Contemplating Communion...

I find it strange why so many people get so very hot under the collar when the issue of Communion received on the tongue comes up. I don't claim to have any answers to this conundrum, but, since I have been on both sides, I thought I'd share my experiences, and explain my own position.

My profile mentions that my reversion to the Faith happened a little over twenty years ago. I was in severe pain, and had to hobble around with the aid of crutches. I received Communion on my tongue; I had to - my hands were busy keeping me upright.

My Parish Priest at the time was a nice enough chap, but of a rather liberal persuasion. At first I didn't perceive this very clearly; my own initial formation had been rather deficient and I was keen to remedy this in whatever way I could. So, when Father told me that it was more "adult" to receive Communion in the hand, and that this is how the Apostles would have received Him, well, I believed what he told me. After all, he was the Parish Priest, he'd studied Theology, and must therefore know what he was talking about...

I couldn't wait to be able to receive Communion in the hand, to be able to hold Our Lord for a few precious seconds before consuming the Host. Once I ditched the crutches, I stopped receiving on the tongue.

Kneeling was never going to be an option for me - I had to receive standing because of my mobility issues (even once I'd come off the sticks) but everyone was walking up to receive Communion, so that wasn't really a problem. However, I wanted to show reverence before Our Lord, and so would try to genuflect. This wasn't always very successful: in the absence of altar rails I would have to find the edge of a pew whilst en route, and this often caused me some anxiety - I didn't want the person behind me to fall over my outstretched limb. In order to avoid a collision (embarrassing for the person behind me, and painful for me) I would make exaggerated movements to signal that I was going to genuflect - not helped by the distance of the last available pew end from the front of the queue. This did not help me in achieving a prayerful frame of mind before I received Communion. But I was assured that it was one of the instructions resulting from Vatican II, and so I didn't argue.

I should explain that pride in my own intellectual abilities and my tendency to demand proof for everything (everything except the assumptions of the scientific mindset, that is!) had facilitated my departure from the Church... as a result, after my reversion, I was anxious to accept whatever the Church proclaimed. And I was assured that, prior to Vatican II, no-one understood what the Church actually taught, and they'd got the wrong end of the stick... especially the reception of Communion on the tongue...

My Parish Priest then persuaded me to become an Extraordinary Minister. I usually administered the chalice - which gave me quite a few opportunities to notice how little reverence was accorded to the Precious Blood. People would quite happily refer to "the wine," demonstrating a woeful lack of catechesis. The more I saw, the less inclined I became to receive from the chalice if given the option. After all, the Host on its own consisted of Our Lord's Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. It wasn't necessary to receive from the chalice, and vague assertions of how this made Communion "more complete" as a symbol rang very hollow.

As I learned more about the Faith (I owe a particular debt of gratitude here to the priests and laypeople involved in the Faith Movement), I deepened in my understanding and appreciation of the nature of the Blessed Sacrament. This was my Lord and God, here, in person; a physical presence. And in many places he was being manhandled - dumped, even - from a dish to a ciborium, or from one ciborium to another... and it hurt me, physically, like a hand around my heart, to see this lack of respect and love.

Instead of the chalice, I was often asked to give out the Hosts at Mass. I became aware that my fingers felt "grainy" afterwards - and each grain was the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The idea that a priest's hands are consecrated in order that he can hold Our Lord began to surface, along with thoughts of the fate of the Israelites who, although not priests, tried to steady the Ark of the Covenant to prevent it falling (surely the best of motives, but it didn't stop them being struck down!); I became more and more convinced that I had to stop acting as an Extraordinary Minister.

But I still received Communion in the hand. The final nudge came as I noticed that my palm frequently felt slightly powdery after the Host had been placed there. Unfortunately, from the pew there was no way to purify my hand after Communion, and I would resort to licking the palm and fingers which had come into contact with the Host, to ensure that no particles could be lost...

The ridiculousness of this soon struck me: none of this would be necessary if I received directly on my tongue. No anxious checking of palms and fingers before Communion to ensure that they weren't covered in board marker (for weekday Masses after school, I hasten to add) and no need to worry about profaning the Sacrament through unconscious wiping of my hand on my skirt afterwards. By cutting out the middleman (me) I could remove all worry and distress, and just focus on what really matters: receiving my Lord and God, whole and entire, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.