\u201d theology also misleads people into believing that the Eucharist is the reward for a proper amount of knowledge and piety, rather than the absolutely free gift of God\u2019s grace that elicits our response of ecstatic thanksgiving.<\/p>\n

4. By giving communion to the newly baptized, we would be standing ecumenically not only with the Eastern Orthodox churches, but also with many of our Eastern Catholic brothers and sisters. At the same time, putting the priority on God\u2019s grace rather than our preparation is a theological solidarity with Protestant sensibilities.<\/p>\n

5. Then Catholics wouldn\u2019t think that \u201cFirst Communion\u201d was one of the seven sacraments, instead of the Eucharist.<\/p>\n

Intrigued? Angry? This is the first post in a series dealing with the question of infant communion. Come back for a series of discussions on the topic, including further exploration of the history, anthropology, theology, and practical feasibility of infant communion. Read part 2, on sacramental reflection and formation, here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many dioceses are currently adopting or considering the \u201crestored order\u201d of initiation, which means baptism is followed by confirmation before the Eucharist. This order serves as a reminder of the natural connection between baptism and confirmation, and also promotes the Eucharist to the consummation of initiation, where it should be. I commend these bishops, diocesan […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[255,19,15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-children","category-mass","category-initiation-rcia"],"yoast_head":"\n5 quick pastoral reasons why we should restore infant communion - Home<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2015\/05\/18\/5-quick-pastoral-reasons-why-we-should-restore-infant-communion\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"5 quick pastoral reasons why we should restore infant communion - Home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Many dioceses are currently adopting or considering the \u201crestored order\u201d of initiation, which means baptism is followed by confirmation before the Eucharist. 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