Receiving on the tongue

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Elliott

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Most people receive in the hand at my parish. I was never taught how to recieve on the tongue. This may be a stupid question, but how do you do it? I mean is there a proper way to do it?
 
When the priest holds up the Host, keep your hands folded instead of extending them. Then he says, “The Body of Christ,” and you say, “Amen.” Then you open your mouth with your tongue extended a little bit, and the priest will place it on your tongue.
 
Just make sure to extend your tongue far enough so the priest/emhc can distribute the Eucharist to you easily.

matthew
 
Receiving Holy Communion on the tongue is the norm for the United States. Receiving in the hand is the exception. The fact you weren’t taught how to receive on the tongue shows the agenda of those who ignored the bishop’s instructions.

Just stick out your tongue after you say amen. It’s that simple. After a while, you won’t want to receive in the hand anymore. You’ll want to show reverence to the Blessed Sacrament rather than handle it like a piece of candy. I know I’m going to get it for this last sentence, but so be it. I’ve never heard a convincing argument on how letting everyone handle the Blessed Sacrament instead of only the priests and deacons increases reverence for the Blessed Sacrament. It does just the opposite. As a Blessed Sacrament priest once told me, familiarity breeds contempt.
 
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DavidJoseph:
When the priest holds up the Host, keep your hands folded instead of extending them. Then he says, “The Body of Christ,” and you say, “Amen.” Then you open your mouth with your tongue extended a little bit, and the priest will place it on your tongue.
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And if you’re really tall or the priest is really short or both, you may want to kneel (if that’s allowed) or at least lower your body a bit.
  • Liberian
 
Thank you for all your help. It will be akward at first I’m sure but at least now I will know what to do.

thanks again
 
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Elliott:
Most people receive in the hand at my parish. I was never taught how to recieve on the tongue. This may be a stupid question, but how do you do it? I mean is there a proper way to do it?
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Another thought is that no particles are lost from receiving on the tongue as in receiving in the hand. Into a man’s pocket or in a women’s purse or other ways that you can think of. All of the remaining particles are consumed by the priest when he cleans the vessels, or in some churches the when sacristan cleans the cups and the ciboria. Read John 6:12 which comes from an account of the loaves and fishes, Christ speaking…and when they were filled He said to His disciples: “Gather up the fragments that remain, lest they be lost.” (Douay-Rheims version)
 
I don’t recieve by toungue. It’s the best way to transmit diseases. That’s the practical reason. The religious reason is Jesus did not put the bread (which was then His Body) in the Apostles mouth during the last supper. Also, as I said in another thread, how can one have a personal relationship with Jesus if they are afraid to touch Him?

I don’t know where you get that recieving by mouth is the “norm in the USA” because every church that I ever went to most people receive by hand.
 
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Petertherock:
I don’t recieve by toungue. It’s the best way to transmit diseases. That’s the practical reason. The religious reason is Jesus did not put the bread (which was then His Body) in the Apostles mouth during the last supper. Also, as I said in another thread, how can one have a personal relationship with Jesus if they are afraid to touch Him?

I don’t know where you get that recieving by mouth is the “norm in the USA” because every church that I ever went to most people receive by hand.
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Can you think of one case where someone has actually caught a disease by receiving on the tongue? It’s very sad that someone would let their paranoia keep them from giving Jesus the reverence He deserves.
I truly do not understand how someone could think that one would be more likely to catch an illness by receiving on the tongue than in the hand. Think about it . . . during Mass, you shake a lot of hands during the sign of peace, and who knows where those hands have been? And you are transmitting the Host from your dirty, germ-ridden hand into your mouth. I also don’t understand how anyone who realizes that Jesus Christ Himself is in the Eucharist could be comfortable casually receiving on the hand . . . I’m sure it happens, I just don’t understand how. As to having a personal relationship with Jesus . . . just keep in mind that He is your Creator and Lord, and not your buddy or your “homeboy.”
 
