Are you suppose to look at the priest when receiving communion?

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My parents raised me to always not look at the priest when receiving communion. I found out that this was the original way of doing things before the changes in the 1900s. I know that there was a time even when you couldnt touch the bread and the priest placed it on the tongue.

Do any of you still do this? What are your views upon this? Is this still a thing since I rarely see this happen?
 
Unless you are an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, I don’t see how you could tell where anyone receiving is looking.

I happen to be an EMHC, and I find some people look me in the eye when I say to them “Body of Christ”, or The Blood of Christ". and they respond to me with “Amen”, and then look at the Host or the Cup. Others do not make eye contact, but look at the Host or the Cup (both of which are being held up, but not to eye level).

I was also an altar boy, starting in the 1950’s, and some people looked at the Host, and some had their eyes closed. No one made any response to the priest.

I am not going to argue with your parents, but I can see nothing wrong with looking at the priest or the EMHC, as they are addressing you directly and you are responding to what they say. Nor is there anything wrong with not looking at the individual; but I certainly would not teach someone to not look directly.

In the instructions which the Church provides as to how Communion is distributed, nothing is said as to where the communicant is to look, or not look.

And we do not normally refer to the Host as “bread” once it has been consecrated; St Paul to the contrary.

I teach RCIA, and nothing has ever come up on the matter as to where one is to look; I certainly would not teach that they cannot look, or should not look at the individual they are receiving from; nor that they should look.
 
Bow —> look Priest in the eye → say Amen in response to Body of Christ → Close my eyes → receive on tongue
 
I usually focus on the host, Our Lord is hiding behind the appearance of bread after all. In the past I have received with closed eyes. But that was sometimes awkward. But that is just me. I don’t think I ever heard any directions.
 
Yes, this is what I experience too. I am an EMHC too, and most of the communicants look into my eyes, many of them smile before they receive the hosts. I thought perhaps it is the way I give Communion - I raise the host as if for them to look at it first and for me when I say ‘the Body of Christ’ I mean it is the host in my hand.

I do this because I remember when I received Communion I felt very glad when a priest/EMHC did that. There were others of course who mumbled some words, barely audible, hardly looked at you and with a casual swipe of the hand, gives you the host. I thought, you were giving the Body of the Lord, why it is done so very casually?

God bless.
 
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Call me a stickler for tradition. But I still receive on the tongue. And I always look at the Host even tho we’ve had some priests who were pretty dishy (ie: good looking).
 
With people standing and moving around in the communion lines, keep an eye on everyone- you don’t want to trip over someone.

The person ahead of you might decide to kneel or turn in an unexpected direction.
 
I wasn’t taught to do it that way but I started a while ago. There’s still some hesitation from the EMHCs when I stick out my tongue, and I don’t think that it’s been taught at my parish for years.
 
I’ve only received from an EMHC once when our priest was recovering from a heart attack. And I felt funny doing it because I was taught that only the priest is to touch the Host.
 
There’s too many people at my parish to not have EMHCs help with the sacrament. We’d be there for hours, especially because we have three priests that cover 4-5 parishes in our area. There’s only one per mass.
 
Our Church has an altar rail - the priest instructed the congregation to not respond when he says, " Corpus Christi" but to stick out the tongue and receive the Body of Christ.
 
We had an associate who, during a homily about receiving, said, “Don’t look at me. It freaks me out.”
 
a2sciteach1 said:
Our Church has an altar rail - the priest instructed the congregation to not respond when he says, " Corpus Christi" but to stick out the tongue and receive the Body of Christ.
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Interesting. Saying Amen when presented the Body of Christ is an affirmation of what the Holy Father has called the “source and summit” of our Catholic faith. It is a public (although usually very quiet) statement of our belief in the Eucharist as it is believed by Rome. I also think it is something that needs to emphasized as to why non RCC’s (orthodox excepted) should not receive communion. Someone from a denomination that does not believe in the Real Presence who attempts communion and says “Amen” when presented the host is committing false witness before the RCC congregation. I think that is one of the ten big no-no’s from Sinai.
My two cents.
 
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