To dip or not to dip

We went to church today and once again, I watched as all the other congregants approached the priest to receive Communion and then turned to the Eucharistic minister and dipped the host in the wine. Finally, it was my turn. Once again, as I have done in all previous Sundays, I chickened out and simply took the host and headed back to my seat. Micaela and James did the same. I just have it so ingrained that to drip any of the wine would be a terrible thing.

At the end of Mass, Father made a few announcements from the pulpit and then said the following:

"Now, there is something that I feel the need to discuss and I know is the source of some controversy. Many of you have just moved to Germany this summer and may be surprised to know that in this parish, it is our tradition to practice intinction, which is dipping the host in the wine. We began doing it here because children sometimes have trouble handing the chalice. Some people have said in discussions in this church that intinction should not be allowed.

In the United States, it is believed to be forbidden, though that is not technically true. It is certainly not encouraged. And, well, you're not in the United States! You're in Germany! So, you need to begin doing intinction. (At this point, I am sinking lower and lower in my seat. I have nothing against intinction. I just haven't had the courage to do it yet). If you are more comfortable drinking from the chalice, you may do so. But otherwise, we all need to be a united congregation and intinction is what we do here."

It's all so interesting. I don't remember having wine distributed in church as a youngster and it wasn't until the 1990s in Atlanta that I saw it being distributed at Mass every Sunday. I was never very comfortable drinking out of the chalice (OK, I never took the wine) and having a priest remark last year that not taking the wine was a form of disobedience to God(!) didn't help with my feelings.

Father's little speech makes me feel that I now have the permission and certainly the incentive to dip and, next Sunday, I'm gonna do it!