QUAERITUR: I found a Host at my mother’s house. Wherein Fr. Z rants a little.

From a reader:

While visiting my parents’ home (they are not Catholic; I am a convert), I was invited up to look at something on Mom’s prayer table.

I forget what it was … but out of the corner of my eye, something white caught my eye. Turning to look, I realized with shock that it was a Host. I asked how It had got there; Mom said she had gone to a Catholic church near her home and they had “handed these out” to everyone as they came up. So she took one too, but, not knowing what to do with it, she placed in on her prayer table near a picture of Jesus. (She’s a bit syncretistic in her religion.) So, what is the right thing for a Catholic to do after discovering such a situation?

What I did was, first knelt down to adore … stopped to explain to Mom that Communion is only meant to be received by Catholics …

adored some more, and finally, consumed the Host.

Did I do right? Should I have called the church or asked for a priest?

Reason #65665 for Summorum Pontificum.

First, allow me to observe that your mother, though not Catholic and not really understanding what the score was, seems to have had a greater sense of respect for the Host she was given than many cradle Catholics who blithely troop up for Communion as if they are getting their parking ticket validated.

You probably did the right thing.

Your mother’s explanation indicates that she brought that Host from Communion time during Mass.  Therefore, there was little doubt that It was properly consecrated.

In a case like this, consuming the Host directly or calling the parish priest are both decent options.  Another option would be carefully to wrap up the Host and take it to the parish, so that the priest could place it in the ablution cup.  The Host can then be dissolved and the liquid poured down the sacrarium.

Communion in the hand has created all sorts of problems.   It has decreased reverence for Catholics for the Blessed Sacrament and it has made it easier for people, for whatever reason, to take Hosts from churches.  For the most part, people who might walk out with a Host are not doing so out of malice or ill-intent.  They just don’t know what to do.  Then the Host winds up thrown away or casually tumbled about until it is broken up.

There are other people, however, who take Hosts for nefarious reasons.

Also, I should remind people that there is an automatic excommunication

 

for throwing away the Blessed Sacrament or selling or giving It for bad purposes.  In this case, however, you have to know that what you are doing is a mortal sin and then do it anyway with a free will in order to incur the censure.  The censure can only be lifted by a confessor who receives the special faculty to lift it directly from the Holy See’s Sacra Penitenzieria Apostolica.  Furthermore, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith treats as graviora delicta, “taking away or retaining the consecrated species for sacrilegious ends, or the throwing them away”.
In any event, we hear these tales of people finding Hosts from papal Masses glued into scrapbooks, Hosts under pews in church, Hosts in the pages of the missalette, Hosts stuck to gum on the bottoms of pews, Hosts on sidewalks outside church after Mass….I add this information here not because I think your mother incurred some kind of penalty (she wouldn’t have) but for the sake of being complete.   It may be that there is some parish “minister” out there pouring “extra” Precious Blood down the drain after Mass, maybe even at the direction of some stupid priest or deacon.  If so… knock it off!

 

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: let’s get rid of Communion in the hand.

We need more and deeper preaching and teaching about the Eucharist, and we need a revitalization of our celebration of the Eucharist… from clew to earring, as Preserved Killick would say.

Fathers!  This is the Year of Faith.  How about trying to move people to receive on the tongue while kneeling?

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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44 Comments

  1. francisp says:

    Yesterday at Mass (I was traveling and not at my home parish) I was praying after communion when I heard a loud “SIR!” I looked up and a priest was following a man insisting that he consume the Host he had just received (in the hand). I was happy to see a priest take his responsibility seriously.

  2. JabbaPapa says:

    Yeah, consuming the Host was probably the right thing to do.

    I’m as loathe as Fr Z seems to be to point out the nitty-gritty of what one must or must not do in such particular situations vis-à-vis one’s State of Grace, as it’s hard to tell if God was moving in His proverbially Mysterious Ways to provide you with an extraordinary Communion outside of Mass, or if He was instead providing you with an opportunity to obey the canons of the Law … whereas it’s NOT hard to tell that your actions were sincere, Faithful, respectful, and Catholic ; and even sacramental, as we are all of us baptised priests, prophets, and kings so that we can deal with such extraordinary occurrences in extraordinary ways.

    I will add one piece of advice though, that I’m surprised Fr Z left out :

    GO TO CONFESSION !!

