“If the laity are good enough to pass out the food, they’re good enough to do the dishes.”

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Right point, but really very weak, just not very good arguments.
 
Well, this sounds much more like Mother Theresa:

“The biggest problem, according to her, was not the disease but the lack of love and charity, the feeling of being unwanted.”
 
The purification of the vessels is a liturgical action. As with any liturgical action, it is to be performed by the person assigned to that ministry…for example the deacon reads the Gospel and the intercessions. The lector reads the first and second readings but does not also serve as an EMHC at the same mass. Each one does what is properly assigned to their role. The purification of the vessels is properly assigned to the priest or the deacon (or an instituted acolyte if there is one). It is properly done at the altar or can be done at a side table. It is not a denial of the laity to purify the vessels…it is simply not their role. Now, after the purificaltion, lay people are quite welcome to cleanse the purified vessels in the sacristy before they are put away. Usually the cups need some washing before being reused. Our sacristian takes care of that.
 
Oh for crying out loud! Where do you find this stuff, Leptano? It makes me so angry so early in the morning.

The arguments are very weak, indeed. It’s all over the map, and really has nothign todo with cleaning sacred vessel.

And in my houshold, NOBODY wants to do the dishes. Father should quit shoveling his “chore” off on the laity, get off his rump, and do it himself.
 
Right point, but really very weak, just not very good arguments.
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The arguments are very weak, indeed. It’s all over the map, and really has nothign todo with cleaning sacred vessel.
Click to expand...
I think it is nice and simple and to the point. What he is saying is that the problem is not from Rome, which this article is targeting those who say such. The problem is with the lack of humility and obedience to the Church, as he discusses emotional blakcmailness. The good father breaks the argument down into pieces and refutes them individually. I especially like that he shows how the agruement degrades the Blessed Sacrament into mere food and the sacred vessels as mere dishes.
 
Seems like this is just another case of disobedience to the Holy See. There are many who need to get past their sense of entitlement and develop some humility. If the Vicar of Christ says to stop doing something, who are we to argue?
 
In my opinion, his arguments are really based on a weak form of equivocation and emotionalism, rather than on legitimate facts.

For example, two of his points have to do with the suppsedly disrespectful tone of the phrase “if they’re good enough to pass out the food…” Now certainly, I think that many of those who use the phrase are not as respectful of the Eucharist as they ought to be. If they were, they would be obeying Rome and not trying to get EMHC to purigy the vessels. However, the mere use of the phrase does not prove disrespect. It’s entirely possible that a very holy and respectful person might call the Eucharist “food” and the vessels “dishes” in a bit of light humor amongst fellow priests or something. I happen to work in a parish rectory with at least one very holy priest, and have seen many transitional deacons go in and out. They have alll been very respectful, and I can imagine at least one of them saying something about “the dishes.” He’d never use the phrase in the article, because he doesn’t believe that :-p.

More importantly, the fact is that just because someone is being disrespectful, it doesn’t mean that their argument is invalid. The fact is that the little “if… then” statement that is being suggested here is certainly not true, but it is not because it is disrespectful. I could (though I never would) say something like “If that dirty black man wins the nomination, then the old fart is going to be in for a tough race this november.” The statement is entirely disrespectful of both Mr. Obama and Mr. McCain, but that has nothing to do with whether or not it makes a valid point.

The reasons that the laity ought not to purify the vessels are much deeper and spiritual than the ones that the good Father brings up in his article (including the points of his that I do not here mention). He has the best of intentions, certainly - he just doesn’t argue his case very well.
 
Well, since the laity only extra-ordinarily are to be distributing the Eucharist, then at most they should only extra-ordinarily be purifying the Sacred Vessels, right? 😉

BTW, the article is a very good refutation of the assertion in the title.
 
Are you really speaking about the Holy Eucharist and the washing of the vessels?

I never feel good enough to help distribute communion. It seems to me most of us feel tremendously unworthy and deeply grateful for Christ’s mercy. I wish we had enough priests so this type of discussion wouldn’t be necessary. Please God! Please give us more priests. Amen

Anything the church can do to insure reverence of the Blessed Sacrament and to make Mass a Holy celebration is OK in my book. susan
 
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