The conversation addresses the claim that early Christians received Holy Communion in their hands, arguing that it was not a universal practice and that it differed significantly from modern practices. In the first century, Communion was received on the right hand, without touching the Host with the fingers, and was consumed directly with the mouth. The tongue was used to purify the hand afterward. Women used a white cloth during the reception of the Eucharist.
This practice was eventually deemed unsafe, as it posed a risk of losing fragments of the Host. As a result, the Church decided that the Host should be placed directly into the communicant's mouth in order to prevent such loss and to preserve reverence for the Eucharist.
By the ninth century, synods officially forbade the practice of placing the Host on the hand. It was viewed as diminishing reverence and exposing the Eucharist to possible desecration.
The speaker asserts that the modern revival of this practice is not guided by the Holy Spirit.
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