Receivng Communion on your Hand

[tcm22]

Once again I’ll repeat myself, it is not my opinion - it is the Church’s. I am not the one claiming authority over the Church, it is you people with all your “I don’t care what the Pope said” rebelliousness. To be so opposed or ignorant of Church history and teaching is truly sad.

*"Communion in the hand was never a universal custom or practice in the history of the Church. Popes St. Sixtus (115-165 A.D.) and St. Euchtyian (275-283 A.D.) both forbade the faithful from receiving communion in the hand; St. Basil (330-379 A.D.) permitted this practice only in times of persecution; St Leo the Great teaches, “one receives in the mouth what one believes by faith.” Eventually, communion in the hand was forbidden universally because, as Pope Paul VI states, “with the passage of time as the truth of the eucharistic mystery, its power, and Christ’s presence in it were more deeply understood the usage adopted was that the minister himself placed the particle of the consecrated bread on the tongue of the communicant” [Memoriale Domini, 8]. If Catholics did not believe in the Real Presence, then to argue over which mode was more reverent would be superfluous and ridiculous.

In 1965, Cardinal Suenans, Archbishop of Belgium, introduced the practice of receiving communion in the hand to his diocese. Pope Paul VI addressed this flagrant act of disobedience in 1969 with the release of his encyclical Memoriale Domini. Pope Paul VI explains in his encyclical why communion on the tongue is the norm of the Church and enumerates the many dangers attached to receiving communion in the hand. Communion on the tongue is the preferred norm of the Church because it “more effectively ensures that communion is distributed with the required reverence, decorum, and dignity; that there is less danger of disrespect for the Eucharistic elements…[and so] caution is exercised which the Church has always counseled regarding the particles of the consecrated bread*"

uvcarmel.org/2009/05/19/communion-in-the-hand-the-tradition-speaks/

So…does the fact that the Sacred Congregation for the Divine Worship worship affirmed the practice in response to petitions from several Bishops have any impact? I tend to think it does.

In the following documents the citations refer to:
Notitiae (Not.) - the official journal of the Congregation for Divine Worship (which now includes the Congregation for the Discipline of the Sacraments)
Acta Apostolicae Sedis (AAS) - the official record “Acts of the Apostolic See,” in which authoritative teaching and legal decrees are published.

ewtn.com/expert/answers/communion_in_hand.htm

While the “norm” is understood, the question is whether variations from that norm are both valid and licit. In this instance, it’s clearly established that COTH is an accepted practice for the Latin Rite.

Providing links to authors who clearly hold similar views to your own may be interesting, but is clearly not authoritative. The pejorative use of such phrases as “flagrant act of disobedience” to discuss the issue suggest a less than objective interpretation of Papal and Church positions, particularly in light of the information offered above.

That the Congregation later validated the practice (or discipline, if you will) suggests it wasn’t so flagrant.

 

[tweetymom]

Same ol’ same ol’. Now with some revisionist history thrown in, in an article led off with the ever-so-popular but totally debunked Mother Teresa quote. Obviously another self-proclaimed “authority”.

Enjoy yourself. If you’re convinced and called to your personal preference, by all means go for it. Please try to not be totally upset if most of us aren’t convinced. It truly isn’t that we aren’t reverent. It truly has nothing to do with a lack of humility. And it most certainly doesn’t have anything to do with us just not understanding. It just has to do with the “fact” that this is not a doctrinal issue and the Church allows more than one option. It isn’t a matter of “my Pope beats your Pope” and I have more saints that like what I do. Disciplinary decisions aren’t democratically made and we don’t get to overrule them. And if you feel ok with making your judgments about people based on this, and can disregard all the Biblical admonitions against doing so, I guess that’s part of what free will gives us.

I’ll go remove the splinter from my own eye now so you won’t have to do it any more.