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Liberian:
And if you’re really tall or the priest is really short or both, you may want to kneel (if that’s allowed) or at least lower your body a bit.
  • Liberian
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That is allowed. If the priest didnt give you the Sacred Host because you are kneeling then talk to him (after the mass) and tell him that it is on the GIRM! Maybe he is not aware of the GIRM or the Redemptionis Sacramentum.
 
Swiss Guard said:
**Receiving Holy Communion on the tongue is the norm for the United States. Receiving in the hand is the exception. /**QUOTE]

I agree with everything you are saying, but am unsure about this. Perhaps it’s only in the parish I attend, but there are only a few out of the entire congregation who receive on the tongue. My boyfriend & his family do, and then a few others here and there. Certainly in my parish, it is not the “norm” to receive on the tongue. I know, for some reason, it makes me sad to see it. This is not an attack on anyone, just a simple note of my feelings.

After all, I’m not baptized yet and cannot receive.
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Sorbetto:
Swiss Guard said:
Receiving Holy Communion on the tongue is the norm for the United States. Receiving in the hand is the exception. /
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QUOTE]

I agree with everything you are saying, but am unsure about this. Perhaps it’s only in the parish I attend, but there are only a few out of the entire congregation who receive on the tongue. My boyfriend & his family do, and then a few others here and there. Certainly in my parish, it is not the “norm” to receive on the tongue. I know, for some reason, it makes me sad to see it. This is not an attack on anyone, just a simple note of my feelings.

After all, I’m not baptized yet and cannot receive.
The norm is determined by the local bishop with the approval of the Holy See. The norm for all dioceses in the United States is to receive on the tongue. Special permission for receiving in the hand was given around 1976.
It doesn’t matter if everyone in your parish receives in the hand, the norm is still receiving on the tongue. The people do not determine the norm. Congregationalism has no place in the Catholic Church, not that I’m accusing your parish of being guilty of it.
If the Holy See takes away permission for receiving in the hand then everyone in your parish would have to stop with this practice. This isn’t a criticism of you, but please don’t fall into the error of congregationalism, which is when the people in the pew exercise an undue influence on the Mass.
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Swiss Guard said:
After a while, you won’t want to receive in the hand anymore. You’ll want to show reverence to the Blessed Sacrament rather than handle it like a piece of candy. I know I’m going to get it for this last sentence, but so be it. I’ve never heard a convincing argument on how letting everyone handle the Blessed Sacrament instead of only the priests and deacons increases reverence for the Blessed Sacrament. It does just the opposite. As a Blessed Sacrament priest once told me, familiarity breeds contempt.
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I couldn’t agree more. I started receiving on the tongue about 5 years ago (as a sign of respect for Our Lord) and I would never go back to receiving in the hand.

Over the past week at my church, hosts have been found in the poor boxes and one was put in an envelope and placed in the weekly collection basket. Thankfully, one of our priests FINALLY preached about reverence and WHO we are receiving at the altar. He stated that it we fully understood it was Jesus we are receiving, we should want to crawl down the aisle.

I can’t think of one good thing that ever came out of communion in the hand and I would love to see it overturned at some point. It would certainly prevent a lot of abuses that we’ve seen recently (such as the EBAY incident).

God Bless,
Gary
 
Swiss Guard:
The norm is determined by the local bishop with the approval of the Holy See. The norm for all dioceses in the United States is to receive on the tongue. Special permission for receiving in the hand was given around 1976.
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This is what I have understood, as well. The GIRM allows for the Bishops to decide. However, in the most recent document (2001) I can find from the USCCB, reception on the tongue and in the hand seem to be given equal billing. See paragraph 41 in the document Norms for the Distribution and Reception of Holy Communion Under Both Kinds in the Dioceses of the United States of America.
No matter. Reception in the tongue makes the most logical sense, IMO.
 
I’ve never understood the logic behind saying that it’s better to receive on the tongue.

Number one, as far as I know, the Church says both forms of receiving are acceptable. Also, if you follow the logic that if you take it in your hand, parts of the Eucharist will end up in your pocket or purse, or whatever, then the same should be said for the priest. He should not be allowed to touch it either, once it becomes the Body of the Lord. He, too, could accidentally misplace some of the Eucharist, it could end up on the floor or otherwise. If this is true, then we would not be able to distribute the Eucharist.

