Suggestion from a bishop: kneel to receive communion

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I’ll never, ever EVER understand this.

My tongue does a whole lot more sinning then my hands.

My hands cook and serve meals everyday for my aging, infirm parents, while my tongue denigrates the siblings who, at least in my opinion, have abandoned them.

My hands do the work of a clinical microbiologist, but my tongue criticizes the hospital administrators who, at least in my opinion, enact policies that hobble our work.

My hands pay my taxes, but my tongue lashes out at the lawmakers who, at least in my opinion, raise those taxes.

My hands play the piano at church, but my tongue often fails to honor God out loud throughout most of the week.

My hands embrace my husband, but my tongue can and sometimes does say things that inflict wounds on him that don’t heal for months.

My hands can be washed and sanitized, but no matter how much I brush my teeth and use various mouthwashes, my tongue, since it is healthy, is always covered with a forest of microorganisms, millions of bacteria that are healthy for me, but may mean sickness and even death for an immunocompromised person if I happen to sneeze or cough without covering my tongue with…my hands holding a tissue or handkerchief.

I do not understand the enthusiasm of Catholics who desire to receive the Lord on their tongue, which James called “a fire.”

Maybe…do they think that the Lord will burn that offensive piece of our anatomy out of our mouths forever?
 
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Linked article is from 2018, and in the current post-COVID church reopening environment, most dioceses are forbidding Communion on the tongue for the time being for safety reasons. Perhaps not the best time to re-mount the COTT campaign.
 
I wonder if recieving in the hand while kneeling would be best right now? Pre-pandemic I recieved communion on the tongue, but have obediently followed any local instructions when I get the chance to go.

If we kneel, that might keep us from being in the same face-space as our priest and protect him a little better. We all have masks on, but still.
 
We have the option to kneel at our parish. It started out with only a few gradually more have started to receive kneeling down and on the tongue. The majority still receive by hand. It is a good thing that there is a choice. A choice which I believe should not be one is better than the other.
 
DisorientingSneeze said:
I wonder if recieving in the hand while kneeling would be best right now? Pre-pandemic I recieved communion on the tongue, but have obediently followed any local instructions when I get the chance to go.

If we kneel, that might keep us from being in the same face-space as our priest and protect him a little better. We all have masks on, but still.
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In some dioceses where Masses have resumed, I’ve read that in the new COVID-19 protocol where parishioners have to sit in every other pew (so every other pew remains empty), that instead of having a communion procession to receive Holy Communion, that those who want to receive Holy Communion kneel in their pews and the priest walks through the empty pews giving the Blessed Sacrament in the hand to those who are kneeling. After the priest has gone through a row, the others who were seated can kneel and pray too.
 
There was more to the suggestion which I believe is important

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While the good Bishop is entitled to his opinion, it is just that, his opinion. Now, if he wants to mandate that for Strickland, that is his choice. I would not, but that is a different thread.

What the Bishop’s suggestion pre-supposes is a relationship with Jesus that is “high Christology”, Jesus as sovereign king and judge with a concentration on his divinty.
Well, that doesn’t work for someone like me, who has a very “low Christology”. My relationship with Jesus is steeped on Ignatian spirituality, and I relate to Jesus as the older, wiser, brother I always wanted, but never had. Divine, the Beloved, and still very human.
I receive him in my hand because to me, it is the closest thing to a hug that I can give him. ❤️:pray:t2::hugs:
 
Peeps said:
I’ll never, ever EVER understand this.

My tongue does a whole lot more sinning then my hands.

My hands cook and serve meals everyday for my aging, infirm parents, while my tongue denigrates the siblings who, at least in my opinion, have abandoned them.

My hands do the work of a clinical microbiologist, but my tongue criticizes the hospital administrators who, at least in my opinion, enact policies that hobble our work.

My hands pay my taxes, but my tongue lashes out at the lawmakers who, at least in my opinion, raise those taxes.

My hands play the piano at church, but my tongue often fails to honor God out loud throughout most of the week.

My hands embrace my husband, but my tongue can and sometimes does say things that inflict wounds on him that don’t heal for months.

My hands can be washed and sanitized, but no matter how much I brush my teeth and use various mouthwashes, my tongue, since it is healthy, is always covered with a forest of microorganisms, millions of bacteria that are healthy for me, but may mean sickness and even death for an immunocompromised person if I happen to sneeze or cough without covering my tongue with…my hands holding a tissue or handkerchief.

I do not understand the enthusiasm of Catholics who desire to receive the Lord on their tongue, which James called “a fire.”

Maybe…do they think that the Lord will burn that offensive piece of our anatomy out of our mouths forever?
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Do you know that it wasn’t so long ago that in the Catholic Church laypeople were never ever allowed to even touch the host? It was a special privilege for priests who had consecrated hands? Consecrated = set aside for sacred use? Priests say special prayers before they handle the host?
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SPLIT: Who can touch tabernacle, consecrated hosts, etc.? Liturgy and Sacraments
Yeah and not only that but the people who are not supposed to be used ordinarily (aka the extraordinary folks) are never supposed to touch a tabernacle or tabernacle key.
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27lw said:
Do you know that it wasn’t so long ago that in the Catholic Church laypeople were never ever allowed to even touch the host? It was a special privilege for priests who had consecrated hands?
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And in the time before that, this wasn’t the case, much like today. These disciplinary rules of the Church come and go in due season for the catechesis of the times.
27lw said:
Priests say special prayers before they handle the host?
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Um, not quite… can you show these? They say prayers specific to their role as priest during Mass, but it isn’t a special prayer for handling the host, unless you’re aware of something I’m not?
 
I find it sad that some bishops think they know better than the Church on this matter. One’s posture in receiving is not an indicator or internal disposition. Imposing one’s preference of style on others seems wrong. Especially, during the pandemic when hygiene is more important.
 
godisgood77 said:
I find it sad that some bishops think they know better than the Church on this matter. One’s posture in receiving is not an indicator or internal disposition. Imposing one’s preference of style on others seems wrong. Especially, during the pandemic when hygiene is more important.
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You do know that the norm for receiving is on the tongue, right? Receiving in the hand is a temporary permission that could be pulled at any moment, theoretically? So the Church does in fact have a preference, which is on the tongue?
 
I make a bow then receive with my hands. I only receive on the tongue when I go to Latin mass (which is only 4-5 times ever over the past couple years).

Receiving on the tongue makes me nervous for communion and not happy and anticipating it so for me I find receiving on the hands is better.
 
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From His Excellence Bishop Strickland’s instruction of April 28 about the reopening of public liturgy:
“• At this time, Communion will only be distributed under the form of bread, and it is strongly recommended that Communion be received in the hand. This is necessary because of what we know about how the coronavirus is spread.”
From Diocese of Tyler, TX website.
 
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