An Irreverant Reception

I was reading today Te Deum Laudamus! and a letter written by the rector of the cathedral in Phoenix, Arizona. The letter outlines seven common ways recipients of Holy Communion often inadvertently receive in the hand in a manner that actually profanes the Body of our Lord.

Being a ordinary minister of the Eucharist, I too have noticed some of these errors when I distribute the Body of Christ.

The seven common mistakes are:

1. Blessing oneself with the host before consuming it. To bless with the consecrated host is called Benediction, and that act is reserved to deacons, priests and bishops.

2. Receiving the host in the palm of the hand, then contorting that same hand until the host rolls up to the fingers, then consuming it. (Use both hands!)

3. Receiving in the palm and then popping the host into the mouth like you do when you eat popcorn.

4. Trying to receive when other things are in the hand, like a rosary or a handkerchief.

5. Receiving communion with dirty hands.

6. Receiving the host then closing and dropping the hand to your side as you walk away without consuming the host.

7. Giving the host to someone else after receiving.

Remember, to receive the host in the hand, place one hand under the other, receive, then take the bottom hand to grasp the host with your fingers and place immediately in your mouth before the eucharistic minister. Typically, this is done by stepping to the side a couple of feet and consuming the Body of Christ within the peripheral vision of the cleric or extraordinary minister.

Remember also, the consecrated host, which is the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in today’s world, is more valuable than all the wealth of the world combined. It is a treasure beyond price. We must treat it in this way.