Coronavirus Mass Changes - Communion in Hand?

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To be honest. I still don’t know what to do. I haven’t been to Daily Mass in three days, partly due to this reason, when I normally go at least every other day if not more.

Going to Latin Mass this weekend, but I was actually planning on going anyway, Mass changes or not.

My main question is still remains though. Like if I go to a NO Daily Mass, and ask the priest if it’s cool that I receive on the tongue, does that even matter! Aren’t we both subjected to the authority of our bishop? So it’d probably be a sin, right?

Thanks for all the comments y’all. I think I’ve decided to simply refrain from HC while this whole virus thing is happening, if I can’t go to Latin Mass.
 
I am pleased to see other people recognising the profound way in which these measures will affect some people. And I am pleased to see Bishop Schneider speaking out on our behalf. There are also some dioceases such as Portland, Oregon who have actually taken medical advice and decided on the strength of that not to prohibit Communion on the tongue. On the other hand, there are numerous dioceases implementing these changes with every passing day and this will continue to be an issue of division and discomfort for more and more people the longer these steps are taken.

I have just seen that my diocease has implemented these so called “stage 2” measures. The language used is not mandatory - the faithful are encouraged to “give every consideration” to reciving in the hand. So the Bishop has apparently decided not to make it an issue of obediance but rather of advice. Nonetheless, this leaves me feeling rather empty and isolated. I could not recieve in the hand.
 
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Brendan_64 said:
I think I would feel isolated and upset if I was not allowed to receive on the tongue. If I was very ill then OK, I would make a spiritual Communion at Mass, but if Communion on the tongue was stopped at Mass for all (regardless of whether or not the person was infectious) that would cause me a lot of upset.
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But can you see you are only thinking strictly from your own limited perspective? If you are sick you won’t receive and everything is fine. Corona virus has a 2 week incubation period. How can you ensure that you or any other communicant is not contagious in that time?
 
My diocese (Boise) also just sent out a similar announcement. I have always received on the tongue. I am NOT concerned in the least about COVID 19. I think it is all a rather silly and unnecessary precaution. However, the bishop has the authority to make these requirements. The Church allows the reception of communion in the hand. I will continue to receive communion and submit to authority.
 
Here are my thoughts. My church surprised me at the mass today with the same practices encouraged, i.e. try not to shake hands, no holy water, etc. I wasn’t aware this was a trend happening in many parishes until that moment.
Anyways, I listened to my priest, and the wording of our bishop’s message was “I encourage you to do the following…” so not a binding order or anything. It seems more like an individual judgement for receiving communion tongue or hand depending on circumstances. Given I live on Vancouver Island and there’s no cases here at the moment, and only like 12-ish in Vancouver, plus no one in my tiny parish has been to China at all recently, I viewed it as still appropriate to receive on the tongue if I wished, so I did. My priest seemed to have no problem with this.
I don’t really think on it as a moral matter, given both ways should still be fine to receive. We’re all going to die sometime, Coronavirus or not, so let’s not waste time arguing about this 🙂 If Coronavirus comes, then I guess we’ll be in Heaven sooner! So let’s not burden ourselves with the way we receive Him, so long as we receive Him with utmost love, respect and gratitude for entering into us . I have always received Jesus on my tongue, as I do believe this reminds me that I’m receiving God, that His body is sacred and He has made Himself completely vulnerable to me. That, plus I always feel my hands are dirty.

Speaking as a nurse, I’ve further thought on it, and though it does truly disturb me to receive on the hand myself (think about the respect Jews had by not daring to touch the Ark of the Covenant) there is just reason for receiving on the hand at this time. In my diocese it’s more of an “encouragement” than strict practice since we don’t have it here, but I imagine I would respectfully receive on the hand if Coronavirus comes to my little island since it is quickly becoming a pandemic and it indeed can spread via respiratory secretions. I’m not really picky about myself getting it or not, as I’m young so I can get by, but I would do so out of respect to others, and to the priest I think. Keep in mind, you can still get it as long as you are within 3 meters of someone who is infected and breathing in your general direction, so technically we’re at just as much risk receiving it in the hand as via tongue, especially if it’s truly airborne like they suspect in China.
Also, keep in mind Communion is truly the Bread of Life, the spiritual nourishment of our souls, and if we are potentially going into a situation where they close churches, we need as much spiritual nourishment from Jesus as possible before it gets taken away. So do not refrain from receiving if you must take it in the hand. He loves us, and understands our hesitation, and still wants to be with us. Personally, I would receive in the hand like the early Christians did: Both hands together, allows the priest to place the Body of Christ into your hands, bring your head down to your hands, touch your tongue to the Eucharist, and receive Him.
 
