SPLIT: OK to comsume dropped host?

  • Thread starter Thread starter eccles
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
E

eccles

Guest
This incident was disgusting. At a Church run by the Capucine Monks, we were lined up to receive Communion, on the hand standing of course. The priest was giving the Blessed Sacrament to a lady and he dropped it. He made the lady bend down, pick up the Host off the floor and consume it. I turned around returned to my seat and never received Communion again. I thought the Blessed Sacrament had to be picked up by the Priest and disposed of according to proper rules. I was close to leaving the Church then. All my time as a Roman Catholic I never received the Blessed Sacrament on my hand - only on my tongue. My mother also refused to receive the Blessed Sacrament on her hand.

As I do not believe in a Creator/God I am now Atheist. My study of Astrophysics is the reason.
 
eccles said:
This incident was disgusting. At a Church run by the Capucine Monks, we were lined up to receive Communion, on the hand standing of course. The priest was giving the Blessed Sacrament to a lady and he dropped it. He made the lady bend down, pick up the Host off the floor and consume it. I turned around returned to my seat and never received Communion again. I thought the Blessed Sacrament had to be picked up by the Priest and disposed of according to proper rules. I was close to leaving the Church then. All my time as a Roman Catholic I never received the Blessed Sacrament on my hand - only on my tongue. My mother also refused to receive the Blessed Sacrament on her hand.

As I do not believe in a Creator/God I am now Atheist. My study of Astrophysics is the reason.
Click to expand...
The priest should have picked up the Host. There would be nothing improper about giving the dropped Host to the person. I certainly would not mind receiving a dropped Host. However, if the priest did not know the person or felt they might be squimish about it, then he could consume the Host himself later.
 
zab said:
The priest should have picked up the Host. There would be nothing improper about giving the dropped Host to the person. I certainly would not mind receiving a dropped Host. However, if the priest did not know the person or felt they might be squimish about it, then he could consume the Host himself later.
Click to expand...
Are you serious Zab? Even disregarding that you are referring to what the Church believes is the Body of Christ, what about the matter of Hygene. Would you accept food dropped on the floor by a waiter in a restaurant? That would be a breach of the health regulations. It is in my country.

I am disgusted by your attitude.
 
Dear Eccles–I remember a sales expert saying that people give a reason, but not the real reason.I wonder what the real reason is, why you gave up being a Catholic!!what moral law are you sinning against I wonder?But back to the main thread–I was in the line of people going up to communion,a woman about four people in front of me received communion on the tongue( which was her right)from the priest–I got the impression that he was peeved about this, as he was a “trendy"pastor and sort of shifted suddenly away.I noticed that in the process a host was flung accross the floor from the patten,it stopped near the feet of people on the other side and no one else saw this and the Host(Jesus Christ)was just about to be trampled under the feet of those going to communion in the left row.Father did not seem to do anything, so I quickly picked up Our Lord and consummed it.As I went past the Priest,he said “thank you”.By the way I too, normally receive Our Lord on the tongue by choice.I wonder what was more important-sticking to rigid rules or using our God given common sense and not allowing Our Lord to be trampled upon by men! I wonder if you Eccles, are trampling that same Jesus with your disbelief and your righteous attitude of non belief.What is more important-the manner of receiving Lord on the tongue (hand) or receiving Jesus in our souls,as that is what communion is all about–food for the soul, on the journey of our spiritual life-why are you killing your soul of spiritual starvation Eccles??,I prayed for the priest involved and gave him the benefit of doubt about this event,maybe he is a slow thinker or did not notice the host until he saw my actions, where as I have always been” ten steps ahead "sort of thing.Lord Santify your priests and sacred ministers. Jesus,have mercy upon me,a sinner!O Mary,conceived without Original Sin,pray for us who have recourse to Thee and for those who do not,the churchless millions.Amen.
 
karoleck said:
Dear Eccles–I remember a sales expert saying that people give a reason, but not the real reason.I wonder what the real reason is, why you gave up being a Catholic!!what moral law are you sinning against I wonder?But back to the main thread–I was in the line of people going up to communion,a woman about four people in front of me received communion on the tongue( which was her right)from the priest–I got the impression that he was peeved about this, as he was a “trendy"pastor and sort of shifted suddenly away.I noticed that in the process a host was flung accross the floor from the patten,it stopped near the feet of people on the other side and no one else saw this and the Host(Jesus Christ)was just about to be trampled under the feet of those going to communion in the left row.Father did not seem to do anything, so I quickly picked up Our Lord and consummed it.As I went past the Priest,he said “thank you”.By the way I too, normally receive Our Lord on the tongue by choice.I wonder what was more important-sticking to rigid rules or using our God given common sense and not allowing Our Lord to be trampled upon by men! I wonder if you Eccles, are trampling that same Jesus with your disbelief and your righteous attitude of non belief.What is more important-the manner of receiving Lord on the tongue (hand) or receiving Jesus in our souls,as that is what communion is all about–food for the soul, on the journey of our spiritual life-why are you killing your soul of spiritual starvation Eccles??,I prayed for the priest involved and gave him the benefit of doubt about this event,maybe he is a slow thinker or did not notice the host until he saw my actions, where as I have always been” ten steps ahead "sort of thing.Lord Santify your priests and sacred ministers. Jesus,have mercy upon me,a sinner!O Mary,conceived without Original Sin,pray for us who have recourse to Thee and for those who do not,the churchless millions.Amen.
Click to expand...
Karoleck,
Would you please obey the rules of this Forum and don’t preach to me. I have never preached anywhere on the Forum and never will. I have spoken with respect about the the Host - the Body of Christ and about the Mass. I will also speak with respect for the beliefs of Roman Catholics although I do not agree with them. Disagreeing with them is my right and I will defend my right always. You have your beliefs and I have mine. No prosletyzing will change my mind ever.
 
