RECEPTION OF THE HOLY COMMUNION IN THE HAND: any theological error? By Fr. Obi Stanley

There will be an obvious misunderstanding of faith if much catechesis is not proffered.

This forms the aim of writing this brief article. Apart from Ebola brief period, the Church in this part of the world has not experience the reception of the Holy Communion in the hand. Thus, this has informed the difficulty of certain people to receive Communion in the hand. It is unimaginable for them to do that. The worries of receiving the Holy Communion in the hand could also be out of an extremist view of some of our pious societies and the teaching which they offer to their members. Since some of them tend to have seen vision of labeling reception of the Holy Communion in the hand as sacrilegious. For them, other people who are not clerics labor under sacrilege if they touch the sacred species. Many of such views abound among our parishioners, and it is good we engage them in catechesis for a full internalization of faith.

Reception of the Holy Communion in the hand is not an error in every perspective, spiritually, scripturally, theologically and otherwise. When one says that he cannot receive Holy Communion in the hand, because he is not worthy. I wonder if such a person is worthy at all to receive Jesus. The question is “could one part of the body be spiritually pure more than another part of the body?” The case here is that if a person is in the state of grace, the whole body is worthy to receive Him. In fact, it is the whole person who receives the Communion. The channel is really not necessary as long as the whole person is worthy of the reception. St. Paul, while speaking about spiritual gifts in 1 Cor. 12:14ff, gave an illustration of the Church using the body and its members. How would the ‘tongue’ say to the ‘hand’ that it is not pure enough to handle Jesus. We cannot definitely banish the hand from receiving Jesus. Moreover, have you ever recalled what Jesus told that woman with the issue of blood in Matthew 9:20-22, who came and touch Jesus and said “if I only touch his garment, I shall be made well”. Instead of scolding her, Jesus said to her, “Take heart, daughter, your faith has made you well”.

The ‘scandal’ of incarnation has dawn on us that God wishes to be closer to us in all ramifications. He, who is God became flesh and dwelt among us. He even went on to become mere bread for us so that many will have access to Him, who said “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” (John 6:53). I believe that the mode of reception is not of great importance to us. It suffices that we receive Him daily in a state of grace.

The Church as the bride of Jesus has a better understanding of the heart of Jesus because of her closeness to Him. This is the reason why the Church is said to be holy. Through the authority given to the apostles which is transferred to the Bishops (in collaboration with the priests), Jesus gave them the power to bind and loose anyone (Matthew 18: 18). The implication of this power has vast scope and purview of which it means to give instructions and directives for the good of the Church. The use of the power was found in the council of Jerusalem (Acts 15), where they decreed an instruction on how to admit the gentiles to Christianity removing the Jewish criterion of circumcision. In the same way, when the Church speaks or gives instruction, obedience demands that we follow it. Deciding to do otherwise could qualify us to be “protestants or Pentecostals”, even though you may still find yourself in the Church. The situation at hand has made the Bishop to take a stand on the reception of Holy Communion in the hand, which is not an error in our religion; we must definitely hearken to the instruction bearing the love of Christ and the Church at heart.

However, I must say that, physical sacrileges are likely to occur when Holy Communion is received in the hand because it is an external part of the body. Our consciousness would lie on how we are to manage ourselves to reduce sacrilege of such sort. The pastor of the soul should endeavor  to do all within his best to bracket off sacrilegious handling of the Sacred Specie either by diabolic purposes or improper handling thus exposing the particles.

In conclusion, I believe in what the one, holy, Catholic and apostolic Church teaches to be true and that it could lead us to the joy of eternal life. May we walk with the Church, for she will not lead you astray. God bless you.