Archbishop urges reverence for the Eucharist: Receive on the tongue!

This interview on Communion in the hand is powerful. Bishop Athanasius Schneider tells how his family moved to Germany when he was a little boy. They tried to find a church where Communion was NOT given in the hand. They attended every church in town and all dispensed Communion in the hand. He describes coming home after attending Mass at the last church. "My mother began to weep....This profoundly impressed my soul." He gives the history of Communion and emphasizes the importance of reverence.

The loss of reverence is reflected in the way our churches turn into a social halls after Mass. This happens in almost every Catholic church these days. There is little reverence for Jesus in the tabernacle. Do those who laugh and chat ignoring the Lord of Lords really believe He is present there?

Pray for a return to reverence. If you receive in the hand, consider returning to Communion on the tongue. Jesus calls us to be like little children. What more graphic image of our relationship to God our Father than to open our mouths like little children waiting to be fed with the bread of life.