Why Are Some People Strongly Opposed to Communion on the Tongue?

[ElizabethPH]

I worry about this because in my parish I have never seen that plate you place beneath the Host during Communion. Most people here receive in the hands. I don’t think I’ve seen it done another way.

That plate is called a paten. Folks receive both ways here. It would be nice to have a server standing by with a paten for those receiving on the tongue.

 

[Charioteer]

I am grateful that the Holy Father made the comment about the tongue being so sinful. I said the same thing in an earlier post.

That being said, I agree with all those here who say that receiving on the tongue is a humbling experience, because you have to TRUST someone to place the Eucharist correctly on the tongue. That is really, REALLY hard to do, and I think that this is the answer to the OP–people who strongly oppose Communion on the Tongue have a difficult time trusting their fellow Christians.

I certainly can understand this. As I mentioned in another post, I (and my husband) were kicked out of our Protestant church by the pastors and a trumped-up tribunal of deacons, elders, and laypeople, many of whom we didn’t even know. It was straight out of Cotton Mather’s time–a trial, a condemnation (false), an ousting, and a shunning. The only thing missing was the hanging.

This awful event occurred in February of 2002, and I would say that now, over seven years later, I STILL do not trust Christians. I try very hard to trust Catholic Christians, and I do love many of them. But I honestly, truly don’t trust them. I’m sorry.

You see, I_Believe, this is why being able to trust the bishops is vitally important to me, and why I am so “emotional” about it, as you call it. Yes, I’m emotional. I’ve been treated cruelly and capriciously by those who were in authority in church (Protestant pastors), and if it happens again, I don’t think I’ll be able to weather it.

I know that other Catholics have even more horrible stories of a time(s) in their lives when trust was betrayed by a fellow Catholic. Obviously the stories of children and young people abused by priests come to mind. But there are lots of incidents described on this very board by Catholics who were betrayed and treated cruelly by Catholics, including priests and religious, that they thought they could trust.

So I think that the reason why many Catholics do not receive Holy Communion on the tongue is that they just can’t find it in themselves to trust the priest (or EMHC) to place the Eucharist correctly on their tongue. They’re afraid of allowing themselves to be in that vulnerable position.

Yearg ago, Dr. James Dobson drew up a list of physical interactions between human beings, and rated them according to intimacy levels, and I believe that “hand to mouth or face” is a fairly intimate act. (The scale starts with hand to hand, hand to arm, arm to arm, etc., and ends with genital to genital as the most intimate contact that humans can engage in.)

That makes it even harder–not only does a Catholic have to trust, but they have to trust the other person to do something “intimate” with them. As many of you know, in the U.S. our idea of personal comfort zone is fairly large. Most of us do not like to be close to others, touch or be touched by strangers, etc. Again, this is a trust issue–we aren’t very trusting in the U.S.

So that’s my answer to the OP–it’s a trust thing. We don’t trust others as much as we trust ourselves. And if someone is going to drop the Body of Christ, we would rather do it ourselves than have someone else cause us to drop Him.

That’s very insightful! Far, far deeper that I would have delved into this matter and a far, far deeper answer than the OP was looking for! I agree although I would say that such fear typically manifests as a preference for CitH and not a strong opposition to CotT. I really haven’t heard anyone knock CotT. I have heard several knock CitT.

Your comments about the being able to trust the bishops (the teaching magisterium) is also very important. The Church has spoken clearly on the matter of CitH. Then some come along with their consecrated hands/black glove test/communion rails with linens/Fr. Z/patens/stealing hosts/etc. hyperbole. In essence they are suggesting they know better than the Church and there is no way that is possible – and it causes problems.

Thanks for the insight.

 

[Charioteer]

That plate is called a paten. Folks receive both ways here. It would be nice to have a server standing by with a paten for those receiving on the tongue.

Those patens are largely useless in a practical sense. A folded purificator or even a standard paten works far better.

That said, their sign value (or that of a regular paten or a folded purificator) is extremely important. Even if they are useless in a practical sense they convey a sense of reverence and concern for the Blessed Sacrament.

 

[I_Believe]

And you would be wrong…

A directive or instruction would come in the form of an official Church document like the GIRM. A Church teaching comes through doctrine.

