3. The Danger of Eucharistic Mishaps, Loss of Reverence and Widespread Sacrilege
The dangers that arise with Communion in the hand are real, serious and unavoidable. One of the major problems with Communion in the hand is the problem of the particles. Just as a simple piece of bread leaves behind many crumbs, so too the consecrated Host can shed tiny particles. Each one of those particles is the sacred Body and Blood of Jesus. The Council of Florence says, “Christ is present in every Particle of the consecrated Host and of the consecrated wine, when separated from the rest.” The Council of Trent says, “If anyone denies, that, in the venerable sacrament of the Eucharist, the whole Christ is contained under each species, and under every part of each species, when separated; let him be anathema.” The Roman Catechism put it this way: Christ, whole and entire, is contained not only under either species, but also in each particle of either species. “Each”, says St. Augustine, “receives Christ the Lord, and He is entire in each portion. He is not diminished by being given to many, but gives Himself whole and entire to each…. the body of our Lord is contained whole and entire under the least particle of the bread.”
Most often when speaking of reverence, the Church Fathers emphasize two main things: 1) that every precaution should be taken lest the Eucharist fall to the ground and 2) that communicants should be free from serious sin and quarrels with other Christians. With regard to the first precept, Origen of Alexandria cautions, ‘You who are accustomed to take part in divine mysteries know, when you receive the body of the Lord, how you protect it with all caution and veneration lest any small part fall from it, lest anything of the consecrated gift be lost. For you believe, and correctly, that you are answerable if anything falls from there by neglect.’
The late Fr. Alfred Kunz, a canon lawyer, had some very powerful statements regarding Communion in the hand: he maintained that by pastoral experience (his pastoral experience) he was morally certain that there would be loss of particles by placing Communion in the hands at any given Mass. The loss of particles is an act of irreverence by the priest and he is bound not to do anything that would violate his conscience. This irreverence to GOD by losing particles is against the Divine Positive Law and therefore, regardless of its canonical status, cannot be done. And this is due to the fact that to drop a consecrated fragment of the Host to the ground is the same as dropping the consecrated Host to the ground. Even if done through negligence it is still a sin of sacrilege. The danger of irreverence is to be avoided by Divine Law. Not even the Pope can change this law. The Vatican document [“En reponse a la demande,” 29 May 1969: AAS 61 (1969) 546-47 (French)], outlining the seven conditions “sine quo non”, without which you cannot, is merely reminding us of this Divine Law. It is the personal responsibility of the minister of the Sacrament to see to it that all danger of irreverence towards the Blessed Sacrament be avoided. And for this reason, there are priests who have decided in conscience that they cannot give Communion in the hand, because they are convinced that the danger of irreverence, sacrilege and loss of true faith is too great.
A memorable incident was related in Dallas in 1993. During a marvelous sermon, the priest was urgently begging the congregation NOT to receive Holy Communion in the hand ever again. He told of the time when recently he and his driver were rushing in the middle of the night to take Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament to a dying person. He was in the act of transferring some Hosts from a ciborium to a pyx, when suddenly in the darkness of night, the tiny fragments of the Blessed Eucharist left on his fingers began to glow brilliantly, shooting off beams of light. It lit up the car, and the driver almost ran off the road in shock. They arrived and delivered Jesus, but from then on, the priest has been preaching against Communion in the hand. He said, “I don’t want to contradict the bishops, and I know the practice is now permitted-BUT….”
“With Communion in the hand,” says Bishop Juan Rodolfo Laise of San Luis “a miracle would be required during each distribution of Communion to avoid some Particles from falling to the ground or remaining in the hand of the faithful…. Let us speak clearly: whoever receives Communion in the mouth not only follows exactly the tradition handed down but also the wish expressed by the last Popes and thus avoids placing himself in the occasion of committing a sin by negligently dropping a fragment of the Body of Christ.”.
Since this is the case, why would we multiply immensely the number of persons who are handling the Sacred Host, some of whom are clumsy, or cannot see well, or don’t care, or don’t know, etc., who cause particles of the Sacred Host to remain on their hands, drop onto their clothing and to the floor? For those who believe with lively faith, this question ought to be enough to put an end to Communion in the hand: “What about the Fragments?” Therefore, very great reverence, respect and care is to be taken of these fragments. This we can do only when we receive on the tongue.
When a person receives Communion in the hand, their hand is covered with hundreds of tiny particles. It is almost impossible to consume all of them. ‘ When a person receives Communion on the tongue, there is not a problem about particles because the particles fall on the tongue and are consumed. Another problem with Communion in the hand is touching the Bread of Eternal Life with unclean hands. However unintended, this is irreverence. We should be down on our knees, heads bowed reverently with the utmost humility to Our Lord and receiving Him only with our tongues, not daring to touch His sacred Body with our dirty hands, which is often the case. This does not mean that our tongue is more holy than our hands but that our hands are more prone to dirt than our month. It goes without saying that we should keep our tongue and hands free from being the instruments of sin.
The loss of reverence is another reason to stop receiving in the hand. To the catholic who keeps on receiving the Bread of life, in a casual manner, just as he receives any ordinary food, will eventually lose the reverence and later belief in the real presence. Today roughly 70% of Catholics in America do not believe in the real presence of Our Lord in the Holy Communion. The state of Catholics in the rest of the world is not any better. Such are the fruits of Communion in the hand. (Matthew 7:17-23)
The fourth reason is the rise of black masses. Satanists are very happy about Communion in the hand, because now it is much easier for them to get a hold of consecrated hosts to desecrate in their black masses. Before Communion in the hand, satanists had to pay fallen or unscrupulous Catholics to pretend to take Communion in the mouth and smuggle it out. Now, all a satanist has to do is to go to a Mass and receive Communion in the hand. Mike Warnke, a former satanist high priest who converted to Christianity, warned the U.S. Bishops that allowing Communion in the hand was a mistake, as it would allow satanists easier access in procuring the sacred host, which is desecrated at satanic services.
These are the major reasons why it is not scrupulous or rigid to stop receiving in the hand. Communion on the tongue is a more careful, more reverent and the perfect way of receiving Our Divine Saviour. Modern history bears sobering witness: wherever the practice of receiving Communion in the hand has spread, belief in the Real Presence has weakened, and Eucharistic sacrileges have multiplied. This reality should cause every faithful Catholic to tremble at the thought of receiving Our Lord in the hand again. In the pages that follow, we will see how Heaven, Purgatory, and even Hell bear testimony to a singular truth: the only truly safe, fitting, and reverent way to receive the King of Kings is on the tongue—with humility, love, and profound adoration. If we truly seek to honor Our Eucharistic Lord with the most noble and reverent act possible, then this is the way—the sublime way.
If we truly love Our Lord, then we should not receive Communion in the hand ever again and should educate and encourage others as well, to receive only on the tongue and in the state of grace. Also, wherever kneeling is possible, receive on the tongue while kneeling. Besides being modest, being in the state of grace, being fulfilled the law of Eucharistic fast, kneeling and receiving on the tongue will please Our beloved Saviour the most. For, if we believe that the Holy Eucharist is the Body of Christ, then our actions must reflect that belief. We should approach it with the same reverence, awe, and respect we would show to God Himself.