Practical Problem with Receiving Communion under Both Species

[Timidity]

At the time and place of my youth, it was the norm to receive the Eucharist by intinction.

I now find myself in a parish that offers Communion under Both Species in what i understand to be the more widely used form in that we have a minister of Body of Christ and a minister of the Precious Blood. So you go up to the first minister and receive the Body, then you walk to the second minister to receive the Blood.

So here’s my problem: how do I say “Amen” to receive the Blood when the Body is still in my mouth?

I can’t bring myself to chew the Body. I fear that one of the Sisters from my childhood parish will swing down on a rope from the rafters and thwack me with a yardstick. (You think I’m kidding, but those sisters were quite adamant that we were not allowed to chew Jesus).

Even if I could retrain myself to chew, I don’t really want to. I love being able to feel the physical presence of the Saviour when I return to my pew in prayer.

So what’s the solution? Surely I can’t be the only one with this problem. Someone on the boards must’ve have figured it out…

Thanks!

 

[legeorge]

I never really thought about this before, but it seems to me that the host kind of sticks to the top of my mouth and I don’t move my lips too much when I say Amen. After receiving the wine, It softens the host and it dissolves on my tongue. ( I hope this is in no way offensive to anyone.) Of course I don’t know if this helps any. Probably not. Someone else probably will give you a better answer.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

legeorge:

I never really thought about this before, but it seems to me that the host kind of sticks to the top of my mouth and I don’t move my lips too much when I say Amen. After receiving the wine, It softens the host and it dissolves on my tongue. ( I hope this is in no way offensive to anyone.) Of course I don’t know if this helps any. Probably not. Someone else probably will give you a better answer.

Basically the same here. The other option is don’t receive from the chalice. Just return to your seat.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

Br. Rich SFO:

Basically the same here. The other option is don’t receive from the chalice. Just return to your seat.

I can think of another option…

Chew the host.

As I do every weekend. If I had to wait for the host to disolve on its own it would take forever as we use levaned bread.

I know that some think it is more pious to let it disolve but I do not believe that.

 

[otm]

We seem to have swung from a hyper reverence to a laize faire one. The truth seems to be somewhere in between. My recollection of the Gospels and the words of Consecration are that we are to take and eat. And the words have their plain meaning. Sister ain’t gonna swing down from the rafters; but in case she does, you might suggest to her that a) whacking you is a criminal offense of battery, and b) she might want to relocate herself somewhere into the latter half of the 20th century.

 

[Faithful_2_Rome]

Jesus said EAT his body/flesh… the act of eating requires chewing…nothing wrong with chewing the body… ever see the big host the Priest has to ingest? He chews away…he simply must. However, I dont chew…not due to any piusness…but for me it seems natural to just go over, say amen w/host in mouth and drink the blood…host dissovles.

 

[Brain]

ByzCath:

I can think of another option…

Chew the host.

As I do every weekend. If I had to wait for the host to disolve on its own it would take forever as we use levaned bread.

I thought the host HAD to be unleavened, do you guys have a dispensation? are you of another rite?

and in responce/addition to the post above:
to my understanding the word used in the biblical manuscripts for “eat” during the last supper was more akin to “chew” or “gnaw” than simply “consume”

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

Brain:

I thought the host HAD to be unleavened, do you guys have a dispensation? are you of another rite?

Yes, in the Latin Church the host has to be unleavened.

In the Byzantine Church (which is of the Byzantine Rite) the host has to be leavened.

 

[loyola_rambler]

Brain:

I thought the host HAD to be unleavened, do you guys have a dispensation? are you of another rite?

If you study the Decree of Union at Florence (1439), you’ll see that only the Latin rite uses unleavened bread. The eastern rites and all of the Sister Churches of the East use leavened bread.

 

[boppysbud]

David, since in the Byzantine Rite the host and blood are given together with a spoon, I guess this would not be a problem for you to begin with.