Once again I say amen amen I just don’t understand all this ya ya ya about something that is supposed to be personal between me and God.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

Once again I’ll repeat myself, it is not my opinion - it is the Church’s. I am not the one claiming authority over the Church, it is you people with all your “I don’t care what the Pope said” rebelliousness. To be so opposed or ignorant of Church history and teaching is truly sad.

Problem with your source is that it is using the word “Church” when it is only addressing the Latin Catholic Church.

The ignorance that is shown in this is what is truly sad. The Eastern Churches, mainly the those Cahtolic Churches of the Byzantine Rite, have always had communion in the hand. As I pointed out earlier, the deacon (who is an extraordinary minister of the Eucharist in the Byzantine Rite) has always received in the hand.

I would also ask where your “rebelliousness” is coming from as the pope has approved the current practice. No pope may bind another pope in matters of discipline.

 

[Layman]

I think we’re talking about the Roman Catholic Church, here.

Also: I can’t find what heresy banning Communion in the hand was supposed to originally combat.

 

[CradleCath]

Waiting…

I fear you can wait a lifetime & that one still will not be able to give solid reasons that CITH is good for the Church & it’s people. I know because I’ve looked for those reasons & the best I’ve ever read is, “Because the Church allows It.”
Myself, I’d rather go with what the Church recommends rather than “allows.” The fact that the Pope has freed up the TLM. which requires COTT & that he distributes it that way, is a good recommendation.

 

[tweetymom]

I fear you can wait a lifetime & that one still will not be able to give solid reasons that CITH is good for the Church & it’s people. I know because I’ve looked for those reasons & the best I’ve ever read is, “Because the Church allows It.”
Myself, I’d rather go with what the Church recommends rather than “allows.” The fact that the Pope has freed up the TLM. which requires COTT & that he distributes it that way, is a good recommendation.

Great that is what everyone should do what they believe to be good for them. Our CC gives communion both ways whatever you desire. So I have a problem with the arguing. I have been to many many Churches in our travels and have seen it given both ways.

 

[tcm22]

I fear you can wait a lifetime & that one still will not be able to give solid reasons that CITH is good for the Church & it’s people. I know because I’ve looked for those reasons & the best I’ve ever read is, “Because the Church allows It.”
Myself, I’d rather go with what the Church recommends rather than “allows.” The fact that the Pope has freed up the TLM. which requires COTT & that he distributes it that way, is a good recommendation.

The fact that it is specifically allowed by the Church is really the only solid reason needed by faithful Catholics. The validity or licitness of a practice in the Church does not depend on an evaluation of its value by the laity.

 

[CHRISTINE77]

The fact that it is specifically allowed by the Church is really the only solid reason needed by faithful Catholics. The validity or licitness of a practice in the Church does not depend on an evaluation of its value by the laity.

Our Priest told us that due to the Swine Flu we must receive the eucharist by hand, not by mouth because sometimes saliva gets on the hands of the Priest or extraordinary ministers when they distribute it to the tongue. Also no more Blood of Christ in the communial cup unless you are gluten-intolerant.

 

[tweetymom]

Our Priest told us that due to the Swine Flu we must receive the eucharist by hand, not by mouth because sometimes saliva gets on the hands of the Priest or extraordinary ministers when they distribute it to the tongue. Also no more Blood of Christ in the communial cup unless you are gluten-intolerant.

and as EM I do not like saliva on my hands.

 

[PJM]

=paperwight;5724820]Well, that’s only his personal opinion. It’s not what the Church as a whole teaches. Perhaps he holds this opinion because of teaching in his childhood, perhaps in reaction to a particular problem he’s seen in his diocese. But it still remains only his opinion.

Oddly enough, this Sunday notices were up in our church with a directive from OUR Archbishop,headed ‘Update on Swine Flu’, saying that communion on the tongue ‘is to be strongly discouraged’.

When the swine flu situation is over, I doubt very much if many would want to go back to COTT, having been made so aware of the health risks.

