Historical argument favors Communion on the tongue

CNW ^ | April 22, 2008

[NYer]

Apr. 22, 2008 (CWNews.com) - The American magazine Catholic Response has published an English translation of a provocative article, originally published in the official Vatican newspaper, calling for an end to the practice of receiving Communion in the hand.

The article by Bishop Athanasius Schneider of Karaganda, Kazakhstan, originally printed in L'Osservatore Romano, examines the historical record of Catholic practice, concluding that the early Church quickly developed the practice in which lay people Communion on the tongue while kneeling. Only ordained ministers were allowed to touch the consecrated Host with their hands.

By the 6th century, Bishop Schneider writes, the Church had formed a consensus that Communion should be received on the tongue, of reverence for the Eucharistic Lord. Pope Gregory the Great chastised priests who resisted that consensus, and it was become an "almost universal practice" in the early Church, the author says.

Kneeling to receive Communion was also a pattern established early in Church history, Bishop Schneider reports. That posture, too, was seen as a means of expressing reverence for Jesus in the Eucharist, and "the most typical gesture of adoration is the biblical one of kneeling."

By administering Communion on the tongue, priests were able to foster greater devotion to the Eucharist; Bishop Schneider remarks that that form is "an impressive sign of the profession of faith the in the Real Presence."

He adds the argument that this form of distributing Communion can prevent accidents. The author cites St. Cyril of Jerusalem, who exhorted priests to use extra caution "so that no even a crumb of the Lord's Body could fall to the ground."

The article published in L'Osservatore Romano, and now translated in Catholic Response, summarizes the more complete argument that Bishop Schneider put forward in his book, Dominus Est. That book, released in Italy earlier this year, drew special notice for two reasons. It was published by the official Vatican press, and a preface was contributed by Archbishop Macolm Ranjith, the secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship, who said it was "high time to review" the policy of allowing laymen to receive Communion in the hand.

[ELS]

Dominus Est

[NYer]

What of concern of microbes?

Huh? Catholics have been receiving on the tongue for nearly 2000 years. AFAIK, There has yet to be a fatality.

[Pyro7480]

There were plans to translate the book into English, according to this link.

[NYer]

I am open to going back to what was done in the past in the Church.

This is a personal choice that you can practice right now. You may receive on the tongue or in the hand. The Eastern Churches give communion by intinction, thus precluding communion in the hand. At the Easter Vigil Mass, the pope also distributed communion by intinction. Since he is not one to use gestures idly, I believe he was making a statement with those actions. (This will date me but as a child, we only had communion on the tongue :-)

[Between the Lines]

There has yet to be a fatality.

Well, there was that one right after the very first communion.

[ELS]

There were plans to translate the book into English

That would be good, but I'm also trying to brush up on my Italian.

[ELS]

I'm sure you already noticed this, but ... Bishop Athanasius Schneider.

[Gerish]

I believe so, personally. So many people seem to have not been taught properly. The biggest abuse for me is seeing people walking up to the priest, the priest putting the Body of Christ in their hand and they turn and starting walking 3-4 feet before placing It in their mouth. Some are even half-way back to their pew - YIKES.

[NYer]

It just bugs me to see people receive by hand. It reminds me of people going through a McDonald’s drive thru.

Or .... and you knew this was coming .... hawkers on Ebay.

---

From HallowedGround blog:

Hello Friends,
Sad and alarming news (if true),

A reader of this blog left a message and a link alerting me of an Ebay post that purports to be selling a Consecrated Host from today’s Papal Mass. It could be legit, I don’t know. Either way, please contact Ebay to stop this Sacrilage . If you have a blog, please do post this to you blog, and let others know what is going on. Contact Ebay to stop this. Or, go to the Catholic League, and tell them. This is evil.

**Update, listing no longer seems to be there. This was prohibited by Ebay in the past. Hopefully the unfortunate being who did this realized what he was doing. I don’t know. Maybe contact the Catholic League anyway. **

[AnalogReigns]

Not seeking a discussion here, but as a non-Roman Catholic, I’m curious to know whether the wine/the blood is typically given to the laity in the modern Mass? I know in the middle ages it was not, (except in certain places, like Bohemia/Moravia) but I’ve received contradictory information on whether it is allowed today for laity or not, in drink, or in tincture (dipping) of the Host.

I’m not looking to debate or discuss current practice on this in Roman Catholicism, only asking exactly what it is.

[onedoug]

Fatalities, perhaps not. Yet a lot of colds or intestinal ills I'd bet.

Just by the method in #2, there's a lot of transfer going on there from person to person.

Though it's just an observation and implies no lack of respect to any religious practice. Commune on if thou wilt.

[purpleraine]

.....................quickly developed the practice in which lay people Communion on the tongue while kneeling.

This line alones tells you it wasn't the original practice when the apostles were following the example of Christ.

I don't understand the need of some catholics to twist history or ignore parts of it to fit their contemporary position of what is proper.

[Pyro7480]

One also shouldn’t pass over the fact that things have changed since the time of the Apostles. They led a Church under persecution, and didn’t have time to worry about minutae because of that.

[netmilsmom]

Well what I’ve run into is liberals who scream bloody murder when someone calls this an abuse. It’s not. Disrespectful in the way they do it, yes, but the Vatican has sanctions communion in the hand. It is not an abuse.

Personally, I think EVERY church should so it like my parish. Intinction, on the tongue, kneeling. Period. But I can’t be more correct than the Pope, so I close my eyes and pray hard when others walk up waving, smile and wink, hold onto the host for a bit while they are looking around and chew like a cow.

Yup, when I visit other parishes, I pray a lot!!!!!

[netmilsmom]

>>Fatalities, perhaps not. Yet a lot of colds or intestinal ills I’d bet.<<

Not from receiving on the tongue. The priest holds the host by one side and does not touch the tongue of a person. Our priests do it every week. Four of them.

Now that whole drinking from the common cup deal, YUCKIE. No way! And I love how wiping with a dry cloth and turning is supposed to work. I launder those cloths. I can’t tell you the amount of lipstick on them and just the thought of backwash! EWWWWWWWWW!!!!

[purpleraine]

I am countering those who want things they way they were before the 1960s and who use false or partial historical claims to prove that the original practice was as they prefer, when it's clearly just the opposite.

Last month I had a poster tell me that the traditional mass is in Latin. When I pointed out the meaning of Pentecost and a few common sense questions he evaporated.

[netmilsmom]

And that there was a conscious effort by some after VII to dispell anything Historically Catholic (devotions, kneeling, receiving on the tongue) in favor of a Kumbaya Christianity.

*help me Lord*

[DogwoodSouth]

I was fortunate to have attended the pope's Mass at Yankee Stadium. As I returned to my seat after receiving holy communion, I saw a teenaged girl returning to her seat, still holding (but trying to conceal) a consecrated host. I don't know what she was thinking (souvenir, maybe?), but this is a sacrilege that is probably MUCH more common than any of us know.

If doing something as simple as moving back to the tradition of placing the Host directly on the tongue could help prevent this, I can't see any logical reason that holy Mother Church can not move in that direction.

[Pyro7480]

Sure, I generally agree with those who wish a restoration of the Traditional Latin Mass as the Liturgy of Western Christianity, but it must be done with facts, not pseudohistoricism.

[Pyro7480]

I saw a teenaged girl returning to her seat, still holding (but trying to conceal) a consecrated host

I hope you did something!