Receivng Communion on your Hand

[Ceil-1]

Only consecrated hands can touch the Blessed Sacrament?

Then why does the Church not only okay CIH, but direct us to do it? How is it people are allowed to take it to the sick? I understand the sentiment, but am confused by the implication that the leadership of the Church is either misinformed, too weak, or deliberately misguiding us into sacrilege. Is that what you are implying?

I remember, back in the 70’s, when it was changed that we were told to do it that way and that was it. No explanation, just that they had changed it. It was not that we took it upon ourselves that we liked CIH better. I resent the implication that anyone who takes CIH is less reverent, sincere or in some way deficient. I know many very holy people who do. Please explain whether the Church had the authority to give this instruction, and if not, why not?

 

[Layman]

All I can figure out is that there has been been a weird fad for constant alterations to the Mass since the time of Pius XII. The reason most often given is to get lay people more involved.

If the Mass is primarily to gain God’s favour, to expiate our sins and to sanctify us then that should be the primary focus. It’s too important for the future of mankind on this tempestuous planet to let it be turned into some kind of communal ‘celebration’.

Those involved in making such changes should have to spend 40 days praying and fasting in the nearest wilderness before putting pen to paper. That might then put matters in a more rigourous perspective. Have a chat with your personal demons, Mary or Jesus on a wild night in the middle of nowhere and then get back to us.

 

[Tsuwano]

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Maybe — before you accused me of being “false, uncharitable, and of slander” —you should have taken time to actually see what it was in Ailina’s post I was addressing. I reproduced my post #5 below —quoting Ailina’s post #4. Notice the sentence in Ailina’s post that I highlight in red. Ailina’s defense of communion in the hand as it stands in her post #4 --is on not being “concerned” about the crumbs left or fall off —since “No mention of the Diciples possibly dropping bits of crumbs”. Now do you as a Catholic —agree or disagree —that the crumbs from our Lord’s Precious Body are of no consequence–since the crumbs were not mentioned at the Last Supper.

If you are not suggesting that those who receive communion in the hand are not Catholic, then I do apologize for accusing you of being uncharitable and I thank you for your explanation. Yes, I agree that crumbs which may fall from the consecrated host are of consequence and we should take care not to let that happen. I do not think this means we should abandon the practice of receiving communion in the hand if one desires or that such a practice is a sign that the recipient is somehow less reverent or humble or Catholic.

 

[Walking_Home]

Originally Posted by Walking_Home View Post
Maybe — before you accused me of being “false, uncharitable, and of slander” —you should have taken time to actually see what it was in Ailina’s post I was addressing. I reproduced my post #5 below —quoting Ailina’s post #4. Notice the sentence in Ailina’s post that I highlight in red. Ailina’s defense of communion in the hand as it stands in her post #4 --is on not being “concerned” about the crumbs left or fall off —since “No mention of the Diciples possibly dropping bits of crumbs”. Now do you as a Catholic —agree or disagree —that the crumbs from our Lord’s Precious Body are of no consequence–since the crumbs were not mentioned at the Last Supper.

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Since you now see what statement in Ailina’s post my comment addressed and why–I do not believe you will find anywhere in my post —that I have in any way suggested that those who receive in the hand are not Catholic.

 

[Ailina]

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Since you now see what statement in Ailina’s post my comment addressed and why–I do not believe you will find anywhere in my post —that I have in any way suggested that those who receive in the hand are not Catholic.

Heh…you lost me way back when. The crumbs argument is one that is brought up here regularly. I pointed out that I have NEVER seen crumbs fall off the pressed wafers handed out at communion, so wonder if it is really an issue. I eat the wafer as soon as I receive it. It doesn’t crumble, EVER. If it did, it could just as likely fall to the floor if someone was receiving on the tonuge, because the crumbs would be so microscopic that no paten could ever catch them. So that argument for receiving on the tongue only doesn’t wash, imo. Because there are NO crumbs.

 

[Ailina]

***Astute observation but missing a vital point.

When Jesus broke and gave the “Sacred Bread” to His Apostles, He was giving it to Bishops not laity:thumbsup: HUGE difference. ***

Hmmm…He didn’t say "And for doing this, you shall all be called BISHOPS and raised above all…seems he also said something about the greatest being least, and something about SERVING others, didn’t He?

