It is quite amazing to read all these comments. Particularly in light of my own experience.
My diocese (US) reopened all churches last June. Choirs returned in November and we have always been able to receive communion on the tongue (which I do). We have had no problems and even my school (K-8), which has been open since last August has had 3 cases of covid. Granted, we do wear masks when not singing and people are advised to wear masks. But Masses have had singing and the usual ritual patterns were kept with the exception of the veneration of the Cross on Good Friday. Processions have happened, confessions have gone on and life is pretty much normal. Our attendance has almost returned to normal and donations are where they should be. Granted, we are extremely traditionalists, but I think its an attitude mostly. Sometimes I say to my singers, " What pandemic?". From south Florida...…

Since the Eucharist is the source and summit of Christian life, I think that proper catechesis and adherence to Church Law concerning the faithful's reception is more than just a minor annoyance.

Once again: http://www.onepeterfive.com/communion-hand-true-story/

I wish, as far as receiving reverently, the solution was as simple as receiving on the tongue. It isn't. Anyone set on sacrilege can easily get around that.

Shortest answer first: Abusus non tollit usum.

Once again, I think some have become obsessed with the method, not the intent of receiving communion. Don't dismiss St. Cyril - a doctor of the church - so readily. In the earliest days, people even took some of the communion home with them to have during the week. Oh, no!!! Touched by plebian hands! Oh, the horror. It is not a denial of church law to receive in the hand since church law clearly allows it.

I will dismiss Saint Cyril when he's cherrypicked — although is it cherrypicking when it's the only source? — and deployed in bad faith, and while it's all well and good that he's a doctor, not all of them are equal. Again, the "original" form described has nothing to do with what happens today, and the practice was eliminated universally within a few centuries because of the problems. it would be more honest if the defenders said that

Again, gratitude for what you have that you don't realize.

You've said enough in the past week, and in particular the past forty-eight hours, that has been rude to the point of warranting your excuses, so I will proceed to ignore the lecture on being grateful. I'll take that from my parents and my confessor. Perhaps my closest friends can tell me too. But I'm not going to take this kind of stuff from grumpy and rude people on the internet who know absolutely nothing about my life or the state of my soul and my spiritual life.

In any case, I've gone longer than just about all of my friends in the US without Mass ( from March 17 through all of April, the first several weeks of May — let's just say that I got lucky and was able to go back before the French government officially allowed public worship again) so I know what it's like to not have the sacraments. But, so long as I could otherwise confess and go to Mass, I would rather not receive regularly than receive in the hand. I don't think that this is an unusual or shocking thing, and it's not ungrateful.

Concerning patens, at the church where I worked in music for 20 years, patens were always used for both communion on the tongue and in the hand. In my eastern church, a cloth is held beneath your chin.

No patens or cloths? What sort of heathens have you been hanging around?

I've been to the Byzantine liturgy on a number of occasions, and there is great variance in this, unfortunately.

And even Bugnini thought that the paten should be retained; mention of it was in the GIRM until 2002, where it was required only for intinction, which, unless you're a traditionally-minded priest, tends to be interpreted as "abolished except for intinction, when it's required." Of course, it was already de facto abrogated, but the law at least would have supported its advocates.

In any case, I don't particularly care about what one or two churches do when the vast majority use neither and where the vast majority of people advocating for communion in the hand not only do not know about the cloth but are arrogant enough to think that you're crazy for calling for it.

Also, I agree with Corinne about Archbishop Roche's interpretation of Cardinal Sarah's letter.

ETA: the asides about the "Latins" are cheap, grating, and unedifying.

No offense, Francis, since you know I think highly of you. To me that seems like the Old Believers who would rather die than make the sign of the cross with three fingers rather than two. I think I can pick my battles much more carefully than that.

Since we're all untangling these knots together, I'll just chime in one one thing @chonak said:

-- comments that the bad judgment shown during the Amazonia synod (the "Pachamama" affair) is enough to undermine confidence in Vatican statements about practical matters

Sir, with all respect, this incident left me agape, and I have never recovered. I practiced a variety of occult and pagan traditions before my conversion, and do not take such things lightly. I was gobsmacked to see anything remotely pagan taking place in a Catholic church, in the presence of the Pope himself. I would never, never dare such blasphemy. I wouldn't wish the nasty repercussions of pagan practices on my worst enemy. It's all folkloric and adorable until you try to extricate yourself from the relationships. Kind of like being married to a charming but sadistic husband whose dark side only comes out if you disagree with him.

