Article — Gury-Ballerini, Compendium of Moral Theology (8th ed., 1884)
Article V. On the Manner of Preserving the Holy Eucharist
- These Things Must Be Held. - I. In any parish and cathedral Church the Holy Eucharist must be kept, so that it can always be given to those asking opportunely. Thus expressly the Roman Ritual, etc. For by common right it can be preserved in Churches of Regulars emitting solemn vows. But in other Churches it cannot be preserved without the special license of the Pope. Thus the Sacred Congregations of the Council and of Bishops established, cited in Ferraris, word Eucharist, art. 1, n. 46.
II. The Eucharist is to be preserved in a clean tabernacle, well closed, and in a becoming pyx placed upon a corporal and covered with a white veil. Now the tabernacle in which the Most Holy Sacrament is kept must be covered with a conopaeum of silken cloth, or of wool or cotton. - Roman Ritual. - Sacred Congregation of Rites, July 21, 1855.
III. Nowhere is the Holy Eucharist to be preserved without a light, which must always burn. For thus it is established in the Roman Ritual: Several lamps before it (the tabernacle), or at least one, should perpetually shine day and night. Thus also it was defined through Decrees of the Sacred Congregation, which will that if the Church is too poor, a collector of alms be appointed, that sufficient oil may be had. - See Ferraris, word Eucharist, art. 1, n. 45.
- Questions. - QUESTION 1. Whether other sacred things can be placed in the tabernacle?
Resp. No. This is clear from the Roman Ritual on the Eucharist. Hence neither Relics, nor Chrism, nor the Oil of the sick can be placed in it.
QUESTION 2. Whether the ciborium must be consecrated and silver?
Resp. to the first: It need not necessarily be consecrated, but it suffices that it be blessed. This is clear from the Roman Ritual, in which the blessing of the pyx is noted among those things which do not need anointing with Chrism. Likewise from the Roman Pontifical. - See St. Ligorius, n. 248, and below, n. 396.
Resp. to the second: Nothing is established by common law. And indeed it would seem to be equated with the chalice and paten, which ought to be of gold or silver, or at least of tin, if the Church is very poor. But it cannot be of bronze, nor of wood or glass, etc. (De Consecr., dist. 1, c. 45). Besides, if sacred vessels are not of gold, they ought to be gilded within.
QUESTION 3. Whether he sins gravely who neglects to preserve a light before the Most Holy Sacrament?
Resp. The answer is affirmative per se, if the time is notable. - Thus commonly the Theologians with St. Ligorius, n. 248. Indeed several authors say that the time is notable if this is done for a whole day. - Thus Busembaum, whose words St. Ligorius reports and implicitly approves, ibid.
- QUESTION 4. Whether olive oil is required for nourishing the lamp of the Church, or whether another oil from vegetables, for example from nuts, or from minerals, as petroleum, suffices?
Resp. Generally olive oil is to be used; but where it cannot be had, another oil from vegetables, as far as circumstances allow, can be permitted by the Bishop. This is clear from a recent decision of the Sacred Congregation of Rites, which is of this sort.
Certain Most Reverend Prelates of the Gauls, seriously weighing that in many Churches of their dioceses olive oil for nourishing at least one lamp day and night before the Sacrament of the Most Holy Eucharist can be procured with very great difficulty and only at great expense, asked that it be declared by the Apostolic See whether in the case, with attention to the difficulties and the poverty of the Churches, other oils which are had from vegetables can be substituted for olive oil, petroleum itself not excluded. Now the Sacred Congregation of Rites, although always solicitous that even in this part what has been introduced from the beginnings of the Church concerning the use of oil from olives be retained, on account of mystical significations, nevertheless judged that the reasons brought forward by the same Bishops should by no means be passed over in silence; and therefore, the vote of another of the Masters of Apostolic Ceremonies having first been sought, the undersigned Cardinal Prefect of the same Sacred Congregation proposed the whole matter in the ordinary Assembly held at the Vatican on this day. But the Most Eminent and Most Reverend Fathers set over the protection of the sacred Rites, after all things had been accurately weighed and most diligently examined, judged that response should be made: Generally olive oil is to be used; but where it cannot be had, it is to be remitted to the prudence of the Bishops that the lamps be nourished from other oils, as far as can be done vegetable oils. July 9, 1864.
Afterwards, a faithful report concerning the premises having been made to Our Most Holy Lord Pope Pius IX by me, the undersigned Secretary, His Holiness held as ratified and confirmed the opinion of the Sacred Congregation. On the 14th of the same month and year.
From this response of the Sacred Congregation it also follows that petroleum is not excluded, and in urgent necessity can be permitted by the Bishop.
- QUESTION 5. What must be done concerning fragments of Hosts which are found?
Resp. 1. If the Priest finds fragments of his present Sacrifice, he must consume them, even after the ablutions, whether they are small or large, because they pertain to the same sacrifice. Thus from the Rubric of the Missal, tit. 7, n. 2. - But this must be observed not only immediately after Mass, but also if the Priest is in the sacristy, yet still clothed in sacred vestments. - Thus commonly St. Ligorius, n. 251, after Benedict XIV, On the Sacrifice of the Mass.
But if the Priest has already put off the sacred vestments, he must place the fragments in the tabernacle, if there is one, or reserve them for another Priest about to celebrate that same morning. If neither can be done, let him consume them himself. - St. Ligorius, ibid.
Resp. 2. But if the remains were consecrated in another Mass, they are not to be consumed after the ablutions, but must be placed in a becoming place. The reason is that the Rubric permits a Priest not fasting to consume only those remains which pertain to the same sacrifice. Yet if this cannot be done, and there is grave danger of irreverence, then let the Priest consume them. - Thus commonly. - St. Ligorius, ibid.
