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

[Mother_Goose]

Our Bishop has put a ban on Communion on the tongue. I understand his concern for every ones health but I am devastated. For me, communion in the hand just feels wrong, wrong, wrong. I believe in the real presence. How could anyone become sick from Jesus. If it did happen I guess that would be the will of God. I was just starting to dream that I might have a chance to receive while kneeling. I don’t know how I will get through this. I guess I will pray, pray, pray. How did we ever get through all the other flu seasons. Thousands die from the flu every year. Why is this so different? It seems like this is just another excuse to take away our traditions. Devastated in Wisconsin

 

[Shin]

Our Bishop has put a ban on Communion on the tongue. I understand his concern for every ones health but I am devastated. For me, communion in the hand just feels wrong, wrong, wrong. I believe in the real presence. How could anyone become sick from Jesus. If it did happen I guess that would be the will of God. I was just starting to dream that I might have a chance to receive while kneeling. I don’t know how I will get through this. I guess I will pray, pray, pray. How did we ever get through all the other flu seasons. Thousands die from the flu every year. Why is this so different? It seems like this is just another excuse to take away our traditions. Devastated in Wisconsin

It is not really a concern for everyone’s health that causes such illicit bans to be put in place, I am sad to say. That is merely the excuse for the agenda.

Prayers!

 

[Cat]

It is not really a concern for everyone’s health that causes such illicit bans to be put in place, I am sad to say. That is merely the excuse for the agenda.

Prayers!

Are you saying that the good bishops, the “princes of Christ”, who have recommended the temporary reception of Communion in the hand until the health crisis has passed, are not really concerned for the health of their community, but rather, are enacting some kind of “agenda” to destroy Catholic traditions?

Am I interpreting correctly what you are saying?

 

[Shin]

Are you saying that the good bishops, the “princes of Christ”, who have recommended the temporary reception of Communion in the hand until the health crisis has passed, are not really concerned for the health of their community, but rather, are enacting some kind of “agenda” to destroy Catholic traditions?

Am I interpreting correctly what you are saying?

Yup. You have me absolutely totally correct on that issue. See: Judas.

It is a totally unnecessary change in discipline, whose actual motivations are not the stated but a change in practice and enforcing and adjusting to it using excuses. A methodology that has been practiced time and time again to achieve these ends.

“The floor of hell is paved with the skulls of bishops.” – St. Athanasius, Partriarch and Doctor of the Church

“The road to hell is paved with the skulls of bishops.” – St. John Eudes

“The road to hell is paved with the skulls of erring priests, with bishops as their sign posts." - St. John Chrysostom, Archbishop and Doctor of the Church

Watch where you step!

 

[Eric_Olsen]

I have witnessed most of what you stated below. I was at my friends wedding and witnessed kids taking the host from the priest and running back to their pew with it. The priest had to stop mass and chase after then, after he made the kids consume the hosts, he gave communion on the tongue for the rest of communion.

I’ve had a priest and a “nun” give me a look when I wanted to receive on the tongue.

I have been Catholic for 11 years now and have been registered at a few different parishes. In that time I have seen;

• An EHMC drop an entire (glass) bowl of consecrated Hosts on the floor, thus mixing the Body of Christ with the broken glass
• multiple (at least six instances) of people pretending to eat the Body of Christ only to secret the consecrated Host in thier pocket and attempt to leave the church
• EHMC’s dropping the Host and not knowing what to do next
• Priests and Bishop refuse to allow kneeling to receive Communion on the tongue

In the parish I am in now, which is a very conservative one (We offer the Traditional Latin Mass every Sunday) I have witnessed;

• 2 attempts to steal the consecrated Host that I myself foiled
• 1 time when a whole family of four pocketed the Hosts! When confronted after Mass (in an extremely tactful and polite manner) three of them gave Him back and one of the kids refused to admit he had done so and the parents were adamant that, if he said he did not then the did not! I followed and saw myself the kid with Christ in his hand in the car as they pulled out of the parking lot!
• One time a man came up and grabbed a handful of consecrated Hosts and walked away. When the priest told him he could not do that, he flung them all over the church!
• EHMC’s make ugly faces at those who come up to them obviously wishing to receive on the tongue
• EHMC attempting to place the Host in someones hand when they are standing there with thier tongue out

I think that no-one, if any is going to be so honest as to say they are against Communion on the tongue, but many are. The OP’s question is quite valid.
I must also say that I have never seen these abuses at the Traditional Latin Mass, where all receive on the tongue and there are no EHMC’s.

