Having addressed the postures associated with preparing to receive Holy Communion, let us continue to consider the actual act of receiving Holy Communion. As we know, it is legitimate for one to receive Holy Communion on the tongue or in the hand. Some have strong feelings on either side about this, and I am not going to really weigh in on that debate. Since the Church permits either form, we should refrain from uncharitable or presumptuous thoughts on the matter. With regard to receiving Holy Communion in the hand, the USCCB offers the following helpful instruction:
Those who receive Communion may receive either in the hand or on the tongue, and the decision should be that of the individual receiving, not of the person distributing Communion. If Communion is received in the hand, the hands should first of all be clean. If one is right handed the left hand should rest upon the right. The host will then be laid in the palm of the left hand and then taken by the right hand to the mouth. If one is left-handed this is reversed. It is not appropriate to reach out with the fingers and take the host from the person distributing.
There may be some limited exceptions in how one receives in the hand, such as arthritis, but note that last point that we are never to take the host, grabbing with our fingers. Rather, in a spirit of humility, we receive in the way described above. I would also encourage you to ensure that your hands are flat, not tiled, lest the host slide off to the ground. And avoid making a V shape, which is sort of like a funnel as there is risk again of dropping the host.
When receiving on the tongue, it is important to ensure there is an ample “landing pad” for the Eucharist. Some people barely open their mouth and it can become a trial of hand-eye coordination to insert the Eucharist into a small slot, sometimes resulting in “missing the mark” and getting poked in the lip (sorry for those I have unintentionally done that to). Please also avoid biting down as soon as the Eucharist is on your tongue. Let the host enter into your mouth. I have had many close calls when I have almost been bit while distributing Holy Communion.
I share these anecdotes and encouragements from the perspective of one who has distributed the Eucharist to many people. 98 percent of the time, there is no issue, but every so often, there is something that makes the exchange a little awkward, so I just invite all of us to examine how we receive the Lord at this important moment.
The next line in the above-referenced resource is also helpful:
The person distributing Communion says audibly to each person approaching, “The Body of Christ.” This formula should not be altered, as it is a proclamation which calls for a response of faith on the part of the one who receives. The communicant should audibly respond, “Amen,” indicating by that response his or her belief that this small wafer of bread, the wine in this chalice are in reality the body and blood of Christ the Lord.
Perhaps you have encountered the practice of a priest or deacon saying your name, then saying “the Body of Christ.” While I can appreciate the pastoral gesture behind that action, it is not what the Church is asking of us. Similarly, there is only really one response that the Church gives to us for receiving Holy Communion, and that is “Amen.” It is not, “Thank you”, or “I believe”, or anything else. Again, I can appreciate the intention behind such adaptations, but once again, in all humility, we are called to obedience to what the Church has given to us. The liturgy is a gift given to us by the Church, a gift which we receive in gratitude as her servants, not her masters, free to adapt as we see fit.
Let me leave this reflection on one point, which, admittedly, is a bit of an annoyance to me. When we receive Holy Communion, we are consuming Jesus Christ, and as such, we should do so with intentional reverence. I can sometimes audibly heard people crunching away as they walk away, and it is a bit like fingernails on a chalkboard. The Eucharist is a gift to savor, not one to hastily devour.
For your reading pleasure, if you would like to read an article about the proper reception of Holy Communion, I find this one both helpful and somewhat humorous: https://crisismagazine.com/opinion/pastoral-guide-to-receiving-communion Father Alford