Resp. 3. If a layman finds fragments, let him warn a Priest as soon as possible, if one is near, or call him if he can be found. But the Priest, reverently collecting the fragment, will place it in the ciborium, or in a becoming and safe place if the tabernacle is lacking, so that it can be consumed in the next Mass. But if a Priest cannot be had, let the fragment be reverently collected by the layman himself in paper or a clean linen cloth, by means of a little thorn, and let it be placed within the corporal or in a becoming vessel until the Priest arrives.
- QUESTION 6. What must be done if there is found on the altar, or elsewhere, a Host certainly or doubtfully consecrated?
Resp. 1. If the Host is believed certainly consecrated, and from another source seems clean and recently consecrated, it is to be placed with the others in the ciborium. It can also be consumed by the celebrant before the ablutions. But if it is not clean, or if it has been extracted from a place not clean, or is not recently consecrated, it is not to be mixed with the others, but the celebrant will be able to consume it before the ablution; but if he experiences too great repugnance, he will place the Host separately in the tabernacle in a clean vessel until it is corrupted, and when corrupted it is to be thrown into the sacrarium. Thus from the Rubric of the Missal, tit. VII, On Defects.
Resp. 2. If it is doubtfully consecrated, it is to be consumed by the Priest in Mass before the ablutions; but if it provokes in him too great nausea, it is to be placed separately in the tabernacle until it has been corrupted, as was just said. - Thus the Rubric of the Missal 1.
1 To these last words of Gury the VV. oppose (p. 932) that which St. Alphonsus (lib. 6, n. 217) discusses on the occasion of hosts which are doubtfully consecrated. Tournely, that is, Collet, says, says the St. Doctor, that in practice those particles are to be consumed after the Blood; and I add, after the ablution, but before the purification, because the remains of the Blood are certainly the Sacrament; but those hosts... are doubtful.
Resp. When Gury says, before the ablutions, he certainly seems to have wished to denote both the purification and the ablution, which St. Alphonsus better distinguishes; although in the words of St. Alphonsus perhaps there occurs that which we are accustomed to call hysteron proteron; for first the Priest purifies himself, and then washes his fingers according to the rubric, which says, n. X: Upon the altar he extends the chalice to the minister at the Epistle corner, and while he pours wine, HE PURIFIES HIMSELF; then with wine and water HE WASHES his thumbs and index fingers over the chalice, etc. Wherefore we shall say that the Holy Doctor wished rather to say: and I add, after the purification, but before the ablution; but by no means after the ablution, but before the purification.
Moreover, the Rubrics seem to favor Gury's opinion rather than that of St. Alphonsus. For where they treat (On Defects, sec. III, n. 4, 5) of a priest who has consecrated a host either corrupted or not of wheat, they prescribe that if he has not consumed that former one (namely, corrupted or not of wheat), he should consume it after the reception of the Body and Blood. But nowhere in the Rubrics is it found that under the name of reception of the Body and Blood the purification also is comprehended.
QUESTION 7. What is to be done if the sick person has rejected the sacred species?
Resp. 1. If they are apparent, they must be carefully collected in a clean vessel, carried to the Church, and preserved in a safe and well-closed place until they are altogether corrupted, so that they can be cast into the sacrarium without irreverence.
Resp. 2. If they cannot be discerned, as being altogether mixed with filth, the mouth of the sick person is indeed to be wiped; but whatever has been rejected is to be collected with tow; then, the tow having been burned, the ashes are to be cast into the sacrarium. - Reuter, n. 169. Gousset, n. 232.
- QUESTION 8. Whether, or when, the ciborium is to be renewed?
Resp. 1. The ciborium certainly must sometimes be renewed, lest the consecrated species be corrupted. Indeed it must be renewed frequently, as the Roman Ritual prescribes.
Resp. 2. According to Benedict XIV the consecrated particles are to be renewed every eight days, or at least every fifteen days (On the Sacrifice of the Mass, appendix 3, sec. 6, n. 5). And this is the more common practice, although the Ceremonial of Bishops prescribes that the renewal of particles is to be made every eighth day.
- QUESTION 9. How is the ciborium to be renewed?
Resp. The renewal of the ciborium is to be made in the very Sacrifice of the Mass. The celebrant, after having consumed the most precious Blood, will consume the old Hosts, although they are many; and he can consume 20 or 30 Hosts in this way, according to Elbel, n. 77; indeed 50 or 60, according to Lacroix, n. 501. But it will rarely happen that there are more, because there should not be consecrated except as much as seems likely to be sufficient. But if at some time a much greater quantity of Hosts had to be consumed, the Priest can consume them divided among several Masses, or even several Priests celebrating successively can consume them.
But the smaller particles found in the ciborium the Priest will put into the chalice, and, wine having been poured over them, he will consume them, and he will place the new Hosts in the ciborium altogether empty. He can also pour wine into the ciborium in order to collect the smallest particles. Yet the wine is not to be drunk from the ciborium, but is to be poured back into the chalice. - Lacroix, n. 502. If the Priest through inadvertence had first taken the ablution, he could still purify the ciborium and consume the remains, because for the reception it is morally reckoned as one. - Thus Lacroix, n. 502. - Elbel, n. 77. - Tamburini, On Communion, c. 2, n. 34.
The particles to be consecrated ought to be fresh. It would be desirable that they not exceed fifteen days, or at most a month, from the time in which they were made. The negligence of Parish Priests and of others in this matter can constitute a grave sin. - Gardellini. - The custom of consecrating Hosts made three or six months earlier is an enormous abuse, altogether to be removed. But if the Parish Priest, his Vicars, or other Priests seem to tolerate an abuse of this kind, they cannot use those Hosts. - Sacred Congregation of Rites, December 16, 1826.