Receiving the Gift: Holy Communion, Tradition and Charity

It is extraordinary how Christians can find so much to argue about when it comes to the finer points of liturgy – language, vestments, posture etc.  Yes, it is really important to give of our best in divine worship and to pay attention to the details – we are responding to a magnificent invitation to sit at the Lord’s Table. However, let’s not forget that it is the Lord’s table and not our own.  It is surely good to follow tradition while being open to adaptation and innovation where initiated or permitted by legitimate authority.

More than a little controversy has erupted in recent times on the esoteric fringes of the online Catholic world where individuals take it upon themselves to pontificate on matters of liturgy. Should we receive Holy Communion on the tongue or in our hands? What is the history of practice in this regard?  Should there be room for diversity?  Opinions multiply and, in the meantime, many ‘do their own thing’. A sense of proportion and, not infrequently, a sense of charity is missing.

The practice in early Christian times, apparently, was for Christians to receive Holy Communion on the hand. St Cyril of Jerusalem (c. 313-386 A.D.) in his Catechetical Lectures (23) writes:

21. In approaching therefore, come not with your wrists extended, or your fingers spread; but make your left hand a throne for the right, as for that which is to receive a King. And having hollowed your palm, receive the Body of Christ, saying over it, Amen. So then after having carefully hallowed your eyes by the touch of the Holy Body, partake of it; giving heed lest you lose any portion thereof ; for whatever you lose, is evidently a loss to you as it were from one of your own members. For tell me, if any one gave you grains of gold, would you not hold them with all carefulness, being on your guard against losing any of them, and suffering loss? Will you not then much more carefully keep watch, that not a crumb fall from you of what is more precious than gold and precious stones?

22. Then after you have partaken of the Body of Christ, draw near also to the Cup of His Blood; not stretching forth your hands, but bending , and saying with an air of worship and reverence, Amen , hallow yourself by partaking also of the Blood of Christ. And while the moisture is still upon your lips, touch it with your hands, and hallow your eyes and brow and the other organs of sense. Then wait for the prayer, and give thanks unto God, who has accounted you worthy of so great mysteries.

The evidence suggests that reception of Holy Communion in the hand was a common practice in many parts of the Church during the first centuries, though customs varied between places and periods. From about the seventh century onwards, reception on the tongue became increasingly common in the West and gradually developed into the dominant practice during the early medieval period. To this day, reception in the Eastern Catholic churches To this day, most Eastern Catholic Churches administer Holy Communion directly into the mouth under both species, usually by means of a liturgical spoon containing the consecrated Bread and Wine while the communicant stands with the head inclined slightly back.

Source is here

A number of significant insights can be had from what we know from St Cyril:

• Reception in the hand was done with great ritual reverence and not casually as is clear from the quotation above.
• Great care was taken to avoid losing even the smallest fragment of the Eucharist because of belief in Christ's real presence. Here is what Cyril had to say in Catechetical Lecture 22:

6. Consider therefore the Bread and the Wine not as bare elements, for they are, according to the Lord's declaration, the Body and Blood of Christ; for even though sense suggests this to you, yet let faith establish you. Judge not the matter from the taste, but from faith be fully assured without misgiving, that the Body and Blood of Christ have been vouchsafed to you.

By the early medieval period, receiving on the tongue had become the dominant Western custom and remained so until recent decades. While the exact reasons for this change are not clear, it is likely that it was seen as prudent in the case of misuse. At least when consumed in the presence of the minister the likelihood of some mishap or worse still misuse is less.  Also, increasing emphasis came to be placed on the sacred ministry of the ordained priest, including the anointing of his hands, which contributed to the development of reception on the tongue as the ordinary Western practice.

Practices changed in the course of the 1970s as permission was granted in some dioceses and countries for Catholics to receive on the hand. Around the same period, many countries saw a gradual transition from receiving Holy Communion kneeling at altar rails to receiving standing in a procession. This change occurred at different rates in different places and was not directly tied to the permission to receive in the hand.

Today, reception in the hand is the most common practice in many Western countries, though reception on the tongue remains fully permitted and in some countries or communities it is still widely practiced.

As I wrote in We do not presume:

we need to approach the sacrament not with an attitude of entitlement or presumption or indeed despair but an attitude of trust, gratitude, joy, humility and openness.  Holy communion is pure gift.  We receive rather than take the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.  This is why, if given  the choice and if it were customary to do so, I would rather receive on my knees and on the tongue as is still the case in Eastern Catholic churches.

We should bear with one another in all humility and gentleness – not insisting on our own way but doing what is best to keep the unity of Christ’s Body and pastors should be sensitive to the preferences of individuals and communities.  All this said, there is something to be said for the ancient customs and practices of the Eastern Catholic churches – standing and receiving in the mouth under both species.

As the saying often attributed to St Augustine puts it:

In essentials unity, in doubtful matters liberty, in all things charity.