Episode 29 - The Bow Before Holy Receiving Communion

People often ask, “What is the proper gesture before receiving Holy Communion?” The answer is actually very clear and simple. It can be found in the General Instruction of The Roman Missal at paragraph 160. The communicant makes a bow of the head before receiving the Body of the Lord and before receiving the Precious Blood.

[afonsomafra]

Thank you! Perfect explanation! God bless you, dear priest!

[WildlifeSketches]

Beautiful explanation. Thank you. Have a blessed Pentecost

[elliotdunoff]

i live in Russia and the Church in Russia is very conservative. It asks us always genuflect before the Holy Communion and receive it on tongue only. Or receive it by kneeling on tongue. And always kneel on transubstantiation proses (idk if its right word in english, i mean the proses when bred and vine becomes Body and Blood) and always kneel and pray after Communion.

[aahlstrom]

Kneel for the Holy Eucharist and take it on the tongue - this is how the Roman-Rite of the Church has done it for the past 900ish years. You don't need kneelers to kneel either. If you have a medical problem kneeling that's one thing but many people don't - it makes no sense we kneel for the Eucharistic prayer, consecration, elevation, and Agnus Dei... but don't kneel when taking it.

[DroidFuel]

St. Basil the Great, Doctor of the Church (330-379): “The right to receive Holy Communion in
the hand is permitted only in times of persecution.” St. Basil the Great considered
Communion in the hand so irregular that he did not hesitate to consider it a
grave fault.
The Council of Saragossa (380): Excommunicated anyone who dared continue receiving Holy
Communion by hand. This was confirmed by the Synod of Toledo.
The Synod of Rouen (650): Condemned Communion in the hand to halt widespread abuses that
occurred from this practice, and as a safeguard against sacrilege.
6th Ecumenical Council, at Constantinople (680-681): Forbade the faithful to take the Sacred
Host in their hand, threatening transgressors with excommunication.
St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274): “Out of reverence towards this Sacrament [the Holy
Eucharist], nothing touches it, but what is consecrated; hence the corporal and
the chalice are consecrated, and likewise the priest’s hands, for touching this
Sacrament.” (Summa Theologica, Part III, Q. 82, Art. 3, Rep. Obj. 8.)
Pope Paul VI (1963-1978): “This method [on the tongue] must be retained.” (Memoriale Domini)

Pope John PaulII:  “To touch the sacred species and to distribute them with their own hands is
a privilege of the ordained.” (Dominicae Cenae, 11)

Mother Teresa: "Wherever I go in the whole world, the thing that makes me the saddest is watching people
receive Communion in the hand."
Cardinal Robert Sarah, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship 2018: “Widespread
Communion in the hand is part of Satan’s attack on the Eucharist.”  Further, “The most insidious diabolical
attack consists in trying to extinguish faith in the Eucharist, by sowing
errors and fostering an unsuitable way of receiving it.”

[anglaismoyen]

I'm not sure how a bow can 'mean' exactly the same as a genuflection or kneeling? Body language is a language, and the position of our bodies expresses something internal and also has an effect on our souls. I have nothing against people using other gestures if they're physically incapable of bending their knees, but to impose a quick nod of the head onto everybody who wants to express their veneration in a deeper way? That's why I only attend parishes where the priests respect parishioners who wish to kneel. That's often TLM parishes but even some OF masses allow for traditional forms of veneration.

[Jared-cmwv]

Father, thank you for devoting your spare time, which I know your vocation leaves very little of, to explaining the Mass and the faith through youtube! It's always great to see priests doing great work like this.

However, I'm afraid your mistaken about the faithful being absolutely bound to a unity of posture. The Congregation of Divine Worship has said that GIRM 160 does not forbid a more profound bow or a genuflection, and the same paragraph says the communicant may choose to kneel. The purpose of the norm is to inspire reverence for every communicant by insisting on at least a head bow, not to prevent those who are able to bow at the hip, genuflect, or kneel from doing so.

[maciejhdabrowski]

That is totally untrue unfortunately. Father quotes a false translation, which is different from the Latin original.
General Instruction of The Roman Missal 160 really has:
"Fideles communicant genuflexi vel stantes, prout Conferentia Episcoporum statuerit. Cum autem stantes communicant, commendatur ut debitam reverentiam, ab iisdem normis statuendam, ante susceptionem Sacramenti faciant."
This means:
"The faithful receive Holy Communion either kneeling or standing, according to what the Conference of Bishops has decided. If they stand receiving Holy Communion, it is commended to give due reverence, the gesture of which is to be decided in the same document of the Conference of Bishops, before receiving the Sacrament."
Thus bow before receiving Holy Communion is not a Roman Catholic way, it is a Roman Catholic way only in the U.S. and it may differ (it does!) in other countries. This is sad, that the U.S. translation is false :(

[PIKetelaars]

Great explanation, however, I'm not entirely sure I follow the logic when it is brought into other aspects of the Holy Mass. My parents are unable to kneel during the consecration and many are unable to stand during the proclamation of the Gospel or other prescribed times to stand. This came into affect in my diocese at the same time that we were required to stand after Communion until everyone had received. Would sitting through the entire Mass be more appropriate in those situations? I'm sure that we would both agree not. Why is it no longer acceptable to show reverence in the way that we see fit? What about churches that still have (or have reinstalled) altar-rails?
I really don't want this to come across as a rant, but it is a topic that I have heard (and had) far more arguments about than I would like to admit (especially considering the act that is being argued) and I would like as much clarification as possible.
Thank you for this series, I have learned a lot!

[joyhsiuyinkwa]

Bowing when receiving holy communion vs receive holy communion by tongue not from hand

[adrianalainez]

Is it correct to sign the cross with the right or left hand? The Orthodox Catholic church does it with the left hand three times. Which is correct or are both acceptable?

[ourlastchanceforus]

very progressive teachings.... The right way to take communion is in the knees and in the tounge. Sometimes the church makes mistakes and exceptions dont make the rule.. if one person can do it does not mean we all should stop doing the right thing

[gadoladonai]

I can’t agree with this, the genuflection and kneeling is the only way. Why make a rule and then force us to obey it ? I am not kneeling for my neighbor but for the Lord. This whole standing and receiving is wrong and the body of Christ, the laity don’t want it, you are forcing it on us plain and simple, you are asking us to obey you while not respecting our desire to venerate the Lord. Go tell people to dress modestly and live good lives for as to not scandalisé their neighbor, no of course you will not do that, you will tell us to not judge them. It’s not always faithful Catholics who need to compromise, in revering the Lord we are to be discreet but in sin we are encouraged to publicly come and receive Jesus. Horrible, if we have priests like this we don’t need enemies.
Receive the Lord in awe and reverence and purity of heart. Let the dead bury their own dead, be different, be the salt of the earth and light of the world for Christ has called you out of this sinful world. Do not conform yourself to the world that is passing away. Be a witness to Christ and make disciples for Him and run away from those who say no need to respect or be overly respectful to God, you can never give enough respect to God.