What to do during receiving communion in the hand?

[StillWondering]

While receiving communion in the hand, there are chances for small fragments of the host to flake off. Since I sometimes have sweaty hands, I always worry I am leaving the lord on my palm. So is it appropriate to lick one’s left hand? Or maybe slurp?

 

[Moscati]

If it bothers you, just receive on the tongue. Problem solved.

No need to make others wonder why in the world that guy in the third pew is slurping his hand . . . though you may get some extra prayers that way . . .

 

[LilyM]

I certainly don’t lick my hand!

What I do is stick the tip of one forefinger in my mouth to moisten it, touch the wet forefinger to any stray fragments that I might see on my hand until they are stuck to the finger (the wetting makes this possible), then stick the fingertip back in my mouth, thus transferring the fragments to the mouth and consuming them.

Repeat the process until all visible crumbs (I’ve never had more than two or three) are consumed, then repeat with the opposite forefinger and hand.

It can be done very discreetly

 

[Joannm]

If you constantly see fragments left on your hand then maybe the pastor needs to buy hosts from another source. The ones we get rarely leave crumbs or even the tiniest visible fragments, even in the ciborium.

 

[bkovacs]

While receiving communion in the hand, there are chances for small fragments of the host to flake off. Since I sometimes have sweaty hands, I always worry I am leaving the lord on my palm. So is it appropriate to lick one’s left hand? Or maybe slurp?

Why don’t you gust receive the Eucharist on the tongue. Like most orthodox Catholics do.

 

[bpbasilphx]

When I’ve received communion in the hand, I’ve licked it.

Better to be stared at than to fling Pearls around (as we call the fragments).

 

[diggerdomer]

While receiving communion in the hand, there are chances for small fragments of the host to flake off. Since I sometimes have sweaty hands, I always worry I am leaving the lord on my palm. So is it appropriate to lick one’s left hand? Or maybe slurp?

Of course, receiving on the tongue or in the hand there may be a chance that small fragments are left on the priest’s (or deacon’s or EMHC’s) hand…then what would you do?

 

[BernadetteM]

As a former Episcopalian, when I attended a low church everyone received in the hand. I think that the way it was done was much safer than in the Catholic Church. We would place our palms up and cross our right palm over our left one and bring our hands up to our mouth.

When I started attending an Anglo Catholic parish most everyone received directly on the tongue.

As a Catholic I always receive directly on the tongue, as do most of the congregation in my parish.

Yours in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary

Bernadette

 

[puzzleannie]

Why don’t you gust receive the Eucharist on the tongue. Like most orthodox Catholics do.

because he has the option, or has been instructed from the pulpit, to receive in the hand, as the rest of us orthodox Catholics do.

 

[Deacon_Latif]

While receiving communion in the hand, there are chances for small fragments of the host to flake off. Since I sometimes have sweaty hands, I always worry I am leaving the lord on my palm. So is it appropriate to lick one’s left hand? Or maybe slurp?

Dear StillWondering:

My name is Latif and I am a Lutheran. haha, probably sounds to you guys like what an addict would say at a meeting! Anyway, of course my comment here is not meant to presume authority for you. I just wanted to share with you what the practice is at my church, St. Stephen’s, Milwaukee. After the Agnus Dei, the people come forward, each approaching the altar rail. The communicant kneels, with his hands held together, palm to palm. When the celebrant approaches, the communicant lifts his head, opens his mouth, and the priest places the holy Body of Christ into his mouth with the words, “The Body of Christ.” Then the deacon comes along (that’s me) with the chalice, and distributes the Precious Blood of Christ, with the words, “The Blood of Christ.” (Lay ministers of the Sacrament is not part of Lutheran tradition, the modern practice of some Lutheran churches notwithstanding.) Some make the sign of the holy cross just before receiving each Species, some make the sign of the cross after receiving each Species, some both before and after. After the deacon has gone to the end of the altar rail, the celebrant stands in the middle and blesses the whole group with the formula, “The Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ preserve thy soul to life everlasting. Depart in peace.” The communicant ordinarily says Amen and makes the sign of the holy cross, and goes back to his pew.

When life takes me to another town, or for whatever reason I am visiting another Lutheran church, many of which have adopted the modern practice of giving the Sacrament on the hand, my own practice in that situation is to kneel down, lift my head, open my mouth, and close my eyes, until I feel the host in my mouth. I know that some pastors are totally unaccustomed to giving the sacrament that way, but I have every right to receive the very Body of Christ in a reverent manner. I don’t say any of this to disparage anyone, mind you. For many do what they do because that is what they have been taught, that’s what they have become accustomed to, etc. Physical acts of reverence and adoration do not always match the level of reverence and adoration that one feels in his heart. I am aware of all that. However, personally, I do not feel that I have the right to touch such a venerable and holy thing as the Blessed Sacrament. With Saint Ambrose (in his prayer in preparation for Mass) I confess that I am filled with sin, and unworthy of such a noble gift. Yet I dare approach, because our Lord has commanded it, and has promised to give me great gifts through His Sacrament, the forgiveness of sins, new life, and eternal salvation. So I approach gladly, yet with fear and awe. For as we sing in the words from the Liturgy of St. James:

Let all mortal flesh keep silence
And with fear and trembling stand
Ponder nothing earthly minded
For with blessing in his hand
Christ our God to earth descending
Comes our homage to demand.

