I dare you...

  • Thread starter Thread starter ljubim
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
Since it is the norm in my country, state, and parish to receive standing; and since kneeling in a small church with a lot of people packed in there and no rails would cause more of a disruption than standing (and probably an occasion to cause someone to trip and fall into the priest holding the blessed sacrament), I will continue to receive standing. I’m not the kind of person to “stand out” or “go against the grain” and as a formal evangelical, I’ve spent too much time in “reverent positions” - my hands in the air just to show that I am “reverent” so others don’t judge me based on the postition of my body. 😉

I find that my posture has little to nothing to do with my reverence for the Eucharist. My heart and intentions, however, do.👍

Basically, I am taking a vacation from trying to “appear” holy. I want to be holy, in my heart, in a way that is between Christ and me. 👍
 
Elijah_Baley said:
This is not directed at any one poster, but be sure that receiving communion kneeling is not an act of pride, showing off how reverent one is while keeping everyone behind you waiting a little longer.

If you wish to show reverence to God without showing off your reverence in front of everyone else, to bow or genuflect just as the person before you receives communion might have much the same effect. Also, it is perfectly acceptable to receive communion on the tongue without making any gesture.

While I prefer the communion rail, in its absence I bow before receiving communion on the tongue, as a kind of compromise between the forms.
Click to expand...
That is good advice 🙂 Honestly for me, a person who is getting over issues about how I come off to others, I struggle with being hugely embarrassed, in the back of my mind, whenever I am in line to receive. Usually my heart pounds, but it never detracts from the Eucharist, but adds to it.
 
Shin said:
In the Byzantine true, but in the Latin, there are some that use the spoon, and it is not a matter of difficulty. 🙂

I too, have never gone back. 🙂

Kneeling is forever. Once you break the barrier of doing it no matter where you are, up, down, just like a genuflection, and are prepared to brave the occasional problem priest (it’s a good detector), all is well.

All is well. 🙂 Because you kneel before the Lord.
Click to expand...
**I’ve never seen a spoon used to distribute Communion in a Latin liturgy. Can you elaborate, please?

Kneeling is NOT forever, as there was a time when the Church generally did not kneel at communion.

Furthermore, there are canons from the Ecumenical Councils that forbid kneeling on Sundays and from Pascha to Pentecost.**
 
I was wondering…is getting communion on the tongue much different than receiving it in the hand? I mean, I hear people say it’s a lot different, like…it seems different. I don’t know, people always say that it’s better than receiving in the hand, which I don’t know why. I wonder if someone who receives on the tongue can explain?

So, I might want to try it. Are there any hand receiver to tongue receiver converts out there? Did you feel awkward your first time walking up to the priest and sticking your tongue out? I’m just afraid of looking awkward. I mean, I know a lot of people do it, but, since I would be new and all…
 
To me the Eucharist is the Eucharist if I “take and eat” from my own hand or “receive” it on my tongue from the hand of another.
 
The priests at my church do not permit communion in the hand, but I know that some do. If you receive in the hand there is a decent chance that you will be able to bring particles home with you on your fingers, or on your clothes or whatever else your hands touch. If that is what you want, go for it.
 
I ordinarily receive on the tongue…though at times I receive in the hand.

Both are valid and good ways. And as Cardinal Ratizinger noted…(my words) people should not get into a fuss about it…

both are wonderful.

Communion in the hand is very ancient…going back to the beginning…and was the way the Early Christians received…and communion on the tongue too is venerable…and ancient.

both are permitted in the Catholic Church. both in the USA .Though the communion in the hand may not be in some areas of the world …depending on the pastoral decision of the Bishops.
 
As a young person who grew up receiving on the hand I can’t speak enough for the personal advantages of receiving on the tongue. Sure it is a little awkward to start receiving on the tongue at your own parish where your priest, EMHCs, and fellow parishioners have always seen you receive on the hand. Honestly, it is not as nerve-racking as you may think. Also, I think it is great to set such an example of piety in your parish. “Brick by brick” as Father Z of WDTPRS.com would say.