 

[Ailina]

***The Theology and level of piety is different.

In the hand “we TAKE Jesus”

In our mouths “we RECEIVE Jesus”

That friend is a profound difference if one understands the difference:shrug:

Love and prayers,***

Actually, I don’t TAKE Jesus at all. That would be reaching into the cup and helping myself. I receive the host from whoever is giving out communion that week. In my hand, as is the custom as long as I can remember. I know what is going on, so am entirely reverent and half-quaking as to whether I should be there at all, ever.

 

[Tsuwano]

***Astute observation but missing a vital point.

When Jesus broke and gave the “Sacred Bread” to His Apostles, He was giving it to Bishops not laity:thumbsup: HUGE difference. ***

Nonsense. A bishop is the head of a Church. The Church was established with the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. There was no need of Church while Jesus was with us.

 

[Layman]

The symbolism is wrong, especially compared to what we previously did. Before: Kneeling, on the tongue, from your priest, at the altar-rails separating you from the holy ground. Now, standing tall, into your hand, from a laywoman, lining up in a ‘bread queue’.

Add in the priest versus-populum, unvested lay people in the sanctuary, lay people giving eulogies, a band in the sanctuary, the priest sitting down while lay people distribute communion, the stripped-down texts, the table altar, folksy hymns, kids pictures on the altar and you have a trend towards the human and the mundane. You can argue the value of each of these individually, but together, oh, my friends, a very disquieting trend.

That’s not what we go to Mass for. It’s meant to propitiate God by reminding Him of the sacrifice of His Son and to invoke Jesus’ presence in the Host, whereby we may commune with Him. It should not be an exercise in self-congratulation; a communal ‘celebration’, with Monica looking so nice in her alb and Mrs. GoodLady standing beside the priest giving out Communion, apparently equal in dignity.

I don’t think it’s going to go this far, given the moves our good Pope is making, but you may want to watch out for female ‘deacons’ and liturgical dancing as the next ‘liturgical developments’. Also ‘Communion Services In The Absence Of A Priest’ if your diocese has been filtering vocations.

 

[Eric_Olsen]

I remember the change, from receiving Communion on the tongue to the hand. NO ONE wanted to receive in the hand, until one day the priest told us, “You sin more with your tongue, than your hands, it is perfectly all right to receive Communion in your hand.” I figured he was right, and have been receiving Communion in my hand ever since. If and when the Chuch changes back to tongue only I will be happy to comply.

and I would have told Father, that is why you need to go to confession first. Not to mention, peoples hands are just as if not more dirty than their tongue.

 

[Walking_Home]

Heh…you lost me way back when. The crumbs argument is one that is brought up here regularly. ** I pointed out that I have NEVER seen crumbs fall off the pressed wafers handed out at communion, so wonder if it is really an issue.** I eat the wafer as soon as I receive it. It doesn’t crumble, EVER. If it did, it could just as likely fall to the floor if someone was receiving on the tonuge, because the crumbs would be so microscopic that no paten could ever catch them. So that argument for receiving on the tongue only doesn’t wash, imo. Because there are NO crumbs.

quote=Ailina
This is the way I look at it: At the original last supper, did Jesus break the bread, bless it, and then feed it to each Diciple individually? No, He broke the bread, GAVE it to his diciples and then said “This is my body, take it and eat it, all of you…” No mention of the Diciples possibly dropping bits of crumbs, or having Jesus feed them as if they were infants.

I think taking it in the hand is fine for that reason. That is the way it was done in the early church. But not everyone in this forum will agree.

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What you “now say you pointed out” is not anywhere in your post #4. What is there is the “No mention of the Diciples possibly dropping bits of crumbs”.

 

[lawanda]

I think of it this way, I brush my teeth before mass, and I don’t eat I fast that morning prior to mass. I go to church, and see people scratching thier bottom, rubbing thier nose, sneezing into their hands, changing baby diapers, grabbing their crotch, scratching their heads or other parts of the body. and then we give each other the hand shake of peace, passing all those germs among us. after the germy handshake of peace we go up to the altar and recieve christ in our hands!, yikes!!! for me, no thankyou, my hands are not clean enough to touch the body of christ, place it directly on my tongue.

why do we continue to argue about it. if you feel in your heart that it is more reverent to take in in your hand rather than on your tongue then so be it. your god in heaven will see your being reverent and you will be blessed.

