Receiving a piece of the priest's host

[Susan_Calvin]

I had a woman complain to me that she was always getting a broken host until I explained to her that since she is usually one of the first in line that she is getting a piece of the large priest’s host.

That’s a good point too… the parishioner who originally told me its a special favour of the priest to give you a fraction piece… he sits at the front and is often first in line! I sit close to the front lately too, so that might be why I’m getting the pieces more often.

 

[tinalewis]

Personally, my preference is to receive the small round hosts.

Sometimes our priest uses scorred priest hosts that break apart like a pizza. If I’m given a piece, the jagged triangle-shaped piece is awkward for me to consume. With the smaller round hosts, I can focus only on Our Lord and his Gift to us rather than on how I’m going to bite into and chew an odd shape.

And isn’t that really what it’s all about? Not about whether we’ve been given a piece of the priest host or what that means . . . but rather about how wonderful it is to receive Our Lord?

 

[ProVobis]

I am a very new Catholic so I apologize in advance if this sounds like a silly question…

Yesterday, someone in my parish told me that if Father gives you a piece of “his” host, the one he elevates during the consecration, it means he thinks highly of you and is doing you a special favour. Personally, I assumed pieces of the priest’s host were given out so that the priest doesn’t have to eat the whole thing, and that its just random who gets the pieces. I also think its kind of wrong almost, if the priest were “favouring” certain people! But this person was insistent, and has been a Catholic their whole life, so… I’m not sure. If someone can clarify this for me I would be grateful.

A small point of order, though. For the Mass to be valid, the priest must consume the consecrated host and wine. I’ve heard at one Mass, the EMHC were so anxious to distribute, that they drank all the consecrated wine before the priest did. This would invalidate the Mass. The priest must communicate; no one else needs to.

Whether he offers you a piece of the same host he actually lifted up is really irrelevant. All the hosts in the open ciborium are consecrated and have the same Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ.

 

[EvelynEVF]

Wait! How could they even get to the Precious Blood before the priest communicated? Right after the Lamb of God and the fracturing is Lord I am not worthy, and then the priest communicates right then, without ever moving away from chalice and ciborium right in front of him. Only then does he give it to deacon/serves/EMHCs. They would have had to dash up and practically snatch it to beat him to it.

Maybe I don’t really want to know.

 

[Susan_Calvin]

Wait! How could they even get to the Precious Blood before the priest communicated? Right after the Lamb of God and the fracturing is Lord I am not worthy, and then the priest communicates right then, without ever moving away from chalice and ciborium right in front of him. Only then does he give it to deacon/serves/EMHCs. They would have had to dash up and practically snatch it to beat him to it.

Yes good point, I wondered that too?? My priest communicates before anyone leaves the altar. Its that way at the other parishes I have visited also.

 

[EvelynEVF]

I watched closely today, and saw that during the I am not worthy part, the priest elevated both his piece of host and the chalice under it. Then he set them down and communicated without ever taking his hands off the chalice.

I don’t know the exact norms, but there would have to be something else fishy going on for a priest to miss the cup, I think.

 

[Spirithound]

Personally, my preference is to receive the small round hosts.

Sometimes our priest uses scorred priest hosts that break apart like a pizza. If I’m given a piece, the jagged triangle-shaped piece is awkward for me to consume. With the smaller round hosts, I can focus only on Our Lord and his Gift to us rather than on how I’m going to bite into and chew an odd shape.

And isn’t that really what it’s all about? Not about whether we’ve been given a piece of the priest host or what that means . . . but rather about how wonderful it is to receive Our Lord?

Chew, my friend! Chew

 

[FrDavid96]

I watched closely today, and saw that during the I am not worthy part, the priest elevated both his piece of host and the chalice under it. Then he set them down and communicated without ever taking his hands off the chalice.

I don’t know the exact norms, but there would have to be something else fishy going on for a priest to miss the cup, I think.

Right. No one else should even be near the altar until after the priest has received both Body and Blood. The priest should be handing the vessels to the EMHCs. There’s a lot of “fishy” things happening if the Precious Blood was all consumed before the priest ever received any.