Vatican official suggests reconsidering Communion in the hand

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Beautiful said:
Now I feel a bit bad to respond in the manner in which I had planned on doing before I read your post. Call me a whatever you want but I was thinking in terms of my lips being an erogenous area. I’d rather have the hands and eyes of others off or away from my lips. It isn’t that I feel that I’ve done anything bad - God made my female lips and I am thankful. I just don’t think it is necessary or theologically justified to make reception by tongue the law of the land.

Wikkipedia says this about lips:

To put it bluntly - I say - stay away from my mouth - thank you.
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The problem I have with this post is that it is about YOU and NOT the Eucharist.
 
johnstown_johnn said:
The problem I have with this post is that it is about YOU and NOT the Eucharist.
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woa! I am a body here! And I do want to receive Eucharist! I just don’t want to be told that someone must put their fingers too near to my lips if I want to receive. This is a tender area and I say “stay away”. Receiving Eucharist is about Jesus coming to me - not a priest and Jesus coming to me. It is a twosome time - you might say - not a threesome time.
 
johnstown_johnn said:
Most sins include the hands.
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Guess the good Lord is the final authority on the issue, but somehow I find that statement a little hard to accept. In listing organs most frequently used for sin, I would say the mind, followed closely by the tongue.
 
Beautiful, I imagine that even if the Church decides that we are to only receive Communion on the tongue that there will be available exemptions that can be requested and received for people with particular difficulties with that.

I am glad that I am now getting to attend a parish where it is the ‘norm’ to receive on the tongue (and to genuflect before receiving)! It seems to be received so much more prayerfully. Of course, many would argue that the people who choose to attend this parish are just more devout. That may be so (and Praise to Him if it is), however it really does seem more reverent to receive on the tongue, unless one has consecrated hands.
 
Jesus held his own body in his hands at the Last upper.

What did he say?

“Take and eat. This is my body.”

Receiving in the hand is scriptural.

That’s all I’m gonna say. In the end, whatever the decision, we don’t get a say regardless.
 
johnstown_johnn said:
No bishop is allowed to prohibit Communion on the tongue.

And yet, my archdiocese does NOT teach the First Holy Communicants how to receive on the tongue. They are taught in the hand ONLY.

Am I missing something here? Has anyone here seen a youngster receive on the tongue in their diocese?
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My parish Priest addressed this with vigor during his homily Sunday. He explained that if you where to try to receive in Rome or from the Holy Father by hand, you would be denied. That in early eastern traditions, the first morsel would be given to the guest by them receiving on the tongue and it may be traced to the last supper itself. He went on to explain how that it was in little practice before Vatican II and when it was brought up by U.S. Bishops, how the term “longwithstanding custom” was used to describe the reception by hand and was then allowed to accommodate this, as he described it, a rebellious practice. He then added that he hopes many angels would be there to take care of any particule that may have met the floor and spare our Lord from being trampled and how those who receive in the hand are responsible for this. I think everyone recieved on the tongue after that homily. Tim
 
I’ve watched a number of papal masses and B16 does give communion in the hand. Don’t know where your pastor came up with that and I have never heard of the custom being received on the tongue being traced back to the Last Supper.
 
**Since the Eucharist is central to the Faith It is what holds us together.

Variances between us on the proper reception of the Eucharist drives a wedge between one group and the other. If there were just ONE practice that would cause schism, IMO, it will be how we see and treat the Eucharist. **
 
Jedinovice said:
Jesus held his own body in his hands at the Last upper.

What did he say?

“Take and eat. This is my body.”

Receiving in the hand is scriptural.

That’s all I’m gonna say. In the end, whatever the decision, we don’t get a say regardless.
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Jesus was commissioning the Apostles as priests in that passage. Priests give themselves Communion by taking it in their hands. That has not been the case for the laity.

In Christ,
Rand
 
Jedinovice said:
Jesus held his own body in his hands at the Last upper.

What did he say?

“Take and eat. This is my body.”

Receiving in the hand is scriptural.

That’s all I’m gonna say. In the end, whatever the decision, we don’t get a say regardless.
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Agreed!👍

I first saw the custom of receiving Eucharist in the hand when I was in Germany back in the late 1970’s. At my parish in Ohio, we were still kneeling and receiving on the tongue.

