Communion on the Tongue

[laszlo]

There are two issues:

• receiving in tongue is explicit right to any faithful
• receiving kneeling. My opinion is that if there is one kneeler (as in the papal Masses) than people who line up to the kneeler or kneel, those who cand or do not want line up elsewhere. If there are two kneelers next to each other (or altar bars as in our Church) than the priest expect to kneel everyone, and he is the boss in the Church. If there is no kneeler than to kneel easily disturbs others and the flow of the process, so people are expected to receive standing.

The moral is that the Church makes the rules, and we are not supposed to overrule them. We do not know good and evil. (Gen 3:5).

 

[JRKH]

Actually, I have never seen anyone receive kneeling while in the line, as opposed to in the pew. There is one lady who genuflects just before she gets to the priest, but she stands up again to receive COTT.
Doesn’t receiving while still kneeling cause a problem with the priest having to lean down too low for comfort for him?

I have not noticed any particular problem on the priest’s part. After all they did it that way for centuries.
I know that it can catch them “off guard”, but they recover quickly.
Besides, does giving communion to an adult kneeling cause the priest to have to “lean down” any lower than he does to give communion to the smallest second grader??

Peace
James

 

[Pug]

Actually, I have never seen anyone receive kneeling while in the line, as opposed to in the pew. There is one lady who genuflects just before she gets to the priest, but she stands up again to receive COTT.
Doesn’t receiving while still kneeling cause a problem with the priest having to lean down too low for comfort for him?

No, in my opinion. It is easier to give COTT to someone who is on a lower level than to someone who is equal or above you. It is easier to give to a kneeling person or to a person in a hospital bed or who is in a chair. It is not as fast, perhaps.

 

[ConstantineTG]

No, in my opinion. It is easier to give COTT to someone who is on a lower level than to someone who is equal or above you. It is easier to give to a kneeling person or to a person in a hospital bed or who is in a chair. It is not as fast, perhaps.

Yes. In the Byzantine Rite its commong for one to bend their knees a bit to a level thats right for the priest. Of course there’s no kneeling there, but now when I go to Mass I also do the same. COTT is much better than in the past when most of the time I’m bowing down a bit (I’m 6’0")

 

[rben20]

I generally do not watch others. I do like to receive our Lord on the tongue…the tradition of the Church. Communion on the hand is a recent development.

 

[ConstantineTG]

I generally do not watch others. I do like to receive our Lord on the tongue…the tradition of the Church. Communion on the hand is a recent development.

In the Roman Catholic Church of course

 

[veilofveronica]

I agree, it just that i personally has grown a sense that it feels wrong to recieve it standing in the hand, as i feel constantly rude and respectless. But i need some directions so i can do this correctly without making apperance like som mars-a-like creature causing long communion lines…

Dear Padraig,
Please do not at all feel badly! I did not intend to make you feel that way. If you wish to receive kneeling and on the tongue, personally, I think that’s a beautiful way of respecting Our Lord. I saw a lady, just this morning, do this at Mass. She didn’t create a disturbance or a long line up, it was nice to see, actually.

If you feel you need direction and assistance, I would talk to your parish priest. I think he would be delighted to hear from someone in his parish who has such great love and respect for our Lord Jesus in the Eucharist.

God Bless You.

 

[acarlson]

When I was in RCIA, we were taught to receive CITH with our left hand on top. The reason for the specificity is the same reason why we put wedding rings on our left hand: because there is a direct connection to the heart. I found that beautiful, so that’s why I continue CITH. I have tried COTT before and I felt like I was more concerned about opening my mouth wide enough, etc than being aware of receiving Christ. But like many others have said, I never pay attention to others and neither bothers be so long as the person does it reverently.

 

[AndyP2010]

As an EMHC the only problem that I have, with people who receive on the tongue, is that a lot of young people who do it, don’t know the proper way of doing so. They don’t open their mouth all the way, if at all and they don’t stick out their tongue. I have also noticed some people try to catch the host with their teeth. There is a proper way to receive communion whether COTT or CITH and there are a lot of ways to do it wrong.

