(Click Image to Enlarge)It does not make any scientific sense, either, as it is better when there is just one hand involved (that of the Priest). It would seem that it would be safer to have just one man distributing Holy Communion (the Priest), no "Extraordinary ministers" of any kind, and to have all faithful receive Communion in the traditional way.
I beg to disagree. I attend a church that celebrates the Ordinary Form of the Latin Rite. Almost every Mass, when a Priest or Deacon is distributing Communion, they invariably touch my tongue as they place the Host upon it.
So while it makes perfect sense for the Congregation to forbid denying Communion on the tongue, I strongly suspect that scientific evidence could point to Communion on the tongue as a potential for spreading illness. What I mean, is if the Priest (or Deacon) touches one sick person's tongue while placing the Host upon it, the sick person's saliva will be touched to following Hosts.
Perhaps Jesus miraculously destroys the germs on a Priest's hand in much the same way that the sacred waters in that one Marian grotto don't transmit disease. And perhaps Jesus doesn't do anything.
I want to make one thing very clear: I always receive Communion on the tongue if I can help it. I am merely pointing out that Communion on the Tongue (like Communion on the Hand) has the potential for disease transmission.
1 comments:
I think you are right. In my parish, we reminded communicants who generally receive on the tongue that they might want to consider receiving on the hand during this period of concern. We also reminded them if they are particularly worried, they could receive just the Precious Blood. Bu these were made as suggestions, not mandates.
For the sign of peace, we reminded people at the English Masses that they were free to use the practice of our Vietnamese Mass of a person clasping their hands and making a slight bow towards another person. Others have also adopted the "Obama Terrorist Fist Bump" to replace the customary handshake.
We considered having the communion given on the tongue at only one station, but in consultation with the lay faithful found out that the minority of parishioners who received on the tongue wanted everyone ahead of them in line to receive in the hand!!!! :)
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