Topic:  Origin of the Communion Rite

Source of this posting: Moderator response

Date originally posted: June 12, 2005

Moderator who originally posted this source: Kathy Martyn

Question: I would appreciate information about the development of the Roman Catholic's Church's Communion Rite. Specifically I am interested in when the communal response Lord, I am not worthy . . . clause was first introduced (i.e.,by what council, or other) and is this phrase also used by our Eastern RiteChurches?

Answer: 

Hi and thank you for your question!

"The words come from the prayer of the Roman centurion, and are said at Mass before receiving Communion. The full prayer is "Dómine, non sum dignus ut intres sub tectum meum, sed tantum dic verbo, et sanábitur ánima mea." (Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst enter under my roof, but only say the word, and my soul shall be healed."). See Matthew 8:8 and Luke 7:6. "

Domine, Non Sum Dignus.

"LORD, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst enter under my roof, but only speak with a word, and my soul will be healed." Words used by the priest before communicating, and again before giving communion to the people. The custom of employing this prayer before communion is alluded to by Origen and Chrysostom. It is adapted from the prayer of the centurion in Matt. viii. 8.

Pope St. Pius V codified and promulgated what is known today as the Tridentine Mass. When he published it, he also stated that any rite which had been in use for two hundred years or more could licitly continue to be celebrated. Some of these rites are still in use today such as the Ambrosian Rite in Milan, Italy, and the Mozarabic Rite of Toledo, Spain.

Originally the priest bowed after each consecration; genuflection scarcely appeared before the fifteenth century. However, Pope St. Pius V made this genuflection obligatory, which still remains in force today, in all Eucharistic liturgies of the Latin Rite, with no exceptions, except for physical inability to genuflect!

The prayers in the Tridentine Mass were originally recited only by the priest and altar servers. Gradual changes over the years, especially during the reign of Pope Pius XII, included certain responses to be made by the people as well. In a sung Mass they could join the choir in the singing of the Kyrie (Lord have mercy), Gloria (Glory to God...), Credo (Creed), Sanctus (Holy, Holy, Holy), and the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God...), as well as saying aloud the "Lord I am not worthy... (Domine, non sum dignus...)." The people would also respond "and with your spirit (Et cum spiritu tuo)" to the "The Lord be with you (Dominus vobiscum)" by the priest. They were instructed to recite the other prayers in silence, with the priest.

Four hundred years after the Council of Trent decreed on December 4, 1563 that the Liturgy for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in Latin would be said "in perpetuity" a New Mass was instituted, called the Novus Ordo. This and subsequent changes that went into effect, in effect went against what Pope Saint Pius V perpetuated in his papal encyclical "Quo Primum" on July 14, 1570 in which the holy Pontiff published the final findings of an exhaustive study of archives of the Church assigned by the Tridentine Fathers of the Council in providing and "Preserving incorrupt the public worship of the Church" and "relating to the said sacred rites, thus restored the Missal itself to the pristine form and rite of the holy Fathers."

The most perplexing question in the whole aftermath of Vatican II has to be the validity of Pius V's encyclical for according to his words, and he is a saint and spoke these words as the holy pontiff at the time, that "in order that all everywhere may adopt and observe what has been delivered to them by the Holy Roman Church, Mother and Mistress of the other churches, it shall be unlawful henceforth and forever throughout the Christian world to sing or to read Masses according to any formula other than that of this Missal published by Us." Note, the Pope said" forever! That didn't mean until a Council decides something better comes along. Forever means just that, especially when it comes from the Vicar of Christ who is the living representative of the Alpha and Omega Himself - Jesus Christ. Confused? We have to admit we are, too. Numerous times in St. Pius V's landmark encyclical he used the word "to be said in perpetuity" which only reconfirms the "forever" aspect.

We have to admit even more consternation when we see the shifting of the liturgy to the Protestant flavor. This is especially true of the Lord's Prayer. In the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy that Pope Paul VI promulgated on December 4, 1963 the Novus Ordo released was merely a direct translation of the Latin Mass approved in "perpetuity" by St. Pius V. Pope Paul VI's approval was not a change from Pius' directive but merely a translation into the vernacular of the Mass approved by Trent. Yet it all went downhill from there. As an example, the Our Father in the Novus Ordo was not changed a bit. It ended with the priest breaking the Bread at the Libera Nos after the people finished "...but deliver us from evil." Nowhere, we repeat, nowhere was there the Protestant-created refrain "For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are Yours, now and forever." That was another invention of ICEL as was the change of the Domine, non sum dignus which is taken from the prayer of the centurion in Matthew 8: 8, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. Say but the word and my soul shall be healed." Somewhere along the way "anima mea" - "my soul" was eliminated as was roof, and shortened to "Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed." Not only that, but we only say it once whereas in the original Novus Ordo it was intended to be said three times as is the Agnus Dei. Speaking of the Agnus Dei, some of the faithful have been taught to say "Who takes away the sin of the world." Wrong. It is and always will be be peccata mundi translated to mean "sins of the world."