AP Photo/Sunday Alamba: Abuja, Nigeria, 2014
THE RECEPTION OF HOLY COMMUNION
How we pray and show due reverence to God is very personal — obviously!
World Youth Day,
For some, praying is in quiet veneration during the Traditional Latin Mass. For others, it is the youthful exuberance and joyous praise of God. Many experienced this during the World Youth Day! Some sense God as they meditate on a mountain, or walk in the forest — all are valid!
Lisbon, Portugal,
August 1-6 2023!
The way we pray is linked to how we prefer to receive the Body & Blood of our Lord and Saviour in the Holy Eucharist — on the tongue or on the hand; standing or kneeling. Some who stand, show respect by bowing or genuflecting prior to receiving Communion.
A Bishop in Brazil gained (Anti-)Social Media notoriety recently when he refused to give Communion on the tongue to a Confirmand — as she knelt beside the altar.
This Bishop had instructed the congregation that the Holy Eucharist must be received standing and on the hand. The reasons he gave later are that he is persisting with COVID precautions (?) and that he wished to speed the distribution of Communion…
Right.
(Rather, a right Amadán.)
Canon Law is clear:
CCC 912: “Any baptized person not prohibited by law can and must be admitted to holy communion.”
The Congregation for Divine Worship in Rome through Redemptionis Sacramentum instructed us saying [91]: “In distributing Holy Communion it is to be remembered that “sacred ministers may not deny the sacraments to those who seek them in a reasonable manner, are rightly disposed, and are not prohibited by law from receiving them”. [177] Hence any baptized Catholic who is not prevented by law must be admitted to Holy Communion. Therefore, it is not licit to deny Holy Communion to any of Christ’s faithful solely on the grounds, for example, that the person wishes to receive the Eucharist kneeling or standing.” [my bold]
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops [USCCB] do not have jurisdiction in Brazil but their guidance states: “Those who receive Communion may receive either in the hand or on the tongue, and the decision should be that of the individual receiving, not of the person distributing Communion.”
Cardinal Arinze puts it very well: no-one should be denied Communion even when presenting for Communion on their knees (presuming appropriate preparation & normal requirements fulfilled.)
Cardinal Arinze on receiving Communion
& on kneeling in church.
The Brazilian Bishop’s action contrasts with the title photo taken in Nigeria during an Ebola outbreak, where people were cautioned to receive the Eucharist on the hand for safety reasons.
“TRADITIONAL” PRACTICE
The practice of receiving the Eucharist on the tongue is based on the principle that Holy Communion must be handled only by the sanctified hands of a consecrated priest. (Hold that thought!)
The recent push for reception on the tongue also seems linked with the advocacy for “traditional” practices surrounding the Tridentine Mass, (the liturgy of the Mass 1570 - 1962) after the excesses of Vatican II. Considering 2000 years of history, this is a relatively modern version of the Mass! The ‘Traditional Latin Mass’, the TLM, is the 1962 version.
A friend & devout Deacon explained to me why he prefers reception of the Eucharist on the tongue:
“Scripturally, in the Second Book of Samuel 6:6-7 it is read: "When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore, God struck him down, and he died there beside the ark of God." As you may know, the Arc of God contained the mana, bread that came down from heaven.
In the Book of Exodus 28-29, Aaron is consecration as the high priest. Only the priest appointed by God of the line of Aron was allowed to offer sacrifice to God by manipulating, that is, handling the elements for the sacrifice, such as bread and blood. These verses support why God killed Uzzah for touching the Ark that contained the Bread from Heaven…
…Just after the Second Vatican Council is that the bishops, especially in North America, allowed for the reception of the Eucharist on the hand as the optional form for receiving Communion, only applicable when there is a clear impediment from the person to receive it on the tongue and his or her knees.”
I do not have the USCCB document from ‘just after V.C.II’, but their current document partly contradicts him! “In the United States, the body of Bishops has determined that "[t]he norm... is that Holy Communion is to be received standing, unless an individual member of the faithful wishes to receive Communion while kneeling" and that a bow is the act of reverence made by those receiving (no. 160). This norm is supported by an Instruction by the Holy See regarding the Eucharist…those who receive Communion may receive either in the hand or on the tongue, and the decision should be that of the individual receiving, not of the person distributing Communion.”
REALLY, REALLY, TRADITIONAL PRACTICE!
This article was precipitated by the fascinating X / Twitter response by Fr. Jim Sichko below.
He discusses the teachings of St. Cyril of Jerusalem in ~350 AD on the Reception of the Holy Eucharist!
St. Cyril of Jerusalem
“Receiving Holy Communion on the tongue is not the most traditional custom in the Church. The most common way to receive the Eucharist among the first Christians was by hand. Saint Cyril of Jerusalem (Sec IV), makes this very clear when teaching: "When you come near, do not walk with outstretched hands or fingers separated, but make with the left a throne at the right, which is to receive the King; and then with the palm of your hand, form a vessel; gather up the Body of the Lord, and say 'Amen.' "(Mistagogical Sunday School V.21) Receiving on the tongue is a devotional born as a response to thought movements that combatted the real presence of Christ in the consecrated bread. It's not a custom true to tradition, but accidental and contextual. Therefore, it is not lack of respect or devotion to receive communion in hand, but perfect communion with the customs of the early Christians. Some claim that they do not feel worthy of receiving communion on the hand because they are impure. Would our tongues be less impure than our hands?”
St. Cyril [~313 – 386 AD] was a theologian and Bishop of Jerusalem. His Catechetical Lectures were given in the basilica in Jerusalem, which was erected by Constantine.
His documentation of the instructions to catechumens and the order of the Liturgy is “the fullest account extant.” [Wiki]
BAPTISMAL CONSECRATION
The answer as to why it is possible for any Catholic to receive Communion — ever! — is based on the notion that we are consecrated in Christ through Baptism.
CCC 1272: “Incorporated into Christ by Baptism, the person baptized is configured to Christ. Baptism seals the Christian with the indelible spiritual mark (character) of his belonging to Christ. No sin can erase this mark, even if sin prevents Baptism from bearing the fruits of salvation. Given once for all, Baptism cannot be repeated.”
CCC 1273: “Incorporated into the Church by Baptism, the faithful have received the sacramental character that consecrates them for Christian religious worship.84 The baptismal seal enables and commits Christians to serve God by a vital participation in the holy liturgy of the Church and to exercise their baptismal priesthood by the witness of holy lives and practical charity.”
You can listen to Fr. Roger Landry’s January 2015 homily / podcast on “The Consecration that Flows from our Baptism” if you follow the link below.
& another moderate-length article with tons of history:
Hard to Hold, and Yet Easy to Defend | by John Fisher 2.0 | Medium
CONCLUSION
Some Trads probably long for the good ol’ days of the Council of Saragossa ~380 AD, when Spanish & Aquitanian bishops moved to excommunicate everyone who received the Eucharist on the hand! (Be thankful that they did not suggest burning at the stake!)
So, which: tongue or hand?
The answer is dependent on whether Catholics are truly consecrated through Baptism, or not. If we are consecrated, then both!
& if not, then the answer must surely be neither. (Which is why non-Baptized visitors may not receive Holy Communion in the Catholic Church.)
Catholics should receive Holy Communion by whichever route they think is most appropriate for the honour and glory of God — we should also celebrate that others are honouring God in ways that we do not!
Kevin Hay
You can follow Kevin on X (Twitter) @kevinhay77