 

[bumpy187]

Have you ever seen the blessed sacrement in a monstrance when it is being carried? they hold it with a veil so as NOT to touch our lord.

Why would you think that it is ok to hold it in your hand, essentially giving yourself communion? Are you or any other laymen (for this matter extraordinary minister {another argument for another day} in an official position to give yourself communion?

I recognise that this has become a soert of defacto “norm” (after this started in Europe it was like a wildfire…raging uncontrollable) it kind of was “just accepted”. You can tell me all day that the USCCB “says” it is ok adn that the church says it is ok but in our heart of hearts we know better.

 

[lawanda]

also the priest washes his hands prior to handling the the body of christ. after the handshake of peace we as parishioners don’t have the oppertunity to wash our hands and like i said in my last post, people do all kinds of things with thier hands just before a handshake only the priest hands are clean and holy prior to touching the eucharist.

 

[Ceil-1]

and I would have told Father, that is why you need to go to confession first. Not to mention, peoples hands are just as if not more dirty than their tongue.

A layperson, let alone a child, does not tell Father what or why to do something. For that matter, it is a sin to tell off a priest. That’s a sin, right there. Implying that the hierarchy is not only wrong, but deliberately sabotaging our Faith is very sinful.

Why am I being ignored? I asked a legitimate question. If a Church authority directs me to do something, I am bound, by holy obedience, to do so.

I do not believe that my WWII vet, priest of 50 yrs, --who carefully purified the vessels and placed the veil over the chalice in such a way that, 20 years later I realized what I had not been taught: that that host is the Body and Blood of Christ --was telling me to commit a sin.

If you disagree, then say so. But, do so with charity and love. This scorn for the authorities of the Church, and by extension, the rest of us poor slobs, is saddening.

Incidentally, I don’t believe in CIH.

 

[ricmat]

I wonder if yesterday’s Gospel reading (22nd Sunday in ordinary time) says anything about this whole controversy. Or at least the part about how dirty the hands are compared with the mouth.

1. The Pharisees complain that Jesus’ disciples don’t wash their hands before eating. [And some people today complain that our hands are not clean enough to take the Eucharist - to eat.]
2. Jesus says that the things that come out of a person (many of them through the mouth) are the things that make one dirty. [And some people think that brushing you teeth, etc. solves that problem.]

I too wish to see more reverence to the Eucharist, and to God in general, and at Mass in general. However, I’m not convinced that on the tongue is better than in the hand. It seems to me that what is inside is more important than outward appearances. Sometimes those two things match up. At Eucharistic adoration there is a lady who “hobbles” on her knees all the way from the doors at the back of the church up to the altar. No doubt she is equally as reverent on the inside as her outward appearances suggest. Perhaps this is how we should process for communion, so that our procession is equally as reverent as receiving on the tongue.

 

[lawanda]

just because your mouth is dirty, does not mean you have an option to not eat the body of christ …duh, how else are you going to recieve it???, either way it has to enter your Mouth!!, but do we have to dirty it with our hand prior to putting it in our mouths? if as you say the mouth is dirty too, then it would be like rubbing it in the dirt then in the mud before digesting it. from his hands directly to my mouth. can’t help it if my mouth is not as clean as can be I have to ingest the host so by way of least resistance and in as clean a way possible I open my mouth by passing my dirty hands. therefore its clean up till the moment it enters my mouth.

and i wonder if that passage refers to words comming out of the mouth as dirty and not spit or vomit or anything else that was eaten before.

 

[diggerdomer]

Communion in the hand is just a fad.

I disagree, I don’t think the Magisterium would approve a fad.

 

[diggerdomer]

Did not Jesus say “take and eat…take and drink.” When we both take the host and the cup we are given it by another, we do not take it ourselves…so yes…we do receive it.

Exactly. Whether on the tongue, or in hand (or other methods approved by the Magisterium).

 

[diggerdomer]

That’s not what we go to Mass for. It’s meant to propitiate God by reminding Him of the sacrifice of His Son and to invoke Jesus’ presence in the Host, whereby we may commune with Him.

Where does the Church teach that? How can we “propitiate God”? I’m sorry, I don’t understand that phrase. Or, why we need to “remind” God…did God forget?

Thanks for any clarification.