Once when I received, the priest I guess wanted to be sympathetic about a conversation we had earlier, and so when he put the host in my hand, he sort of pressed it. Well, the host stuck to his finger, and when he lifted his hand back, Jesus came with it and fell to the floor. I had no idea what the proper procedure was, so I just made a dive for it and picked it up off the floor to consume, and he apologized. It was not in the line of foot traffic, so I didn’t think twice about hygiene. An acquaintance of mine rescued one once that fell in a floor vent, which required access by ladder from the lower story. She consumed it, and it was pretty gross, but maybe didn’t know she could have dissolved it in water and used the sacrarium. These things don’t come up often in homilies or bulletin blurbs.
 
EvelynEVF said:
Once when I received, the priest I guess wanted to be sympathetic about a conversation we had earlier, and so when he put the host in my hand, he sort of pressed it. Well, the host stuck to his finger, and when he lifted his hand back, Jesus came with it and fell to the floor. I had no idea what the proper procedure was, so I just made a dive for it and picked it up off the floor to consume, and he apologized. It was not in the line of foot traffic, so I didn’t think twice about hygiene. An acquaintance of mine rescued one once that fell in a floor vent, which required access by ladder from the lower story. She consumed it, and it was pretty gross, but maybe didn’t know she could have dissolved it in water and used the sacrarium. These things don’t come up often in homilies or bulletin blurbs.
Click to expand...
That sort of thing was strictly forbidden before Vatican II. As a then Roman Catholic I though the Church had lost it’s respect for the Body of Christ when it allowed the Host to be handled by anyone other that an ordained person.

Jokes used to do the rounds about the Blessed Sacrament being used as a frisbee.
 
thank you eccles,sorry for preaching to you.Can I give you something to consider,you mentioned the rules of health and handling.I have never been to Lourdes,but to what I have been told the custom is, that no matter what sicknesses people have,they all are immersed in the same Lourdes water bath.Not only does this goes against all the rules of hygene, but what is wonderful is that people have been cured!! I personally believe the same process happens when I dip my finger in the holy water font,which everyone else uses .It is my personal belief that no health problems occurr in the distribution of The Body and Blood of Jesus(the swine flue scare stuff is a lot of bull in my view),The similar principal to what occurrs at the waters of Lourdes.
Jesus was the one who gave us the example at the last supper,He broke the bread with His hands and each one partook of it,they also shared the same cup.I do admire the simple piety that you described in your mother,revererence to The Blessed Eucharist is so important. [edited] receiving communion in the hand(though this was before the approval the was given by Rome to certain Countries were the college of Bishops asked for it-in your country Australia, as you know this custom was thrust upon people well before they were given permission to do it-very wrong.Sorry if this might seem preachy to you Eccles,not meant to be but I have touched on Catholic subjects-it is after all a Catholic Site.
Immaculate Heart of Mary,pray for us now and at the hour of our death.Amen
 
eccles said:
Are you serious Zab? Even disregarding that you are referring to what the Church believes is the Body of Christ, what about the matter of Hygene. Would you accept food dropped on the floor by a waiter in a restaurant? That would be a breach of the health regulations. It is in my country.

I am disgusted by your attitude.
Click to expand...
It is precisely out of respect for the Body of Christ that I would not hesitate to consume a Host that was dropped on our church floor.
 
\He made the lady bend down, pick up the Host off the floor and consume it. I turned around returned to my seat and never received Communion again. I thought the Blessed Sacrament had to be picked up by the Priest and disposed of according to proper rules.\

**The Priest might also have had a physical condition that make bending over with a ciborium full of consecrated hosts very difficult.

He also might have merely indicated that the lady MAY pick it up and consume it.

But, of course, you considered these things.

UMMM–since you are an atheist now, why are you coming here to complain of these things that apparently happened years ago?**
 
zab said:
It is precisely out of respect for the Body of Christ that I would not hesitate to consume a Host that was dropped on our church floor.
Click to expand...
We train our EMHC to retrieve a dropped Host and consume it. I wouldn’t hesitate to do that myself.
 
