Danger of taking Communion in the hand

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This thread brings up a good point that others have pointed out…

Where are the patens in your church? That is the purpose of having patens to pay extra respect to our Lord and not allow fragments to be dropped.

Don’t allow yourself to be intimidated by those Priests or EMHC’s who don’t want to give communion on the tongue, because of bites, touching the tongue, strange modernistic ideals, etc…
Receive communion as you wish, it is allowed both ways and don’t worry about the negative but focus on the presence of Jesus.

Most in my parish are taught to receive in the hand, so they do not know why not or why they do it, other than that is the way they have been taught. This probably is the case in many parishes, don’t worry about it too much and focus on your own personal respect for Christ.

God Bless
Scylla
 
scylla said:
This thread brings up a good point that others have pointed out…

Where are the patens in your church? That is the purpose of having patens to pay extra respect to our Lord and not allow fragments to be dropped.
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I too wonder where the patens have gone. Their inclusion might be the first clue to the faithful that the Church still believes and teaches what it has always believed and taught, that the Most Blessed Sacrament is truly the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ.
 
I receive in my hands. The probability of a host falling/getting dropped is FAR higher when receiving on one’s tongue, at least around here. That’s only one of the reasons for me.

Oh, and most of the time, those communion patens didn’t work anyway. People (including the altar boys) would usually react in such a way that the paten did not keep the host from hitting the floor.
 
mary_tim said:
i too receive on the tongue(kneeling where possible) . in the old days a paten collected the fragments. (remember the sermon on the mount. fragments were diligently gathered.) now adays the hosts or particles just drop on the floor **rescued 3 fragments of approximately 1/6 the size of the hosts on 3 separate occasions last year **and this year another lady gathered on all roughly the same size. she told me of picking up whole Hosts as well some of those were probaly from people who received so as not to be thought to be sinners but who hid them under their seats when they got to their seats. the ones i saw were dropped at the place where Communion was being distributed. obviously the hosts were rather fragile that they should be breaking off like that.
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How so? Are people biting into the host and allow part of it to fall from their lips? Before placing a host on another person’s tongue or hands, the person distributing the communion should be making sure not to inadvertently distribute such fragments.

IF such a fragment fell (I’m still not sure how it would), communion should cease until it is consumed.
 
Yes there are some people who actually bite into the host when you place it on their tongue. They move their tongue back into their mouth but clamp onto the host with their teeth. We have several people in our parish that do this. While I never noticed if it broke before them getting it wholly into thier mouth, thus dropping a piece, next time this happens I will surely take notice. There are others who also don’t stick their tongoe out far or move it back too quickly. These are the occasions when the hosts drop. I have seen that happen a few times with some of our older priests and EMHC who are not as accurate at putting the host on the tongue. Perhaps I will put an article in the bulletin about how to properly receive on the tongue. Then there are those who put out their tongue and put up their hands. The poor priest or EMHC doesn’t know what to do.
 
How often does one witness an incident of the Host (or piece thereof) fall to the floor? Whether the communicant be receiving in the hand or on the tongue?

I’m just curious, because I have only seen it once-- happening to myself. But that was because Father got distracted trying to stop a young child who had not been through first communion from receiving in the line next to him, and he accidently dropped the host as he was attempting to give me Communion. The altar boy with paten in hand, wasn’t doing his job and missed the host, but by some miracle I was able to reach out my hands at the last minute and catch the host before it fell to the floor.

Now, the particles remaining on the hand I can definitely see as being an issue. Part of the reason I will only receive on the tongue. I also find it, personally, to be more reverent. Psalm 81 says “I am the Lord your God, who brought you from the land of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.” And, as a last point, the gesture of holding out my hands always reminds me of a “give-me” type of attitude, that somehow I deserve what is being given to me. I realize that it’s not that way for everyone, but that’s what it reminds me of.
 
I hope not too off-topic…

I find it a little bothersome that children being trained for first communion often times aren’t told that receiving on the tongue is even an option. A lot of them don’t know you may… Or have been told “we used to but don’t know”.
 
ASimpleSinner said:
I hope not too off-topic…

I find it a little bothersome that children being trained for first communion often times aren’t told that receiving on the tongue is even an option. A lot of them don’t know you may… Or have been told “we used to but don’t know”.
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Shouldn’t that be something the parents teach the child?
 
Eilish_Maura said:
Shouldn’t that be something the parents teach the child?
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Perhaps, but I’d expect most parents (like my own) expect their children to receive instruction on receiving Communion from their CCD (or whatever it’s called now) teachers. That’s who taught me how to receive the Host. It would be nice if parents were more involved in the religious education of their children, definitely!
 
The very reason I prefer receiving in the hand is my fear that the Host drops to the floor if I receive on the tongue. My hands seem a much safer bet than relying on a youthful altar server with a paten to coordinate his movements with mine and that of the priest.
 
japhy said:
Perhaps, but I’d expect most parents (like my own) expect their children to receive instruction on receiving Communion from their CCD (or whatever it’s called now) teachers. That’s who taught me how to receive the Host. It would be nice if parents were more involved in the religious education of their children, definitely!
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If a family has decided to opt for one form over another they are definitely the ones responsible to make sure the child knows how to receive.