  3. Jon says:

    francisp,

    I once saw Msgr. Rossi, the rector of the National Basilica in Washington, do exactly the same thing at a noon Mass in the Crypt Chapel. He nearly tackled the guy.

  4. Bea says:

    It’s to cry for.
    Our dear, unappreciated, unrecognized Lord.

  5. Frank H says:

    It has been gratifying, and at times amusing, to watch distribution of Holy Communion during Pope Francis’ masses in St. Peter’s Square. Many of those priests very firmly insist that folks receive on the tongue, sometimes to the visible consternation of the recipient!

  6. dans0622 says:

    If Communion was only given on the tongue, nobody could wonder what to do with the Host.

  7. APX says:

    Ugh. I hate communion in the hand. When I was about 8 or 9 years old (shortly after I started receiving communion) I thought I was receiving something special until I started paying attention to how people were receiving communion. They acted indifferent to it, so I came to the conclusion that I wasn’t really consuming Jesus and that transubstantiation was just something they made up and told us to make us feel good, kinda like Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy. After that I didn’t really care that much about church and started to quit believing. My claim to fame at Mass was being able to receive communion while chewing gum at the same time without my gum being ruined by being mixed with the bread, as had annoyed me in the past. As time went on I left the Church completely. This is something I’m not proud of, but I tell it because people seem oblivious to the effect their actions have on children, and this they can easily be scandalized without anyone even knowing it.

    If you truly believe that you’re receiving the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus, look at the palms of your hands and ask yourself sincerely, “how can I bring myself to receive him in my hands?”

    The Feast of Corpus Christi is coming up. I challenge all priests to preach a sermon/homily on the Real Presence and actually mean it and challenge their congregations to just try receiving communion on the tongue while kneeling just once, and make it as convenient as possible with kneelers and no EMHC’s.

    I brought my roommate to the EF Mass with me one Sunday. She’s a new convert and was upset because she couldn’t get to confession the night before at her parish. Thankfully we had an extra priest at the time and was hearing confessions during Mass. She was greatful. After Mass she told me that she liked receiving communion kneeling and on the tongue because “it seems more intimate that way”. I couldn’t agree with her more. These things matter.

  8. Elizzabeth says:

    When my son was about two and a half years old, we were in the Chapel of an elderly people’s home that we used to frequent for Holy Mass. Some of the children from the Catholic primary school next door had attended Mass on this particular day, it being the Feast of Corpus Christi. My little boy liked to help clear away the hymn number cards, so we were on our own in the Chapel carrying out this task after Mass, when suddenly he said “Mummy, here is a Body of Christ”, and, to my horror, he was holding a host in his hand, that one of the children must have dropped – we were half way down the Chapel – it was not as though the child who had dropped it had attempted to consume the Host anywhere near the altar. There was no-one else around, and I suppose I was worried that he might be tempted to eat the host, so I told him to bring it to me; I took it from him, and I knelt down, and consumed Our Lord. I was pleased that he had an idea that it was something special, and that he should tell me about it, whilst being sad that the child who had been given Communion had no idea that they had dropped Our Blessed Lord on the floor. I’m not sure, nowadays, that I should have touched the host, but those were the days when I still thought receiving Communion in the hand was ok under certain circumstances. I wish now, that I had got my son to place it on my tongue. I no longer believe that lay people should receive in the hand – the Priest’s hands are consecrated – I’ve read plenty of stuff on the internet and elsewhere, to convince me that there is no need for lay people to receive on the hand. I remember when I was made a “Eucharistic Minister” at a Church in London, many moons ago, (I was young, and enthusiastic, and wanted to be involved in my parish, so accepted when I was asked to be one). It never felt right. I almost lost my faith in the Real Presence. It was a horrible experience. I didn’t do it for long, and I never felt inclined to offer my services – or desired to be asked, when I moved on to other parishes. When I think of some of the First Communion Masses I’ve attended where the children return to their seats after taking Our Lord, and immediately spend their time chatting to relatives, and posing for photos, I am devastated to see how a lack of belief in the Real Presence has taken hold. When I think about children dropping hosts, (or receiving Our Lord whilst still chewing gum) and the casual attitude towards Holy Communion so evident in many Churches today, it makes me want to weep. I weep for my casual attitude on so many occasions. I weep for any time I have dared to touch Our Blessed Lord with my unconsecrated hands, and I want to make reparation by kneeling, and receiving on the tongue, and by recommending that every true Catholic with faith in the Real Presence of Our Lord God Almighty, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, in the Sacred Host, stops continuing the practice of receiving in their hands, and encourages every child to receive on the tongue. Only in this way will the loss of faith in the Real Presence be reversed.

