Bishop Athanasius Schneider: Yes, the Holy Eucharist, specifically Holy Communion. The sacred host is not an idea, nor is it just a sacred thing, but a sacred person, a divine person, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who is really and substantially present with all His divinity in this little sacred host. My concern is that we should be ever more aware and conscious when people approach to receive Holy Communion that here is the Lord of the universe, God in His unending majesty, who humbled Himself profoundly. Not only did He become incarnate to assume our human nature, but He went even further. He humbled Himself to this state of being in the Eucharist, defenseless, and as He is delivered into our hands, we can make of Him what we want.
So, I think the moment of Holy Communion is the moment of the most intimate encounter with the Lord on this earth, with our God incarnate. This moment must be very sacred, solemn, and given our full attention. Unfortunately, from my experience in the West, having come from the underground church with my family, for my mother and others, it was a great shock and sadness to notice that, especially the moment of Holy Communion became so superficial, so banal. This is particularly true with receiving Holy Communion directly in the hand, touching the host with the fingers, and then placing it in the mouth.
There are several evident consequences of this practice. First, the loss of host fragments. This loss is significant because every little fragment contains the whole divinity of Christ.
Interviewer: That’s important to emphasize. Sometimes people think that if a fragment breaks off, it is no longer the Eucharist. It is, and it is the
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: Eucharist, because this is a dogma of our faith, is defined by the Council of Trent. Each tiny part of the host contains the whole Christ. We must behave according to this dogma. With Communion in the hand, we expose our Lord to a great loss of fragments, which can remain on the palm of the hand or between the fingers, and without a plate, fall to the floor. In our country, we thankfully do not practice Communion in the hand. We always use a plate, and after Mass, any fragments remaining on the plate are preserved. When there is no plate, fragments fall, and our Lord is trampled in His church in many places. We cannot be silent about this, saying, “It is licit, legally permissible,” without reflecting on the gravity of the consequences. This is the first very grave consequence.
Interviewer: If I may add, I met a priest who had been in a Communist Chinese prison. Hosts were smuggled to him, and he would break them into the tiniest fragments so that each prisoner could receive even a fragment of Holy Communion. This was done over many years, and each fragment was treated with profound reverence.
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: Yes, that is a very impressive example. The first grave consequence of receiving Holy Communion in the hand is the loss of fragments. The second is the theft of the host, which is increasing in many countries. We expose our Lord to this risk. The third consequence, objectively speaking, is that this form of receiving the holiest of the holy standing, taking it with fingers, is minimal in gestures of adoration. This is the holiest of the holy, and we must give the maximum reverence.
The act of placing the host in the palm and then taking it with fingers and putting it in the mouth resembles handling common food in a kitchen or cafeteria. There is an absence of a clear, unequivocal, sacred gesture.