What Self Intinction can teach us about Receiving Holy Communion
I was recently asked to explain why self-intinction (apparently a common Anglican practise) is not allowed in the Catholic Church. For those of you who are unaware, intinction is the action of dipping the host into the precious blood and taking it. Intinction is one of the four ways approved in the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church for administering Holy Communion under both species, but self-intinction is not allowed. Very validly, my interlocutor wondered why this was the case. The resultant examination of doctrine led me to further insight with regard to receiving blessed sacrament on the tongue rather than on the hand. But perhaps the best starting point for an explanation is to ask why we receive under both species. Well, the answer is that it illustrates Christ's intention that we eat his Body and drink his Blood (cf. Matt. 26:26-28; Mark. 14:22,24; Luke 22;19-20; 1 Cor. 11:24-25). In other words, it speaks to the fullness of sign; we are doing what our LORD aske...