  9. LarryW2LJ says:

    I receive Holy Communion on the tongue. That’s the way I was taught; and that’s the way I continue to receive. No offense to any EMHC’s out there; but if at ALL possible, I prefer to receive only from a Priest or Deacon or a Sister, for that matter.

    My pastor once asked me to become an EMHC and my reply was, “Fr, you know me …… I don’t receive Holy Communion in my own hands. How can I give to others? Besides ……. that’s your job – not mine.” We’re close enough that he knows me; and just smiled at my reply.

  10. Dr. Edward Peters says:

    I don’t think Communion in the hand is the main problem here, but it’s not a point I want to argue now. In diocesan work I dealt with this more than once. While consumption is classically defensible, some folks may fear to consume for health reasons. My advice then was to dissolve recognizable pieces and particles in water to the point of unrecognizability (and hence past the point of sustaining the Real Presence) and pour the water into clean ground.

    By the way: never express shock or dismay if someone comes to you with this question. It might discourage them from coming to you again with the same or other questions. Just deal with problem calmly, and go on to the next project.

  11. Philangelus says:

    In “The Bad Catholic’s Guide To Good Living,” the authors propose an experiment.

    1) Let’s change the way we handle movie theater tickets. Let’s say that from now on, you can only receive a movie ticket in your teeth, while on your knees, and the only person who can properly dispense a movie theater ticket is a robed celibate. Do that for 30 years, but never actually say a thing about it to your children. After thirty years, find out what ideas everyone has developed about movie theater tickets.

    2) Hand out the Eucharist like a movie theater ticket and see what attitudes people develop. :-(

    The book is funny, but what they’re pointing out…not funny at all. :-(

  12. Basher says:

    Reading this post, I’m reminded of my own experience with Can 1367. It started with one priest in our home parish, who told me to pour excess of the Precious Blood out onto the ground after an outdoor Mass. I waited until he wasn’t looking and consumed it. Troubled, I researched and discovered Can 1367 and became worried. Unsure of my position I remained quiet.

    The next year, at a workshop for EMHC’s, same priest told us to pour excess Blood down the sacrarium. I told him in private that I thought that was incorrect. He responded that it was fine because the “sacrarium empties onto holy ground”. I asked a local lay canon lawyer who became upset and accused me of fabricating these stories, charged me to repent, and then sent me a bill in the mail for his services.

    The next year, the parochial vicar brought a written instruction to a parish council meeting at a satellite parish instructing EMHC’s to dispose of the Blood by pouring it directly down the sacrarium.

    I think this sort of thing is probably truly widespread in the kind of parishes where EMHC’s do all of the “cleaning up” between Masses without any priestly supervision.

  13. Darren says:

    I don’t know exactly how I would react in the same situation… and I hope I am never faced with it, but before I read what he had done I was thinking, “Wrap the Host in a clean napkin and take it to the church and find a priest or deacon.”

    About two years ago I started receiving on the tongue, and only once did I revert to in the hand (and I felt badly after doing so… it was a mass at my high school reunion and, well… its not the point, but I was shocked when Father so-and-so sat down and a certain former classmate instead gave out communion and I happened to be on his line… ugh).

    Anyway, I have observed twice… once a priest and once a deacon, stop a person from walking away with the Host and asking him to consume it right there. One time it was an elderly man (who probably remembers kneeling and on the tongue, unless a convert) and I don’t think he had ill intent, but you never know.

    Overall, I have observed more and more people receiving on the tongue over the past year or two, usually older (over 60) or younger (under 40) – based on my judgment of age based on appearance (which is not always good). (I am 43)

  14. anilwang says:

    While communion in the hand has caused this and other sacrileges, I don’t think its the root problem.

    The reader said “Mom said..they had ‘handed these out’ to everyone as they came up. So she took one too, but, not knowing what to do with it”

    So if communion was given on the tongue, she would unknowingly commit sacrilege anyway. The key question is why is is that non-Catholics at Catholic masses don’t understand that they shouldn’t go up and receive communion. IMO, it has to do with the liturgy.