Also, I don’t think Jesus is going to hold you responsible if parts of Him wind up in your pocket. You are not intending sacrilege, so you shouldn’t be culpable.

At my first communion, they showed us how to receive it with our hands. To be honest, I find it illogical to claim that receiving on the tongue is better than receiving by hand. Unless the Church says otherwise, I don’t think it is the “moral high ground” to receive on the tongue.
 
So I did a search in Google for “reception of Holy Eucharist” and came across this site: transporter.com/fatherpeffley/Doctrine/Reception.html

Interestingly enough, this is dated May 29, 1969. Here’s a clip:
At the same time, however, the more complete sharing in the Eucharistic celebration of which sacramental communion is the sign, has prompted a desire in some quarters during the last several years to return to that usage whereby the Eucharistic bread is placed in the hand of the faithful, who communicate by putting the host into their own mouth.
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Moreover such a rite has even been put into practice in some communities and locales, even though the Apostolic See’s approval has not been sought beforehand and in some cases the necessary preparation of the faithful has not been provided.
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It is quite true that ancient usage at times allowed the faithful to receive this divine food in the hand and to put it into their own mouth. It is also true that in the earliest years they could take the blessed sacrament away with them from the place of worship, principally in order that they might use it as viaticum in case they had to face danger for the sake of professing their faith.
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But it is also true that the laws of the Church and the writings of the Fathers give ample witness to a supreme reverence and utmost caution toward the Eucharist. "No one…eats that flesh who has not first adored it; everyone receiving it is warned: “…Receive it with care that nothing of it be lost to you”; “For it is the body of Christ.”
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Since returning to the Church in March, I receive only on the tongue. I believe it makes me pause - makes me realize it is the Lord - and thereby giving Him due reverence. It is the reverence that is important.

I just want to challenge everyone to do some real research - find information on the things you have trouble with and know the facts for yourself. Don’t depend on people’s opinions on this or any other website for support of contradiction of Church tradition (or doctrine for that matter) and come to your understanding of our Great God and the Church established by our Savior!

It’s so sad to see such dissention amongst Catholics - if we desire unity of Christians in the world, we must first ensure unity amongst ourselves!

=)
Kat
 
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Fizendell:
It’s so sad to see such dissention amongst Catholics - if we desire unity of Christians in the world, we must first ensure unity amongst ourselves!
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Absolutely! The last thing we need is to be squabbling over non-essentials, in a “my way is better than your way” fashion. We should all strive to be understanding of each other in many of these liturgical areas where preference may be exercised.
 
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Fizendell:
It’s so sad to see such dissention amongst Catholics - if we desire unity of Christians in the world, we must first ensure unity amongst ourselves!
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In absence of more specific instructions, the Bishops have allowed us to use our own judgement. It is acceptable to offer arguments in support of one’s opinion. Neither of the means for reception are wrong and there is historical evidence for both (Writings of Church Fathers).
 
The first time I recieved on the tongue was about two years ago when I started attending the Traditional Latin Mass, which I can only attend a couple of times a month. Since then I have made it a point recieve on the tongue at my regular parrish mass as well, the only exception is that I will not recieve on the tongue from an EMHC.
 
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msproule:
In absence of more specific instructions, the Bishops have allowed us to use our own judgement. It is acceptable to offer arguments in support of one’s opinion. Neither of the means for reception are wrong and there is historical evidence for both (Writings of Church Fathers).
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True - I meant to be more general in my comment - that there seems to be an attitude of judgementalism of what others are doing rather than civilized debate. As always though, in a forum such as this, it is difficult to gauge one’s tone in writing, and so we are left to our assumptions.

I guess I often feel the attitude of “No, we’re supposed to do this not that.” or “This way is better because I think so.” comes across more often than the love I believe we need to show each other in instruction or sharing of opinions.

My intent is also not to hijack this thread, so at some point I’ll start another on this idea.

=)
Kat
 
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