The three wrong ways many Catholics are receiving the Holy Eucharist

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misstherese said:
It’s supposed to soften and dissolve in one’s mouth, not chewed.
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Same here. Never chew the host. Just let it softened and swallowed. Was trained not to chew it as a kid. … Reason something along the line that it was Body of Christ and therefore not to chew the Body of the Lord. Only now know that it can be chewed.

Looking back probably our catechism teacher wanted us to respect the host and not to eat it like as if it was a cracker. Funny how one is brought up could morph into a life long habit.

Never could allow myself to chew the host now.

God bless.
 
MtnDwellar said:
Bowing and responding with “Amen” are clearly covered in the GIRM.

There is no excuse, including lack of training, that can justify a Catholic not following the instruction for Mass contained in the GIRM.
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Not everyone is as informed as they should be MD. There is no way that someone can judge has to whether someone has a worthy excuse for not being up to speed on one thing or the next
 
That hasn’t been my experience. I have to chew. I would leave Mass with the host still in my mouth otherwise. The hosts come in different sizes.
 
MSSheBear said:
That hasn’t been my experience. I have to chew. I would leave Mass with the host still in my mouth otherwise. The hosts come in different sizes.
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Kei said:
Unless you receive the Host under the species of wine, it can be very difficult to get enough saliva in your mouth to let it dissolve.
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My parish (and most in the area) use 1 3/8 inch, double thick whole wheat hosts. Even if you receive a generous amount of the precious blood, those hosts don’t exactly dissolve like the smaller single thickness white hosts. I have even tried breaking them between tongue and roof of the mouth and it still would be a long process to let them soften to a point to comfortably swallow. Since I am often distributing the precious blood it would be a bit difficult to offer the chalice while trying to let those hosts soften in my mouth.

I’d also note in the last couple years of serving the altar on a daily basis that all of the priests chew the celebrants host. Even the most pious and revent priests I know chew the host to some degree.

The important thing is not chew versus soften and swallow, but it is a reverence for what you are consuming.

As my pastor has said numerous times “don’t grab the host and pop it into your mouth like popcorn… this is Christ and not a movie snack”. It’s also why he has several time reminded people to show a sign of reverence to both species even if someone is not receiving them. Especially at daily mass, many people will not receive the precious blood, but they will stop and bow while passing before the consecrated species. That is a direct result of our priests going to great efforts to instill a deep sense of reverence for the Eucharist.
 
You realize that I was making a general statement - right?
You said it for me. Not everyone is as informed as they should be.
 
“Bowing” can mean different things to different people.

The GIRM requires that a"bow of the head" is what is made before receiving. My Bishop and the priests in my diocese liken it to a “nod of the head”.

A “profound bow” would be from the waist. It is not required by the GIRM for the laity to make a profound bow to receive.

With this said, can anyone but the minister of the Eucharist actually know who is bowing or not?
 
And as the GIRM states, the local Bishops Conference will make the norms.

Bowing is optional in my dioceses.

Jim
 
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If you are walking up behind people, you can see from behind if they’re nodding or doing anything at all. Most aren’t.

Those who bow, where I’ve seen bowing, tend to bow from the waist. It is done when you are second in line from the front so that you don’t accidentally bow into the priest or EMHC. The person ahead of you is receiving while you are bowing. Then you stand up and receive.
 
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JimR-OCDS said:
And as the GIRM states, the local Bishops Conference will make the norms.

Bowing is optional in my dioceses.
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With all due respect, your ordinary is not the Bishops’ Conference.

A bow of the head is prescribed by the USCCB.
Whether this is reinforced by your ordinary and his presbyters is a different matter.
 
The problem here is what once upon a time, congregational postures were left to develop organically. Which they did. More recently, there have been attempts here and there to determine posture rigidly. Fortunately, Rome clarified some years ago that people cannot be forced, for example, to stand for Communion.
 
Bishops’ conferences don’t have the authority to overrule local ordinaries in these sorts of matters.
 
This is why I love the TLM --Very little room for “regional customs”

This is how you worship. This is how it’s done. This is what’s pleasing to God. Do X, Y, Z and nothing more and you will be fine.
 
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
has determined that in this country, communion is
normally received standing and that a bow of the
head is the act of reverence made by those
receiving. This shows the importance and
significance of one common posture and gesture as a
sign of our unity as members of the one body of
Christ.

I distinguish between a bow of the head and a bow, i.e. from the waist.

This is what I do in the Creed and as I receive.

I did always thought it was optional

I stand corrected

Jim
 
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And Rome has clarified that the rubrics are not to be interpreted as rigidly demanding one posture over another.
 
Bow my head, say AMEN! in response to ‘Body/Blood of Christ’ partake of host or wine, sign of the cross as I walk away…

I’m a victim of 60’s nuns as well, try and push the host against the roof of my mouth to break it up, since wine has been added, I let the host dissolve in that before swallowing. We have no kneelers, and rows are too close together, so I sit quietly and contemplate.

However, I must admit threads like this have made be a communion watcher of late! There are a LOT of different styles.

To paraphrase the Pope a bit…“receive as you will…just receive!” (reverently…)
 
KMG said:
Bishops’ conferences don’t have the authority to overrule local ordinaries in these sorts of matters.
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Well the GIRM itself yields authority to the episcopal conference in this matter, and I don’t know how that butts up against the ordinary being the authority on liturgy in his own territory. And it is not a hill I am willing do die on.
I’ve already earned the rude egotist badge once today (without half trying!) I really don’t need a second. :ok_man:
 
I had never heard of the GIRM until coming in here. Growing up I was never taught to bow. No one bowed where I lived. If I hadn’t started to see people bowing where I live now, I might never have looked up the practice. I wouldn’t have known I was supposed to bow if the whole community just wasn’t.
 
That is good.

Jesus told us to gnaw on his flesh. The Gk word “trogos” means to “gnaw at” and is the word used in John 6.
 
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I would be partial to the Roman Church adopting the Armenian style communion bread (they call it nushkar)

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