    If the liturgy doesn’t express the significance of the Eucharist, sacrilege after sacrilege will keep happening and measures such as abrogating the indulgence to allow communion in the hand will only paper over the problem. For instance, even the old Presbyterian communion service includes the scripture “1 Corinthians 11:27-30”. This scripture was dropped from modern Presbyterian communion services for good reason, it makes the current “ecumenically friendly” open communion impossible.

    Fix the problem at its root, and we won’t have this issue.

  15. av8er says:

    I heard an interview several months ago where the person, arguing for receiving kneeling on the tongue, made an interesting point. He said suppose in order to go the the movies we can only accept the movie ticket kneeling and in our mouth. If for no other reason than that was the norm. Well eventually people will start to think that there is something special about that movie ticket. Not immediately but after many years or a generation or two. Now imagine that we say the Eucharist is the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord and we walk up and take it in the hand. Eventually people will think that there’s nothing special about the host in their hand.

  16. NBW says:

    I am not a fan of Communion in the hand. I agree with you Fr. Z, it causes all sorts of problems. The Pastor has stopped many a person to make sure that the Host was consumed. Our parish has Communion rails, some people use them and wait patiently until the priest & deacons finish up with the Communion in the hand crowd. It irks me a bit. The reverent folks have to work hard to get up to the Communion rail as well and wait,and it’s usually the deacons that give Communion to the people at the Communion rail. How can we lay people help to abolish Communion in the hand?

  17. JuliB says:

    The EMHCs at my parish (of which I am one) all watch for this, and we’ve stopped people in the past from walking away from the altar with a host. When I am not EMHCing, I receive on the tongue. If at all possible, I prefer to distribute the blood rather than the body of Christ.

    And no, I would not be offended if someone switched lines to go to Father instead of me.

    The good news is that we do have people receiving on the tongue, and I hope the number grows.

  18. ejcmartin says:

    On a related note our family stopped into a little church yesterday not too far from our home to say some prayers. One of my children noticed that there was a ciborium sitting on the edge of the main altar, which upon inspection was full of hosts. I found a bulletin which listed the parish priest’s phone number so I stepped outside and called him. He wasn’t sure why it was there or if the hosts had been consecrated. As he was in a different community he said he would make a call to someone locally to check it out. We stayed at the church for nearly an hour waiting for someone to arrive as we did not want to leave the hosts there if they had been consecrated. Finally someone arrived, probably the sacristan. I smiled at her and told her what had happened and then I got an earful! I was told that we were basically busybodies and should just come and pray and never mind what is going on in the church and we should pray for forgiveness instead!? It turns out they had not been consecrated as they were being used as “practice” for some children soon to receive their first Holy Communion.

  19. acardnal says:

    Attention lay person and EMHCs: Unlike priests, your hands were not consecrated with holy oil during your ordination. Say “no” to communion in the hand.

  20. LarryW2LJ says:

    @ejcmartin

    Personally, I think you did the right thing. They should have been left in the sacristy, out of sight, even though they were unconsecrated. That being said, that’s just a layman’s opinion. Better safe than sorry

  21. Suburbanbanshee says:

    You were definitely not being a busybody. Such things shouldn’t be left out in the open, and they should be labeled “unconsecrated” if they’re not, in order to prevent accidents and misunderstandings. (And honestly, if you’re just using the real, sacred vessel, ciborium for handing out “practice Communion,” is that the right thing to do? Wouldn’t it be better to have a practice ciborium also?

    It’s better to be safe than sorry. Much much better.

    OTOH, although it’s true that communion at the rail would help a lot, there are plenty of people who “saved” their consecrated Communion hosts, even back in the old days. Sometimes it was with bad Satanic or atheist intentions, and sometimes it was for folk medicine, but it was done. Some people in the old days blamed frequent Communion, which really isn’t fair, because some wicked or foolish people did it back in the days of Easter-only Communion also. We can help people of goodwill learn to do the right thing, and we can hinder people from doing evil, but we can’t altogether stop people from being wicked or foolish or ignorant. Free will and human ingenuity are powerful for evil as well as good.

