• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Catholic Review

Catholic Review

Inspiring the Archdiocese of Baltimore

Menu
  • Home
  • News
        • Local News
        • World News
        • Vatican News
        • Obituaries
        • Featured Video
        • En Español
        • Sports News
        • Official Clergy Assignments
        • Schools News
  • Commentary
        • Contributors
          • Question Corner
          • George Weigel
          • Elizabeth Scalia
          • Michael R. Heinlein
          • Effie Caldarola
          • Guest Commentary
        • CR Columnists
          • Archbishop William E. Lori
          • Rita Buettner
          • Christopher Gunty
          • George Matysek Jr.
          • Mark Viviano
          • Father Joseph Breighner
          • Father Collin Poston
          • Robyn Barberry
          • Hanael Bianchi
          • Amen Columns
  • Entertainment
        • Events
        • Movie & Television Reviews
        • Arts & Culture
        • Books
        • Recipes
  • About Us
        • Contact Us
        • Our History
        • Meet Our Staff
        • Photos to own
        • Books/CDs/Prayer Cards
        • CR Media platforms
        • Electronic Edition
  • Advertising
  • Shop
        • Purchase Photos
        • Books/CDs/Prayer Cards
        • Magazine Subscriptions
        • Archdiocesan Directory
  • CR Radio
        • CR Radio
        • Protagonistas de Fe
  • News Tips
  • Subscribe
A concelebrating priest dips the host into consecrated wine during Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican Oct. 29, 2023, marking the conclusion of the first session of the Synod of Bishops on synodality. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

Question Corner: Is Communion by intinction permissible, and is the devil a being?

February 15, 2024
By Jenna Marie Cooper
OSV News
Filed Under: Commentary, Question Corner

Share
Share on Facebook
Share
Share this
Pin
Pin this
Share
Share on LinkedIn

Q: Where exactly in the Catechism of the Catholic Church does it say we can receive Communion by intinction? Our parish has started doing this recently, and people love it! But other parishes’ priests say this is not “legal” according to church doctrine. I have looked in the catechism and cannot find exactly where it says it is OK. Can you help me?

A: The practice of administering Holy Communion by intinction — i.e., where the minister dips the host in the precious blood, which the communicant then receives on the tongue — is certainly “legal” and is an established option for receiving communion under both kinds.

This is not referenced in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, as the catechism is meant to teach us about the theological aspects of the truths of our faith, as opposed to spelling out the practical nuts-and-bolts of Catholic life. For more concrete directives, we need to turn to other sources.

One such source is the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM), which is essentially the worldwide “instruction book” for how Mass is to be celebrated. Paragraph 287 of the GIRM tells us how Communion via intinction should be handled: “If Communion from the chalice is carried out by intinction, each communicant, holding a Communion-plate under the mouth, approaches the Priest who holds a vessel with the sacred particles, with a minister standing at his side and holding the chalice. The Priest takes a host, intincts it partly in the chalice and, showing it, says, The Body and Blood of Christ. The communicant replies, Amen, receives the Sacrament in the mouth from the Priest, and then withdraws.”

In the United States specifically, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a national policy document in 2002 titled: “Norms for the Distribution and Reception of Holy Communion under Both Kinds in the Dioceses of the United States of America.” Paragraph 49 of this document essentially re-states the above-mentioned paragraph 287 of the GIRM.

Clearly, the church is not going to give us specific liturgical directives for something that is illicit or otherwise not allowed.

Q: Is the devil an actual being, or is he a metaphor for “people doing bad,” and for just general evil in the world? I’ve sometimes heard this last called “the demonic,” which I understood to mean just a sort of negative spirit that people put out, or create, by being mean to each other. (Indiana)

A: While there might be contexts in which we might speak of the devil or the demonic in a purely metaphorical or rhetorical sense — such as when we describe some evil but obviously human action as “demonic” or “diabolical” — we as Catholics do believe that the devil or Satan is a real, personal being.

Paragraph 414 of the catechism speaks of the devil in literal terms when it tells us that: “Satan or the devil and the other demons are fallen angels who have freely refused to serve God and his plan.” There are also several places in the Gospels where the devil and demons are described as playing an actual, historical role in the earthly life of Jesus, such as when Satan tempted Jesus in the desert (see Mt 4:1-11 and Lk 4:1-13), or when Jesus cast out demons who called out to him by name (e.g., Lk 4:34).

There is a Catholic Latin maxim that goes: “lex orandi, lex credendi,” which can be roughly translated as: “what we pray is what we believe.” Our Catholic belief in the existence of literal demons is made clear in our liturgy and other prayers. The most obvious example is the ritual of major exorcism, which a properly mandated priest-exorcist uses to free those who are really possessed by actual demons. But there are also several “minor exorcisms” used in the sacraments of initiation, where the church prays for the spiritual protection of those soon to be baptized.

Read More Question Corner

Question Corner: Does reception of the Eucharist replace confession?

Question Corner: Can we bring the Precious Blood to the sick?

Question Corner: Do I need to attend my territorial parish?

Question Corner: Is the parish administrator the same thing as a pastor?

Question Corner: Are Jewish marriages valid to the Catholic Church?

Question Corner: When is it appropriate to say the St. Michael Prayer following the Mass?

Copyright © 2024 OSV News

Print Print

Share
Share on Facebook
Share
Share this
Pin
Pin this
Share
Share on LinkedIn

Primary Sidebar

Jenna Marie Cooper

View all posts from this author

| Recent Commentary |

Our faith is not afraid of questions

Artificial Intelligence, wholeism and prayer

Question Corner: Does reception of the Eucharist replace confession?

A butterfly lands on a flowering bush with purple blossoms

A Miracle for a Baby in Rhode Island (and for all of us)

Kids need lots of people who love them

| Recent Local News |

Archdiocese of Baltimore offers resources for parishes to assist migrants

Third annual gun buyback scheduled for Aug. 9

Driver arrested after crashing into entrance of Esperanza Center

Construction underway on new north addition to St. Joseph’s Nursing Home 

Prince of Peace merges with St. Francis de Sales in Harford County

| Catholic Review Radio |

CatholicReview · Catholic Review Radio

Footer

Our Vision

Real Life. Real Faith. 

Catholic Review Media communicates the Gospel and its impact on people’s lives in the Archdiocese of Baltimore and beyond.

Our Mission

Catholic Review Media provides intergenerational communications that inform, teach, inspire and engage Catholics and all of good will in the mission of Christ through diverse forms of media.

Contact

Catholic Review
320 Cathedral Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
443-524-3150
mail@CatholicReview.org

 

Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Recent

  • Jubilee of Youth chance to celebrate hope, fraternity in world at war, panel says
  • New York archdiocese sees hundreds of responses to ‘Called By Name’ program
  • Can’t afford a Catholic college? Think again. Many offer full tuition options
  • Detroit archbishop fires theologians Ralph Martin, Eduardo Echeverría from seminary
  • LA archbishop, joined by business leaders, starts fund to help families affected by ICE raids
  • FBI surveilled SSPX priest amid probe of suspected neo-Nazi’s plans for violence
  • Poland’s ‘living memorial’ to St. John Paul II marks 25 years of transforming lives
  • Our faith is not afraid of questions
  • Catholic ‘American Ninja Warrior’ fights world hunger, one obstacle at a time

Search

Membership

Catholic Media Assocation

Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association

The Associated Church Press

© 2025 CATHOLIC REVIEW MEDIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

en Englishes Spanish
en en