I know God is very merciful, but it would be awfully presumptuous to flounce about messing with other religions and literal pagan idols when He has specifically asked us not to.

We have had this discussion before, but...

Christ came to dwell among us and be one with us. Elevating him to an untouchable position, enclosing him in a golden box, and making him as remote from us as possible is not what he is all about or why he came. He is not European royalty and never asked to be treated as such. Somewhere that all went off the rails and the church during the Renaissance really over-did it.

CatherineS, I never understood what that statue was all about.

And Apollo will be naked to boot.

Elevating him to an untouchable position, enclosing him in a golden box, and making him as remote from us as possible is not what he is all about or why he came. He is not European royalty and never asked to be treated as such.

says the Byzantine....

I can see that there is a place for complaning on this forum, I certainly have perhaps abused that, because this is one of the few places in our weird profession where others can understand. But let's not attach fellow posters or stigmatize groups of fellow Christians. We really need to support and pray for each other and indeed the body of Christ as a whole.

On Communion tongue vs. hand, both priests at my parish (not trad) agree that on the tongue is much more sanitary than on the hand. They say that amount of times people touch them with their hands is uncountable (happens all the time), but it's a very rare occasion that they touch a person's tongue. Let's stop pretending that Communion on the hand is sanitary. It isn't.

Actually, we've been told that it is because of people touching their masks (where all the droplets collect). If moisture can collect in a mask, it can certainly form on a person's hands who has just touched it. And guess what everybody has to do right before receiving Communion?

Oh, I agree they are just for show. But if you already believe that then you have no need to be convinced of the practicality of COTT vs. CITH in the great COVID debate.

Based on my observations outside of Mass, almost everybody touches the mask itself at some point, whether while removing it, putting in a pocket, grabbing it from where it's sitting, etc. I have no reason to think that behavior in church would be any different, although I don't see people from the organ bench.

Interesting. "Experts" are still suggesting mask-wearing for those "fully" vaccinated.

However, others are still advising against masks:

"Long-term consequences of wearing facemask can cause health deterioration, developing and progression of chronic diseases and premature death..."

"The existing scientific evidences challenge the safety and efficacy of wearing facemask as preventive intervention for COVID-19. The data suggest that both medical and non-medical facemasks are ineffective to block human-to-human transmission of viral and infectious disease such SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19, supporting against the usage of facemasks." PubMed: Facemasks in the COVID-19 era

Yes, I often wonder if I should offer my (non-professional, but very OCD when it comes to published works) copyediting services to people.
We found some typos on the Vatican website, though, so what can one do?

Just a note:

The vaccine isn't free. It just means that the government will be obtaining the money in another manner, such as taxing you more or devaluing your savings by printing money. I would be a much richer person if the government would stop giving me free stuff.

says the Byzantine....

The eastern tradition has enough differences that comparison is difficult. For example, there is no tradition of eucharistic adoration in the east. In fact, some of the more right-wing Orthodox even consider it idolatry. Some of the sacred gifts are reserved for distribution to the sick and elderly, but the tabernacles are used for that purpose, not for adoration. Different culture.

Communion in the hand/on the tongue: Intinction is the form of communion in the east. There is no other. But, in the west, communion in the hand is forbidden when intinction is used. I knew an elderly Latin priest who got around the communion in the hand thing by doing intinction, only. Sharing a chalice as in some churches, is not all that sanitary. No, there is not enough alcohol content in the wine to kill germs.

The masks are theater.

Like most Government programs, requirements, and regulations.

ummm... did you know that when you eat flesh you always get blood with it? it's not possible to separate them.

ummm... did you know that when you eat flesh you always get blood with it? it's not possible to separate them.

Bread costs much less than wine. If you can find a reason to eliminate or restrict the most expensive item, you have saved a considerable sum. I suspect the reason for bread only is more economic than theological. YMMV.

Could be, but what were they?

Does anyone remember the imitation Frankincense that was developed for use in the mass? It was much cheaper than the real deal. It also was full of wood shavings, stunk to high heaven and put out clouds of toxic smoke. Cost can sometimes be the factor in practices that are less than desirable.

As an aside, when the EF mass started at the parish, the priest was using the "Roman incense" mentioned above. It was so horrid, we were able to convince him to get some decent incense from one of the eastern supply houses. The complaints largely disappeared. It cost more but was well worth it.

bhcordova, did you have any bad symptoms or reactions from taking the vaccine?

Charles, I had a sore arm for a few days from the first shot and the second shot. However, some people do come down with flu-like symptoms. FYI, I had the Moderna vaccine.