Communion by intinction helps to reinforce
the significance
of the priest in the middle of believers.

Communion by intinction
By Lisa Marie Contini

For close to nine years my husband, our three school-aged children, and I attended a very special parish where the treasures of Catholicism truly abound. A job transfer, which has proved to be a great blessing in many respects, took us from South Texas and from Saint Jude Thaddeus Catholic Church in Pharr. While it has been over two years since our departure, we continue to miss the fullness of the spirituality we experienced there thanks to the Oratorian priests who tirelessly guided us in the footsteps of the Good Shepherd.

For as long as I can remember, Catholics at Saint Jude’s have been given the option of receiving Communion by intinction. With intinction, the priest dips the Precious Body of Christ into the Precious Blood and places both on the tongue of the communicant. Neither my husband nor I had ever experienced Communion by intinction prior to attending Saint Jude’s and we immediately became very fond of this pious practice.

As most Catholics know, the Church allows the faithful the option of receiving the Eucharist either in the hand or on the tongue. This option is always available to communicants at St. Jude’s. If a person wants to receive Communion in the hand instead of on the tongue, all he has to do is to extend his hands towards Father in the proper fashion. If a communicant wants to receive Communion on the tongue but for some reason (perhaps medical) chooses not to receive the Precious Blood, a gesture or a few hushed words to Father suffice. I find it very interesting indeed, that in all those years I attended St. Jude’s, I cannot remember a single time when a communicant opted to receive the Eucharist in the hand. While no doubt it may have happened without my notice, it is evident that the Catholic community at St. Jude’s overwhelming prefers intinction over receiving in the hand. I am convinced that if more priests were to introduce Communion by intinction to their flocks, within a short time they too would see their parishioners grow to cherish and prefer this reverent practice.

With intinction, the priest uses two different sets of sacred vessels to administer the Holy Eucharist depending on the number of communicants. At smaller gatherings such as daily Mass, the priest holds the Precious Body of Christ in his paten, a saucer-like gold plate, while at the same time distributing the Precious Blood from a customary chalice. Resting the nodule at the center of the chalice stem on the edge of the paten, Father can comfortably hold both vessels in one hand. At Sunday Mass and other sacred feasts when many faithful receive Communion, the priest or deacon uses a golden intinction set consisting of two parts: a bowl-like vessel deep enough to hold many Hosts and, for the Precious Blood, a removable little cup that fits securely into the bowl-like vessel. In either case, Father lifts a Sacred Host with his free hand and dips it into the Sacred Blood. He then administers the Eucharist in both species simultaneously to the communicant on the tongue. To prevent defiling the Sacrament should even the smallest fragment fall, the priests at St. Jude’s ensure that communicants always have a paten beneath their chins.

Having examined the effects of Communion by intinction for many years, I must say that I have observed only benefits, both for the faithful and for the priest. Most obvious perhaps is the fact that Communion by intinction eliminates both the possibility and the fear of spreading or contracting disease through reception of the Precious Blood from a common vessel. In response to this concern, some Catholics, who truly wish to receive the Eucharist under both species, deny themselves the Precious Blood of Jesus. Though I have heard claims of medical studies which indicate a low risk, I too have deprived myself of Our Lord’s Precious Blood while visiting other parishes for fear of catching a cold during flu season. I have heard that some Catholics approach this dilemma by receiving the Sacred Host in the hand and then, though forbidden by the Church, dipping it into the Sacred Blood themselves! By its nature, Communion by intinction completely eliminates this concern of spreading disease by sharing a chalice, and offers Catholics an ongoing opportunity to partake in both the Precious Body and Precious Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ every time they receive Holy Communion.

Intinction inspires mystery and reverence
Receiving the Holy Eucharist on the tongue by intinction, opposed to receiving in the hand, can be a powerful means to preserve an ongoing sense of mystery in believers. Mystery is fundamental to Catholic rituals. Though the faithful may not be aware of it, mystery actively reinforces reverence in the hearts of practicing Catholics. And mystery reminds communicants that what they are receiving is special and holy; that its specialness and holiness cannot be comprehended in simple human terms. Mystery cultivates reverence — behavior that demonstrates profound respect and honor for all that is holy. Reverence demands that holy things receive special treatment and handling.

Although approved by the Church, receiving the Eucharist in the hand is not special behavior. It is familiar behavior. People feed themselves daily. There is nothing special or mysterious about handling a piece of food and putting it in the mouth to eat. Touching food makes people familiar with what they are about to eat. Should there be a question about a certain food, handling it is one means to decrease the mystery.

Familiarity, unfortunately, spawns complacency. Complacency becomes manifest through irreverence. Consider the irreverent behavior of many Catholic school-aged children in church, children who, for the most part, were never encouraged to receive Communion on the tongue, and who were never taught reverence. A degree of mystery and reverence used to be inculcated in children in the days when the priest was the only one allowed to touch this Holy Food. Children’s understanding that the Eucharist was so special that they could not touch it with their own hands inspired awe and mystery. There was little opportunity for these children to feel a casual familiarity with the Eucharist; receiving on the tongue was a continual reminder of the holiness of the Eucharist, a reminder of the need for special handling and treatment, a reminder of the obligation of reverence in church.

In contrast, I recently witnessed a First Communion where one little boy literally ran up the center aisle to Father, the boy’s right hand poised high in the air at least half of the distance. The child eagerly snatched the Sacred Host from Father’s hand and ate it like a piece of candy. Mystery or familiarity?

