Reverence in Receiving the Eucharist

Dear Friends in Christ,

At our last Parish Pastoral Council meeting on Monday, June 15th, we had a fascinating discussion, sharing stories about what our priests, deacons and Eucharistic Ministers encounter while distributing Communion. This letter is a follow up to that discussion and those stories. In it, I’d like to offer you a series of DO’S and DON’T’S on receiving the Eucharist. These points are probably a review for most of you. My hope is that a review of how to receive the Presence of Christ in the Eucharist will help all of us to receive Him with even greater reverence and love, wonder and awe.

First the DON’T’S. When receiving the host in hand, please DON’T cup your hands together like you would to take a drink of water from a stream. A man recently offered me his hands for Communion in that manner. When I placed the host in his hands, it slipped right through between his two hands, and fell to the floor.

Please DON’T close your hand and make contact with the minister’s hand.

Please DON’T take the host from the minister’s hand with your thumb and forefinger as if you were being offered a potato chip. This is completely inappropriate. We come forward to RECEIVE the Gift of the Eucharist, not to TAKE it.

Once you have received the host in your hand please DON’T walk away from the minister without consuming it. If a minister sees you walk away from them with the host in your hand, we will follow you to remind you that the Eucharist MUST be consumed.

When receiving Communion on the tongue, please DON’T move your head. Keep it still. This makes it easier for the minister to place the host on your tongue. If you move your head, especially by lunging forward, you greatly increase the chances of your tongue coming in contact with the minister’s fingers.

When presenting yourself for Communion, please DON’T open your mouth AND offer your hands to the minister at the same time. It confuses the minister who is attempting to offer you the Eucharist. We don’t know whether to place the host in your hand or on your tongue.

Now the DO’S. As you come forward to receive the Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, please DO make a conscious effort to be AWARE of the incredible, unfathomable GIFT that you are about to receive. This practice can help you receive the Lord with even greater reverence and love, wonder and awe. Walking reverently in line with your hands joined together can also help in this regard.

When the person in front of you receives the Eucharist, please DO make a reverent bow (a bow of the head) as you approach the minister.

When you receive Communion in the hand, please DO offer only ONE flat palm to the minister. The other hand should be out of the way, underneath the hand in which you wish to receive the host. That way, the minister doesn’t have to try to figure out which hand to place the host in. Due to various issues with our hands and fingers, including arthritis, some of you may have some difficulty presenting one flat palm for Communion. Simply do the best you can.

Please DO hold your hands up near your heart, not down by your waist when receiving Communion in the hand.

Please DO respond clearly with “Amen” after the minister says “The Body of Christ.”

Once the minister has placed the host in your hand, please DO step to the side, pick up the host with your other hand, and consume it immediately in front of the minister. (If you are walking with a cane or a walker, we understand that you cannot use your other hand to pick up the host.)

When you receive Communion on the tongue, please DO keep your head as still as possible. This will help your tongue to avoid contact with the minister’s fingers.

Thank you for reading and reflecting on these guidelines for receiving the Presence of our Lord Jesus in the Eucharist. On a practical level, may they help things go smoothly at Communion time. More importantly, on a spiritual level, may they heighten our awareness of exactly what we are receiving so that we may receive the very Presence of Christ with ever greater reverence and love, wonder and awe!

Blessings and Peace,

Father John

Pastor