The necessity of a silent reception of Holy Communion

A Herald reader reflects on a recent experience.

At the church which I attend, Communion is received kneeling, on the tongue. “Corpus Christi,” said the priest, and held the Host in front of my face, but out of reach. There was a pause.

“Amen,” he said, pointedly. Open mouthed, I said nothing. For a second, this silent argument continued, as the Host was suspended in space by the fingers of the priest. In that second, the crisis in the Church seemed to sum itself up before my eyes.

Then he placed the Host on my tongue. “You say ‘Amen’,” he said. Loudly, I thought, but perhaps no one else heard.