That’s what confuses me. The Church has formally spoken on this matter. Those that disagree with the Church’s documented position then try to dig-up positions they feel are “better” than the Church’s official position. They in turn are ignored in favor of what the Church actually teaches or directs.

They in turn push harder and harder to sell their personal opinions while those who choose the follow the Catholic Church resist with more and more resolve. It all adds up to a great waste of energy.

Well, since I don’t have a key to the secret Archives and there was no GIRM in the early days, I suppose you’ll just have to disregard the teachings of the Doctors of the Church, and also stand by your position that the fact an indult exists makes everything hunky dory despite the fact the conditions set forth in the indult, which is the type of document you want me to produce, have in fact not been met in many parishes and diocese.

It’s not about personal opinion, it’s about the blatant and continued mishandling of the Host and Precious Blood. You contend the fact that an indult exists is enough to justify tolerance of dropped Hosts and spillage of the Precious Blood. I contend that disregard for the conditions of the indult do not entitle those who utilize it to do so.

Though I would never dare do it, I’m sure I would have no problem carrying a Host that has been placed in my hand home with me. I have seen an EMHC place a Host in the hand of a man seated in a pew, and watched him take the Host, put it in his shirt pocket in front of the EMHC, and watched the EMHC walk away. He may have been taking it home to a bedridden family member, who knows. Nevertheless, if that were the case, the Host should have been placed in an approved container.

To disregard the chance of particles of the Host being corrupt is to disregard the conditions of the indult. If you are ok with that, there is nothing further I can say. To disregard the conditions and the reasons for them is to condone desecration as long as they are considered accidental.

To those of us who have strong faith in the Real Presence, this is unacceptable. The text of the indult itself would indicate Rome agrees.

I have a few friends helping dig up some documentation to demonstrate why COTT was the norm, and still remains the norm. When this info is assembled, I’ll present it.

In the mean time, if the indult text itself does not make you understand what all the fuss is about, then I fail to see that any documentation will change your views.

BTW, one of the quotes in that article is from an early Church catechism.

 

[rciadan]

Prove it. Also prove that any increase you have proven is a product of allowing CitH.

I don’t need to prove it nor have I the time. I will say that my own eyes and experience has provided enough evidence for me.
I must state that here that I receive via both methods. Yes, I will go out of my way to receive from a priest, and when I do I receive on the tongue. There are times however when it would cause just too much distraction and I will reconcile myself to receiving from an EMHC. When this happens I receive in the hand.
Actually, if everyone would receive in the hand in the manner that St. Cyril of Jersusalem teaches, it would probably not be much of an issue except that, in his time, everyone still received the Blessed Sacrament from the hands of a priest only.
The following is an excerpt from St. Cyril’s Catechetical Lectures;

LECTURE XXIII.
(ON THE MYSTERIES. V.) ON THE SACRED LITURGY AND COMMUNION(1).
1 PET. ii. 1.

1. In approaching(2) therefore, come not with thy wrists extended, or thy fingers spread; but make thy left hand a throne for the right, as for that which is to receive a King(3). And having hollowed thy palm, receive the Body of Christ, saying over it, Amen. So then after having carefully hollowed thine eyes by the touch of the Holy Body, partake of it; giving heed lest thou lose any portion thereof(4); for whatever thou losest, is evidently a loss to thee as it were from one of thine own members. For tell me, if any one gave thee grains of gold, wouldest thou not hold them with all carefulness, being on thy guard against losing any of them, and suffering loss? Wilt thou not then much more carefully keep watch, that not a crumb fall from thee of what is more precious than gold and precious stones?

 

[I_Believe]

That’s very insightful! Far, far deeper that I would have delved into this matter and a far, far deeper answer than the OP was looking for! I agree although I would say that such fear typically manifests as a preference for CitH and not a strong opposition to CotT. I really haven’t heard anyone knock CotT. I have heard several knock CitT.

Your comments about the being able to trust the bishops (the teaching magisterium) is also very important. The Church has spoken clearly on the matter of CitH. Then some come along with their consecrated hands/black glove test/communion rails with linens/Fr. Z/patens/stealing hosts/etc. hyperbole. In essence they are suggesting they know better than the Church and there is no way that is possible – and it causes problems.

Thanks for the insight.

No, disregard for the conditions set forth in the indult are what causes the problems. Lukewarm attitudes toward the Blessed Sacrament being one of them.

