How did early Catholics receive the Body and Blood of Christ?

[Lost4words]

Did they receive on the hand? Is receiving on the hand that modern?

Did they partake of the chalice?

 

[1Lord1Faith]

"The most ancient practice of distributing Holy Communion was, with all probability, to give Communion to the faithful in the palm of the hand. The history of the liturgy, however, makes clear that rather early on a process took place to change this practice.

From the time of the Fathers of the Church, a tendency was born and consolidated whereby distribution of Holy Communion in the hand became more and more restricted in favor of distributing Holy Communion on the tongue. The motivation for this practice is two-fold: a) first, to avoid, as much as possible, the dropping of Eucharistic particles; b) second, to increase among the faithful devotion to the Real Presence of Christ in the Sacrament of the Eucharist."

vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/details/ns_lit_doc_20091117_comunione_en.html

 

[PaulfromIowa]

…Did they partake of the chalice?

The early Church routinely received under both species. As St. Paul writes to the Cornithians:

usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/11

26For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.

27Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord.*
28A person should examine himself,* and so eat the bread and drink the cup.
29For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment* on himself.

 

[tiny_augustine]

I learned some interesting facts during my “Byzantine Mysteries: Eastern Christian Sacraments” university course, which I’ll share because they totally surprised me. Until the 12th century or so, the Church, even in the West, received the Eucharist from a spoon, and before it was consecrated, it was leavened bread, and not unleavened. But, yeah, from what I understand, they received the Body in the hand. There was only Sunday Liturgies, but the faithful were allowed to take the Eucharist home with them (one Species alone, I guess). Later, only certain recognized people were allowed to take the Eucharist outside of the Liturgy to give to those who couldn’t attend because of sickness or some other circumstances.

Would that I could have the Lord with me always in my house!

 

[Arizona_Fat_Gir]

He is in your house.

 

[tiny_augustine]

Hey Arizona Fat Gir. Thanks for the response. I know that he fills all space and all time, and is therefore everywhere present. But his Presence in the Eucharist is clearer…you know and experience his Presence. Within fallen reality outside of the Eucharist, his Presence is, so to speak, “locked away” from us. We can’t access Him and his Sanctifying Grace through the fallen reality outside of the Eucharist (although He can give us actual graces in preparation of receiving Him). Catholics and Orthodox Christians, however, who receive Him, and, therefore, become Him, show His Presence in themselves in a much more clear way. But while my wife, my son, and myself have Him dwelling among us, since we’re Members of his Body/Temple, I consider his Divine Presence, therein, to be more of a static Divine Presence…therefore, we must continue to grow into Him (and his dynamic Divine Presence) more and more through actually receiving the Eucharist. That’s why I’d love to feast upon Him anytime I want, with my family of course, and not merely alone. That’s why I’d love to spend my hours adoring him without the reality of locked parish doors.

This is only my theological interpretation.

God Bless.

 

[Lost4words]

A priest i know hates giving Holy Communion in the hand and he never gives out the Blood of Christ. He says it is wrong?

 

[Expatreprocedit]

A priest i know hates giving Holy Communion in the hand and he never gives out the Blood of Christ. He says it is wrong?

With regard to the second he should be reminded of Christ’s words “Take, drink, all of you…”

 

[Phillip_Rolfes]

I think, in this regard, a distinction needs to be made between what is “older” and what is “traditional”. The “older” practice is Communion in the hand and also receiving from the chalice (Fr. Robert Taft’s extensive footnotes in his encyclopedic “History of the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom” ought to have put this to rest long ago). What is “traditional” varies from local sui iuris Church to local sui iuris Church. The Byzantines, as has been noted, now use a spoon - although it’s use was resisted and even condemned at first. That Maronites and other Syriac Churches have traditionally used unleavened bread and give Communion by intinction on the tongue. I’ve even heard rumor of a tradition that gives Communion via a silver straw… The point is, how communion is received varies, and often even within one tradition the “proper” mode of reception is debated and changes from time to time.

 

[porthos11]

A priest i know hates giving Holy Communion in the hand and he never gives out the Blood of Christ. He says it is wrong?

He may prefer to give on the tongue for whatever reason. He may prefer to withhold the chalice for whatever reason (time, logistics, not enough ministers, fear of profanation).

“Wrong”, however, is not one of those reasons.

