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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

Communion in the Hand

Dr. Peter Kwasniewski · March 14, 2013

ERMISSION to receive communion in the hand is something the devil worked hard to achieve by influencing ecclesiastical authorities to relax a discipline that was longstanding, unchallenged, and wise. Satan derives a demented pleasure from seeing the Holy Eucharist profaned and desecrated. This happens in two ways: through negligence, as when people carelessly drop fragments of the host or spill the precious Blood; through contempt, as when non-Catholic visitors and tourists receive the Blessed Sacrament, or when anti-Catholics deliberately carry them away in order to destroy them, use them in Satanic worship, or sell them online.

Reports of sacrilege are on the increase. A few years ago we saw the sickening spectacle of a religion-hating professor who posted numerous videos of himself violently disposing of hosts he had carried away from Masses. In one video he drove a nail through the host before throwing it away; in another, he flushed a host down the toilet. It seems hard to believe that he bought hosts from a supplier and merely pretended to do all this. It is far more likely that he was collecting hosts at Masses, because there is rarely any vigilance when it comes to who receives, who doesn’t, and, in general, how the Blessed Sacrament is treated and cared for. All this has been made possible by that most foolish, most nearsighted of all decisions: to allow communion in the hand.

When we ponder the awesome mystery that in the Holy Eucharist is really, truly, substantially present Our Lord Jesus Christ, in his Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, the above-mentioned facts should cause us immense anguish, sadness, and righteous anger. To treat a host hatefully is, from a certain aspect, the worst possible sin a person can commit, and the most offensive to a believing Catholic.

Our Lord himself, glorified in heaven, is beyond all suffering; He is not directly harmed when the Blessed Sacrament is harmed. He is present in the sacrament as the Risen Christ seated at the right hand of the Father; after the resurrection He cannot suffer or die, but lives in the glory of immortality, bestowing that immortality on all souls that are incorporated into His Mystical Body and die in union with Him. The person who is harmed by desecration is the desecrator—and this shows us why Satan delights in desecration. Anyone who performs this act is committing the sin of Judas, the crime of betraying that which deserves our fidelity, the crime of hating that which most deserves our love, the crime of holding in contempt that mystery which deserves our heartfelt adoration on bended knee. It is a mockery of Christ; it is nothing less than a rejection of His adorable Person, and therefore a rejection of the Father who sent Him. As unfashionable as it is to say nowadays, it is Jesus Christ who, out of love for truth and righteousness, will send to hell all the souls who have rejected Him and consign their future bodies to the same eternal punishment.

No wonder the devil is eager to see hosts treated carelessly, disrespectfully, or blasphemously. These are steps along the same continuum, steps towards that ultimate separation from the infinitely holy God whom we must worship in spirit and in truth.

Apart from stories of Black Masses, there is the basic question of reverence. The priest’s hands are specially consecrated with holy oil, and why? So that he may rightly and fittingly handle the Blessed Sacrament. His hands are holy in view of touching and administering the holy gifts of the altar. A layman’s hands are not consecrated in this way. We receive the Holy Eucharist from the hands of a priest who is ordained to act in persona Christi, as a representative of the Lord Himself; we open our mouths to receive the nourishment of our body and soul, like a baby bird fed in the nest by its parent. From this symbolic vantage, it is wholly inappropriate that the priest put the host into our hands, so that we may then administer communion to ourselves. This gesture means: “I’m grown up and can feed myself, thank you very much, and my hands are just as good as the priest’s.” But this is simply false; we cannot feed ourselves, only Christ the High Priest can do so, and His ordained minister acts in His place, specially set apart by holy orders, with hands, too, set apart for the work of the altar. Communion in the hand helps create and support that fatal atmosphere of egalitarianism, horizontalism, and activism that has poisoned the spiritual life of the Church in the past forty years.

We must therefore do all in our power—with patience, yes, but also with a perseverance that never quits—to overturn the practice of communion in the hand and to replace it with a worthier manner of reception, namely, on the tongue of the kneeling communicant. Such a manner of receiving cannot, in and of itself, prevent unworthy communions from happening, but the evils will be limited, and the goods of devotion, piety, and reverence greatly increased and multiplied. As we know, it became the only way Pope Benedict distributed communion at his Masses. According to the universal law of the Church, it is a way in which each one of us, right now, can receive our Lord Jesus Christ, wherever we are, whenever we attend His Holy Sacrifice.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Dr. Peter Kwasniewski

A graduate of Thomas Aquinas College (B.A. in Liberal Arts) and The Catholic University of America (M.A. and Ph.D. in Philosophy), Dr. Peter Kwasniewski is currently Professor at Wyoming Catholic College. He is also a published and performed composer, especially of sacred music.

