Yeah! People do weird things while receiving Holy Communion during mass. I usually let it go to avoid an offence, even if these things annoy me from within. However, these are rare occurrences, like one in a hundred. But such practices appear to increase – and such things do upset priests.

I agree with people receiving the Holy Communion on their tongue, even when kneeling or genuflecting. At least there is a presumed reverence to the mystical element or faithfulness to the rubric – assume it as defiance to the existing instruction on receiving on hand. Even during pandemic protocols, some people preferred communion on the tongue and abstained from receiving on hand.

It upsets me much less when people receive communion on both their palms. There seems to be a moment of confusion about taking it by placing the left hand over the right and consuming it with the right hand and vice-versa. I understand that sometimes, people receive communion after years, almost forgetting the practice. It usually happens during funerals, weddings or special occasions.

It is ok when a parent is holding a baby during the holy communion. It does not disturb me. Even when one carrying the baby is fumbling while the reception of the host, a priest will usually tolerate it. I don’t mind children running around their parents, walking the aisle to receive communion. Some kids even raise their hands to accept it or ask their parents for it.

Here is a list of new egregious practices that upset me while distributing holy communion. Although I cannot judge their inner dispositions, the outer practice is scandalising the congregation and incompatible with our Catholic faith practice.

1. Chewing gum

Come one; you have come to receive Jesus in the form of bread and wine – munching a gum? It irritates me the most when adults do it or a child is doing it, and the parent ignores it. Some even have chocolate in their mouth. There is usually a medical defence – a justification when the practice is pointed out as offensive. The worshipping community rarely intervenes to offer fraternal instruction. They all look at the priest to correct the person or to make an announcement. It is a sacred moment for most people. The person takes it as an offence if the priest tells (even in a low voice) to drop the gum and then receive the holy communion.  

2. Talking on a mobile

It’s almost a nuisance! Can you imagine people on a mobile call walking to receive the holy communion – to the point of telling the other person on the call: Wait! I am receiving holy communion. Whatever the priest says can get recorded, which can be twisted against the minister of communion. As a priest, I am in a sacred mode while distributing communion. I abstain from unnecessary suggestions and gestures while distributing communion.  

3. Grab the host from the priest.

The recipient is supposed to receive the holy communion from the minister of communion – not grab it with their fingers from the minister. Even with a high sense of alertness, the moment I say: the Body of Christ, the person snatches it from my hand and consumes it. It is listed as not appropriate to pick the host with fingers from the hands of a priest.

4. Lean and lick

As a priest, I got my hand licked (a few times a bite) when people tried to take communion on their tongues. I take caution and use sanitiser before distributing the communion again. It’s not a practical thing. Sometimes, people holding a baby tend to lean and lick it from the hands of the priest. Some even lick the host into their mouth once it is placed on the hand. It’s inappropriate to do so. The difference is the reception on the tongue, not in the mouth. The priest can nudge the recipient to pull out their tongue to receive the holy host.

5. Saying, “Thank You.”

Catholics who occasionally receive communion tend to thank the person distributing communion as a sense of social courtesy. It appears to be an upcoming trend. And I disagree with it. The appropriate response is “Amen” after the priest says: The Body of Christ. People omit “Amen” as a response and silently walk away after consuming the communion wafer. The failure to communicate “Amen” is annoying as it can be a refusal to acknowledge that the wafer is the body and blood of Jesus. “Amen” is the appropriate response, so stop saying “Thank You” – it’s not part of the liturgical response.

6. Hands behind, popping out the tongue

Is it ignorance or lack of self-awareness? What compromise a sense of reverence to receive the holy communion? Some keep their hands behind their back, stretching their head and tongues to receive the holy communion. Some men even have their hands in their pant pockets while receiving holy communion. With the arrival of the reception of the holy communion in hand, the reverential gesture to join hands in a prayer posture is less seen among adults. The irony is that we want children to do it – especially while receiving their first holy communion. It is time to relearn the proper hand posture to receive communion.

7. Dirty hands

People raise their hands, dirty with mud, food or a messed-up tissue awaiting disposal into the bin. Working hands is no excuse for a devotee preparing to receive Jesus. Receiving communion is a conscious act of faith, not a continuum of the hustle and bustle of daily routine. It is also a matter of personal hygiene in congregational worship. The last thing you want to hear from a priest during a Sunday sermon or announcement is a talk on personal hygiene. Is the sense of sacred lost in the cacophony of the secular?

Will you help to spread the message?

I am no one to judge the state of grace of the recipient. But I assume, as a reader of this blog, you have not fallen prey to these misconducts while receiving holy communion. In most cases, gentle words and kind gestures are enough to correct the practice. If you don’t want to tell others about these things, share this blog post to create awareness among the faithful. It’s your little faith formation session, like nudging others to keep doing the good practices while receiving the holy communion and avoiding inappropriate behaviours. Will you share the post?

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About the Author

Feroz Fernandes, a Catholic Missionary, identifies himself as an Uncommon Priest. Father Feroz loves adventure in the apostolate. Check out his debut book The Uncommon Priest: Incredible Stories You Never Read on Amazon. And also, the YouTube Channel: Feroz Fernandes promotes a better understanding of scripture.