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for Holy Eucharist have neither wisely nor rightly detined the required age. The Lateran Council requires one and the same age for both sacraments, since it imposes a joint obliation of Penance and Communion, Therefore, since the age of discretion required for Penance is that, at which right ean he distinguished from wrong, namely when one comes to the use of reason ; so also for Communion that age is required, which can distinguish the Eucharistic bread from the common, which in turn is the age at which à child attains the use of reason.

Nor did the principal interpreters of the Lateran Council

and those who lived at that time think differently. From the

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history of the Church it is evident that many svnoids and episcopal decrees, beginning with the 12th century, shortly

after the Lateran Council, admitted children of 7 vears of age

to Holy Communion. There is moreover à testimony of the

greatest authority, St Thomas Aauinas, which reads : : \hien

children begin to have some use of reason so that ther can

conceive some devotion towards the sacrament (Eucharist),

then this sacrament can be siven to them ”. The same is ex-

plained by Ledesma as follows : I say with the consent of

all, that Holy Eucharist should be given to all having the nse

of reason, no matter how soon they may aequire the sime.

even though the child should have but a confused idea of

what it is doing ”. Vasquez explains the same passage mn the

following words : “ As soon as à child attains the use of rea-

son, it is obliged by divine law so that not even the chureh

can dispense it from the same ”. The same is taught L 1 Nt

Antoninus, writing : “ But when a child is capable of rong

doing, that is, of committing mortal sin then lie is su! ct to

detined nd the oblivaace of can be the use , Which

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the precept of confession and Consequentiy Communion ” (5). The Council of Trent also forces us to the same conclusion. For whilst it declares that infants, lacking the use of reason are not obliged to receive Holy Communion ” itassigns as the only reason, because they cannot commit sin : “ Since ”, it says, * at that age they cannot lose the acquired grace of the children of God ” (6). From which it js evident that the Council believed the children obliged to receive Communion 8s Soon as they could lose grace by sin. The words of the Roman Council, held under Benedict CIE agree With this, teaching that the obligation of receiving Holy Eucharist begins “ after the boys and girls have come to the use of reason, to that age, namely, iu which they are capable of distinguishing this sacramental food, which is no other than the true body of Jesus Christ, from Common and profane bread. and know how to 8pproach the same with the proper devotion and religion ” (7) The Roman Catechism, however,

Ms: “ At what age Holy Communion should be given to

children, no one can judge better than the fathet or the priest

to whom they confess their sins. For theirs is the duty to find oùt and to inquire of the children if they have acquired some knowledge of this admirable Sacrament and a taste for the

same ?

Fron all this it follows that the age of discretion required

for Hôly Communion is that at which the child can distin-

I, tit, XIV, c, 2, p. 5.