No. 1
It is an act of adoration which reflects our condition of absolute dependence on our Lord.
Can you think of three people who need to be fed by another person?
How about?:
A) Babies
B) The Infirm
C) Couples feeding each other cake at their wedding reception
Consider how:
- 1We are like babies.
(John 15:5 “for without me you can do nothing”) - 2We are sick and need of the Divine Physician
(Matthew 9:12 “They that are in health need not a physician, but they
that are ill.”) - 3We are at the wedding feast of the Lamb when at Mass.
(Revelation 19:9-10 “And he said to me: Write: Blessed are they that
are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith to me:
These words of God are true. And I fell down before his feet, to adore
him.“)
No. 2
Receiving on the tongue teaches us about the Real Presence by guarding the safety of all particles. Every visible particle contains the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Our Lord
Priest’s Canonical digits:
A priest traditionally keeps custody of the tips
of index fingers and thumbs (the canonical digits), only parting them to
touch the host. The host does not ever touch the palm of his hand, only
the tips of his fingers touch the consecrated host and he traditionally
purifies them after distributing Holy Communion.
St. Isaac Jogues, missionary to the Huron Indians in Canada who died a martyr in 1646 had (by the Iroquois Indians) several of his fingers bitten off, burned, or severed so that he could not say Mass.
He was given a special dispensation by the pope to offer Mass with fingers other than the canonical digits, which were brutally severed. He was later captured by the Mohawk Indians who killed him with a tomahawk.
St. Isaac Jogues
If we receive on the hand, how are we purifying them?
Remember a priest traditionally purifies his canonical digits after distributing
communion.
Pope Benedict, beginning in 2008, would only distribute Holy Communion to the
faithful at pontifical Masses while they knelt and on their tongue.
Here is the document from the Vatican’s website explaining his reasoning for this
practice.
It outlines two main reasons:
- Keeping custody of all the particles
- Increasing devotion to the Real Presence of Christ
It is a great act of humility to receive Our Lord on the tongue and kneeling (if
possible). It will undoubtedly increase devotion to his real presence. It is also
contagious; people will want to follow your example.
This is probably the reason why most bishops and priests do not want this
traditional practice to spread. Sadly, for whatever reason, they do not want it to be the norm as it was for most of the history of the Church.
Pray and fast for the love of God and for the conversion of the clergy, whose hands are consecrated to bring Jesus to us!