If no preference is made - then go with what they are teaching in the preparation classes.
 
I think the poster brings up a good point. Although I have never had any fragments left, I have only had a broken host once or twice. I always check my hand for particles and never find any. I keep up the practice to remind me that I am holding (or held) the body of Christ. I will take note of the OP’s issues, though, and be extra thorough next time I receive a broken host.
 
Vittorio23 said:
How often does one witness an incident of the Host (or piece thereof) fall to the floor? Whether the communicant be receiving in the hand or on the tongue?..
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Three times in my life. Two people were receiving on their tongues and one was trying to improperly receive in their hands (grabbing.)

I cannot think of a better communion paten then someone’s hands.
 
For those lovers of communion patens I’ll also point one other thing out. When I distribute communion there is always something you will find below my right hand and the tongue or hands ready to receive communion – my left hand holding an open ciborium.
 
Where receiving Communion on the hand is permitted, One way is not holier than the other when receiving it. Both tongue and hand are equally OK. As a deacon, I prefer giving it on the hand as I don’t know how many times you contact the tongue due to movement of the person. That is just my personal preference.

Note well what we are saying, “You receive Communion” You do not take communion. When people reach for the host, that is improper, and I turn my hand so as to block them and them place it in their palm. The only exception to this is a young man who had a stroke. He holds one hand up so we can place the host between two of his fingers. When you extend your hands, have the palm of the left hand up, with your right hand under it. Then remove the host with the right hand and place it in your mouth. If a right palm is up, I still give it that way because the person is usually left handed. If a host is dropped, let the priest/deacon/extraordinary minister of the Eucharist pick it up,. He or she will usually consume the host.

What surprises me is the number of people who do not take the precious blood and just walk by. I have absolutely no hesitation in receiving the precious blood even if I am at the end of the line of 1000 people. I cannot in the wildest stretch of my imagination, believe that receiving it would ever be harmful to me, regardless of how many received before my. I hope all this helps.

Yes, there are times we do have to break the host, due to an insufficient quantity. Do not be afraid if it breaks in the palm of your hand. Receive it and if small fragments are still in the palm of your hand, just touch your tongue to it. It will adhere to it and then you are done. God Bless
Deacon Ed B
 
Deacon_Ed_B said:
…What surprises me is the number of people who do not take the precious blood and just walk by. I have absolutely no hesitation in receiving the precious blood even if I am at the end of the line of 1000 people. I cannot in the wildest stretch of my imagination, believe that receiving it would ever be harmful to me, regardless of how many received before my. I hope all this helps…
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I have a question deacon. I don’t typically receive under both species for two very practical reasons. Drinking from the chalice makes me ravenous in the early morning. I mean SERIOUSLY ravenous to the point where my mind is on breakfast and not on the remainder of the Mass. Also the wine they use gives me heartburn. It’s a nasty, albeit approved sacramental wine. Have you come across this before? Thanks.
 
For both of your concerns, I would say, take just a tiny sip. Hopefully this would avoid any problem. Just a slight correction.however, it is no longer wine, but the precious blood. Even here, I would say take just a tiny sip.

But I will add, that whether you take the precious blood from the chalice or not, you still receive Jesus in the fullness of his body, blood, soul and divinity under both species. Does this help?
Deacon Ed B
 
My brother is divorced. He lives in Alabama, and his ex-wife lives in Arizona (in the same town as me). As their Godmother, I have made it my responsibility to get my brother’s children to church every Sunday. My mother takes them to RE every week as well. My mother and I have made sure that the children take the proper steps to receive their sacraments.

When I received my First Holy Communion in the the early 70’s, they still used the Communion bar and you only received the Body of Christ. I have a personal issue receiving in the hand, but that is my problem. When my nieces celebrated their First Holy Communion last year, they were told that they could receive either way. They have chosen to receive in the hand. I have explained to them that even though I have my own “issues,” there is nothing wrong with receiving in the hand which is what they were taught in RE. They understand that both ways are acceptable.

Here is my problem, my brother is adamant about not receiving in the hand. He has emailed internet links to our sister that basically say that if you take the Body of Christ in your hand, you will go to Hell (really!). I know that he is their father, but he is undermining the work I have done to help these children become practicing Catholics. At this point they spend more time with me than they spend with their father, so I think that they respect my point of view regarding “church matters.” However, they are moving, so I will no longer be able to oversee their religious upbringing as closely as I have for the last 4+ years.

Here is my question, can you point me to references (in Catholic Doctrine if necessary) regarding receiving in the hand to send to my brother? I’m not sure if it will help, but I would like him to realize that it is perfectly acceptable to receive in the hand.
 
To nsanders - I don’t know if you read it or not, but see my post # 31 on this thread. Possibly this might help. It there are any other concerns about it, fire away.
Deacon Ed B
 
Thanks, Deacon Ed. Yes, I read the entire thread before I posted.

What I am looking for (please don’t be offended) is a link to an “official” source (i.e. The Vatican). I searched and searched on The Holy See website and couldn’t find anything. I did find some information on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website that referenced GIRM. However, I am looking for more references to send.

Here are the links that he sent to my sister:

catholic-pages.com/mass/inhand.asp

tldm.org/news2/cih.htm

catholic.org/international/international_storyphp?id=26680
 
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