Should I not be receiving Communion in the hand?

[Basilisa Marie]

Yeah what matters more is your internal disposition. What posture is going to help you receive the Lord most reverently and openly? For many people receiving on the tongue helps them cultivate a reverent disposition in ways much more powerful than receiving in the hand, which can often feel ordinary. On the other hand, the idea of receiving on the tongue weirds some people out, makes them more focused on the method of reception than the fact that you're receiving Jesus, or causes people to worry about Jesus falling off or the minister reacting weirdly or... you get the idea. Some people receive on the tongue while also kneeling as if they were at a communion rail. Some people think that draws too much attention to themselves. 

What really matters is your internal disposition. People get into arguments about whether or not some method objectively cultivates a certain disposition, along with other issues.  If receiving communion a certain way affords you the best internal disposition, don't let anyone talk you out of it. That might be kneeling with your mouth open or standing and receiving in your hands. 

Unless you're doing what some of my first communion students STILL insist on doing, which is to receive in both hands and bring their hands up to their face and lick the unconsecrate host off their palms. Or receive on the tongue and munch down on Jesus with a big ole crunch.  Second graders, man.  and their parents. 

At the same time don't make it a death hill. If the priest is making a big stink about getting it into your hands, just accept Jesus reverently. If everyone else is kneeling at the altar rail and opening their mouths, do the same. Don't make the manner more important than the moment. 

[PhuturePriest]

I usually receive on the tongue. When I'm sick I receive on the hand out of deference to the health of the priest.

Strictly speaking, the norm is to receive on the tongue. How we got the indult to receive on the hand stems from blatant and unapologetic disobedience to the Church by bishops and priests, and their reasons for doing so were misguided and sketchy, having been prompted by that all-permitting "spirit" of Vatican II. But I don't think you're a bad Catholic if you receive on the hand. It is and has been allowed by the Church for a very long time now. Anyone who says you're a bad Catholic for doing what the Church allows you to do is in fact being the bad Catholic in the situation.

"In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; and in all things, charity." -- Saint Augustine

[Nihil Obstat]

Veering somewhat off topic, I strongly believe that the indult for Communion in the hand should be rescinded. For the good of the Church.

[Peace]

I sometimes wonder how many Catholics  are even aware of what it is they are receiving?

I am not a big hand person. I am not sure if I have ever received that way. I don't have any clear memory of having done so.

At the same time, its not like the apostles themselves received on the tongue. I don't think there is anything inherently irreverent about receiving in the hand, although there is just something that irks me the wrong way when I see it.

But complaining about that might be like the grumpy folks who frown and think "He just genuflected on the wrong knee!"

And I would guess that in some cultures receiving food on the tongue might be considered sloppy or disrespectful. So I dunno if you would want to enforce a rule that would cause some folks to feel like they were acting disrespectfully.

I dunno.

[Gabriela]

4 hours ago, PhuturePriest said:

I usually receive on the tongue. When I'm sick I receive on the hand out of deference to the health of the priest.

Strictly speaking, the norm is to receive on the tongue. How we got the indult to receive on the hand stems from blatant and unapologetic disobedience to the Church by bishops and priests, and their reasons for doing so were misguided and sketchy, having been prompted by that all-permitting "spirit" of Vatican II. But I don't think you're a bad Catholic if you receive on the hand. It is and has been allowed by the Church for a very long time now. Anyone who says you're a bad Catholic for doing what the Church allows you to do is in fact being the bad Catholic in the situation.

"In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; and in all things, charity." -- Saint Augustine

 

3 hours ago, Nihil Obstat said:

Veering somewhat off topic, I strongly believe that the indult for Communion in the hand should be rescinded. For the good of the Church.

2 hours ago, Peace said:

"He just genuflected on the wrong knee!"

There's a "right" and a "wrong" knee? I mean, I know there's a right one. I just didn't know there's a wrong one.

Edited April 5, 2016 by Gabriela

[PhuturePriest]

5 minutes ago, Gabriela said:

 

There's a "right" and a "wrong" knee? I mean, I know there's a right one. I just didn't know there's a wrong one.

There's technically a "right" and "wrong" knee, and it's for a specific reason.

