I don’t often post on here, but I feel compelled to reply to some things on this thread. First, for those who do not know, I’m a priest. I have no preference for how my communicants receive. If someone presents him/herself for Holy Communion, I administer the sacrament in whichever way the communicant desires. However, a couple of points:
First,
The priest’s hands were consecrated at his ordination. I have had no such blessing, and therefore am UNWORTHY to touch Jesus Christ in any other way except on the tongue. If someone else feels confortable enough to take the Holy Eucharist into their hands, good for them. MY comfort level just won’t allow that. I haven’t recieved in the hand for years and never will again.
Even though I’m a priest, I too am unworthy to touch Jesus. As Augustine said, and I’ll modify it slightly, “For you, I am a priest; with you, I am a Christian.” I have no intention of picking on this poster, so please don’t take anything I say here personally. But, I’ve encountered this mentality before. It strikes me as Jansenistic. Jansenism is a heresy that tends to overemphasize our own sinfulness and unworthiness before God. The truth of the matter is that we are ALL unworthy to receive our Lord. With you, I too say the words, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.” So, to this poster, it’s true that your hands have not been consecrated as mine have been. However, neither your nor my mouth has been consecrated either. Yet, we welcome the Lord “under our roof,” not because of our worthiness, but in spite of our unworthiness.
Second, while it is true that I have no preference for how someone receives, I do think we have to ALWAYS examine our consciences and motives. I can’t read hearts. I can’t possibly know intentions. Someone may come up to communion in a very nonchalant manner, receive on the hand, mutter an almost inaudible, “Amen,” and keep on walking as though nothing has happened. Is this person being irreverent? Perhaps. But, could it also be the case that this person just had the proverbial week from hell? Could it be that the person’s mother died, he was fired from his job, and his child was just diagnosed with cancer all in the span of a few days, and it is all he can do to just get through the day? Yes. None of us know and all too often people are far less guilty than they appear. Likewise, it often APPEARS to me that people who insist on receiving on the tongue and kneeling are doing it for show, to appear, “holier than thou.” But, just like the nonchalant individual, I can’t know the intentions of the heart. Only the individual can know that. So, I try to always give people the benefit of the doubt. HOWEVER, I encourage all of us to examine our motives. Are we REALLY doing something out of love of the Lord? Or, deep down, are we doing it to win the esteem of men? That’s not a question I can answer, but it is one that we each MUST answer for ourselves.
Finally, as someone who regularly distributes the Holy Eucharist (and my parish is predominantly Hispanic, and Hispanic people, as a general rule, receive on the tongue), please, PLEASE,
PLEASE I beg you, if you are going to receive on the tongue, do so properly. Those who also distribute Holy Communion will know what I mean when I talk about the “moving target,” the “biters,” and the “coin-slotters.” The Church allows us to receive ON THE TONGUE. That means actually sticking your tongue out and giving Father, or whomever, a target, a landing zone if you will. The Church does not allow us to receive in our teeth. We shouldn’t bite at the host. It is not uncommon for someone to simply open his/her mouth and not stick his/her tongue out. In these instances, yes, we do need to stick our fingers in your mother to get the host in there. Sometimes, people barely open their lips. These individuals are what I affectionately call the “coin-slotters,” because they give you a gap about as wide as the slot for a quarter on a vending machine. Some people move their head, tracking the host, as you go to place it on their tongue. Some people come forward with their hands extended and their mouth open, and I don’t know how they wish to receive.
I say these to be somewhat comical. But, it is true. In my experience, many people prefer to receive on the tongue. Great. More power to them. But, of those who choose to receive in this manner, it’s also my experience that the vast majority do it incorrectly.
As it pertains to the original point, I’ll reemphasize something I said earlier. Often, people are not as guilty as they appear. One of the reasons I read and post rather infrequently to these forae is that I don’t like how priests are treated. The sentiment I often read is, “Father’s wrong! You should write to the bishop! And if that fails, write to Rome!” Leaving aside the fact that no bishop that I know of has time to deal with every perceived liturgical abuse out there, we never hear the other side of the story. People are slow to listen and quick to judge when it comes to anything remotely resembling liturgical abuse. The reality is that most, and dare I say all, priests truly love the Lord and their people. They are trying to do the best they can with limited resources. We’re not perfect. We fail at our jobs, too. We don’t need criticisms; we need prayers.
Anyway, just my two cents. At the end of the day, the important thing isn’t how someone receives Jesus EXTERNALLY, but how we receive Him INTERNALLY. Are our hearts disposed? have we made a throne for Him on the inside and not merely on the outside?