 

[otjm]

A priest i know hates giving Holy Communion in the hand and he never gives out the Blood of Christ. He says it is wrong?

Yep.

 

[Lost4words]

Thanks.

 

[PJM]

Did they receive on the hand? Is receiving on the hand that modern?

Did they partake of the chalice?

YES to both, but the Church later became VERY concerned about abuses and for a prolonged pre-Vatican II period ordered in so far as "the entire Christ is present in the bread alone {as well as every particle of that Consecrated Bread} that Communion under only the Consecrated species of Bread was [1] fulfilling Christ command to “Do THIS in memory of Me” [2] less likely to lead to abuses.

Thanks for asking

GBY

 

[camkutz]

I think if I ever became a priest I wouldn’t give communion on the hand at all, because as an altar boy I’ve seen far too many accidents and found many hosts which fallen throughout the years and have even had to chase someone who tried to leave the Church with Jesus!!! Never mind the particles left on lukewarm Catholics hands who don’t check them

Back to the post lol, I heard that when in the early church communion was given on the hand it was done so with a cloth over everyones hands???

 

[SyroMalankara]

Did they receive on the hand? Is receiving on the hand that modern?

Did they partake of the chalice?

Why are you asking? Early is a relative term. There was no set uniform practice.

 

[Xystus]

I think if I ever became a priest I wouldn’t give communion on the hand at all, because as an altar boy I’ve seen far too many accidents and found many hosts which fallen throughout the years and have even had to chase someone who tried to leave the Church with Jesus!!! Never mind the particles left on lukewarm Catholics hands who don’t check them

Back to the post lol, I heard that when in the early church communion was given on the hand it was done so with a cloth over everyones hands???

What would you have those that receive in the hand do? Lick their hands clean?

 

[porthos11]

What would you have those that receive in the hand do? Lick their hands clean?

In cases where I need to receive in the hand, I will always check for visible particles and consume them. That’s just me, and why I will always receive on the tongue where possible. If I can no longer see it, I don’t worry about it, and I’m not about to bring a microscope to Mass on that account.

I will NOT, however, label fellow Catholics who don’t, “lukewarm.”

“particles” are usually so small they no longer have the appearance of bread, and therefore the Real Presence is gone.

For all we know, the most ancient practice may have been to pass the (leavened) loaf from person to person, ripping off a morsel and consuming it oneself (likely scattering crumbs all over the place, probably). The cup was may have been shared in much the same way too, passing it from person to person, sipping as they did so.

Probably scandalous in the extreme for the traditionalists of today.

Just speculation on my part.

 

[porthos11]

I think if I ever became a priest I wouldn’t give communion on the hand at all, because as an altar boy I’ve seen far too many accidents and found many hosts which fallen throughout the years and have even had to chase someone who tried to leave the Church with Jesus!!! Never mind the particles left on lukewarm Catholics hands who don’t check them

Back to the post lol, I heard that when in the early church communion was given on the hand it was done so with a cloth over everyones hands???

For as long as this discipline is permitted, priests WILL give in the hand or on the tongue. If you are not willing to make this accommodation, you will not become a priest.

 

[Bookcat]

Cardinal Ratzinger (prior to being Pope Benedict XVI) notes that it was the practice of the Early Church to receive in the hand.

He notes in God and the World: “It was done in the early Church” (pg 410)

And in another work

“…we know that until the ninth century Communion was received in the hand, standing.”

Cardinal Ratzinger “God Is Near Us” Ignatius Press Pg 70 2001

I also recall but have not found it at the moment-- that he gave an answer as Pope in a Q & A session with Priests that was similar…

He certainly knows of what he speaks.

 

[FrancescaMaria]

I think if I ever became a priest I wouldn’t give communion on the hand at all, because as an altar boy I’ve seen far too many accidents and found many hosts which fallen throughout the years and have even had to chase someone who tried to leave the Church with Jesus!!! Never mind the particles left on lukewarm Catholics hands who don’t check them

Back to the post lol, I heard that when in the early church communion was given on the hand it was done so with a cloth over everyones hands???

It is not a baguette, it does not shed crumbs if a person does not squeeze it, but carefully picks it up from his/her hand. Otherwise we would have to worry that the big Eucharist in the Adoration Chapel is shedding crumbs all over the place whenever someone opens the door and there is a bit of an air current.