BTW- The Priest, by himself, manages to give Holy Communion to at least one to two hundred people by himself every Sunday, and does so in less time than it takes to give Communion at the daily NO Mass…

One last question- What is so *Extraordinary *about these Ministers of Holy Communion if they **Ordinarily **do this every Sunday?

 

[Tsuwano]

It is not really a concern for everyone’s health that causes such illicit bans to be put in place, I am sad to say. That is merely the excuse for the agenda.

Prayers!

This is personal opinion, right? I mean, you don’t actually have any certifiable documentation to back up this assertion, do you? And while you are at it, what exactly is “the agenda” you are referring to and why should Catholic bishops around the world be pushing it? You’re not just building a conspiracy theory for the fun of it, are you?

 

[Shin]

This is personal opinion, right? I mean, you don’t actually have any certifiable documentation to back up this assertion, do you? And while you are at it, what exactly is “the agenda” you are referring to and why should Catholic bishops around the world be pushing it? You’re not just building a conspiracy theory for the fun of it, are you?

I don’t approve of conspiracy theorism. I do approve of calling a spade a spade, and common (uncommon?) sense. Willfull blindness is a sin too.

Do you pretend there is no agenda against kneeling and receiving on the tongue? Do you truly believe this pretense?

I don’t think I need to testify to the evidence for the real motivations behind these changes, because so many people already have who have experienced it. And it is written in the forums here. . under the search form.

The devils are conspiring against the Church, and every pastor, priest, bishop, and layperson has to be on guard against their temptations, whether to sin or simply to mistakes, and these can be part of entire cultural world views and movements.

And God allows all this for our greater good, so that through persecution and trials, we bear our crosses all the more for His sake.

If a person desiring the licit practice of receiving Communion on the Tongue, while kneeling, is denied that, illicitly, by a bishop, with the excuse of it being ‘for the health’ of a person’s body, when it is clear that other measures or truly none need to be taken for that sake, especially not the one taken and illicitly enforced – I know the real motivation behind the decision.

It is the same motivation that tore apart beautiful churches everywhere, threw away sacred altars, destroyed statues, and demolished the discipline and faith of millions. . With ‘good intentions’ on the surface spoken of throughout.

It is as clear as a bell. The results… are clear. I pray someday it is to you too.

Hard to face perhaps, but not if you trust in God through difficult times and the finer weather too.

 

[PaulinVA]

Yup. You have me absolutely totally correct on that issue. See: Judas.

It is a totally unnecessary change in discipline, whose actual motivations are not the stated but a change in practice and enforcing and adjusting to it using excuses. A methodology that has been practiced time and time again to achieve these ends.

That is uncharitable and over the top.

You can argue that the Bishops are caught up in the swine flu hysteria.

But arguing that they are using the opportunity stamp out communion on the tongue is all conspiracy theories and sounds quite paranoid.

 

[ConservativeOne]

I don’t know. I never saw a problem with receiving on the tongue. But a friend of mine once pointed out that Our Lord said, “take and eat” - therefore, my friend was justifying that we could take the Host in our hands…but after doing things in so respectful a manner for centuries…why change? And we must remember the priest’s hands are consecrated - okay, I know, he’s at the altar during the Consecration when Transubstantiation takes place - but his hands are CONSECRATED…it’s a special respect towards the Blessed Sacrament.

 

[shuzo1189]

I don’t approve of conspiracy theorism. I do approve of calling a spade a spade, and common (uncommon?) sense. Willfull blindness is a sin too.

Do you pretend there is no agenda against kneeling and receiving on the tongue? Do you truly believe this pretense?

I don’t think I need to testify to the evidence for the real motivations behind these changes, because so many people already have who have experienced it. And it is written in the forums here. . under the search form.

The devils are conspiring against the Church, and every pastor, priest, bishop, and layperson has to be on guard against their temptations, whether to sin or simply to mistakes, and these can be part of entire cultural world views and movements.

And God allows all this for our greater good, so that through persecution and trials, we bear our crosses all the more for His sake.

If a person desiring the licit practice of receiving Communion on the Tongue, while kneeling, is denied that, illicitly, by a bishop, with the excuse of it being ‘for the health’ of a person’s body, when it is clear that other measures or truly none need to be taken for that sake, especially not the one taken and illicitly enforced – I know the real motivation behind the decision.

It is the same motivation that tore apart beautiful churches everywhere, threw away sacred altars, destroyed statues, and demolished the discipline and faith of millions. . With ‘good intentions’ on the surface spoken of throughout.

It is as clear as a bell. The results… are clear. I pray someday it is to you too.

Hard to face perhaps, but not if you trust in God through difficult times and the finer weather too.