The 5th Grade daughter of one of our Choir members was sitting with us for Mass, and went with the Choir to receive Communion. The daughter received right before me and dropped the host as she turned to go back to her seat. She kept going back to her seat, visibly embarassed. As I passed the dropped host, I reached down (at this point, Father had noticed nothing and had gone to distribute), picked up the host, consumed it, grabbed the servers, and had them toss a towel over the spot.

After Mass I told the girl that next time, she should have just picked up the host and consumed it. Her parents told me that they taught her that that was wrong. When we checked with Father, he told us that if someone who drops a host feels comfortable picking it up and consuming it, they should, otherwise, they should pick it up and give it to the distributor. Since she did neither, she wasn’t in the wrong, but neither was I for having the sense to pick it up and consume it.

Point being, if you drop the host, you should pick it up. If you don’t feel comfortable consuming it, you should give it to the distributor. If you see a dropped host, same applies.
 
People panic when a host is dropped. I know of a priest that makes them consume the host…this is truely the Body of Christ. It is proper for the person to consume it, but when i see the panic on their face, i consume it quickly and give them another one.

Deacon Tony
 
When a host is dropped here we sorta panic and people scramble to pick it up like it was a fumbled football.

One time I saw the host drop with the person right in front of me. He stuck his tongue back out as if to say “try again” with the priest. The priest was very elderly but 3-4 of us were scrambling for the dropped host. I came up with the prize, consumed it on the spot (NOT and abuse!) and went back to my pew.
 
I think that the priest who dropped the consecrated Host should have picked it up and consumed it himself. He also should have inspected the floor to make sure there was no crumbs that dropped from the consecrated Host. I personally would not be in the least offended in consuming a dropped consecrated Host, but I can understand why some might be bothered about it. I applaud the person who rescued the dropped consecrated Host on the floor and consumed it.

One priest told an interesting story about a time when he went into a Church and saw flies buzzing around the Tabernacle. He opened the Tabernacle and found the Precious Blood in there. He had no other choice but to brush the flies away as best he could and consume the whole chalice of Precious Blood. Remember, it is the actual Body and Blood of Christ, and must be treated with the utmost respect and reverence.

To the OP, I am glad to see you on this forum despite your unbelief. You must be searching or you wouldn’t be here. I know how hard it is to live in this world without the comfort of our Lord. I do hope and pray you will find your way back. He calls out to you constantly.
 
Tonight I dropped the Host as I was attempting to put it in my mouth. I quickly picked it up and kept it my hand unsure of what to do with it. It was not until I was exiting that I figured it was best to consume it. As I was leaving and engaged in silent reflection, a woman followed me out and told me that it was improper to take a Host outside of the church and asked me what I did with the Host. I told her that the Host was presently in my mouth and she repeated that she had seen me drop it and that I was not allowed to take it outside of the church. In response and in near tears, I told her not to approach me in the future because I thought her actions were improper and rude. I’m upset that I was singled out and approached as if I had done anything wrong. Am I wrong? This woman appeared to be a parishioner just like I am and now I feel uncomfortable about going to this particular church again. Should I call the church office Monday?
 
I hope that she spoke to you gently.

She actually did exactly the right thing. It’s a serious thing to take the Eucharist out of church. She may have been the only one to see you, and since she didn’t know you, she needed to make sure you consumed the host instead of desecrating it, accidentally or intentionally.

I’m sorry that you felt singled out and embarrassed. You didn’t intend anything by what you did, but it was a Very Serious Thing that needed to be addressed ASAP.

Go back and do not be afraid or ashamed. My guess is that the woman who spoke to you was so focused on her concern for the Blessed Sacrament that she probably won’t even recognize you. Odds are, nobody else has any idea what happened.

Let it go. And if you ever drop the host again, pick it up and consume it right away unless the priest indicates otherwise.
 
Thank you for your quick response. The incident is such a blur that I can’t remember if she spoke to me gently or not - but I agree with you in that I need to let it go. I feel terrible for having said anything in response to her, but hope to ask for forgiveness and strength.
 
eccles said:
This incident was disgusting. At a Church run by the Capucine Monks, we were lined up to receive Communion, on the hand standing of course. The priest was giving the Blessed Sacrament to a lady and he dropped it. He made the lady bend down, pick up the Host off the floor and consume it. I turned around returned to my seat and never received Communion again. I thought the Blessed Sacrament had to be picked up by the Priest and disposed of according to proper rules. I was close to leaving the Church then. All my time as a Roman Catholic I never received the Blessed Sacrament on my hand - only on my tongue. My mother also refused to receive the Blessed Sacrament on her hand.
Click to expand...
You’re right. The incident is digusting and I’m surprised it doesn’t happen more often. Things are getting more and more sloppy when it comes to distributing communion. I don’t know if it’s more not using the paten to catch the visible and microscopic particles of the consecrated host, or communion in the hand, or just inexperienced MHC. But whatever the reason, it needs to be addressed by the Vatican and we need to write them to express our thoughts.

To have us fast and be free from sin in order to receive the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ only to have Him exposed to such cavalier and sloppy handling is totally unacceptable.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top