If the Vatican ever changed the discipline and made COTT mandatory, I foresee discontent and even rebellion. I hope the Vatican would not be so foolish as to risk it.

Thinking as you do, are you aware [or does it even matter] that your position is NOT THE NORM for the World Wide Catholic Church? Receiving on the tongue is.

Flu is not new. In the many hundreds of years as the “NORM” it was NOT a factor. Why?

Because God Himself would not permit it to become one.

Receive from Pope Benedict and you will have to kneel and receive on your tongue. Are you so slow in understanding the signifiance of this, as to make lite of it?

Taking Communion in ones hand is TAKING Christ! Receiving on the tongue is RECEIVING Christ. Certainly we are worthy of neither, BUT on the tongue at least shows respect for Jesus, which is often lacking with taking Christ.

Dear God help us!

 

[tweetymom]

Thinking as you do, are you aware [or does it even matter] that your position is NOT THE NORM for the World Wide Catholic Church? Receiving on the tongue is.

Flu is not new. In the many hundreds of years as the “NORM” it was NOT a factor. Why?

Because God Himself would not permit it to become one.

Receive from Pope Benedict and you will have to kneel and receive on your tongue. Are you so slow in understanding the signifiance of this, as to make lite of it?

Taking Communion in ones hand is TAKING Christ! Receiving on the tongue is RECEIVING Christ. Certainly we are worthy of neither, BUT on the tongue at least shows respect for Jesus, which is often lacking with taking Christ.

Dear God help us!

I seriously think I would ever be asked to recieve Communiom from the Pope, and I understand if you do not want to receive it on the tongue then you will not receive from the Pope.
And the norm for the USA is what is important to me. The only disrespect I see is judging one in how one takes Communion.

 

[CHRISTINE77]

and as EM I do not like saliva on my hands.

plus - you could transfer it into someone else’s mouth, and if the first person had the flu…:sad_yes:

 

[diggerdomer]

Our Priest told us that due to the Swine Flu we must receive the eucharist by hand, not by mouth because sometimes saliva gets on the hands of the Priest or extraordinary ministers when they distribute it to the tongue. Also no more Blood of Christ in the communial cup unless you are gluten-intolerant.

Sounds prudent. I’ve heard of a number of dioceses that are taking similar measures.

 

[diggerdomer]

Thinking as you do, are you aware [or does it even matter] that your position is NOT THE NORM for the World Wide Catholic Church? Receiving on the tongue is.

Flu is not new. In the many hundreds of years as the “NORM” it was NOT a factor. Why?

Because God Himself would not permit it to become one.

Receive from Pope Benedict and you will have to kneel and receive on your tongue. Are you so slow in understanding the signifiance of this, as to make lite of it?

Taking Communion in ones hand is TAKING Christ! Receiving on the tongue is RECEIVING Christ. Certainly we are worthy of neither, BUT on the tongue at least shows respect for Jesus, which is often lacking with taking Christ.

Dear God help us!

In the U.S. the norm is either on the tongue or in the hand, as desired by the communicant.

 

[estesbob]

Thinking as you do, are you aware [or does it even matter] that your position is NOT THE NORM for the World Wide Catholic Church? Receiving on the tongue is.
!

%between%
Thinking as you do, are you aware [or does it even matter] that your position the TLM is NOT THE NORM for the World Wide Catholic Church? The OF us.

 

[truevaticanii]

Actually, I do get it. It is ALL about traditons of men. Disciplines such as this are by definition “traditions of men”. Resorting to gross hyperbole in claiming that people are casting down the Body of Christ is simply ridiculous. Anyone who would do such a thing would do it just as quickly and be just as irreverent if receiving on the tongue.

And again we come up with the same baloney, the same “we tried to stop them because they aren’t of our band” stuff. “Certain people” refuse to change their ways and are not treating the Lord with the respect he deserves. What unmitigated arrogance to think you can pronounce on what degree of respect anyone is showing to the Lord based on posture! Because others fully believe they are reverently and respectfully do something different from what you do you’re all ready to make all kinds of judgments.