You want to say obey the Bishop. Fine, but what if the conditions of the indult are not met. Is this ok if the Bishop says it’s ok ?

 

[Charioteer]

I don’t need to prove it nor have I the time. I will say that my own eyes and experience has provided enough evidence for me…

If you cannot or will not prove it, then your comments are meaningless. Simply follow what the Catholic Church actually directs. If your personal preferences differ in (or are even narrower) any way from what the Church actually directs expect others to ignore or take issue with your personal position.

 

[ElizabethPH]

Those patens are largely useless in a practical sense. A folded purificator or even a standard paten works far better.

That said, their sign value (or that of a regular paten or a folded purificator) is extremely important. Even if they are useless in a practical sense they convey a sense of reverence and concern for the Blessed Sacrament.

Hi Charioteer, Why would a folded purificator work better then a paten in a ‘practical’ sense. I just happened across that picture of the paten with the handle it doesn’t have to have a handle. In coming across it, it reminded me of the days before CitH. It seems to work well, but then we were kneeling to receive back then. But I can only see maybe that you mean since we stand to receive now that it makes the handled paten impractical, hard to manuever perhaps?

 

[Charioteer]

Hi Charioteer, Why would a folded purificator work better then a paten in a ‘practical’ sense. I just happened across that picture of the paten with the handle it doesn’t have to have a handle. In coming across it, it reminded me of the days before CitH. It seems to work well, but then we were kneeling to receive back then. But I can only see maybe that you mean since we stand to receive now that it makes the handled paten impractical, hard to manuever perhaps?

Because it gives like a mitt/glove which helps to retain the dropped host. Like a standard paten your hand is also “right there” and not at the end of a handle offering superior control.

For any of this to really work, servers need to gain experience catching dropped (unconsecrated) hosts when they are trained. Few seem to gain that experience and they usually appear to overreact when a consecrated host is actually dropped – often exacerbating the problem.

 

[Sailor_Kenshin]

That plate is called a paten. Folks receive both ways here. It would be nice to have a server standing by with a paten for those receiving on the tongue.

Thanks. I thought that was the correct name but wasn’t sure.

 

[Ann_Stanton]

In the dioceses in Texas, we are asked to recieve in the hand due to the swine flu epidemic. Some people are concerned about health concerns that have nothing to do with being traditional or liberal.

 

[Eric_Olsen]

Personally, I now receive Communion on the Tongue while kneeling and I have never had any serious problems (i.e. the Priest/EMHC ‘missing’ as it were and the Host ending up on the floor or something). I admit it feels a little weird, especially having to compensate for the forward motion of dropping to my knees (sometimes I feel like I get too close to the Priest when I kneel), but it is not a problem.

Why are some people so against receiving on the Tongue? I think I understand why many Traditionalists are against receiving in the Hand (personally, I see no problem with it since it is allowed these days, although I will continue to receive on the Tongue).

just because something is allowed doesn’t mean its correct. Receiving in the hand is an indult given to the U.S. and can be taken away at any time. I with Rome would take it away because I have witnessed so much irreverence in receiving in the hand.

I do not know why there is this irrational hatred of receiving the sacrament on the tongue given it was this was for so long and is the most reverent way to receive in my opinion.

 

[Eric_Olsen]

Having thought about this a bit more I have NEVER heard of anyone (in-person or on-line) who was “Strongly Opposed to Communion on the Tongue.” Not a single person. Preferring one over the other for one’s personal practice does not equate to opposing the other.

Well, those priests and EMHC’s are out there. I have experienced disdain for trying to recieve on the tounge by both priests and EMHC’s, actually a nun but you would not know it the way she was dressed. I heard of one priest, not sure how true it is, in New England who will jam the host down your throat if you try to receive on the tongue.

 

[Tsuwano]

just because something is allowed doesn’t mean its correct. Receiving in the hand is an indult given to the U.S. and can be taken away at any time. I with Rome would take it away because I have witnessed so much irreverence in receiving in the hand.

I do not know why there is this irrational hatred of receiving the sacrament on the tongue given it was this was for so long and is the most reverent way to receive in my opinion.