A bit of fact… receiving on the hand is actually allowed only because of an indult in effect in the US and other parts of the world. I am not suggesting that it is wrong, I think that it is a perfectly valid and reverent way of receiving when done properly. I will say, however, that it is easy to misunderstand and loose reverence when receiving on the hand versus on the tongue.

God Bless!
 
Not out of disrespect for you, but your question brings saddness to my heart. It reflects how far we have fallen in not knowing the true presence of Jesus in the Host. Oh, yes we “know”, but do we also “believe” ?
I do not intend this to be a chastisement of you CatholicZ09, as from your question, your innocence is clear.

Think for a moment, reason with me.

“If” Jesus is GOD, and GOD is all powerful, and GOD made me and you, and GOD can destroy me and you, or LOVE me and you, then how are we to approach such a GOD? With awe, and wonder, and loving fear, (not scary fear). With all the respect and admiration we can muster.

And more importantly how can we “touch” such a GOD ? As if HE were a human ? NO, HE is GOD. HE touches us. We offer ourselves to HIM. We approach HIM and ask HIM into our bodies. It is an invitation. “Come dear Lord, enter into my body and make me an instrument of your peace, for I believe, I adore, I hope and I love you with all of my self” Pray that prayer as you walk down the aisle, and then receive HIM on the tongue and experience the intimacy of HIS love.

Yes, I have received HIM in my hand, and I find it very difficult to embrace HIM when I feed myself my LORD and my GOD.
 
I am actually an ‘on the hand’ to ‘on the tongue’ convert. It was mainly because the church I started going to had a communion rail and it was more convenient to receive on the tongue than on the hand, not to mention that pretty much everyone else received on the tongue. After doing it this way for a while, I came to like it better because I felt like I was receiving the Eucharist from the priest rather than from myself. I was worried about awkwardness after this for a little while, but most priests don’t seem to be thrown off at all (unless it is a very speedy priest who is halfway down to placing the host into your hand before he realizes that your hands are folded or whatever). As for what other people may think, I suppose we’re not really supposed to worry about that in the first place.

In the end, go with what helps you grow closer to God.
 
CatholicZ09 said:
I was wondering…is getting communion on the tongue much different than receiving it in the hand? I mean, I hear people say it’s a lot different, like…it seems different. I don’t know, people always say that it’s better than receiving in the hand, which I don’t know why. I wonder if someone who receives on the tongue can explain?

So, I might want to try it. Are there any hand receiver to tongue receiver converts out there? Did you feel awkward your first time walking up to the priest and sticking your tongue out? I’m just afraid of looking awkward. I mean, I know a lot of people do it, but, since I would be new and all…
Click to expand...
The Blessed Sacrament is the Body & Blood , Soul & Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ no matter the method of reception.
The method of reception for simple people like myself reflects this belief in practice.Kneeling to receive my God on the tongue shows due reverence to the Sacrament - for me to receive Our Lord in hands that have been contaminated with worldly detritus and standing without outward signs of respect & reverence would not demonstrate the reverence I have for this wonderful privilege.
Dont be afraid of what others think - they will be too concerned with their own reception to even be looking at what youre doing.
Pax et bonum .:knight2:
 
While I agree that receiving on the tongue and even kneeling are signs of reverence, please don’t read into that that people who receive in the hand are being irreverent. That’s sometimes the tone that is implied – not by anyone here (so far); but I’m just being preemptive so that you don’t think that you’ve been disrespectful to the Blessed Sacrament for all these years.
 
i repeat this …cause it is important …

I ordinarily receive on the tongue…though at times I receive in the hand.

Both are valid and good ways. And as Cardinal Ratizinger (now Pope Benedict XVI of course noted…(my words) people should not get into a fuss about it…

Communion in the hand is very ancient…going back to the beginning…and was the way the Early Christians received…and communion on the tongue too is venerable…and ancient.

both are permitted in the Catholic Church. both in the USA .Though the communion in the hand may not be in some areas of the world …depending on the pastoral decision of the Bishops.

so you may decide one way one day and one way the next…both can be very edifying ways to receive Jesus Christ the Lord. Both reverent. both ancient.
 