 

[NewEnglandPriest]

Why don’t you gust receive the Eucharist on the tongue. Like most orthodox Catholics do.

Orthodox Catholics receive in the hand as well.

 

[CDNowak]

Of course, receiving on the tongue or in the hand there may be a chance that small fragments are left on the priest’s (or deacon’s or EMHC’s) hand…then what would you do?

There is often a finger bowl (only the tips of three, maybe four, fingers on one hand are used in the action of distributing). This would be emptied periodically in the sacrarium. The Priest (or the deacon if he is purifying) can have the server pour water over said fingers into the chalice.

 

[EasterJoy]

If you constantly see fragments left on your hand then maybe the pastor needs to buy hosts from another source. The ones we get rarely leave crumbs or even the tiniest visible fragments, even in the ciborium.

The pieces from the fractioning of the large host sometimes still have small bits dangling that fall off. Not always, but it happens. I use LilyM’s method, if necessary. With the seriousness of what is going around lately, you have to be careful what you touch after that, though, unless you carry hand sanitizer to church. You can be contagious with something really bad well before you have any symptoms.

 

[EasterJoy]

Or maybe slurp?

Whatever direct use of the tongue might be appropriate, it wouldn’t be called slurping. Don’t slurp.

 

[ProVobis]

Of course, receiving on the tongue or in the hand there may be a chance that small fragments are left on the priest’s (or deacon’s or EMHC’s) hand…then what would you do?

The small fragments are reality. The issue is how you should discard them. In the old rite the priest doesn’t touch anything until after communion when wine is poured over his hands (fingers, actually) into the chalice, then consumed by the priest.

 

[JKirkLVNV]

With the hosts that are made today, crumbs are rarely a problem. The only time I ever had issues with That that appeared to be crumbs (I now receive on the tongue) was when I was given a portion of the Host the celebrant had fractioned (and if he had consumed the whole of It, it wouldn’t have been an issue).

 

[JKirkLVNV]

Why don’t you gust receive the Eucharist on the tongue. Like most orthodox Catholics do.

Mode of reception and orthodoxy are not correlative. There are lots of heretics and schismatics that receive on the tongue.

 

[Pawel_J]

Mode of reception and orthodoxy are not correlative. There are lots of heretics and schismatics that receive on the tongue.

Mode of reception is a matter of local custom. I have experience from churches in Poland and Germany. I cannot remember any case of seeing communion being received in the hand in Poland. There is no such practice or custom at all. By contrast, communion is received in the hand in most churches in Germany. I simply do always what the local custom says and I have no problem with that.
Frankly speaking, the question of remaining fragments of the host has never bothered me much until now, as I have never really paid attention.Yet, I still do not see any problem with it, because I think it is really a question of minor importance to us, secular people.
Do not rack your brains with pretended problems.

 

[JKirkLVNV]

Mode of reception is a matter of local custom. I have experience from churches in Poland and Germany. I cannot remember any case of seeing communion being received in the hand in Poland. There is no such practice or custom at all. By contrast, communion is received in the hand in most churches in Germany. I simply do always what the local custom says and I have no problem with that.
Frankly speaking, the question of remaining fragments of the host has never bothered me much until now, as I have never really paid attention.Yet, I still do not see any problem with it, because I think it is really a question of minor importance to us, secular people.
Do not rack your brains with pretended problems.

I’m not!

And the indult to receive Communion in the hand was extended by the Holy See to Poland in 2007.

 

[Dominique1234]

I was accustomed to both personally, until I understood the importance of receiving Christ rather than taking Him and ‘feeding’ myself with Him. This is just a personal ‘pet peeve’ of mine. I do understand why most Catholic Churches today give communion on the hand. Rather than risk “missing the mark” and having Christ tumble to the ground, people have started receiving on the hand. But that was only after Vatican II passed and many western parishes began giving it in the hand and took away the need for altar servers with patens, or diskos, used for just this purpose. Also, communion rails were taken out as well, which made it MUCH easier with the communion rail for the priest to give communion on the tongue. People were kneeling and the paten was directly under the person’s mouth, leaving little room for a ‘spill up’. After these things were taken out, people just flocked up directly to the priest standing there, and not bowing or kneeling to honor our Savior, Jesus Christ. It has become so impersonal and just another ‘ritual’ that has no meaning anymore. That’s just my beef…

I attend a Catholic Parish that still has those traditional sacramentals, which in my mind and soul, makes sense. It gives the person the CHOICE to take Christ or, receive Him on the tongue.

Again, this is just my own personal choice. I do not believe that it is against the Church’s teachings to take Christ in the hand. They accept either or. And to lick your hand? That’s usually what I do if I receive communion from a Eucharistic minister. It’s hard to tell if they’re accustomed to giving it that way and they seem to get angry when I do receive from them on the tongue. So I usually do my best to judge which side the priest will be giving communion and go to him instead, rather than frustrate someone by my own personal choices as a Catholic.

Hope that helps, or maybe it doesn’t and I just rambled on for nothing! Thanks for reading anyhow! God bless!