Well, it doesn’t mean it’s incorrect either. In fact, the adjectives “correct” and “incorrect” don’t really make sense here. If something is allowed, it means it is permitted, and those who choose to receive the eucharist in the hand should not be castigated or thought to be unholy because they have chosen to receive it in this way. In the same way, those who choose to receive the eucharist on the tongue should also not be judged or intimidated to receive in a way they are uncomfortable with. Doesn’t this simply make sense?

 

[Tsuwano]

Well, those priests and EMHC’s are out there. I have experienced disdain for trying to recieve on the tounge by both priests and EMHC’s, actually a nun but you would not know it the way she was dressed. I heard of one priest, not sure how true it is, in New England who will jam the host down your throat if you try to receive on the tongue.

I’m sure they are out there, but in my experience they are few and far between. Most priests and EMHC’s are quite respectful of communicants and do not seek to make the experience of receiving the eucharist anything less than holy. If you have been treated poorly by anyone giving you communion, you have every right to complain to the pastor of your church and your Bishop.

 

[Sailor_Kenshin]

just because something is allowed doesn’t mean its correct. Receiving in the hand is an indult given to the U.S. and can be taken away at any time. I with Rome would take it away because I have witnessed so much irreverence in receiving in the hand.

I do not know why there is this irrational hatred of receiving the sacrament on the tongue given it was this was for so long and is the most reverent way to receive in my opinion.

What ‘irrational hatred?’ Where?

 

[Eric_Olsen]

What ‘irrational hatred?’ Where?

Just do some reading by liberal nuns, priests and lay people.
It all stems from tradition and liberals gnash their teeth at tradition. I had an agument with this liberal guy on usenet alt.religion.roman-catholic about kneeling and recieving on the tongue and he equated kneeling to a slave kneeling in front of his/her master. I replied, you mean you feel like a slave kneeling in adoration to receive Christ?

 

[SeanTom]

As of yesterday, receiving on the tongue is no longer an option in our Dioscese due to the Swine Flu. This is a TEMPORARY measure, not a permanenat one.

Other temporary measurers are as a result of the Swine Flu::

Cups with consecrated wine are no longer offered until further notice.
Communion can be taken by hand only.
LEMHC’s must cleanse their hands before distributing communion.
Altar Servers must cleanse their hands before approaching the altar
No shaking of hands or hugs after the Our Father. Nodding is suggested.

Cleansing stations are provided for the LEMHC’s and Altar Servers.

As stated before, the above rules are T;EMPORARY.

Christians are not perfect; but are forgiven by one who is.

 

[rciadan]

If you cannot or will not prove it, then your comments are meaningless. Simply follow what the Catholic Church actually directs. If your personal preferences differ in (or are even narrower) any way from what the Church actually directs expect others to ignore or take issue with your personal position.

1. 
   ]My comments, which in every case have been either my stated preference, opionion or personal first hand observation, are no less meaningful than are yours.
   ]Exactly what Church directive are you claiming my personal preferences are in oppostion of: Communion on the Tongue? If this is so, you are incorrect.
   ]My preference for Communion on the tongue in perfectly in line with Chruch teaching and direction. I also have the right to take a few extra measures to insure, as best I can, that I am able to receive on the tongue and* from a priest! Please,* live up to your own demands and prove this to be other*wise!
   *]I already expect you to disagree based on your comments on this thread.
   *]As to taking issue with my admittedly personal position (which is in no way contrary to Church Teaching), why do you feel the need to defend yourself so feverishly against it? Could it be that you are one of the ones who are so against it (and therefore DiFFER from Church direction), yet pretend not to be?

 

[ElizabethPH]

Because it gives like a mitt/glove which helps to retain the dropped host. Like a standard paten your hand is also “right there” and not at the end of a handle offering superior control.

For any of this to really work, servers need to gain experience catching dropped (unconsecrated) hosts when they are trained. Few seem to gain that experience and they usually appear to overreact when a consecrated host is actually dropped – often exacerbating the problem.

Hi Charioteer, I still am not convinced that a purificator is going to work better. Unless it is starched really stiff; and even then the surface of a paten is still larger, and larger then the palm of a servers hand as well; especially if the server is a child with a small hand. Seems to me they would be able to manuever a paten easier. Where did you get the idea of using linen? Is it your own idea and have you tested it? I’ve never seen it thats why I’m asking. And your right I would think one would have to be awful quick to catch a falling host like you suggest, and would indeed need some training to get it down; if that is at all possible.