Holy Communion, Reception and Reverence
Continuing on from my discussion on Holy Communion in the hand, it is important to note, and what I find most people think, it was not part of Vatican II. In fact, the petitions and permissions granted around Holy Communion in the hand was only arrived at in 1969. I find that some people like to adhere to reception in the hand as being so important because they believe it was part of the Council, but no where in the Council documents is any allusion to this.
If you are interested in reading a short piece on the recent developments of Holy Communion in the hand, I would like to recommend: Holy Communion in the Hand?, by Paul Kokoski. I believe he does a good job in highlighting the 20th century development of this practice. It is well worth the read.
The fact of the matter is that when this practice was being allowed in 1969, it was not strongly encouraged and the majority of the Bishops looked down upon it, and for good reason. It is well noted of the thefts that have occurred as a result of reception in the hand, but more notable it is the aspect reverence, which I spoke about last time. (Just FYI: Communion in the Hand is the result of an indult, and for permission applicants must apply to Rome. It is not automatically granted, and it could be removed or rescinded by the Bishop of Diocese or Rome. Two jurisdictions which presently have communion by received by the normal means of the Church (kneeling and upon the tongue) exclusively are those of Bishop Schneider and Cardinal Ranjith).
It has long been held in the Church that Christ is fully present in the Eucharist, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. This Presence exists in every fragment of the Host, be it large or small. Believe it or not fragments are left on the hand; in fact, even when Holy Communion is given upon the tongue the priest will sometimes find particle upon the paten. Note that the paten is beneath the priest's hand and the recipient, never coming into direct contact with the host, save the fallen particles. Recognizing this, then how many more particles exist upon the recipient's hand when he receives communion in that form? What compounds this is that the recipient's hands are not purified, nor does he lick the surface of his hand; rather, hands often fall to side of the person allowing what may be on the hand to fall to the ground and be trampled upon. Some may say, it is too small particles that you speak of and the angels deal with such matters, but by my own experience, I have seen sacred pieces of the Host left upon my hand. Mind you, they were noticeable to my eye, and this happened on more than one occasion. It was this along with the knowledge I gained of Who I receive which changed the manner of my reception of Holy Communion.
Just to show what I am speaking about, here is a short video-
Ultimately, this is about honoring and respecting our Lord who gives himself to us in the Most Holy Sacrifice at the Mass. We should bestow the ultimate respect and reverence upon Him, especially in the Eucharist.
There is often a lack of knowledge regarding Eucharistic reception kneeling and upon the tongue, but let it be known that a communicant in the Novus Ordo can receive kneeling and on the tongue, and this has been highlighted in the GIRM (General Instruction of the Roman Missal):
If you are interested in reading a short piece on the recent developments of Holy Communion in the hand, I would like to recommend: Holy Communion in the Hand?, by Paul Kokoski. I believe he does a good job in highlighting the 20th century development of this practice. It is well worth the read.
The fact of the matter is that when this practice was being allowed in 1969, it was not strongly encouraged and the majority of the Bishops looked down upon it, and for good reason. It is well noted of the thefts that have occurred as a result of reception in the hand, but more notable it is the aspect reverence, which I spoke about last time. (Just FYI: Communion in the Hand is the result of an indult, and for permission applicants must apply to Rome. It is not automatically granted, and it could be removed or rescinded by the Bishop of Diocese or Rome. Two jurisdictions which presently have communion by received by the normal means of the Church (kneeling and upon the tongue) exclusively are those of Bishop Schneider and Cardinal Ranjith).
It has long been held in the Church that Christ is fully present in the Eucharist, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. This Presence exists in every fragment of the Host, be it large or small. Believe it or not fragments are left on the hand; in fact, even when Holy Communion is given upon the tongue the priest will sometimes find particle upon the paten. Note that the paten is beneath the priest's hand and the recipient, never coming into direct contact with the host, save the fallen particles. Recognizing this, then how many more particles exist upon the recipient's hand when he receives communion in that form? What compounds this is that the recipient's hands are not purified, nor does he lick the surface of his hand; rather, hands often fall to side of the person allowing what may be on the hand to fall to the ground and be trampled upon. Some may say, it is too small particles that you speak of and the angels deal with such matters, but by my own experience, I have seen sacred pieces of the Host left upon my hand. Mind you, they were noticeable to my eye, and this happened on more than one occasion. It was this along with the knowledge I gained of Who I receive which changed the manner of my reception of Holy Communion.
Just to show what I am speaking about, here is a short video-
Ultimately, this is about honoring and respecting our Lord who gives himself to us in the Most Holy Sacrifice at the Mass. We should bestow the ultimate respect and reverence upon Him, especially in the Eucharist.
There is often a lack of knowledge regarding Eucharistic reception kneeling and upon the tongue, but let it be known that a communicant in the Novus Ordo can receive kneeling and on the tongue, and this has been highlighted in the GIRM (General Instruction of the Roman Missal):
160. The Priest then takes the paten or ciborium and approaches the communicants, who usually come up in procession.Even if the GIRM in a country varies slightly, Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum, which is the instruction for the mass, makes it clear that no one may be denied Holy Communion for kneeling:
It is not permitted for the faithful to take the consecrated Bread or the sacred chalice by themselves and, still less, to hand them on from one to another among themselves. The norm established for the Dioceses of the United States of America is that Holy Communion is to be received standing, unless an individual member of the faithful wishes to receive Communion while kneeling (Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Instruction, Redemptionis Sacramentum, March 25, 2004, no. 91).
When receiving Holy Communion, the communicant bows his or her head before the Sacrament as a gesture of reverence and receives the Body of the Lord from the minister. The consecrated host may be received either on the tongue or in the hand, at the discretion of each communicant. When Holy Communion is received under both kinds, the sign of reverence is also made before receiving the Precious Blood.
http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/the-mass/general-instruction-of-the-roman-missal/girm-chapter-4.cfm
[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.If you would like to get a deeper understanding of the Eucharist and the manner by which our Lord has been reverenced historically and theologically, I would recommend Bishop Athanasius Schneider's book Dominus Est. (Can be Purchased Here: Newman House Press)
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccdds/documents/rc_con_ccdds_doc_20040423_redemptionis-sacramentum_en.html
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