Should ill-behaved children never learn reverence as they grow up, chances are their behavior in church as adults will not be much better. An adult Catholic recently justified her conversations with friends within the church walls saying, “I believe that Jesus himself participates in our discussions here in church.” Another excused the uproar commenting, “This is an extremely friendly parish.” Many Catholics have become so complacent in church that they honor each other without ever realizing that in those moments of conversation they cease to honor Jesus. They fail to reverence God’s dwelling on earth as a sanctuary for adoration, and rather treat it like a social hall.

Irreverence has reached crisis proportions in the Church in the United States. Unfortunately, since many American Catholics do not recognize irreverence as sin, they also fail to see its spiritual consequences. It is primarily the behavior of Catholics within their churches that demonstrates the depth of their faith to non-Catholics as well as to their fellow Catholics whose faith may be lacking. Silence and reverence before the tabernacle evidence a Catholic’s belief in the Real Presence. A Protestant entering a Catholic church, for example, should find decorum that differs from his own church. He should find behavior and ritual that appropriately distinguishes a truly holy place.

How will an unbeliever who has heard of the Real Presence in Catholic tabernacles and who enters a Catholic church for proof respond to the irreverence? The buddy-buddiness of Catholics focusing on each other instead of adoring the Eucharist, the noise of social conversation, the backs turned to the tabernacle, can only convince him that Catholics themselves do not believe in the Real Presence! Thus, irreverence before the tabernacle can deaden a parish’s otherwise fruitful efforts at evangelization. Irreverence is one of Satan’s tools to keep souls from the One True Faith. If Catholics honestly believe that theirs is the true church where Jesus is really present, and if they genuinely want to share the joy of that belief with others (including their fellow-Catholics whose faith may be weak), then they must always maintain reverence before the Blessed Sacrament. To promote conversions, if for nothing else, Catholics must always demonstrate reverence in Church. The behavior of Catholics, not only their personal knowledge of doctrine and their testimony of personal faith experiences, must consistently attest to their belief in the Real Presence.

Since communicants touch neither the Body of Christ nor the sacred vessels when they receive by intinction, they demonstrate profound reverence for the Blessed Sacrament. Their special behavior of not touching the Sacred Food is in itself a declaration of their faith in the Real Presence.

Intinction upholds the role of the priest
In addition to kindling the flame of reverence for the Eucharist in the hearts of the faithful, Communion by intinction also reinforces the importance of the role of the priest. The primary focus of the Mass should always be the Holy Eucharist. The second focus for the laity should be the priest — God’s own anointed chosen one who acts in the person of Jesus Christ himself.

Too frequently in many of today’s parishes the altar is surrounded by extraneous lay ministers, lectors, the choir director (sometimes the whole choir!), and even musicians, crowding the sanctuary and overshadowing the priest! Observing the Sign of Peace immediately following the Consecration — the hugging, waving, and peace signs in the sanctuary during the most solemn part of the Mass when many Catholics are trying to maintain prayer and deep reflection of the Sacred Mysteries in preparation for receiving Our Lord into their hearts — is most distracting to say the least. Obviously, Communion by intinction reduces the need for lay ministers to administer the Blood of Christ, and in doing so results in less commotion in the sanctuary.

Throughout the years, I have had the pleasure of knowing many lay Eucharistic ministers, and I have witnessed their deep devotion to the Eucharist and their sincere desire to serve their parishes and their Church. I do not believe that these faithful souls would knowingly do anything to detract from the awe of the Sacred Mysteries or to diminish in any way the preeminence of the priest. I am convinced that many of them are unaware of the fact that the Council Fathers never intended that the laity should have a visible role in the realization of the Eucharist. A response to the priest shortage, lay ministers were to bring the Eucharist to shut-ins and to assist at particularly large Eucharistic celebrations where it would be impossible for the celebrant to administer the Sacrament in a timely fashion.

It is Christ who feeds his flock
Because people are not allowed to self-communicate, Communion by intinction helps to reinforce the significance of the priest in the minds of believers. Intinction draws people to feel a true need for their priest, a sense of dependence on him for the Sacraments. When people take Communion in the hand, or when they take the chalice from a lay minister, they virtually self-communicate. They do not really need the priest to administer the Sacrament to them. They could just as easily take the Sacred Host from a bowl or the chalice from a table top. In essence, they feed themselves rather than allow Christ to feed them. Considering the known fact that many Catholics do not believe in the Real Presence at all, it would make sense for parishes to cultivate the most mysterious and solemn rituals possible in order to help Catholics believe. Because it focuses so strongly on the priest, intinction may also serve to aid young men answer God’s call to the priesthood.

At St. Jude’s, the use of Lay Eucharistic Ministers during Mass has been completely phased out and the priests are the only ones who distribute communion. And no, the use of intinction does not significantly lengthen the Mass. Communion by intinction is efficient, solemn, and very beautiful.

The Oratorian priests at St. Jude’s nurtured the mystery and awe surrounding Communion by intinction in the hearts of their flock by teaching yet another Catholic ritual. I know I will never forget the Sunday when our pastor, a brilliant and holy man, approached the pulpit with a large, red, gold-trimmed volume in hand. It was the Sacramentary the priest uses for Mass, containing specific instructions on how the Mass is to be celebrated. Father opened the book and read verbatim how the Church prescribes a gesture of reverence on the part of communicants, a genuflection or a bow (for those with physical difficulty genuflecting), immediately prior to receiving the Eucharist. The celebrant repeated the teaching at all Saturday evening and Sunday Masses for six weeks, and by then everyone who received Communion —everyone —was genuflecting or bowing immediately before receiving Our Lord by intinction. A beautiful sight, indeed!

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