 

[Ed_Normile]

I believe that if you want to see it done on something of a regular basis, just watch the Mass on EWTN. I don’t watch it often but I seem to recall seeing people kneel to receive several times on there. Granted it is a small service in the Chapel, but…

I have only watched the mass on EWTN four times, but I have yet to see a single person kneel.

I have done it as well but, since I now have to care for my wife who has Alzheimer’s we receive in the pew and yes I do kneel and receive on the tongue. but I know that is not what you are asking about.
When I did kneel, I went down on one knee, received and then rose. As a reasonably healthy, fit person this did not take any time really. It is easily done if, as you approach you pause behind the person receiving and, as they move away, you step forward with your left foot and bending the knee you go down on your right knee. Rising is likwise easily accomplished. I will grant that this is not for those who have trouble getting down and/or up.

Well - Due to my wife’s infirmaty we sit tin the very first pew now and I can tell you that I have seen many collisions and near collisions at communion - And nobody is kneeling to receive…It’s usually just because everybody is in too big of a hurry or not looking. If kneeling is seen as too much of a distraction, how much more so is the free-for-all that constitutes the normal, run of the mill communion distribution at most parishes I’ve seen.

No - I have never seen an EHMC that seemed, or looked, too young. I try not to consider this since The pastor is in charge of these people and I trust the pastor.

Peace
James

Trusting the pastor is a good thing, I was light heartedly making the remark about asking the young looking EMHC’s for id, I even posted the little smiley face icon to try to make that known, all people under about 30 look like kids too me as I am a 50 year old guy!

ed

 

[Reuben_J]

As an EMHC the only problem that I have, with people who receive on the tongue, is that a lot of young people who do it, don’t know the proper way of doing so. They don’t open their mouth all the way, if at all and they don’t stick out their tongue. I have also noticed some people try to catch the host with their teeth. There is a proper way to receive communion whether COTT or CITH and there are a lot of ways to do it wrong.

When we were little kids attending Catechism classes we were taught to receive COTT. We must open our mouth wide (later as I grew up it reminds me of what my dentist would tell me to do, lol), stick our tongues out as far it would go and close our eyes. It would be a sin to chew the hosts with our teeth and that stuck in my mind - I must open my mouth as wide as possible lest the host will not knock against my front teeth.

Later when we are asked to receive the CITH it took a while to discard the old habit and at first it seemed unnatural. I guess this topic does elicit deep emotional response for many people because it deals with an integral part of our worship and I think it’s understandable. I find receiving CITH is no less reverence than COTT. So it’s really a matter of choice but if the Church’s choice is CITH, then CITH it is for me and I’m perfectly at peace with it despite the initial adaptation.

 

[plefe]

I am 50, when I received First Holy Communion as a child it was at a communion rail kneeling down and I was taught that only a priest was able to touch the host, we were even told of a story of a young girl in occupied nazi germany who would go to a cathoic church pillaged by nazi troops and gently take the Eucharist off the floor with her tongue and consume it, this was out of reverance for the Sacrament. Then the change came about where you “could opt” to receive in the hand, I never felt right about it, and gradually it turned to you really had no choice, I can remember approaching priests and trying to recieve on the tongue to have the priest try to thrust it into my hands, or bypass my action by holding it out for me to grab. Eventually I git accustomed to receiving in the hand and lately I have been going back to receiving on the tongue as I feel more comfortable about it, it seems proper too me. It still freaks out most EMHC’s when you stick out your tongue, and even a few priests I have run into to. I now try to receive from the priest, and when I am stuck with the EMHC I take it in my hand and ask God to forgive me as I feel bad about it. Its a shame in my opinion they ever started this, I have seen dozens of times the Eucharist dropped onto the floor, either fumbled by the priest or the recipient, such an outrage must cry out to God. On a side note has anyone seen the prevelance of hand sanitizer on altars or in the immediate area of the altar, if the EMHC’s have such filthy hands why are they allowed to distribute the sacrament?

ed

God bless you. I also was brought up the way you were. I’ve never been willing to receive in the hand. I’ve mentioned thus to Priests over the years, have never been turned away, and see more mistakes in the last 10 years than in my whole life. Alter Boys no longer serving Mass, using pattens to serve communion. EMHC’s (this is wrong) shows how liberal tolerances have been acceptable. This very Sunday, a Priest dropped the Host. Tongue or not, if Alter Boys used the patten again, it would help. Only Priests should handle the Host.