Oh, and here we go again with more of the same.

No, none of us have any faith or love of Christ because we hold our hands different. As someone previously mentioned, there are centuries of saints and martyrs who managed to be pretty devout and reverent but I guess we aren’t capable of that.

Why would I bother? You’ve ignored every one posted because they don’t match your opinions or a 40 year old document that the Church changed its mind on.

Umm… I don’t think you get it… I am not talking about symbolically casting Our Lord down… I’m being literal here! Allow me to explain this AGAIN… I want to protect the Eucharist from being harmed…

By harm–I mean that each particle of the Host IS Jesus Christ, meaning that every single tiny piece that could possibly come off the host unknowingly when you take the Host off your left hand with your right… you often do not lick your hand to receive each particle… you often put your hand down or something, so these little unseen particles (JESUS CHRIST) fall to the ground–no one would want that. In order to prevent this… traditional Catholic Masses have altar servers who guide the Host from the “bowl” to the mouth and are held under the chin of each Communicant as they receive on the tongue so that any particle that may fall off the tongue will fall to the paton and will later be wiped off the paton and–I think–wiped into the chalice to be consumed by the priest. So, each particle, being Jesus Christ, if fallen, will fall on the tongue, and if not there, then on the paton, and–in some churches–if not on the paton, then on the altar rail cloth.

“I want to protect the Eucharist… each particle that is split from the Host is Jesus Christ, and little particles sometimes fall off the Host when the Host is in the hand, then the person picks up the host with their opposite hand and places Jesus in their mouth. Then, they usually move the hand that first received Jesusin away that anything that was on the hand falls off the hand… inculding htose tiny particles. I do not want that to occur. Also, if we see someone receive on the tongue and not with the hand, then it is harder for them to steal the host as a satanist who wants to perform a black mass… they cannot slip the host into their sleeve from the palm of their hand because the altar server would notice if they tried to take the Host by the hand… and when we receive on the tongue, you can tell if someone takes the host out of their mouth during Mass… to preserve it for desecration. and, if they wait until after Mass, then at least some of the pieces of the Host will have had to be consumed and perhaps it would be less likely for them to get each piece of the host off their tongue or whatever.” —one of my earlier posts.

This has nothing to do with traditions of men but with protecting the Holy Eucharist and preventing scandal!

You are merely trying to uphold the traditions of men in trying to keep Communion in the hnad alive… that was a tradition started by men to prevent sicknesses in foreign countries (first reason an indult was composed for this)… and because people simply wanted to receive this way to be more like the Protestants who see the Eucharist as a mere symbol… you are trying to uphold this practice not because you want to protect the Eucharist and receive Him in the most reverent way possible (because you must obviously see Communion on the hand and tongue as equally reverent) but because you prefer this action as it has been done since some time after Vatican II (a new tradition)…

I just have to add this for all of you: nowhere in Vatican II does it say that the gerneral norm (common law) for reception of Communion should be on the hand… in fact, Pope Paul VI kept it as Communion on the tongue… which was how Blessed John XXIII prefered it to be… we only receive on the tongue because the bishops of the US deemed it important for this country to receive this way–why? because certain areas of the US were receiving this way illicitly (before the indult) and the USCCB rather than stopping them, decided to go with this new (new in the sense that it was not practiced for many many years) tradition of man. And, most countries of the world do not have Communion on the hand as the norm… they do not have that indult… JUST MAKING SURE THAT NO ONE HEAR IS THINKING THAT THIS PRACTICE OF CITH CAME FROM VATICAN II.

 

[truevaticanii]

The fact that it is specifically allowed by the Church is really the only solid reason needed by faithful Catholics. The validity or licitness of a practice in the Church does not depend on an evaluation of its value by the laity.

