Kneeling and "Licking"

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I attend both the NO and the TLM on a regular basis. When at the NO I always prefer receiving on the tongue, but there’s a problem… my priest is shorter than me and almost every time I lick his finger as he reaches up to give me the Eucharist. I want to kneel, but being well known (senior altar server, sacristan, lector) I don’t want to cause a commotion. There already is one family that kneels to receive, but everyone stares at them like woah! Should I just like hunch over to prevent the “licking” or just man up and kneel? Does anyone else kneel at the NO? What’s it like?
 
Orate said:
I attend both the NO and the TLM on a regular basis. When at the NO I always prefer receiving on the tongue, but there’s a problem… my priest is shorter than me and almost every time I lick his finger as he reaches up to give me the Eucharist. I want to kneel, but being well known (senior altar server, sacristan, lector) I don’t want to cause a commotion. There already is one family that kneels to receive, but everyone stares at them like woah! Should I just like hunch over to prevent the “licking” or just man up and kneel? Does anyone else kneel at the NO? What’s it like?
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I’m a tall guy myself (6’6) so I always run into this problem. It’s especially difficult when I have to go the Byzantine Divine Liturgy - you actually have to be underneath the priest who has to drop in the Eucharist from a spoon.

Anyway, I just bow slighty when receiving at the NO while standing/receiving on the tongue, I find it gives me the angle needed. Plus no one will notice, it just looks like your meeting the priest half-way.
 
Orate said:
I attend both the NO and the TLM on a regular basis. When at the NO I always prefer receiving on the tongue, but there’s a problem… my priest is shorter than me and almost every time I lick his finger as he reaches up to give me the Eucharist. I want to kneel, but being well known (senior altar server, sacristan, lector) I don’t want to cause a commotion. There already is one family that kneels to receive, but everyone stares at them like woah! Should I just like hunch over to prevent the “licking” or just man up and kneel? Does anyone else kneel at the NO? What’s it like?
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Too bad you are not in the Detroit area. This is no issue at my parish. Both the EF and OF are on the tongue while kneeling at the altar rail.
 
Man up and kneel. Or take it in the hand. Anything is better than what you described.

Bending down halfway seems as though it would look awkward. You may not be opening your mouth wide enough. The danger of that is it dropping. It is truly a source of angst for me. I sympathize with your dilemma. I have resolved not to take it on the tongue without a paten. I don’t like it, but, I have made my peace with it. It seems better than not taking Communion because of it.
 
If it’s not a common practice at your parish to kneel, then you’d just be attracting attention.

What made it easy pre-Vatican II was the use of altar rails. Now, it’s pretty awkward doing the same thing on the floor with people right behind you.
 
When I got to the head of the Communion line at a NO one Sunday I found that the EMHC was very short, possibly under five feet. I’m 6’2’’, so I kneeled for Communion. I don’t know if I was the only one to do so, but it made my day. I love kneeling for Communion, but nobody does at my NO parish.

I worried a bit that it might have offended the EMHC, but someday she’ll know that she did me a favor, and what my intentions were if she didn’t already.

I’ve never received in the hand, and I hope never to do so. I say, as another put it, “Man up and kneel”.
 
I would say man up and kneel, but since I am completely uncoordinated myself, I usually bow forward to receive the Eucharist in the OF. I just make sure that I wet my tongue so I can stick it out farther and allow Father to place it on my tongue and it says long enough to bring the Eucharist into my mouth after giving Father enough time to get his fingers out of the way.

However, I was pleased to find out a couple of weeks ago, after restoration of our Church the OF now uses the alter rail and I can now receive at the rail when I cannot make it to the EF.
 
I would receive it kneeling. In all papal masses they receive kneeling. So if anybody says anything, you can say that you do it like the pope does!
 
I am taller than all of the ministers at my parish (including the priests).

I have become accustomed to slouching a bit when I receive – Not so much a bow as just bending my knees. No one (to my knowledge) has ever given it a second look.

:twocents:
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i say pray to God about it. if one family is already kneeling to receive communion. Great! you dont have to worry if your priest will make a scene if you choose to receive Christ this way also. besides if this family is kneeling, and you are kneeling, it may inspire someone else to kneel, and then someone else!!! how cool would that be for Christ.👍
your communion should be between you and Christ. do not worry what pleases others. worry about how Christ wants and deserves to be received and pleased.
 
Orate said:
I attend both the NO and the TLM on a regular basis. When at the NO I always prefer receiving on the tongue, but there’s a problem… my priest is shorter than me and almost every time I lick his finger as he reaches up to give me the Eucharist. I want to kneel, but being well known (senior altar server, sacristan, lector) I don’t want to cause a commotion. There already is one family that kneels to receive, but everyone stares at them like woah! Should I just like hunch over to prevent the “licking” or just man up and kneel? Does anyone else kneel at the NO? What’s it like?
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Kneel. You have the right to kneel, and it is the norm for the Catholic world.
 
BayernAnhaenger said:
Kneel. You have the right to kneel, and it is the norm for the Catholic world.
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Since the only way I can kneel is when I have something to hold onto (unless I plan on lying down, spread-eagle:eek:) and as I’m fairly tall for a woman, I genuflect in the line while I can hold onto a pew or chair then slightly bend my knees and slightly bow to receive on the tongue. Sometimes the priest is taller than I and/or is standing on the steps to the altar anyway, at which time I don’t need to do anything except make sure my tongue is moist (since most parishes don’t use/have patens anymore and that way the Host is sure to cling to my tongue) and, of course, genuflect. The only time I’ve ever had a problem with the priests fingers was when I didn’t keep my mouth open long enough until I had received the Host:rolleyes:.
 
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