 

[rben20]

In the Roman Catholic Church of course

I’m not aware of communion on the hand being a tradition in the Eastern churches. Is it?

 

[ConstantineTG]

I’m not aware of communion on the hand being a tradition in the Eastern. Is it?

The Assyrian Church of the East/Chaldean Catholic Church has CITH
oltv.tv/id353.html

In fact, part of receiving is the laity would purify their hands in the incense before receiving the Host on their hands. Not shown on that video as the table would be brought out way down the line. I’ve been to one so I know. Although as you can see in the video, some do receive COTT as with the one I’ve been too. But the CITH is not a “Latinization”, they’ve always had it. Otherwise the part of the incense wouldn’t be there because that sure didn’t come from Rome.

Notice too that some would kiss the hand of the priest after they receive. The same reverence is found in the Byzantine Rite where some would kiss the chalice after receiving.

 

[InquisitorMax]

What’s the benefit of us copying the Assyrians? I don’t get the fervour for this practice. I didn’t even know they existed up to recently.

 

[rben20]

No one is arguing that. It’s just an observation.

 

[ConstantineTG]

What’s the benefit of us copying the Assyrians? I don’t get the fervour for this practice. I didn’t even know they existed up to recently.

No one is suggesting that. rben just said that CITH is fairly new and I clarified that its fairly new in the RC, when he asked me to clarify further I pointed to another part of the Church where it has been done for ages. There was no support for or against CITH or reasoning with copying the Assyrians/Chaldeans, just a clarification that its new only to the RC.

 

[Padraig1972]

Well, since my last post i have changed (heart indeed) and tonight (local time) i recieved communion for the first on tongue. It was a good feeling, the next step is to dare kneeling before doing.

Though, i have spoken to the priest about and given me some good instructions. So i`m getting there. It felt good. I also has gone to only prefer recievieng the communion by the priest and no externals (i am not sure what they are called in US english).

So as the days passes by, traditional i do get, yes.

 

[ConstantineTG]

Well, since my last post i have changed (heart indeed) and tonight (local time) i recieved communion for the first on tongue. It was a good feeling, the next step is to dare kneeling before doing.

Though, i have spoken to the priest about and given me some good instructions. So i`m getting there. It felt good. I also has gone to only prefer recievieng the communion by the priest and no externals (i am not sure what they are called in US english).

So as the days passes by, traditional i do get, yes.

As long as you do this for the right reasons by your own free will, then all is good. I find it disturbing that some people would force other people not to receive CITH because of their own personal views. Only the Church herself can prescribe what is acceptable or not.

Anyways, good for you. Congratulations. Don’t rush things, it should all come naturally.

 

[Padraig1972]

As long as you do this for the right reasons by your own free will, then all is good. I find it disturbing that some people would force other people not to receive CITH because of their own personal views. Only the Church herself can prescribe what is acceptable or not.

Anyways, good for you. Congratulations. Don’t rush things, it should all come naturally.

Yes, i realize i might sound like a pharisean in this posting. It felt natural when i recieved like i did tonight and for a while, i constantly have been feeling rude when recieving communion for some reason and watched at last TLM mass how they recieved it (i know that NO masses and TLM are two different things) and thought closesly about it.

Last week after reading here, i asked my priest some, so when i do this it is because i want to honour the Lord and do it as natural as possible.

May i might add that it`s not for me to tell or judge if people prefers to recieve the communion in hand or on tongue. I apologize if my posting gave that impression.

And you are right, i still need some time to progress and it then will be natural and natural things are of course of the good-true heart. I thank you for the gentle advice.