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Q: Is it ever
permissible to reserve the Precious Blood, for example, on Holy Thursday for
distribution of Communion on Good Friday? If so, under what circumstances; if
not, why not? I am unable to find any documentation in either canonical or
liturgical law which would prohibit reservation of the Precious Blood. But I
fall on the side of those who believe it is not permitted. -- J.K., Wilmington,
Delaware
A: You are quite correct in assuming that the Precious Blood may not be
reserved. There are several documents that show this.
First of all, Pope John Paul II's 1980 letter "Inestimabile Donum" makes this
prohibition clear in No. 14:
"On the other hand, the consecrated wine is to be consumed immediately after
Communion and may not be kept. Care must be taken to consecrate only the amount
of wine needed for Communion."
There are also many other documents that state this point indirectly when they
remind the priest to consume the Precious Blood after Communion. For example,
"Redemptionis Sacramentum," No. 107, says:
"Furthermore all will remember that once the distribution of Holy Communion
during the celebration of Mass has been completed, the prescriptions of the
Roman Missal are to be observed [See GIRM 163, 249, 279, 284, 285a], and in
particular, whatever may remain of the Blood of Christ must be entirely and
immediately consumed by the Priest or by another minister, according to the
norms, while the consecrated hosts that are left are to be consumed by the
Priest at the altar or carried to the place for the reservation of the
Eucharist."
A brief exception to this norm is, as indicated in Canon 925 and the Rites of
Anointing and Viaticum, when Communion must be brought to the sick who are
medically unable to consume under the form of bread. In the 1960s the Holy
Office even granted permission to take the Precious Blood through a stomach
tube.
In such cases it is preferable that the priest celebrate the Eucharist in the
home or hospital of the sick person and bring the Precious Blood immediately.
But if this is not possible he may bring it in a sealed vessel and pour it into
a chalice for administration.
The reasons why the Church has never reserved the Precious Blood probably stem
from a sense of respect for the Eucharistic Species and from practical
consideration.
Since the species of wine can easily become corrupt, especially in hot climates,
it would be disrespectful to risk having this happen. It is also more difficult
to conserve in sufficient quantities, to transport and to administer.
It could be argued that custom plays a role and since, until recently, only the
priest would receive under both kinds when he celebrated it was never necessary
to reserve the Precious Blood. However, even those Eastern rites that have never
abandoned the custom of Communion under both kinds do not generally reserve the
Precious Blood.
Also, some of these rites do not celebrate daily Mass during Lent, and on Lenten
Wednesdays and Fridays they celebrate a Communion rite with the "pre-sanctified"
hosts from the previous Sunday. Although some of the prayers from this rite
suggest that the chalice was once reserved along with the hosts, this has not
been the case for many centuries.
There are still some traces of this practice of a-liturgical days in the West.
The venerable Ambrosian rite of Milan in Italy neither celebrates Mass nor
distributes Communion on Fridays of Lent.
Likewise we can easily forget that it was not until Pope Pius XII reformed the
rites of Holy Week that Communion was distributed on Good Friday in the Roman
rite.
Thus, from a canonical, historical and practical perspective, it is not correct
to reserve the Precious Blood.
Answered by Father Edward McNamara