Bishop Athanasius Schneider: Yes, the Holy Eucharist, and specifically, the Holy Communion. The sacred host is not an idea, and it is not a sacred thing, but a sacred person, a divine person, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who is present really, substantially, and 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 humiliated Himself so much. Not only did he become incarnate to accept and assume our human nature, but he went even further. He humiliated himself to this state of being in the Eucharist, defenseless. As he was delivered into our hands, we can do with him what we want. I think, especially in the moment of Holy Communion, it is the moment of the most intimate possible encounter with the Lord on this earth, with our God incarnated. This moment has to be very sacred, and we must pay great attention, take time, and make it solemn and sacred.
Unfortunately, when I came to the West from the experience of the underground church, for my family, for my mother, it was a great shock and sadness to notice that especially the moment of Holy Communion became superficial, banal, especially with the form of receiving Holy Communion directly in the hand, touching the holy host with the fingers, and then putting the Holy Communion into the mouth. The consequences of this are evident and undeniable. Firstly, the loss of fragments of the host. This loss is significant, and in every little fragment, the whole divinity is present.
Fr. Mitch Pacwa: One important thing to focus on: sometimes people think that if a fragment breaks off from the host, it is no longer the Eucharist. It is, and it remains the Eucharist.
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: Yes, because this is a dogma of our faith, confirmed in the Council of Trent. Even the smallest part of the host contains the whole Christ. Therefore, this is a dogma, and we must behave according to it. Receiving Holy Communion in the hand exposes our Lord to a great loss of fragments, as they can fall from the palm or fingers, with nothing to catch them. In our country, we have no communion in the hand; thanks be to God, we always use a paten. After each Mass, I still find fragments on the paten. When there is no paten, fragments fall, and our Lord is trampled. In many places, this cannot continue silently. Legally, it may be licit, but we must reflect on the consequences.
Fr. Mitch Pacwa: A priest I met who had been in a Communist Chinese prison had hosts smuggled to him. He would break them into the tiniest fragments to ensure each person could receive even a fragment, risking his life. It took years to maintain this practice, and each fragment was treated with immense care.
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: Exactly. This was the first grave consequence of receiving Holy Communion in this manner. The second is the theft of the host, which is increasing in many countries. The third is the absence of gestures of adoration. Standing to receive the host in the hand with minimal gestures is comparable to handling ordinary food. When the holiest of holy is at stake, we must give the maximum adoration. Kneeling, bowing, and reverence are logical consequences of our faith. Angels prostrate before the Lord in the Apocalypse, the Magi bowed in adoration to Christ, and the women at the resurrection fell and kissed his feet.
For more than a thousand years in the Latin rite, Holy Communion was received kneeling and on the tongue. The tradition of such weight should not be abolished. We must find the maximum adoration, protection, and defense of our Lord, not the minimum. Thanks be to God, Pope Benedict XVI set an example by always giving Holy Communion to the faithful kneeling and on the tongue. This is a clear sign, and bishops should positively respond by encouraging the same practice in their dioceses.
Fr. Mitch Pacwa: At this point, there is an indult in some countries, including the United States, to allow Communion in the hand. People are not acting in disobedience but within this permission. You are emphasizing a call to greater worship and adoration when receiving Holy Communion.
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: Yes, almost all conferences now request this indult. The issue is not legality but the objective situation: the honor of the Lord is at stake. Licit or not, the practice can damage faith and reverence. The Pope has already set a sign. Bishops and the faithful must reflect openly without taboos. We must remember who the sacred host is, not what it is. When we take this deeply, I cannot imagine being content with Communion in the hand while standing.
Fr. Mitch Pacwa: It also strikes me that people commonly speak about receiving bread and wine instead of acknowledging that it is the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ, changed substantially by the Holy Spirit. Even priests and deacons sometimes say bread and wine, though understanding is improving.
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: What we believe and how we worship are connected. Exterior gestures influence interior belief, and vice versa. Continuously taking the holiest of holy like common food gradually diminishes the perception of sacredness. Improving gestures of adoration will strengthen faith over time.
Fr. Mitch Pacwa: At the beginning, you mentioned observing reverence in other religions.
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: Yes, once at an interreligious meeting, a Muslim cleric said the holiest of holy for Muslims is the Quran. A Protestant pastor once touched the Quran without washing his hands, which the cleric considered blasphemy. I thought about this in comparison to Catholics receiving Communion in the hand. A Muslim observer might see our God handled casually and find it hard to believe we truly honor Him. Similarly, an Orthodox friend, who only handles blessed bread, treats it with immense reverence. When even this lesser bread is treated carefully, how should she react to our Lord in Communion in the hand?
Fr. Mitch Pacwa: I remember when it was first introduced illicitly in the U.S. The idea was that adults should receive Communion like food.
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: Yes, but Jesus said, “Unless you become like a child, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” He did not say, “Unless you become an adult.”