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President’s Corner

    PDF Comparison Chart • “Serious Problems with the Lectionary Translation”
    EARS BEFORE truly revolutionary changes were introduced by the post-conciliar reformers, Evelyn Waugh wrote (on 16 August 1964) to John Cardinal Heenan: “I think that a vociferous minority has imposed itself on the hierarchy and made them believe that a popular demand existed where there was in fact not even a preference.” We ask the kind reader— indeed, we beg you—to realize that those of us born in the 1940s and 1950s had no cognizance of Roman activities during the 1960s and 1970s. We were concerned with making sure we had the day’s bus fare, graduating from high school, taking care of our siblings, learning a trade, getting a job, courting a spouse. We questioned neither the nuns nor the Church.1 Do not believe for one instant any of us were following the liturgical machinations of Cardinal Lercaro or Father Bugnini in real time. Setting The Stage • To never question or resist Church authorities is praiseworthy. On the other hand, when a scandalous situation persists for decades, it must be brought into focus. Our series will do precisely that as we discuss the Lectionary Scandal from a variety of angles. We don’t do this to attack the Catholic Church. Our goal is bringing to light what’s been going on, so it can be fixed once and for all. Our subject is extremely knotty and difficult to navigate. Its complexity helps explain why the situation has persisted for such a long time.2 But if we immediately get “into the weeds” we’ll lose our audience. Therefore, it seems better to jump right in. So today, we’ll explore the legality of selling these texts. A Word On Copyright • Suppose Susie modifies a paragraph by Edgar Allan Poe. That doesn’t mean ipso facto she can assert copyright on it. If Susie takes a picture of a Corvette and uses Photoshop to color the tires blue, that doesn’t mean she henceforth “owns” all Corvettes in America. But when it comes to Responsorial Psalm translations, certain parties have been asserting copyright over them, selling them for a profit, and bullying publishers vis-à-vis hymnals and missals. Increasingly, Catholics are asking whether these translations are truly under copyright—because they are identical (or substantially identical) to other translations.3 Example After Example • Our series will provide copious examples supporting our claims. Sometimes we’ll rely on the readership for assistance, because—as we’ve stressed—our subject’s history couldn’t be more convoluted. There are countless manuscripts (in Greek, Hebrew, and Latin) we don’t have access to, so it would be foolish for us to claim that our observations are somehow the ‘final word’ on anything. Nevertheless, we demand accountability. Catholics in the pews are the ones who paid for all this. We demand to know who specifically made these decisions (which impact every English-speaking Catholic) and why specifically certain decisions were made. The Responsorial Psalms used in America are—broadly speaking—stolen from the hard work of others. In particular, they borrowed heavily from Father Cuthbert Lattey’s 1939 PSALTER TRANSLATION:
    *  PDF Download • COMPARISON CHART —We thank the CCW staff for technical assistance with this graph.
    Analysis • Although certain parties have been selling (!!!) that translation for decades, the chart demonstrates it’s not a candidate for copyright since it “borrows” or “steals” or “rearranges” so much material from other translations, especially the 1939 translation by Father Cuthbert Lattey. What this means in layman’s terms is that individuals have been selling a translation under false pretenses, a translation they don’t own (although they claim to). To make RESTITUTION, all that money will have to be returned. A few years ago, the head of ICEL gave a public speech in which he said they give some of “their” profits to the poor. While almsgiving is a good thing, it cannot justify theft. Our Constant Theme • Our series will be held together by one thread, which will be repeated constantly: “Who was responsible?” Since 1970, the conduct of those who made a profit by selling these sacred texts has been repugnant. Favoritism was shown toward certain entities—and we will document that with written proof. It is absolutely essential going forward that the faithful be told who is making these decisions. Moreover, vague justifications can no longer be accepted. If we’re told they are “making the translations better,” we must demand to know what specifically they’re doing and what specific criteria they’re following. Stay Tuned • If you’re wondering whether we’ll address the forthcoming (allegedly) Lectionary and the so-called ABBEY PSALMS AND CANTICLES, have no fear. We’ll have much to say about both. Please stay tuned. We believe this will end up being the longest series of articles ever submitted to Corpus Christi Watershed. To be continued. ROBERT O’NEILL Former associate of Monsignor Francis “Frank” P. Schmitt at Boys Town in Nebraska JAMES ARNOLD Formerly associated w/ King’s College, Cambridge A convert to the Catholic Church, and distant relative of J. H. Arnold MARIA B. Currently serves as a musician in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte. Those aware of the situation in her diocese won’t be surprised she chose to withhold her last name.
    1 Even if we’d been able to obtain Roman journals such as NOTITIAE, none of them contained English translations. But such an idea would never have occurred to a high school student or a college student growing up in the 1960s. 2 A number of shell corporations claim to own the various biblical translations mandated for Roman Catholics. They’ve made millions of dollars selling (!) these indulgenced texts. If time permits, we hope to enumerate these various shell corporations and explain: which texts they claim to own; how much they bring in each year; who runs them; and so forth. It would also be good to explore the morality of selling these indulgenced texts for a profit. Furthermore, for the last fifty years these organizations have employed several tactics to manipulate and bully others. If time permits, we will expose those tactics (including written examples). Some of us—who have been working on this problem for three decades—have amassed written documentation we’ll be sharing that demonstrates behavior at best “shady” and at worst criminal. 3 Again, we are not yet examining the morality of selling (!) indulgenced texts to Catholics mandated to use those same translations.
    —Guest Author
    “Music List” • 17th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (27 July 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Communion • “Ask & You Shall Receive”
    All of the chants for 27 July 2025 have been added to the feasts website, as usual under a convenient “drop down” menu. The COMMUNION ANTIPHON (both text and melody) are exceedingly beautiful and ancient.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

By far, the event that caused the biggest increase in requests for indults from the morning Mass requirement was the Second World War. The unusual requirements of providing Mass during wartime led to some unique legislation accommodating the time of Mass. Already in 1940, Pope Pius XII issued a motu proprio addressing the situation of holding Mass in countries where a “Black-out” had been ordered.

— Father Shawn P. Tunink

Recent Posts

  • PDF Comparison Chart • “Serious Problems with the Lectionary Translation”
  • “Music List” • 17th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • Flor Peeters In A Weird Mood?
  • Communion • “Ask & You Shall Receive”
  • Jeff’s Mother Joins Our Fundraiser

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