I remember during my RCIA Class being told by the Priest “Anyone who was born after 1970 is not allowed to receive on the tongue. The Reason people receive on the tongue is because thats the way we used to do it, but now it is no longer needed”

I heard the same type of shpeel given when i was Sponsoring another friend at his home parish for reception into the church this last Easter. Things like “Oh thats the way we used to do it, but you shouldn’t receive on the tongue”

 

[Charioteer]

One thing I do know is that the Pope himself has said it is quite wrong to argue about it. It turns into some ugly arguing as we see here.

It is already established that it is what one prefers to do and that that is OK. And I am also of the mind that it all becomes rather a relfection of what we want for ourselves rather then of what God wants; on both sides.

Very well said. No matter how you want to receive is just great with me so long as it’s approved by the Church. Similarly if my choice differs from your own yet is also approved I really don’t want to hear why your personal choice should also extend to me…

 

[Charioteer]

**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.

I am sorry but you are dead wrong. By definition if the Church allows something then that something is “correct.” I will even go further and say that if the Church allows that something and yet something else, it’s impossible for something #1 to be superior (or inferior) to something #2.

So you know your “indult argument” makes no sense and it’s by no means limited to the USA. In fact it’s OK to receive in one’s hands in Italy.

 

[Charioteer]

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.

Have you considered that might be at least partially your own imagination? I did – particularly after you felt the need to take a little unrelated shot at the nun…

I’ve heard a lot of things too…

 

[Charioteer]

It is not really a concern for everyone’s health that causes such illicit bans to be put in place, I am sad to say. That is merely the excuse for the agenda.

Prayers!

:hypno:

 

[Charioteer]

I remember during my RCIA Class being told by the Priest “Anyone who was born after 1970 is not allowed to receive on the tongue. The Reason people receive on the tongue is because thats the way we used to do it, but now it is no longer needed”

I heard the same type of shpeel given when i was Sponsoring another friend at his home parish for reception into the church this last Easter. Things like “Oh thats the way we used to do it, but you shouldn’t receive on the tongue”

I have always wondered why I have NEVER heard such things – except second hand? Make one wonder…

 

[Charioteer]

I have witnessed most of what you stated below. I was at my friends wedding and witnessed kids taking the host from the priest and running back to their pew with it. The priest had to stop mass and chase after then, after he made the kids consume the hosts, he gave communion on the tongue for the rest of communion.

I’ve had a priest and a “nun” give me a look when I wanted to receive on the tongue.

Why did he have to “stop Mass” if it was during communion?

How did those kids differ from me in the 1970’s when as a child I dried my mouth on my palm, received on my tongue, went back to my pew and then removed the host so I could inspect it?

That priest did not have the authority to make everyone receive on the tongue – not that it would have made a hill of beans difference anyway if someone wanted to profane the Blessed Sacrament.

 

[I_Believe]

Why did he have to “stop Mass” if it was during communion?

How did those kids differ from me in the 1970’s when as a child I dried my mouth on my palm, received on my tongue, went back to my pew and then removed the host so I could inspect it?

That priest did not have the authority to make everyone receive on the tongue – not that it would have made a hill of beans difference anyway if someone wanted to profane the Blessed Sacrament.

What was your previous user name ?

 

[shuzo1189]

I have always wondered why I have NEVER heard such things – except second hand? Make one wonder…

I would encourage you to “drop in” on some RCIA classes at around what ever Diocese your at. I will grant that i live in a very Liberal Diocese in a very Liberal town (Portland Oregon) . I mean, I could tell you the Church who was talking etc, but i find it rather unnecessary.

 

[SeanTom]

When deciding on which is best, communion in the hand or on the tongue, what would Jesus have us do? What is important is that we take the body of Christ into our body, which is His temple, being fully aware of what we are doing. He said, “Take this and eat it”. The Apostles were not mouth-fed. I do understand how careful we must be in doing this, and it can done so without taking away from the meaning of His instruction to us.

In reading these many many comments, I believe we are missing the most impotant point of what we are doing and why we are doing it. Jesus will take care of any details that we may confront in taking the Host in a proper way. I am sure He will look down on each of us and smile when the Host, His body, is consumed into our bodies, whether by hand or tongue.

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

 

[Shin]

The Apostles represent the bishops and priests, and are given the sacrament of Holy Orders during the Last Supper.

They do not represent the laypeople and their manner of receiving Communion.

Reverence is a concern in an age of little reverence. Great concern, when people do not believe God is in the Eucharist commonly and casually, and treat Him lightly even when they have some idea that He is there.

Greater external reverence for the sake of love.