Emeraldlady said:
But can you see you are only thinking strictly from your own limited perspective? If you are sick you won’t receive and everything is fine. Corona virus has a 2 week incubation period. How can you ensure that you or any other communicant is not contagious in that time?
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And what of when a person has touched the door handles, the pews, hymn books, shared missals, maybe even shaken hands during the sign of peace (or even just on greeting a friend) and then puts the host in their mouth using their hands? I think contagion is not simply about touching the tongue. Hands may not look as ‘icky’ as a tongue, but I believe they carry as much, possibly more, germs. And if someone is simply next to someone for 40 minutes breathing germs all around (during the 2 week incubation period) is that safe? Why the particular focus on Communion?

I think there is a real danger of this leading to a CITH versus COTT argument which can be very divisive and drive people apart from each other. I don’t think that is a positive thing.
 
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Granted; but if only the bishops, last I checked they were the chief liturgist in a diocese. I can’t say that they had a personal chat with anyone in Rome - the Pope or in a particular dicastery - but again these both are disciplinary rules, and you will need to convince me they do not have authority or have not been granted authority in an emergency to modify the means of reception.
 
I suspect we are rapidly going to have an understanding of the 6 degrees of separation.
 
My priest posted something to the effect that sometimes, when accidentally licked, he wishes he could wipe his hand on the offending licker.

As such, I’m not taking communion anymore.
 
Star_Orbiter said:
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…Personally, I would receive in the hand like the early Christians did: Both hands together, allows the priest to place the Body of Christ into your hands, bring your head down to your hands, touch your tongue to the Eucharist, and receive Him.
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This is also my way. And I don’t turn or walk before consuming. I feel that for me, it is the most reverent way, since I would be awkward at COTT until I had a lot of practice. But anyway, I guess my feeling of reverence isn’t the goal - simply receiving the body of Christ is.
 
tafan2 said:
I could probably list half a dozen more reasons without giving it much thought. All of these likely seem trivial to many, none of them are to me.
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If it’s a choice between receiving him in a valid and licit manner even if it would not be my preference, and not receiving him at all I think the decision should be easy. However as long as you receive some time over the season not receiving isn’t a sin.
 
You have this the wrong way round. Documents issued by Rome provide that a person always has the option to recieve on the tongue. A bishop or even a conference of bishops is a lesser authority than Rome. Therefore, in order to contradict Rome, a bishop would need to have authority from Rome.
 
I never said anything about not receiving at all. As I stated in another thread, I will likely start receiving in the hand just out of respect for the MHC (who likely has the misinformed idea that receiving in the hand is safer)
 
As a previous poster has said on this thread or perhaps another, it’s not just the danger of the priest or EMHC touching someone’s tongue and getting saliva on their fingers. . It’s the fact that many people breathe out when receiving so that the fingers are enveloped in a warm damp mist containing who knows what pathogens which then are passed on.
 
Here’s another way of looking at it, it’s lent we’re called to make sacrifices. People all over the world are making changes to the way they do things and giving up things they enjoy for the sake of people more vulnerable than themselves. What better way to show respect to our Lord!
 
I have never (that I remember) received the Host on the tongue. But I do have a silly question, why is receiving in the hand considered safer for Covid-19? To me both methods (all three of you add spoons in eastern catholics) seem to be no safer than other ones. Many viruses (flu, cold etc) are often caught by your hand (turning infected door knobs, touching infected areas…) and spread when you touch your eyes/nose/mouth… So I do not see receiving communion in the hand as much safer than on the tongue for Covid-19… Is it?
 
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It’s more a question of what is safer for other people I think. If the saliva of a person who has an infection (which they may not even know they have yet) gets on to the fingers of the priest or EMHC giving them Communion on the tongue, either because of direct touch, or because of breathing on them, the infection could be passed on to the next in line. That is why some parishes are asking those who still wish to receive COTT even in this crisis to wait until the end of the line before receiving.
 
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My Bishop has phrased his position in terms of advice as I stated - the people are encouraged to consider not recieving on the tongue. That is not a prohibition and is different from how it has been phrased in some other dioceases. However, my response was simply based on the hierachy that exists in the Church, and it is a fact that even a Bishop must obey documents issued from Rome.
 
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