In olden times, when you genuflected before a king, you would genuflect with your right knee forward. We genuflect before God with our left knee forward, because it's something we reserve solely for him. I'm pretty sure the reason why is the knees were considered a place of strength, so by genuflecting you were relinquishing your strength in the first place, and since most people are right-handed, genuflecting with the right knee to the ground is considered more humble, but don't take that last part as absolutely true.

[Gabriela]

25 minutes ago, PhuturePriest said:

There's technically a "right" and "wrong" knee, and it's for a specific reason.

In olden times, when you genuflected before a king, you would genuflect with your right knee forward. We genuflect before God with our left knee forward, because it's something we reserve solely for him. I'm pretty sure the reason why is the knees were considered a place of strength, so by genuflecting you were relinquishing your strength in the first place, and since most people are right-handed, genuflecting with the right knee to the ground is considered more humble, but don't take that last part as absolutely true.

So am I a bad Catholic if I use whichever knee is closer to the pew?  

[Not A Real Name]

I don't understand how receiving communion should be up to how we feel. Shouldn't we be concerned about our Eucharistic Lord and what happens to Him? I've never seen one Catholic able to show that communion in the hand gives less risk of dropping our Eucharistic Lord than communion on the tongue.  Is how we feel more important than protecting Christ? 

[PhuturePriest]

3 hours ago, Gabriela said:

So am I a bad Catholic if I use whichever knee is closer to the pew?  

No. It just means you give God the same deference you do to man.

But really. I don't know why you would do that, on the pragmatic level, especially given that it has a purpose and it's not just something we do for funsies.

I think the real question is whether we should excommunicate someone if they genuflect right-knee forward while receiving the Eucharist in the hand.

[Gabriela]

4 minutes ago, PhuturePriest said:

No. It just means you give God the same deference you do to man.

But really. I don't know why you would do that, on the pragmatic level, especially given that it has a purpose and it's not just something we do for funsies.

I think the real question is whether we should excommunicate someone if they genuflect right-knee forward while receiving the Eucharist in the hand.

When I genuflect, good sir, I genuflect deeply, resting all my weight on my knee, bowing my head, closing my eyes, and remaining so until I've completed a slow and consciously made sign of the cross, only after which is 100% completed will I lift my head, open my eyes, and begin to rise again. I literally come to rest on the floor for several moments. People look at me as if I've just copped a squat on the church floor. There's none of this "tap the floor quickly with your knee and throw your fingertips around your body wildly so you can move on as quickly as possible" croutons for me. So I use whichever knee is most comfortable to use, cuz when I genuflect, I'm there for a while.

If a careless genuflecter has the presumption to receive in the hand while immodestly dressed, not singing the hymns, and chatting with companions, then by all means, anathema sit. And good riddance.

[PhuturePriest]

Just now, Gabriela said:

When I genuflect, good sir, I genuflect deeply, resting all my weight on my knee, bowing my head, closing my eyes, and remaining so until I've completed a slow and consciously made sign of the cross, only after which is 100% completed will I lift my head, open my eyes, and begin to rise again. I literally come to rest on the floor for several moments. People look at me as if I've just copped a squat on the church floor. There's none of this "tap the floor quickly with your knee and throw your fingertips around your body wildly so you can move on as quickly as possible" croutons for me. So I use whichever knee is most comfortable to use, cuz when I genuflect, I'm there for a while.

If a careless genuflecter has the presumption to receive in the hand while immodestly dressed, not singing the hymns, and chatting with companions, then by all means, anathema sit. And good riddance.

I daresay Pope Francis is going to come out at any moment to infallibly declare that I just got served.

[Gabriela]

1 hour ago, Not A Real Name said:

I find this image so disturbing that I really hope a Mediator of Meh will delete it.

Edited April 5, 2016 by Gabriela

[Ice_nine]

I think it's supposed to be disturbing. Is it more disturbing of any other imagery of Christ crucified? I don't think the image is irreverent as much as it's commenting on irreverence.

[veritasluxmea]

I sympathize with the message, but it's pretty creepy tbh  

[Not A Real Name]

7 hours ago, Ice_nine said:

I think it's supposed to be disturbing. Is it more disturbing of any other imagery of Christ crucified? I don't think the image is irreverent as much as it's commenting on irreverence.

Thank you for understanding why I posted it. When a particle of the Eucharist falls to the ground the above picture is what is really happening. I think the picture shows why the method of receiving should not be up to our own feelings, but rather take into account Who it is we are receiving and how we treat Him.