I was raised receiving in the hand, and am a reluctant covert to the tongue. It’s because my parish insists on using “real bread” for Holy Communion. It’s incredibly crumbly, and although I tried for a while to just lick all the crumbs off my palm, it was too hard (and a little strange to do in church). For what it’s worth, I find receiving on the tongue awkward and uncomfortable, but I’m willing to do it for theological reasons, i.e. to avoid profanation of the Blessed Sacrament. I do make sure I’m always in the line to receive Communion from the celebrant, because I’d worry about confusing the EMHC’s or making them uncomfortable since I don’t think anyone else is receiving on the tongue.
 
CatholicZ09 said:
Are there any hand receiver to tongue receiver converts out there?
Click to expand...
Since the middle of 2007, I’ve been receiving on the tongue regularly, and lately, exclusively. I started because I noticed large fragments of the Precious Host on my hand after Communion two Sundays in a row.

At first it was weird, and I had one incident where the Host fell from my tongue, but since then I’ve gotten much better. I’m not self-conscious about it.

(I actually had a dream last night about receiving Communion on the tongue. The priest would not give me Communion and he scolded me, and I received in the hand, and we got into an argument about it. Not the type of dream I’d like to have about the Eucharist, really.)
 
MarkThompson said:
I was raised receiving in the hand, and am a reluctant covert to the tongue. It’s because my parish insists on using “real bread” for Holy Communion. It’s incredibly crumbly, and although I tried for a while to just lick all the crumbs off my palm, it was too hard (and a little strange to do in church). For what it’s worth, I find receiving on the tongue awkward and uncomfortable, but I’m willing to do it for theological reasons, i.e. to avoid profanation of the Blessed Sacrament. I do make sure I’m always in the line to receive Communion from the celebrant, because I’d worry about confusing the EMHC’s or making them uncomfortable since I don’t think anyone else is receiving on the tongue.
Click to expand...
While the bread used for Holy Communion doesn’t have to be the traditional stiff circle, it is alarming that the type your parish uses is so crumbly! Each crumb is still the full Jesus, so this is a dangerous practice because of the high chances of dropping crumbs. (I can just picture people licking their palms as they walk back to their seats; somehow I’ll bet they don’t do it and many inadvertent sacrileges are occurring.)
 
Bookcat,

Since you repeated it twice. . . I think it appropriate to highlight the “(my words)” aspect of the following:
Bookcat said:
And as Cardinal Ratizinger (now Pope Benedict XVI of course noted…(my words) people should not get into a fuss about it…
Click to expand...
Because what Cardinal Ratzinger actually said was “I wouldn’t want to be fussy about that,” and it was in a response to an interview question (if you are indeed referring to the source that I suspect).

My point is that perhaps we ought not take from this answer that the Cardinal (now Pope) is advocating neutrality on the question but rather equanimity. Perhaps, while not fussing over it, the Holy Father may yet recommend one over the other, perhaps even move towards one over the other.

VC
 
Remember that with the tongue, we can utter calumny, blasphemy, outrageous lies, cross and hurtful words, mislead, and commit untold other sins.

And while our hands can be physically dirty, that can be from giving alms to the poor, caring for the ill, helping a child, working the earth so we have food to eat, building, creating great art, etc.

Of course, the hands can also sin, and the tongue can also be free of sin. See where I’m getting at? The inner disposition of one’s soul matters more than the outward appearance of how we receive.

As for the host and the possibility of particles on one’s hands: never been a problem with the hosts that I have received which are supposed to be:

Can. 924 §2. The bread must be only wheat and recently made so that there is no danger of spoiling.

Can. 926 According to the ancient tradition of the Latin Church, the priest is to use unleavened bread in the eucharistic celebration whenever he offers it.

So therefore there should not be crumbly bread. If there is, a word is perhaps in order, with your local ordinary.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top