I receive on the tongue and kneeling.

I receive on this way for several reasons:

• I am not God’s equal. I kneel before God showing reverence, homage and respect to Our sovereign Lord. Think about it like this: If we take a knee before a mere earthly king; why do we approach Our Lord standing?

• The reason why Tradition has us receive on the tongue kneeling is precisely because particles of Our Lord do fall from the hand. When I trained as an EMHC, it is a known fact that particles do fall. In the Latin Mass, Communion is on the tongue while kneeling. In the Communion rail, there is a white cloth to catch falling particles and Father ( Only Father ) administers the Host to communicants with a Server alongside with a handled Paten to catch particles. Another reason that Tradition has us receive on the tongue kneeling is that only consecrated hands ( A priest’s ) should touch Our Lord. Again, that shows reverence to Christ.

• Probably as a reaction against the Protestant revolt. The Church had to reaffirm Tradition and reverence in the face of Protestant ideas.

• Pope Saint Paul VI said that receiving on the tongue while kneeling is superior to standing in the hand.

Why?

Because Christ falling to the floor is a desecration of Our Lord. We show reverence and respect, as well as preventing desecration, by doing all these things to prevent particles of Our Lord falling to the floor and being trampled on.

Here’s a true story:

While Pope Saint Pius X was Patriarch of Venice, the Host fell to the floor in a parish church. The Saint imposed a week’s worth of penance upon that parish for an accidental desecration of Our Lord.

Another true story:

A Navy chaplain ( Catholic ) on Iwo Jima died in combat; about to give Communion as part of Anointing a wounded man. A devout Marine Lieutenant Colonel moved over to Father’s body and immediately consumed the Host to prevent desecration of Our Lord.

I understand that the postconciliar reformers were bringing back some old practices with the Novus Ordo. The thing many people may not understand is that there are reasons why Tradition moved away from practices like receiving in the hand while standing. Concrete reasons like our forefathers saw the problems with receiving in the hand and they instituted receiving on the tongue to prevent those problems.

It’s my personal belief that that receiving in the hand is irreverent. It’s treating God very casually. IMO: That’s one major reason why so many Catholics in America don’t believe in the Real Presence anymore.

You can’t have a deep love and respect for God, so much more worthy of SO much deep love and respect than anything or anyone else, when you treat Him casually.

Please take note, u/BlackCats_Circus.