If the Church has custody over sacramental practice, such as the requirements for receiving any given sacrament, then surely she would have the authority to make changes like that. And no, I don't think that *necessarily* plays into sacramental reductionism because it does not follow that those who give communion under one kind or only t…
If the Church has custody over sacramental practice, such as the requirements for receiving any given sacrament, then surely she would have the authority to make changes like that. And no, I don't think that *necessarily* plays into sacramental reductionism because it does not follow that those who give communion under one kind or only to older children *must also* despise their liturgical heritage. In point of fact, we see the opposite: everyone in the West adheres to the traditional Latin rites and uses until the 20th century. Aquinas, by the way, is only teaching on this point something that can be found in Eastern theologians too, even if they don't draw the same conclusion about praxis.
If the Church has custody over sacramental practice, such as the requirements for receiving any given sacrament, then surely she would have the authority to make changes like that. And no, I don't think that *necessarily* plays into sacramental reductionism because it does not follow that those who give communion under one kind or only to older children *must also* despise their liturgical heritage. In point of fact, we see the opposite: everyone in the West adheres to the traditional Latin rites and uses until the 20th century. Aquinas, by the way, is only teaching on this point something that can be found in Eastern theologians too, even if they don't draw the same conclusion about praxis.