Communion

[DianaCatherine]

I just have a question about receiving communion on the tongue. I always do and usually don't have any problems but last week it seems the priest didn't get the host on my tongue well or I moved my head too fast but I almost lost the host so I  touched the host and saved it from falling.  Has anyone else ever had any similar problems and how do you handle it. I guess I am wondering if it happens at times to others. 

[Shin]

Well, I listened to a sermon on how to receive properly on the tongue once, and what I was told was you open your mouth decently wide, that is not only a little, or moderate amount, but more, and you rest the tip of your tongue a little forward, on the top of your bottom lip. And hmm, do I recall, one tilts one's head back a little too, of course? I generally don't think it out anymore.

From what I recall -- receive like a lamb.

Think of lambs going to eat at the shepherd's hand.

Nothing is always going to go perfectly. Not even the best violinist will always get it perfectly!

I think the sermon was on Audio Sancto, but I forget which.

[pebbles]

While trying to receive communion by the tongue, the Eucharist fell to the ground. I thought he was going to give me another one but instead he told me to pick it up and eat it.

Through this I learned that we should be careful when receiving the Eucharist.  Not because we are trying to avoid to get the Eucharist dirty...but because once it falls to the ground, we cannot get the miniscule particles that fell to the ground and eat it.  If you notice the priest in the altar, he would even clean the saucer like thing where the Eucharist is placed and he cleans it over the chalice so that if there are remaining flakes on it, it will not be wasted and will be with the blood and the priest would pour a bit of water in the chalice to clean the rest of the blood in the cup so nothing of the blood will be wasted as well.

I once had an officemate who told me that the priest gave her 2 Eucharist.  And so what she did is she placed the other Eucharist near the altar where the mass is celebrated.  When I heard it, I immediately told her to get the Eucharist back and eat it.  People who don't know what it is will just clean the place and throw it away.  I wanted to prevent that.

When a priest celebrates the 1st Friday mass at work, if he has consecrated more bread that what is to be consumed by the people, he would give 2 or 3 pieces of Eucharist to a receiver because he would have to eat the rest.  Since there is no tabernacle to place the remaining Eucharist, all the consecrated bread must be consumed.  At least, that's my understand of it.