Did I do the right thing?

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pyro_alchemist

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This last Sunday while I was receiving the Blessed Sacrament in my hand the host broke into several pieces. I licked my hand to make sure I consumed all the Host. The priest and the server gave mu a horrified look! Please be assured that I meant no disrespect. Is this something I need be bring up in the confessional?

*PS: Twenty years ago when I was entering the Church through RCIA I was told that receiving in the hand was the “considerate” thing to do. Recently I get the impression (mostly from this forum) that receiving on the tongue is more appropriate. I have tried that but after so many years of receiving on the hand it feels so uncomfortable. *
 
pyro_alchemist said:
This last Sunday while I was receiving the Blessed Sacrament in my hand the host broke into several pieces. I licked my hand to make sure I consumed all the Host. The priest and the server gave mu a horrified look! Please be assured that I meant no disrespect. Is this something I need be bring up in the confessional?

*PS: Twenty years ago when I was entering the Church through RCIA I was told that receiving in the hand was the “considerate” thing to do. Recently I get the impression (mostly from this forum) that receiving on the tongue is more appropriate. I have tried that but after so many years of receiving on the hand it feels so uncomfortable. *
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Currently Rome says that we can receive either on the tongue or in the hand, so you are not doing anything wrong. I grew up receiving on the tongue so, for me; it would be very uncomfortable to even consider receiving in the hand. As to whether or not your licking your hand was sinful and needs to be confessed, IMHO no. However, if you will feel more at ease to do so, then do it. But remember that there needs to be three elements in order for a sin to be considered mortal:
  1. A grievous act
  2. Full Knowledge
  3. Full Consent
From what you described, it doesn’t sound as though any of those elements were met, let alone all three. God bless.
 
How can you have committed a sin, when your intention was to preserve any fragments, and stop them falling to the floor?

Perhaps next time (if there is a next time) try moistening a finger and gathering them up with that.
 
I remember the nuns telling the story of a Host dropping to the floor and the altar boy, knowing he couldn’t pick it up, got down on his hands and knees and licked it up with his tongue. However, because we are now allowed to receive in our hand, IMO it would have been correct to gather the pieces up and deposit them in your mouth.
 
I don’t know exactly how you did it, but I wouldn’t have “licked” my hand. I would have discreetly brought my hand to my mouth and pressed my tongue against it, rather than making a licking motion across my hand like a cat licking its paw. Just me.

But then, I don’t receive in the hand, because I began noticing fragments remaining…
 
japhy said:
I don’t know exactly how you did it, but I wouldn’t have “licked” my hand. I would have discreetly brought my hand to my mouth and pressed my tongue against it, rather than making a licking motion across my hand like a cat licking its paw. Just me.

But then, I don’t receive in the hand, because I began noticing fragments remaining…
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I concur. Further, I would have picked up and consummed the larger fragments right away, but then waited until I got back to the pew to discreetly do as japhy describes.

As a sidenote, I grew up receiving on the hand and was also quite uncomfortable with receiving on the tongue. But then I made a conscious decision to receive on the tongue. I felt awkward at first, but I soon got over it.
 
I would ask the parish priests to consider using a different kind of “bread” that didn’t crumble into fragments.

The hosts in our city’s parishes are like plastic–they can literally be bent and not break! (done on non-consecrated hosts, BTW–bending was not done on consecrated hosts)

In five years, I’ve never, ever noticed any kind of crumb or fragment.

The Poor Clares make the hosts used at several of the parishes, but these, too, are bendable, flexible, and have the consistency of a piece of plastic. (Yet, they do dissove on the tongue and chew up completely.)

I’ve visited one parish (in Michigan) that used a crumbly host, and frankly, I was really surprised by it, because it did crumble in my hand, and there were crumbs on the tray as well. I was very uncomfortable with these hosts, and I had to use a moistened finger to remove the crumbs from my palm (at that time, I was still receiving on the hand.) Frankly, I don’t see how anyone could receive these “crumbly” hosts on the tongue, because I think the crumbs would cause people to choke, and that could mean spewing the Lord out into the air. And these “crumbly” hosts would never dissolve on the tongue, so you would be forced to chomp down on them like cookies. Anyone with a dry mouth (me) would have trouble manufacturing enough saliva to swallow the crumbs, leading to still more choking potential.

So my suggestion is ASK the priest to consider switching to a different kind of host that doesn’t crumble. They do exist–we have them in our city.
 
I don’t know exactly how you did it, but I wouldn’t have “licked” my hand. I would have discreetly brought my hand to my mouth and pressed my tongue against it,

LIcking by any other name.

I’ve seen priests and deacons, especially Eastern ones, lick their palms and fingers to make sure any crumbs of the Holy Gifts are consumed.
 
@Cat - how awful to think of choking on the Body of Christ!