I am an extraordinary Eucharistic minister, and when I see people approach to receive the Eucharist with their hands outstretched, I feel it’s much more reverent than when people stick their tongues out to receive. (Just my humble opinion.) I never did like receiving Eucharist on the tongue–not even from the very first time I received–when I made my First Communion in 1959! 🤷

(I found it amusing to read of the post here about how some servers looked at the process! I was always afraid of such comments!! :rolleyes: )
 
“And they will know you are My disciples by your obsessive controls of the minutia.” :rolleyes:
 
As much as I’m happy to hear it, I’m a little concerned what would happen if the Vatican decides to stop the faithful receiving communion with their hands.

Won’t there be a liturgical abuse about it? I believe there’ll be priests who will say that it’s only a suggestion and it’s still okay to receive with hands.

Just like self-intinction, even after Redemptionis Sacramentum (2004), there are still priests who think that self-intinction is a culture among the faithful and it can’t be stopped. Hm…
 
Petite said:
Agreed!👍

I first saw the custom of receiving Eucharist in the hand when I was in Germany back in the late 1970’s. At my parish in Ohio, we were still kneeling and receiving on the tongue.

I am an extraordinary Eucharistic minister, and when I see people approach to receive the Eucharist with their hands outstretched, I feel it’s much more reverent than when people stick their tongues out to receive. (Just my humble opinion.) I never did like receiving Eucharist on the tongue–not even from the very first time I received–when I made my First Communion in 1959! 🤷

(I found it amusing to read of the post here about how some servers looked at the process! I was always afraid of such comments!! :rolleyes: )
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**Your outlook on the Eucharist is solely about YOU. It also is about “appearances.” The Eucharist transcends “appearances.” **
 
vince2paul said:
As much as I’m happy to hear it, I’m a little concerned what would happen if the Vatican decides to stop the faithful receiving communion with their hands.

Won’t there be a liturgical abuse about it? I believe there’ll be priests who will say that it’s only a suggestion and it’s still okay to receive with hands.

Just like self-intinction, even after Redemptionis Sacramentum (2004), there are still priests who think that self-intinction is a culture among the faithful and it can’t be stopped. Hm…
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Kind of like glass chalices or the EMsHC cleaning the vessels after Communion.
 
Late in college I decided I was going to receive on the tongue. I had two reasons:
  1. I had grown up receiving in the hand and changing was, to ME, a sign that I was no longer the thoughtless, unappreciating fool I was for most of my adolescence.
  2. I was challenged by a “tongue only” advocate to examine my hands the next time after I received communion in the hand. To my surprise, there were TWO visible particles of the host remaining on my hand after I was done. He had said to me “if you find pieces still on your hand and you don’t regularly examine your hands, imagine how many pieces of the sacred host you have scattered to who knows where over the years…” Haunting.
I don’t know that tongue only is right for all people and I’m glad I don’t have to make that decision. But I DO know it is right for me.
 
johnstown_johnn said:
As humans, we are living in our carnal nature (bodies) and as such have no other way to demonstrate awe and reverence than by “EXTERNAL” displays of it.

Communion on the tongue shows a humility towards the Presence.

If you were to see Jesus in Person, would you:

a) Go up to Him and shake His hand

OR

b) Bow down before Him and feel unworthy to even touch the ground where He stands?

Same with the Eucharist. I NEVER touched His Divine Presence with my sinful hands in my entire life and NEVER will.
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My tongue has gotten me into much more trouble than my hands. If I had to choose between whether I have sinned more by my words or my deeds it would definately be my words. Personally, I would give him a big hug but that is just me.
 
johnstown_johnn said:
The hands are the outer extremity of the body. Hands are not always washed by many folks. Most sins include the hands. The hands are an ADDED part of our imperfections.
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Absolutely, because I’ve seen massive queues in the restrooms at church for people waiting to use the facilities and then wash their TONGUES before Mass :whacky: 🤷

And Jesus actually said ‘out of the MOUTH proceeds all manner of evil’ (when he was discussing dietary law) not ‘from the hands’.

As for what I’d do if I met Him - I don’t know but quite likely I’d at least touch his feet as the woman did who anointed them, especially if I was kneeling before Him in adoration.
 
LilyM said:
Absolutely, because I’ve seen massive queues in the restrooms at church for people waiting to use the facilities and then wash their TONGUES before Mass :whacky: 🤷

And Jesus actually said ‘out of the MOUTH proceeds all manner of evil’ (when he was discussing dietary law) not ‘from the hands’.

As for what I’d do if I met Him - I don’t know but quite likely I’d at least touch his feet as the woman did who anointed them, especially if I was kneeling before Him in adoration.
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Are you serious? Don’t we fast from food and water before receiving Communion? Washing our tongues before Communion breaks the fast…Yes? No?

I really can’t figure if you are serious or just facetious.
 
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