Fanciful Fanaticism -By Rev. Fr. John Oluoma

I was at my wits end by the sheer number of persons that had come and left my office. The hot and humid whether escalated the feud between my want( get away from the energy draining work of seeing all the people) and my obligation( attend to the people). Sometimes you suffer like Job to do your job. I stayed put. The next person entered. She noticed my weariness but defiantly got on with her problem. Gradually my fatigue turned to fascination. I sat up and became more attentive.

She was probably 24, chocolate in complexion, spotting a symetary of height and physique in a delightful proportion(all I’m trying to say is that she was very beautiful 🙄🙄). Short story shorter 😎, she ‘chose’ me to be her spiritual director. The negotiations failed, we had irreconcilable differences. She was a masochist 🙆😲. Yes, she showed me scars of self inflicted injuries in some parts of her body, and a fresh one she felt uncomfortable showing. I tried telling her there’s a difference between mortification and masochism, she refused and insisted that the only way to experience forgiveness of sins is by inflicting pains on her self. My job as her spiritual director was not to change her belief but to help her endure the pains and also teach others to learn it. Now You See why our negotiations failed?

I have had a number of encounters with people of fanatical inclination. They will exasperate you with their irrationality and cognitive dissonance. Tired of trying to figure out how a normal human being will just cling to some crazy ideas, I have given up with a consolatory theory that some people have a genetic propensity to absurdity. I have been having arguments with some people who say that communion in hand is a sacrilege, a desecration of the body of the Lord and those who receive communion thus will go to hell. As far as they are concerned, the only legitimate way to receive holy communion is by tongue, anyone who receives by hand will go to hell for desecration. My problem with them is their insistence on this particular one way.

Fanaticism is always like that: one way only. Doctrinally they are not correct, the church doesn’t teach that. VAT 2 council gave the authority to bishops conferences to decide that matter. If a particular conference adopts it, it’s fine. Many bishops conferences have allowed it, that’s why it’s practiced in many dioceses. Now listen, communion in the palm is just an option like the tongue. No one is forced to receive through just one means. As far as the church is concerned, give to those who want on palms on their palms and those on tongue on their tongues. What the church is against is anyone saying either tongue or palm is right and the other is wrong. Worse still to say that anyone who receives on palm will go to hell, that’s absolutely preposterous. Imagine the argument, that receiving communion at hand is desecration, what is the biological or theological or biblical reason for desecration to happen in hand and not tongue or vice versa of same person? If an individual is not worthy to receive, whether the reception happens by hand or tongue the person is unworthy. Same way, if one is worthy to receive, whether by hand or tongue, it’s same. 1Cor 12 says we are parts of Christ’s body, it’s not only our tongues that belong to Him, our hands too.
It’s okay to hold personal pieties and spiritual idiosyncrasies, but to insist that your preference is the only way, as against official teachings of the church, that’s fanciful fanaticism. If not checked, it will lead to heresy. Receive your communion by tongue if that’s your preference, allow those comfortable enough to receive by hand to do so, stop telling people they will go to hell, you are not the gatekeeper of hell fire.

N. B. I’m aware that coronavirus has made some dioceses put a stop on communion by tongue, while we comply with the directives, I think it is good to review it again. If the risk of transmitting the virus through communion by tongue is negligent, it’s time to allow it.

Also I know some people feel very strongly about this issue, unfortunately I can’t take questions here, I promise we shall revisit these issues again on a live radio program once the wowcatholic platform is upgraded in few days. There you can call and make your contributions and ask questions too.