  22. MichaelJ says:

    Suburbanbanshee, I agree that we can’t altogether stop people from being wicked or foolish or ignorant, but do we have to make it easier for them?

  23. SonofMonica says:

    Communion in the hand may or may not be the cause of the problem, but communion on the tongue will fix it.

  24. Stephen D says:

    Someone told me that they were present at a First Communion Mass recently and, because most people went up to receive, so did some non-Catholic relatives/friends, who had no idea that they should not do so. One woman who had joined the queue clearly had no idea what she was queuing for. When she was handed the host, she looked at it and passed it to a child of three or four who had gone up with her who consumed it as though it were a treat. The person who told me is lapsed and did not receive but was shocked by what she had witnessed and the failure of the priest to provide sufficient clarification to non-Catholics present to prevent these horrible results.

  25. majuscule says:

    JuliB said… “The EMHCs at my parish (of which I am one) all watch for this, and we’ve stopped people in the past from walking away from the altar with a host. When I am not EMHCing, I receive on the tongue. If at all possible, I prefer to distribute the blood rather than the body of Christ.”

    Same here. But I am EMHC only because no one else took the training. Our small mission church was in “need” of someone. We have a deacon for goodness sake, but the powers that be were determined to have an EMHC too, so I volunteered.

    When distributing the cup it is a good vantage point to watch for people who do not consume the host.

    A few months ago I began receiving communion on the tongue when I go up as EMHC instead of in the hand (when not being EMHC my norm is on the tongue). No one has told me not to and I am gratified to see that a few more people have started receiving on the tongue, one a teen aged girl. I think people just don’t want to appear different…and it’s hard to see how the people ahead of you in line are receiving (not that you should be looking of course!).

    I suppose that in a larger church with a squadron of EMHCs they might want them to appear “unified” by receiving in the hand. Hmmm. Why not all on the tongue ?

  26. Rev. Mr. Stephen says:

    Father Z,
    You urge Fathers in this Year of Faith to try “to move people to receive on the tongue while kneeling.” Frankly, candidly and sadly, I don’t think we are heading in that direction.
    The 2003 General Instruction to the Roman Missal hinted at the “indulgenced-pedigree” of receiving in the hand, stating: “ . . . the priest raises the host slightly and shows it to each, saying, Corpus Christi (The Body of Christ). The communicant replies, Amen, and receives the Sacrament either on the tongue OR, WHERE THIS IS ALLOWED AND IF THE COMMUNICANT SO CHOOSES, IN THE HAND.” (2003 GIRM, No. 161, in part, emphasis mine)
    Lamentably, the most recent edition of the GIRM, found in the 2010 printing of the Third Edition of the Roman Missal, provides: “The consecrated host may be received either on the tongue or in the hand, at the discretion of each communicant.” (2010 GIRM, No. 160, in part) Nothing in this most recent GIRM indicates that receiving on the tongue is the norm or that it is an indulgence to be permitted to receive communion in the hand.

  27. rkingall says:

    I had the wonderful pleasure to hear a homily by Fr. James Miara from Archdiocese of NY today, and it was all about how it is time to DO AWAY WITH COMMUNION IN THE HAND! Nothing is a coincidence! I don’t often brag about living in NJ, but today is one of those days I am glad I do. I live about 30 minutes away from the World Apostolate of Fatima Shrine in Asbury, NJ. Today was the first of 6 monthly celebrations honoring the apparitions of Mary to the children at Fatima.

    Anyway…. I made my FHC in 1978 or 79, and I believe that I learned to take it in the hand, actually. And I went to Catholic school! Well, those were the high felt banner days. Anyway, I had some irrational fear about receiving on the tongue for the longest time. But once I did, I never went back.

  28. Patt says:

    I AGREE!! Communion in the hand has been a major mistake and has caused terrible abuse. I think additionally we need to remove the “extraordinary ministers” and to do so we need to change the communion fast from one hour to at least 3. Although I am sure that most of those that receive Holy Communion are merely going through the motions and possibly not all are in the state of grace.

  29. DavidR says:

    A few months ago we had a retired priest filling in for our parish priest, who was on vacation, if I remember correctly. An EMHC was dispensing the Lord’s body in the 2nd communion line, and happened to be unaware that she dropped a consecrated host. I sit in the front row (I am hard of hearing) and stated ‘The Lord is on the floor.’ She didn’t hear me, I guess, and continued handing out the Body. I said much louder, ‘The Lord is on the floor.’ The visiting priest made a remark to the effect that there was no need to get upset or loud (I don’t remember his exact remark.)

