Origins of Communion in the hand

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thursday63

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When I made my first communion I and my classmate received on the tongue. For many years it continued this way for everyone. Then we began receiving Communion in the hand. Can someone tell me what the thinking behind this change was?

Also is it not true that any Catholic has the right to receive on the tongue?
 
thursday63 said:
When I made my first communion I and my classmate received on the tongue. For many years it continued this way for everyone. Then we began receiving Communion in the hand. Can someone tell me what the thinking behind this change was?

Also is it not true that any Catholic has the right to receive on the tongue?
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What do the origins matter? The Church says receiving on the hand is permissible. That’s all that matters.
 
I don’t believe the apostles received on the tongue originaly from the Lord. That being said, it is the magisterium of the Church that decides on this, wether in the hand on the tongue or from a spoon…
 
thursday63 said:
Can someone tell me what the thinking behind this change was?
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It is sometimes said that the purpose of the change was to revert to the manner in which Communion was received in the early Church. On the other hand, I think it’s questionable whether anybody really knows for certain how Communion was administered in the earliest period. It is said that the fullest description of the celebration of the Eucharist, at any date earlier than the reign of Constantine, is found in chapters 65 to 67 of Justin Martyr’s First Apology. But in this document (link below) Justin says nothing about receiving in the hand or on the tongue.

If @billsherman sees this, I’m sure he will be able to provide a fuller explanation.

http://newadvent.com/fathers/0126.htm
 
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It’s much more important that we ‘take and eat’ rather than worrying about the delivery method so much, as long as it’s received reverently ofc, as that’s not specified in Scripture.
 
No it’s not, Priests making those who want to receive on the tongue go last in line is putting people at risk.

No Priest has ever touched my tongue.
 
I’m afraid you’re mistaken as it’s the water vapour breathed out, besides touching of the tongue, that is the issue. When we breathe out, we breathe moisture as well as gas, as our lungs, mouth and mucous membrane are moist. You can see this when it’s a cold day. This will transmit onto the priest’s hand, and ultimately onto the next host, or several hosts, that he touches.

As Christians we need to think about others besides ourselves. Our elderly and those with underlying health conditions are at great risk of dying due to this current pandemic.
 
Yes, Receiving on the tongue remains the NORM for the Latin rite of the Catholic Church.
 
It will probably be a moot point some point soon, for many of us. Masses may still go on but for groups of less than 50, or even less than 10 (as we’re encouraged not to be in ‘big groups’.). May God and St. Rocco aid us.
 
I will qualify this by saying that I agree COTT is slightly more dangerous than CITH. But some of these statements I read about the danger era of COTT I find very hard to beluef (eg the EMHC who claimed 50% if the time he/she came in contact with the toungue). I have been receiving on the toungue almost my entire life. I find it almost impossible to believe any exhales while receiving communion. One would almost have to force oneself to do so while sticking out the toungue. Maybe I am very unique, but I don’t think so.

As to your last paragraph, I agree wholeheartedly.
 
tafan2 said:
One would almost have to force oneself to do so while sticking out the toungue.
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I know that I have personally breathed onto the priest’s hand while saying ‘Amen’. I may be unique in this 🙂 I don’t know.

Also, we breathe with our nose, besides our mouths.
 
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Even as someone who prefers communion on the tongue to communion in the hand, I found this article to be interesting:


The author doesn’t seek to promote communion the hand, or prove that it is the superior practice. Rather, he proves, using ample evidence from the early Church, that communion in the hand is not an intrinsically irreverent practice.
 
thursday63 said:
When I made my first communion I and my classmate received on the tongue. For many years it continued this way for everyone. Then we began receiving Communion in the hand. Can someone tell me what the thinking behind this change was?

Also is it not true that any Catholic has the right to receive on the tongue?
Click to expand...
St. Pope Paul VI was addressing the situation of the unauthorized liturgical practice of communion in the hand that was occurring, by granting an indult in various jurisdictions over a number of years. Redemptionis Sacramentum 91 establishes that “if there is danger of profanation, Holy Communion should not be distributed to the faithful in the hand.” Some jurisdictions did not apply for the indult or do not allow communion in the hand (e.g., Sri Lanka, and Oruro Bolivia).
 
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St Poe John VI had a choice. He could issue an indult or prohibit it. In his wisdom he chose the indult. Communion in the hand is therefore completely legal
 
BartholomewB said:
But in this document (link below) Justin says nothing about receiving in the hand or on the tongue.
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I’ve been through about 30 of the 37 books of the Fathers, and I have seen numerous references to “handling” the Mysteries, and nothing about receiving the Mysteries on the tongue. COTT was an innovation from some time later, as was pointed out in # 14; CITH is simply a return to how things were done at the first.

D
 
Communion in the hand is the most ancient and the ORIGINAL manner in which the faithful–everybody, clergy and laity alike–received the Eucharist. All the other methods, whether placing the Host on the tongue of the recipient, or commingling the Body and Blood in the Chalice and administering both on a spoon, or intinction, are just pastoral accommodations. Most began about the end of the first millennium, but communion on the tongue was introduced only AFTER the Chalice was withdrawn from the Laity in the Western Church in the 13th century.

And, just so I might take pleasure in watching the squeamish cringe, it should be known that home-communion, in which the laity took some of the consecrated Body back from the Liturgy to consume during the week, was not only a commonplace, but continued in some places well into the 7th century.

ZP
 
Yes, very possible to breathe on a MHC’s hand while saying amen, regardless if if one intents to receive in the hand or on the tongue. This part of the ritual us identical.

Yes, one can exhale through the nose, again, does not naturally happen while one’s mouth is open and toungue us sticking out

Care to try again?
 
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