What do you think of receiving communion only on the tongue? https://www.romancatholicman.com/communion-tongue-apostolic-tradition/ COMMUNION ON THE TONGUE IS AN APOSTOLIC TRADITION Fr Richard HeilmanJanuary 15, 2017 Statements from Popes, Saints and Church Councils: St. Sixtus 1 (circa 115): “The Sacred Vessels are not to be handled by others than those consecrated to the Lord.” St. Basil the Great, Doctor of the Church (330-379): “The right to receive Holy Communion in the hand is permitted only in times of persecution.” St. Basil the Great considered Communion in the hand so irregular that he did not hesitate to consider it a grave fault. The Council of Saragossa (380): Excommunicated anyone who dared continue receiving Holy Communion by hand. This was confirmed by the Synod of Toledo. The Synod of Rouen (650): Condemned Communion in the hand to halt widespread abuses that occurred from this practice, and as a safeguard against sacrilege. 6th Ecumenical Council, at Constantinople (680-681): Forbade the faithful to take the Sacred Host in their hand, threatening transgressors with excommunication. St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274): “Out of reverence towards this Sacrament [the Holy Eucharist], nothing touches it, but what is consecrated; hence the corporal and the chalice are consecrated, and likewise the priest’s hands, for touching this Sacrament.” (Summa Theologica, Part III, Q. 82, Art. 3, Rep. Obj. 8.) The Council of Trent (1545-1565): “The fact that only the priest gives Holy Communion with his consecrated hands is an Apostolic Tradition.” Pope Paul VI (1963-1978): “This method [on the tongue] must be retained.” (Memoriale Domini) Pope John Paul II: “To touch the sacred species and to distribute them with their own hands is a privilege of the ordained.” (Dominicae Cenae, 11)
This question has been disscussed on the forum before; I have always recieved my Lord on the tongue and I taught my children to do likewise, even though we were the only ones in our parish at the time to do so, but amazingly some people and families followed this example. There are a number of people who recieve Our Lord on the tongue now in the parishes I attend but the majority do not. I don't judge those that recieve Our Lord in the hand! Because many of these people are very devout, holy people that are daily communicants. The Lord just required this of me.
Oh I'm sorry I didn't search before posting. But this article by Fr Richard Heilman is very recent. Among those of you who are communion ministers, how do you feel about the words above in bold? I'm struggling with this issue of being a communion minister when one's hands are not consecrated.
I only receive on the tongue and I think I am the only one in our parish who does so. I used to receive in the hand but some years ago, in a different parish, I received a piece of the broken host and a particle fell to the ground. It was a weekday Mass and as soon as it was over, I went back to see if I could find the piece. I failed, but the incident was so distressing that I vowed I would never receive in the hand again, however 'traddy' it made me look to others. I believe it's OK for extraordinary ministers to offer the chalice since they are not touching any part of the Sacred Species.
I only receive on the tongue and, like you, do not judge those who don't. They are only following what the are taught as a new norm. I'm old school...and I'm staying that way
I can't answer for extraordinary ministers because I am not one, but I can answer as one who recieves Our Lord and what I can say is that after the consecration, I recieve my Lord the same way, whether that be from a priest or an extraordinary minister because, I know I am recieving my Lord, the God of creation, so I do not differentiate because God is GOD! Recieve Him Love Him Attone to Him for the sins of the World Offer your all to Him! He is the same yesterday, today and always! At the moment Our Lord is still transubstanatied at the conscreation within His Holy Catholic Church!; we are so lucky! If you know that an extraordinary Minister or even a Priest is in grave sin and this makes you feel uncomfortable or even repugnant, do not then leave Jesus alone in His torment! in this His time of need! Jesus is still there and He longs for your Love! He needs your Love! You and me and the church, will know when He is no longer there! And then it will be time to Leave! God bless
When I returned to the Church after a huge conversion, I wanted to "fit in" so I followed what everyone else was doing in dress and actions. I was at Holy Hill Shrine one day when the relics of St Therese were there and since there were so many people standing in the aisles I had to reach out with my hands for communion like everyone else. The young priest (who was also giving everyone else communion in the hand) looked at me, got a strange look on his face and dropped the host! He picked it up right away and as I took it I heard the Lord say to me " This greatly displeases me! Do not take the Host in your hands again" So since then have always received on the tongue. I do not feel at all I should be a communion minister either. Also, I was dressing for Church in Jeans and such like everyone else because I wanted to "fit in". One day the Lord told me to cover my head (long story, this whole episode took about 5 days before I actually heard His voice) and I refused, not wanting to stand out in Church. Anyway, His final words about this completely blew me away and since then have ALWAYS dressed in a longer modest dress, and wore a veil or head covering. Now after 20 years I notice that 3 or 4 women in my parish are also wearing veils, when it used to be I was the only one. I did feel uncomfortable for many years, but just decided to offer it up.
Were you a communion minister before and then stopped being one later? Is dressing in jeans considered immodest or is it irreverent? What were His final words to you Carmel?