@pyro - I think you did the very best you could! In terms of receiving on the tongue - the first 5 or 6 times you do it, it will feel awkward. After that, it will be natural. I receive both ways. When I helping as an EHMC, I receive in the hand. When receiving from the pews, I receive on the tongue.

One suggestion from an EHMC’s perspective: hands folded down in front of you - not up high. I have gotten confused more than once, and I’m always on the look-out for those who receive on the tongue.

Tilt head, open mouth, and tongue stuck out. If someone doesn’t stick their tongue out, I need to put my fingers in someone’s mouth. This means I can get saliva on my hand. I’ll live, but …

When I place the host on the tongue, I tend to press down to ensure that it sticks, and that the person knows it’s there. At times receiving, if the person distributing it has a light touch, I’m not 100% sure it will stick.

Hope this helps!
 
I believe that in some cultures when receiving by hand the Precious Body is placed on the hand and the recipient raises the hand to their face and licks it off - without using the other hand. As an EMHC, I am often given a piece of the big host which has little fragments that fall off. I moisten a finger to tab them up.
 
pyro_alchemist said:
This last Sunday while I was receiving the Blessed Sacrament in my hand the host broke into several pieces. I licked my hand to make sure I consumed all the Host. The priest and the server gave mu a horrified look! Please be assured that I meant no disrespect. Is this something I need be bring up in the confessional?
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What you did was not sinful. But what you did would be considered “bad table manners” in most American circles. I’m fairly certain that was why the priest and server gave you what you believe to be a horrified look. It may not have been your intention but the priest probably thought your method of receiving did not show proper respect to the Eucharist.

I think the better think to have done would have been to pick up and consume the large pieces of the host and then move off to a more private location prior to doing what was necessary to pick up any fragments. In either case you should probably have refrained from receiving the Precious Blood. In one case it would be because you needed to keep your palm properly cupped to hold small pieces of the host; in the other case it would have been because holding a communal chalice after licking your hand would not have been the most sanitary act.
 
You did the right thing, trying to prevent the Eucharist to go where it shouldn’t. Going back to your seat and doing it more privately would have been better, but you did the right thing, which was to protect the Body of Christ.

As for choking, there were many times I wondered how I was going to swallow. I’ve always had a problem with it, even before I was diabetic. Sometimes by that time of the Mass, I haven’t had any fluid for an hour and can barely swallow at all. I’ve not received Communion on occassion because of this problem. I carry a water bottle at all times, but I don’t really want to drag it out at Mass if I can avoid it. When I’m the cantor or with the choir, I can kind of hide between the organ to take a sip when necessary. I wouldn’t make it past the Gloria otherwise.

I grew up receiving on the tongue and never found that comfortable – and it was the only option at time. I didn’t like it when we had to pick up a host on the way into church and put it in the basket. I had to tell myself I got the one I moved and not one some grubby pawed little boy picked up. I was very relieved when that ended.
 
*Wow, I have never heard of picking up the host on the way into church and putting it in a basket! What is that all about daeve?:confused:
Just curious.😉
Angel Face
*
 
Angel_Face said:
Wow, I have never heard of picking up the host on the way into church and putting it in a basket! What is that all about daeve?
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At some churches, for weekday Masses where the number of people attending Mass changes from day to day, the people who will be receiving Communion move an unconsecrated host from a plate or bowl to a paten, as they enter the church; the paten is then brought up to the priest at the Offertory. It’s perfectly legitimate, and it means the priest doesn’t consecrate too many or too few hosts.
 
japhy said:
At some churches, for weekday Masses where the number of people attending Mass changes from day to day, the people who will be receiving Communion move an unconsecrated host from a plate or bowl to a paten, as they enter the church; the paten is then brought up to the priest at the Offertory. It’s perfectly legitimate, and it means the priest doesn’t consecrate too many or too few hosts.
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Yes. That is what we do in my parish for daily Mass. Another parish in my diocese also does this.
 
I haven’t yet had communion in the CC, but I sympathize with your embarrassment. Perhaps you could let your priest know what happened so he’ll know why you did that, and ask what he thinks you should do, should that happen again. I guess he was taken aback, but it’s too bad he and the server embarrassed you further with their horrified glances.
 
japhy said:
At some churches, for weekday Masses where the number of people attending Mass changes from day to day, the people who will be receiving Communion move an unconsecrated host from a plate or bowl to a paten, as they enter the church; the paten is then brought up to the priest at the Offertory. It’s perfectly legitimate, and it means the priest doesn’t consecrate too many or too few hosts.
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We do this for daily mass but we have a small pair of tongs to move the unconsecrated hosts from one bowl to the other, which is probably a bit more hygienic.
 
*Dear japhy,
Thanks for the response. That is quite interesting! Sometimes with my work schedule I am able to go to some of the week day Masses, but have never experienced this. It makes good sense.👍
Again thank you and God Bless!
Angel Face
*
 
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