    The EMHC thanked me later for calling her attention to the dropped host, but I wonder how a priest could be so cavalier under the circumstances. I’ve only been Roman Catholic for 16 years, so perhaps I don’t understand about the Eucharist. From what I read in scripture, it is the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity. If I’ve got it wrong, would Fr. Z. or a priest be kind enough to correct me? Thanks.
    Dave in Durham NC

  30. Suburbanbanshee says:

    No, I don’t think we should make it easier for people to do wrong. I just want reformers not to expect human nature to change altogether. Catechesis is good and going to best practices is good.

    Just don’t say it never happened in the good old days, even though obviously it’s better that it happened less and not as openly. There’s a difference.

    (This has been a message from the Society for Reading Church History, which reminds you that there have always been blasphemous jerks.)

  31. First Holy Communion at our home town (N.O.) parish was given on the tongue again this year, but with one improvement: kids kneeling! In 2008, when our youngest son was preparing to receive his First Holy Communion, our priest instructed the parents (and all involved were catechized) that the NORM was to receive on the tongue. Most of those children (and many who followed) continue to receive on the tongue. Our altar servers were encouraged (per the liturgical norm) to receive on the tongue. I am sorry to read (in a comment above) that the 2010 GIRM instructs distribution: “either on the tongue or in the hand, at the discretion of each communicant.”

    Holy Communion on the hand (and/or distribution without any announcement/instruction for guests) has led to the following situations at our home town parish in the past few months: Jesus left floating in the holy water font; Jesus being ‘hidden’ under the EMHC’s shoe after falling to the floor during distribution; Jesus being taken out the door by someone who did not consume; Jesus being received by non-Catholics. {A humble request to ‘bring back the patens’ met with great resistance.}

    I received sacrilegiously for many years, before I knew any better, and/or before I truly cared enough to understand. Now I often pray at Mass for God’s mercy upon anyone who may be receiving Him sacrilegiously.

  32. JuliaSaysPax says:

    At my Catholic elementary school, we were all told that we were all to receive ONLY in hand (at least for school masses), supposedly because some slack jawed children had let the Host slip (to which I now), one poorly Catechized child (years before, so that the young chap was a cautionary tale) had been shocked by the taste at his First Communion and spat, and (this they seemed to emphasize the most) because “it took too long!”. Anyways, by fourth grade, my lovely, habited teacher, at the time the only sister of the pious schools still actively teaching in the United States, informed us that, while we had to abide by what the principal had instructed us, if she ever so much as suspected us of not showing reverence for who we were receiving, recess might need to turn into a class trip across the courtyard and to the confessional (this, combined with her classroom instruction, impressed the importance of the Eucharist upon us.) She also inspected our hands to make sure they were spotless before Mass and instructed us to check and double check after receiving to ensure that not a single crumb (which she reminded us was still the whole of Christ) remained, licking our palms if need be. I think that, if everyone’s going to insist upon keeping Communion in hand, it must always be taught with that sort of care.

    (PS- though some of my former classmates now receive on the tongue, I’ve noticed that many of those who still receive in hand still check their palms).

  33. JacobWall says:

    Dr. Peters, I appreciate your advice “never [to] express shock or dismay if someone comes to you with this question.” Some credit has to be given to the mother, who, as Fr. Z. points out, at least taking care to keep the host in a place of respect, showed more respect for the host than many cradle Catholics.

  34. JacobWall says:

    My priest was going to have a series of sermons about respecting the Precious Blood in particular this spring; he pointed out a couple of times that many Catholics sacreligiously joke about it. His example is that he has stopped drinking alcohol, not for himself, but as a member of a group to offer his abstinence and prayer for alcoholics. He pointed out that invariably, when he tells people this, some Catholic makes a snarky comment about “all the wine” he drinks every day at Mass. He always answers by pointing out that never once has he drunk wine during Mass, and then scolding them for making a joke about the Precious Blood of Christ.

    Unfortunately, after only a year with us, he is being transfered to another parish, and (I assume for this reason) he has decided not to follow through with this series, nor with several important changes he was going to make. His sermons, and other activities he has lead, have been a blessing to us.