So what will you say if one day Pope Benedict XVI declaired that all indults for CITH would be dropped and that receiving on the hand would be improper… and perhaps added to the list of liturgical abuses? Would you stand by that? …because it is bound to happen soon enough wether it be in the years of Pope Benedict XVI or in the years of a later pope. Will you keep going with the illict act or would you stop because it is made illict by the dropping of the indults??

…or do you go by a double standard?

 

[I_Believe]

Why does the fact that reception of Holy Communion at every single mass is not required get lost in these conversations ? If you fear the flu, don’t receive. Do a Spiritual Communion instead. The world won’t quit turning. It’s not a sin.

If EMHC fear placing the Host on someone’s tongue, stop being one.

I don’t receive every time I go to Mass, sometimes even when I’ve been to Confession right before Mass. Adoration and Spiritual Communion is a good thing at times.

What about gum disease ?
dental–health.com/contagious_gumdisease.html
Are we also concerned about the backwash of the persons in front of us drinking from the Cup ? Are we comfortable enough to trust that every single person drinking the Precious Blood ahead of us is disease free ? Ever brushed your teeth and noticed a small amount of blood on the toothbrush or in the sink when you spit the toothpaste out ? Even those with healthy gums can shed a small amount of blood if they brush vigorously. Do we not drink of the Cup because the person in front of us may have aids and not know it ? And may have brushed his/her teeth before walking out the door headed for Mass ?

What about that door handle on the door to the church ? Do you wear latex gloves until it’s time to receive Holy Communion ? Do you trust that the missalette you pick up at the noon Mass hasn’t been handled by a child who sticks his fingers in his mouth at the 10 am Mass ?

How about the Ebola virus ? The Avian flu ? Did they live up to the hype ?

Keep a regular sleep pattern, eat right, take a zinc supplement, avoid drugs that weaken your immune system, and if you begin to feel sick, drink clear liquids, eat chicken noodle soup and rest until it passes. If you feel worse than you ever have, go to the hospital. Get a flu shot if it makes you feel more comfortable about this swine flu strain. Me ? I’m not going to get it until mid January or later. I want to see what this shot that is still being tested is going to do to people.

We live in a filthy world

 

[I_Believe]

Thinking as you do, are you aware [or does it even matter] that your position is NOT THE NORM for the World Wide Catholic Church? Receiving on the tongue is.

Flu is not new. In the many hundreds of years as the “NORM” it was NOT a factor. Why?

Because God Himself would not permit it to become one.

Receive from Pope Benedict and you will have to kneel and receive on your tongue. Are you so slow in understanding the signifiance of this, as to make lite of it?

Taking Communion in ones hand is TAKING Christ! Receiving on the tongue is RECEIVING Christ. Certainly we are worthy of neither, BUT on the tongue at least shows respect for Jesus, which is often lacking with taking Christ.

Dear God help us!

Amen !

 

[I_Believe]

I fear you can wait a lifetime & that one still will not be able to give solid reasons that CITH is good for the Church & it’s people. I know because I’ve looked for those reasons & the best I’ve ever read is, “Because the Church allows It.”
Myself, I’d rather go with what the Church recommends rather than “allows.” The fact that the Pope has freed up the TLM. which requires COTT & that he distributes it that way, is a good recommendation.

Yep.

And there is also another reason they won’t admit, which is connected to the use of EMHC.
It saves their precious time. Get’s us out of church faster.

How haunting are these words…

"A day will come when the civilized world will deny its God, when the Church will doubt as Peter doubted. She will be tempted to believe that man has become God. In our churches, Christians will search in vain for the red lamp where God awaits them. Like Mary Magdalene, weeping before the empty tomb, they will ask, “Where have they taken him?” -Pope Pius XII

Immaculate Heart of Mary, Pray for us
Sacred Heart of Jesus, Have Mercy on us
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