Blessed Sacrament to be consumed right away, not saved for later

Submitted on October 08, 2009

Father John Dietzen

Q. Recently I approached the altar for Communion at a local Catholic church. I took the host in my hand and turned to return to my seat. An older woman in the front pew grabbed my arm and yelled at me to put the host in my mouth. I always wait a minute or so until I’m back at my seat.
When I told my wife what was said, she was angry and asked the deacon for an explanation. He said some children were throwing the hosts out in the parking lot, others were selling them to devil worshippers for $100. I’ve never heard of such a thing. Was the woman out of line to approach me like that?

If you describe the situation accurately, she was out of line to be so violent with you. But, in honesty, the message she gave was one you needed to hear.

For good reasons, Catholics are always instructed to consume the Blessed Sacrament immediately upon receiving it, before returning to their seats. A few Catholics, however, seem to take it on themselves to “express greater devotion” to our Lord by keeping the host until later, to consume in their pews, sometimes even taking it home for personal adoration.