Logging on to make an important post that may be disconcerting to many people, but it has to be said:

There is currently a movement within American Orthodoxy to institute communion in the hand instead of the traditional (over 1,000 years) practice of communion in the mouth.

GOARCH (the Greek Archdiocese of America, under the Ecumenical Patriarchate) recently allowed an article to be published on its website by one of its top theologians entitled "A Note on the Common Communion Spoon." This article was extremely alarming.

The article calls communion in the mouth an "innovation" (despite it being the universal practice of the Church for over 1,000 years). It claims that use of a communion spoon is "unsanitary" and can make people sick. And it calls for a PERMANENT, not temporary, change.

If GOARCH allowed this article to be published, it is virtually guaranteed its conclusions have the blessing of many within GOARCH's hierarchy and like that of Archbishop Elpidiphoros himself.

This should not shock anyone who has followed recent statements by the Archbishop, who has already publicly advocated for non-Orthodox spouses to be able to receive communion in Orthodox churches. If he favors this, why would he not favor other changes?

https://orthochristian.com/130200.html 

Likewise, GOARCH (with the blessing of the Archbishop) recently put out a "Social Ethos" document authored by several notorious heretics, such as D.B. Hart and the "Orthodox theologians" at Fordham University. Heretics have never before had more support in American Orthodoxy.

It is VERY LIKELY that within a VERY short time we will see some parishes, GOARCH AND OTHERWISE (do NOT think only people in GOARCH are pushing this - there are others, too), begin instituting communion in the hand at the request of the local priest, with the blessing of bishops.

Any traditional Roman Catholic can tell you the abuses that inevitably happen when communion in the hand is instituted. When communion in the hand is practice, the eucharist is constantly trampled upon, thrown in the trash, stored in people's pockets, or worse.

Such concerns should go double for Orthodox Christians, who use leavened bread (even messier than unleavened) and who allow the youngest of children to take communion. A change in the method of communion will lead to unimaginable amounts of eucharistic abuse and profanation.

I understand many might be scandalized by this thread, but it is CRUCIAL we be aware that this movement is at our doorstep and an attempt to change the eucharist is coming very soon. If we are not prepared to speak out when it arrives, it will be successful.

If your parish begins to do this, BEG your priest to stop. Do not allow Christ's body to be trampled upon and abused, or 1,000 years of Church tradition to be thrown out the window in 5 minutes. If he refuses, please refuse to be present and change parishes if you can.

Again, I'm sorry for this scandalous thread. But the last 3 months has shown that the Orthodox Church in America is in a pathetically weak state right now, and the heretics within the Church are using this as their moment to strike. We MUST be aware of this and ready to fight it.