  35. billy says:

    This is much ado about nothing! [?!?] A mon catholic [Did you even read the top entry?] took a host, treated it respectfully……she simply didn’t know….this isn’t an argument in support of anything [You need some remedial review of fundtamental catechism.]

  36. Mark in GE says:

    Hello all, nice to be here, long time reader, first time post.

    Our current Pastor requires Altar Servers and EMHCs to receive kneeling (but allows in the hand)…the example seems to be having an effect as more parishioners are receiving kneeling and on the tongue. It seems to me that the level of reverence for the Eucharist is increased now and came about by the good example of the Priest and those assisting at Mass.

  37. Midwest St. Michael says:

    {A humble request to ‘bring back the patens’ met with great resistance.}

    Bridget, if you did not already know, patens are supposed to be used.

    [93.] The Communion-plate for the Communion of the faithful should be retained, so as to avoid the danger of the sacred host or some fragment of it falling.180 (Redemptionis Sacramentum 93, citing GIRM no. 118)

    MSM

  38. MarieSiobhanGallagher says:

    Maybe we can all do something to make reparation for all of these abuses. They really are saddening. I found a host in the pew at my church about two years ago so I consumed it and have found out that others have recently found them too. Outright intention to desecrate or sheer ignorance….while we don’t know at least we can make sacrifices to make reparation for these terrible abuses and pray for Catholics to use reception on the tongue (and kneeling, and the paten….etc etc)

  39. TMKent says:

    Communion on the tongue please!
    In my 50 years of life as an average American post Vat. II Catholic, I have wittnessed the following:
    -As EMHC in college I had someone bring me hosts “from the back” when we were running low on commuion on Ash Wednesday.
    -Had a Newman Center priest tell us he didn’t care what we put in the communion bread we were breaking as long as he didn’t” break it open and find raisins.”
    -same priest made jokes about going to the 7/11 and consecrating all the Wonder Bread.
    -Had my now 25 year old son’s first communion stopped because the kids couldn’t chew and swallow the bread they had made and the priest asked for parent volunteers to receive their “bread”
    -when same son was about 16 two of his classmates at Catholic High School got in line for multiple hosts and took them to the school roof anf through them off. Their parents successfully fought and prevented these children’s expulsion.
    -Younger son, then age 5 was told to get in line for communion from the childrens choir (though he was too young) He received ( I didn’t see this) and he said it was placed on his tongue when he didn’t put his hands up ) then he walked to me in the pew, extracted the host from his mouth and said “here mommy – I can’t have this”!
    -Found a homemade “bread” host under a kneeler
    -lost count of how many times priests and usher friends have chased people down.

  40. Mum26 says:

    I liked what I saw at the last Papal Mass for the canonization of martyrs who were slaughtered by members of the “Religion of Peace.”

    Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ldPLkIB8QV8

    Check out around 1 hour 30 minutes – not only does everyone communicating from the Pope receive on the tongue, but also most everyone from the priests. Several times, the priest had to override the communicants wish of receiving in the hand….. Classic!

  41. majuscule says:

    Or go to the Confirmation Mass

    http://youtu.be/1zYzsiAURpo

    Between 1:23:55 and 1:24:06 you will see a priest giving communion in the hand to a man in a wheelchair (some interesting gesturing there) and then to a man standing. Watch the standing man’s hands as the priest moves on. I’m afraid the action of the standing man was magnified in my mind the first time I saw this video and I thought he was brushing his palms together. Well, he still sorta looks like he is…

    I think I have become obsessed with watching communion at the Papal Masses…

  42. Mary Jane says:

    Let’s return to communion on the tongue, received while kneeling, no lay EMHCs, and let the exceptions be few and far between and only for the gravest of reasons.

  43. Kathleen10 says:

    Mark, welcome friend!

    Billy, what a silly comment. Really? There is so much wrong with your statement, and your opinion, that I can’t address it. It’s too much. But you are as wrong as it is possible to be wrong.

    And yes, Fr. Z. Communion kneeling would be much better, and end the practice of receiving in the hand. I suppose those with an evil purpose could still steal away with the Lord, but, it wouldn’t be as easy. My head swims at the thought of these things happening to Jesus. I hope I never do see an example of this myself. I am not a fainter, but, I think I might.

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