Carmel Thanks for your great testimony! The 2nd most difficult thing I ever done was to receive our Lord on the tongue; I was the only one that did it, including my wife and kids. However I decided that it was not enough, so I next knelt down to receive him; again I was the only one. That was the most difficult thing I ever did. However I have continued to receive Him this way since about 20 + years and it is not so difficult anymore. As far as I know, I am still the only one that does it, at our parish Sunday mass. God Bless
My personal opinion is that it was a huge mistake to allow this in the first place. It has led to so much abuse and a subtle disbelief in what we are actually receiving. Over the decades, we have become so desensitized by the casualness of reception. Just look at any statistic showing Catholic belief in the Eucharist. It's shocking and tragic. I think this was the cracked door into an eventual acceptance of the prophesied Abomination of Desecration from Revelations - when the Sacrifice of the Mass will cease because there is no offering back to God in the Mass, and the Eucharist no longer existent (at least for a time, I believe). Aggressive promoters of hand reception like to show centuries old "proof" this was common, which doesn't affect my opinion. I know some very devout people who receive on the hand. However I think it's due to ignorance. The vast majority of people do not appear to receive this way (not judging - I've spent some years as a catechist and it's painfully apparent). As a side note, I think it was a huge mistake to allow girls as altar servers. The liberal feminist movement and demasculinization of men and boys has been a catastrophe for families. Being an altar boy gave a kid a boys' role where they could think of being a priest someday. Now "girls" mostly fill that role and people clamor for women priests. It's bad baby steps. I think that these things will be corrected when the church is renewed with the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart.
1* I was never a communion minister but our Priest was asking for more to sign up so I had been considering it. 2* As far as how women dress, I felt I should wear a modest dress because of what Jesus said to me about covering my head. 3* I had had a STRONG feeling I should cover my head for about 5 days and didn't want to. Kept seeing things on TV and radio randomly..so weird. I finally prayed and said " NO Lord, this is one thing I don't want to do. I hate to stand out! and no one else does it...." His final answer was this: " My Mother is there and Her head is covered. Are you above My Mother?" This had a huge impact on me because I had just taken my vows to become a 3rd Order Disc. Carmelite and one of the vows was to become a child of Mary and serve her.
I agree with all that you have said above. I didn't know any better when I was a new convert. But regular reading of Catholic websites made me realise that most of (possibly all) the Saints always received the Eucharist on the tongue. And if 'at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bend', it only makes sense that one should receive Jesus while kneeling and not while standing. I can't help but put the blame on Vatican II for the changes that have led to people receiving our Lord irreverently. Bring back the railings I say.
Wearing a veil on my head is something I have thought about, but haven't felt a strong urge to do yet. I am open to it though.
I am also open to it. I have two sisters who do, and one sister plus myself who doesn't. Honestly I would probably start wearing one immediately, but I know it would cause problems with my husband. I pray that Jesus removes the many obstacles I face eventually
I pray that you are able also. I've pondered a lot about what Jesus said to me, and the emotion He portrayed in all His humility was that He Himself was used to being disrespected, but He did not at all appreciate the disrespect His beloved Mother was getting from us. Does that make sense? I remember crying about it that Jesus was SO humble but SO protective of His Mother and concerned for Her. And that being if we loved Him, He would so appreciate it if we loved and honored His Mother. I kind of understand what He feels, as I would much rather someone kicks me than kicks one of my beloved dogs.
Divine Mercy - I so agree with your post about the abuses caused by Communion in the hand and the introduction of altar girls. And SgCatholic, not sure if your question to me was rhetorical but I do not think it appropriate for extraordinary ministers to touch the Host, which is why I mentioned only the chalice. There is an intriguing testimony from the alleged mystic, Maria Simma, who was reputed to have seen many of the Holy Souls in Purgatory. She told of a story in the book 'Get us Out of Here!' of a corpse with blackened hands, which was said to be because of receiving Communion in the hand. Maria was apparently very much against this practice. However, the book is ghosted by a guy called Nicky Elz and it's not always clear in places if he is projecting his own opinions. I was a little uncomfortable about the blackened hands story since Communion in the Hand is not forbidden. The background to the permitting of altar girls is not edifying at all. Mother Teresa begged Pope St John Paul not to permit girls to serve at the altar and he agreed, but at a time when he was very sick and perhaps not really understanding what was being asked, he signed the permission. It's quite possible that the paper was placed before him without an adequate explanation of what it was he was signing. I can quite believe it was as underhand as this. The sooner it's rescinded the better.
SgCatholic, God willing I'll be ordained to the Diaconate in May of 2018. Certainly my preference is for clergy to distribute the Host. But here in the Northeast there is a tremendous shortage of priests and deacons. In such a situation, how do we provide Holy Communion for the homebound, the hospitalized, and the residents in nursing homes? I distribute Holy Communion on the 3rd and 4th floors of the nursing home in which I am being trained for chaplaincy. I personally see the longing for Holy Communion among these elderly as a situation where Extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist are sorely needed. And yes, I receive on the tongue. Safe in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary!
Mario I have no doubt that there is a shortage of ordained hands to give Holy Communion to those " longing for Holy Communion among these elderly ", but at Sunday Mass especially, 'everybody' goes up to receive Him with outstretched hands; confession is very very rarely referenced by the institutional Church or being in a 'state of grace' mentioned as a pre-condition to receiving Our Lord. It is now difficult to undo what has been allowed to happen within the Church these past years. A gradual diminishing of the reality of Jesus in the Eucharist in the consciousness of Catholics has been allowed to to take hold by adoption of practices (1) reception in the hand (2) no longer use of paten (3) extraordinary ministers (4) lost control over the tabernacle key (5) extraordinary ministers approaching and open the tabernacle and -mostly- no genuflection (6) purifying the sacred vessels....; the list continues to grow. Right now, I suspect that the majority of people do not receive worthily esp. at Sunday Mass. Carmel I believe that Jesus is saddened by the way his mother is treated, but I also believe that she is heartbroken over the way her Son is disrespected in the Eucharist. God Bless
It's a chipping away of everything sacred...it's no wonder the youth are losing their faith...IF they actually were ever even taught it.
