By Father Steven Binsfeld
The human hand is beautiful. As an art student at St. Cloud State University, I took several drawing and life drawing classes where we would sketch the hand in pen, charcoal and ink. Drawing the human hand was challenging because it is so expressive.
We priests use our hands to express the content of our prayer as we stand in the ‘orans’ or prayer posture with our hands extended upward and as we extend them palms down over the gifts of bread and wine as we call upon the Holy Spirit to transform the gifts into Christ’s Body and Blood. We also extend them solemnly when blessing the assembly.
When I distribute communion, I am privileged to place the Body of Christ into the hands of those who approach me. I notice hands. Some are smooth and manicured; others are rough and calloused. Some hands, like my own father’s, are deeply cracked with embedded dirt from the workplace that he could not quite remove. He repaired truck and tractor tires, which left his hands cracked and scarred. Yet, these very hands provided sustenance for his family.
As my mother lay dying in Good Shepherd Nursing Home in Sauk Rapids six years ago, I photographed her deeply veined and thin-skinned hand holding the smooth and beautiful hand of her great-granddaughter. How beautiful those hands were. These were the hands that prepared our meals, that comforted us and wiped away our tears, that bandaged our scrapes and bruises. When I see the hands of those who approach me for communion, I see them as a window into what those hands have done for others. These hands are indeed worthy to make a throne for the Body of Christ, because it is through the work of their hands that glory is given to God.
At the preparation of the gifts we hear the words, “Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have received the bread we offer you (the wine we offer you): fruit of the earth (vine) and work of human hands, it will become the bread of life (our spiritual drink).” Our hands are the vehicles through which we show our care, concern and love.
It is concerning to me to hear rumblings of fellow clergy and people of God indicating that it is “far better to receive Holy Communion on the tongue, rather than in one’s hand because the hand is ‘dirty.’”
The General Instruction to the Roman Missal (#160-161) states simply, “The norm established for the Dioceses of the United States of America is that Holy Communion is to be received standing unless an individual member of the faithful wishes to receive Communion while kneeling. When receiving Holy Communion, the communicant bows his or her head before the Sacrament as a gesture of reverence and receives the Body of the Lord from the minister. The consecrated host may be received on the tongue or in the hand, at the discretion of each communicant. When Holy Communion is received under both kinds, the sign of reverence is also made before receiving the Precious Blood…The communicant receives the Sacrament ether on the tongue, or where this is allowed, in the hand, the choice lying with the communicant.”
The General Instruction makes no mention of the hand or the tongue being “unworthy” to receive the Eucharist. We priests should address Eucharistic piety and respect for the Body and Blood of Christ present in the Eucharist. But if you want to talk “dirty,” the tongue is capable of uttering some pretty vile things, even as it praises God on Sunday.
As a priest, I am not inclined to project my own personal piety onto the liturgy or the manner in which members of the Body of Christ choose to receive the Eucharistic Body of Christ. We should teach what the Church teaches and why it teaches what it does.
I still think that there is nothing more beautiful than the human hand. I believe that it is exactly the throne needed to receive the Body of Christ.
Father Binsfeld is a retired priest of the Diocese of St. Cloud.
No one says that receiving the Eucharist in the hand is unworthy because hands are dirty. However, there is a huge risk of profanation through reception on the hand.
Sitting in the front pews, I often spent time with Our Lord after Mass by gathering the particles from the floor that were dropped by communicants.
The Church allows reception on the tongue or in the hand. Worthiness does not come from manner of reception but the state of the soul of the communicant.
Yes! Amen, Father Binsfeld!
Beautiful reflection on hands thank you so much!