What Should You Do?

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modestobruce

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WHat would you do if you witnessed someone take a host in his/her hand at communion and NOT put it in the mouth, but just walked away with it?
 
I would tell them to get back and consume it immediately.

If we received on the tongue, I feel like this would less of a problem.
 
modestobruce said:
WHat would you do if you witnessed someone take a host in his/her hand at communion and NOT put it in the mouth, but just walked away with it?
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Probably the correct thing to do would be inform the priest.
semper_catholicus said:
I would tell them to get back and consume it immediately.
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And what if they told you to get back and mind your own business?
semper_catholicus said:
If we received on the tongue, I feel like this would less of a problem.
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Although it makes for a good, theoretic question on CAF, and I’m sure it happens from time to time, I doubt it’s really much of a problem. I mean, how many times have you actually seen someone take off with an unconsumed host? I never have.
 
I’ve seen it more than once.

If someone said to me: “mind you own business!” I would continue to demand that they’d consume the host. It is my business if I were distributing communion.
 
I’d probably be in shock for a few minutes and watch them the rest of the Mass to see what they do. And then at the end of Mass I’d hurry to tell the priest hopefully before this person leaves in the hopes maybe he could talk to her.
Getting anxious just thinking about being in that scenario.
 
You’ve seen it! What was their reasoning if I may ask?
 
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One time my husband witnessed an elderly couple approach someone who did this. The woman was a caregiver and wheeling the disabled Catholic woman to receive communion. She took it too because everyone else did. When confronted she apologized and returned it to the priest. My husband knew this elderly couple and said “I wonder if that’s why they always make sure they’re last in line”.
 
I don’t know what their reasoning was.

I do know that they had a problem at the Vatican of tourists taking the Eucharist home as a souvenir. As a result, you can only receive on the tongue.
 
Oh my goodness, you really do learn something new everyday. Just unbelievable.
 
Try to get their attention and tell them they have to consume the host.
If they do not do so, alert the ushers or whoever is handy to stop the person from leaving with the host.
 
I somewhat witnessed this a few weeks ago. A parishioner (received into the church at the last Easter Vigil) is struggling with “doing it right.” I would describe her as a nervous type person and just as sweet and devoted as can be. Someone told her she was “doing it” wrong which has made her even more nervous. This time, she accepted the Host, but took about ten steps before she consumed. The priest watched her and did not continue until she consumed.
 
I posed this question after watching a video link (somewhere on the CAF) that talked about Satan worshippers who relish Catholic hosts for their “ceremonies.” They typically steel them and they don’t bother with non-denominational hosts because they’re not consecrated. Scary.
 
At our parish, we’re told during training of extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion to follow them and instruct them to consume the host immediately.

I have seen it happen; it was pretty clearly someone who was visiting the parish for Christmas. I don’t think there was any ill intent; they just didn’t know. Whether they were Catholic or not, I don’t know.

The reasons we were told include ignorance among Catholics about how to receive Holy Communion–if you make your First Holy Communion and then your parents quit going to Mass, how will you remember?–ignorance that non-Catholics should not receive, an incorrect understanding about how to go about taking Holy Communion to the sick, and (rarely but it is terrible to think about) as an attempt by an enemy to obtain a host to desecrate later.
 
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