Bishop Athanasius Schneider: First, I would like to say, returning once again to my parish priest in Estonia. He led me to my First Holy Communion. It was done secretly, and for us it was such a great gift. Holy Communion was so great for me as a child. We had to kneel down. We were aware: here is God with His majesty, sanctity, but also with His love. Of course, it is altogether. We cannot separate the love and sanctity of God.
Fr. Mitch Pacwa: And in fact, too, just so folks remember, for you as a little boy to receive Holy Communion, to even go to church, was against the law.
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: And then, when we traveled to Germany, I remember when we said farewell to our Holy Father Pavlovsky. He told us something that was a shock to us. He said, be aware that when you go to Germany, there are some churches where they distribute Holy Communion in the hands of the people. We said, Father, it is impossible. We were shocked. As a child, it was impossible for me to imagine receiving our Lord in such a banal manner, like a cake. It was astonishing for me, my mother, and all of us. He consoled us, saying that only in some places is this done, and asked us not to enter those churches. We promised him we would not.
Then we arrived in Germany, and at the first church we entered for Holy Mass, almost all the people received in their hands. We were shocked. My mother said, children, we will never go to this church. But in that city, there were only four Catholic churches. We went to the next church the following Sunday, same situation, then the third, same situation, and finally the fourth, same situation. When we came home, my mother began to weep at how they treated our Lord so superficially. We could only weep. This profoundly impressed my soul as a child. Later, when I became a priest and studied the Church Fathers, I noticed the profound spirit of reverence they had. What you mentioned about Communion in the hand being acceptable is a myth, a legend. It is incorrect information given to the faithful by priests and even bishops.
Fr. Mitch Pacwa: So there’s a myth or legend that is not factual about Communion in the hands.
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: This was intentional, perhaps. Firstly, because we cannot simply return to a practice of the fourth or fifth century.
Fr. Mitch Pacwa: No more than you or I can return to not having to say…
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: It is anachronistic and against the law. Holy Communion was distributed differently then. Nobody was allowed to touch the Holy Sacrament with their fingers. It is important to notice this.
Fr. Mitch Pacwa: In the early Church, even if…
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: Even holy people had no permission to touch the Blessed Sacrament with their fingers. It was placed in the palm of the right hand, not the left. Today, some receive with the left hand, which would horrify the ancient fathers. You receive in the right hand, then bow your head profoundly, and pick up the Holy Sacrament with your mouth. This is communion in the mouth, with a gesture of reverence. Beforehand, you must clean your hands, because we touch so many things, like money, which is dirty. Then, you approach the Most Holy Sacrament.
Fr. Mitch Pacwa: So in the early Church, before receiving, you had to clean the…
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: Your palm, right. After receiving, you had to pick up all fragments so that no piece would fall.
Fr. Mitch Pacwa: Some of the Fathers even said that from each fragment, thousands of people could be saved.
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: And women were not allowed to receive directly in the hand. They used a white cloth, called a corporal. On it was placed the Body of Christ, and reverently, they would bow and receive, then clean the cloth to ensure no fragment was lost. The Church, instinctively in East and West, improved the gesture of reverence and reduced the risk of fragments falling. The Church then began administering Communion directly to the mouth.
Fr. Mitch Pacwa: One argument from proponents of receiving Communion in the hand is: I am an adult; I can feed myself, so I can receive Communion. I don’t need someone to feed me like a baby. How would you respond to that?
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: It is profoundly wrong. It does not correspond to the spirit of the Gospel or Christianity. Our Lord said we must become like children. Unless you become like children, you cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven. We must be like children in front of God, receiving Christ with humility. It is more fitting to receive Holy Communion as children, receiving nourishment directly in the mouth.
Fr. Mitch Pacwa: One of the quotations you give is from the great Doctor of the Church, St. John Chrysostom. He said, just like a little baby instinctively opens its mouth to suckle at its mother, so also must we open our mouths like little children.
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: Not only St. John Chrysostom, but other Fathers wrote about this. This is a common teaching in the Church Fathers. We must go deeper. It was very wise of the Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, even through the Middle Ages. We must rediscover and revalue this treasure received from the Church Fathers, passed down through generations from our fathers and grandfathers, with the reverence they instilled.
Fr. Mitch Pacwa: As soon as your book is translated into English, I know it will be available for those interested in learning from our tradition.