Communion on tongue gesture?

[ccmcmg]

I keep my hands together in prayer mode, as shown in the above picture, and will sometimes have the Rosary interlaced with my fingers.

Recently, a very good priest instructed us to close our eyes and open our mouths to receive, so as not to try to guide the Eucharist to our mouths; to receive with trust and like children. I bow, approach, say Amen, and close eyes/open mouth.

 

[ProVobis]

I have made some observations over the years of doing this. For the most part, it doesn’t seem to matter what you do with your hands so long as you don’t hold them out to receive. The priest/deacon/EMHC will generally get the idea. Sometimes they look down, see your hands, and immediately look up - it seems natural for them. At some parishes, especially ones with a generally older congregation and/or priest, it actually seems that receiving on the tongue is the norm.

If the ciborium and Host is held at eye level by the priest or deacon, it seems the presumption is communion on the tongue. If one wants in the hands, he or she would allow some space to raise their hands. At one church I frequent the servers use patens and this seems to encourage tongue receptions.

 

[DarkLight]

For those new to receiving on the tongue, I would also advise receiving from a priest or deacon. On the tongue is both slightly trickier to administer and less common, so there’s less likely to be confusion if receiving from a priest who has been doing things for a while than from a lay person.