My friends, “Eucharistic Ministers” are unfortunately used in most Churches today illicitly.
catholicliturgy.com/index.cfm/FuseAction/DocumentContents/Index/6/SubIndex/92/DocumentIndex/454
here is a link to a document of the Church, written in '97.
in
Part II, Article 8. The Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion it states:
*
To avoid creating confusion, certain practices are to be avoided and eliminated where such have emerged in particular Churches:
- extraordinary ministers receiving Holy Communion apart from the other faithful as though concelebrants;…
- the habitual use of extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion at Mass thus arbitrarily extending the concept of “a great number of the faithful”.*
These two abuses are the most common abuses done in Church today. And I can honestly say that I have *never * been:
a) to a Mass where the EMC’s receive with the rest of the faithful
and
b) where EMC’s are not habitually used
this is a HUGE problem! To say that this doesnt matter is folly, for the Church would not have wasted such time to release this document presented above and “Redemptionis Sacramentum”, released in '04, ( which can be found on the Vatican website:
vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccdds/documents/rc_con_ccdds_doc_20040423_redemptionis-sacramentum_en.html ) if the correction of abuses was not important.
I am sorry if this message seems harsh, but there is no real nice way to put it. It is very important that we, the layity and the clergy, are faithful to the Church and its decrees. For if we are disobedient in the Celebration of Mass, what prevents us from being disobedient in other matters, such as Dogmas of the Church?
I would, also, like to add that it is not my intention to make everyone angry at their local Parish Priests. I hope, instead, that you will pray for them and for an end to Liturgical abuses.
Here is some advice on how to deal with Liturgical abuses:
catholicliturgy.com/index.cfm/FuseAction/LawText/Index/6/SubIndex/10/LawIndex/4
And, if you feel so inclined, here is a great article on how to appropriately address Liturgical Abuses to your Parish Priests:
adoremus.org/1295Bruno.html
Now, is it wrong to receive from an illicit EMC? I don’t know… But I know I try my hardest not to.
God bless