Is it OK to dip the host into the wine?

Hi Mason and Teo,
My daughter’s boyfriend at his Catholic Church is allowed to dip the host in the wine. I thought that you weren’t suppose to do that but I’m not sure why. I was wondering if you knew why we’re not supposed to dip the host into the wine, or if it is okay to do that. Please let me know. (Not Sure)

Dear Not Sure,

The body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ is present in both species (bread and wine) of the Eucharist. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 1333), “at the heart of the Eucharistic celebration are the bread and wine that, by the words of Christ and the invocation of the Holy Spirit, become Christ’s Body and Blood.

Faithful to the Lord’s command, the church continues to do, in his memory and until his glorious return, what he did on the eve of his Passion.”

The church has rules and norms for receiving Holy Communion under only one or both species. Intinction — the dipping of the consecrated host into consecrated wine when receiving Holy Communion — is permitted when done according to church directives.

According to Father Marvin Samiano, judicial vicar of the Diocese of Honolulu, canon law states that only priests and bishops may give themselves Communion. Everyone else, including deacons, must receive the Eucharist from a priest, bishop, another deacon, or an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion (sometimes called eucharistic minister).

Although the General Instruction on the Roman Missal (n. 245) does allow for the reception of the Blood of the Lord via intinction, the dipping of the host into the cup must be done by the person distributing Communion. The norms given by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops make it clear: “The communicant, including the extraordinary minister, is never allowed to self-communicate (give himself communion), even by means of intinction. Communication under either form, bread or wine, must always be given by an ordinary or extraordinary minister of Holy Communion.”

In light of the church’s rules, unless your daughter’s boyfriend is an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion and is in the act of distributing Eucharist to someone other than himself, he acted in error. When instructing your daughter’s boyfriend of the “rules,” please speak the truth in love.

The liturgy of the Eucharist is patterned after the words and actions of Christ, “Take, eat, and drink. This is my Body. This is the cup of my Blood.” Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist and out of respect and love for the Lord we are to be obedient to those rules.

To share bread and to share drink are natural human gestures. They are signs of sharing our lives with others by opening ourselves to others, of expressing our need for one another, of showing that we all are to participate in life on earth together. The sharing of a meal is one of the oldest signs of love and friendship.

Christ instituted the sharing of the eucharistic bread and cup to be the spiritual and life-giving food of his people. The graces that flow from the eucharistic table into our own lives help us to become Eucharist to others daily. When we take the time to listen to someone who is lonely, we give Eucharist. When we smile at someone who is having a bad day, we give Eucharist. When we give a loving embrace to someone who is grieving, we give Eucharist.

It is our own commitment to give ourselves to others as Jesus gives himself to us. eucharistic communion confirms the unity of the church as the Body of Christ. This communion empowers us to forgive each other and be reconciled with each other. It empowers us to work for unity, solidarity and sharing what we have and what we are to one another.

Our union with Christ is a gift and grace for each one of us and makes it possible for us, in Jesus, to share in the unity of his body which is the church. Yes, Jesus lives in our church — body, blood, soul and divinity. Spend some time in the Blessed Sacrament and allow Jesus to transform you into the living sign of the Eucharist.