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Do We ‘Receive’ the Eucharist or ‘Take’ It?

Question:

I thought that we "receive" Communion. I am so dismayed when people say that they "take" Communion.

Answer:

The Eucharistic institution narratives in the New Testament record that Christ directed his disciples to “take” his body and the cup of his blood (cf. Matt. 26:26-28, Mark 14:22-23). Using the word take in reference to Communion is not wrong. Even so, traditional Catholic piety has encouraged use of the word receive to emphasize that Communion is a gift from Christ to the individual Catholic. Both terms are correct.

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