EMHC Gaffe... (or, how many times may a person take communion in a day)?

[Thunderbird]

I meant to post about this last week but you know how it goes…

Anyway, one of these recent Sundays, I ended up attending both 8:30 and 11am service (The Parish Council needed someone to stand in the vestibule after both services to collect money for our sister parish elsewhere in the world).

Now, I’d decided to take communion at 8:30 and just stay in the pew for 11 (since I was just there for money collection afterwards anyway)…but when Eucharist rolls around, it turns out that they were short one person to help distribute The Host. I’m a trained EMHC and we’re told that if they need a body, to go up and help sooo of course I go up.

As previously mentioned, I’d already taken communion at the earlier service and somewhere in my own world I seemed to recall someone saying that you couldn’t take Eucharist twice in one day. Per procedure, our priest goes to give each of us communion first before we distribute to the others and I subtly shake my head. He goes on, doesn’t miss a beat and the rest of the service goes on otherwise unhindered.

After service, I was pulled aside by another of the EMHCs, saying that next time take the communion because it ‘looks funny’ otherwise. She said that a person was allowed to participate in Eucharist twice a day. The priest never approached me for correction but that doesn’t make it right/wrong. Oops, but lesson learned I guess.

Anyway, would my fellow EMHC be correct? If not, should I just not volunteer if I happen to be around for two services and they need EMHCs for the second? If so, that’d be great since I’ll know not to commit another faux pas.

Please advise!

-Thunderbird

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

Your fellow EMHC was correct and you can receive communion a second time in a day if it is at Mass. (And a third time if you are in danger of death.)

Can. 917 A person who has already received the Most Holy Eucharist can receive it a second time on the same day only within the eucharistic celebration in which the person participates, without prejudice to the prescript of ⇒ can. 921, §2.

Can. 921 §1. The Christian faithful who are in danger of death from any cause are to be nourished by holy communion in the form of Viaticum.

§2. Even if they have been nourished by holy communion on the same day, however, those in danger of death are strongly urged to receive communion again.

 

[Just_Lurking]

The priest never approached me for correction but that doesn’t make it right/wrong. Oops, but lesson learned I guess.

Your priest may have thought you were avoiding communion because you were in a state of mortal sin.

 

[PhilotheaZ]

Yes, you may receive Communion a second time in a day (only a second time, never a third) if the second time is at a Mass which you attend (the second time must not be at a Communion service nor any context outside Mass).

However, under the circumstances, believing what you did, you did the right thing. And if you ever find yourself in a situation where you attend a third Mass, you would be correct to decline receiving Communion. You could even mention it to the priest ahead of time so he can discreetly pass you by.

You did nothing wrong; there was nothing for the priest to correct.

Everyone should feel free to receive Communion or not, depending on their disposition at the time, without anyone else making judgments about their state of grace or sin.

 

[tee_eff_em]

After service, I was pulled aside by another of the EMHCs, saying that next time take the communion because it ‘looks funny’ otherwise. She said that a person was allowed to participate in Eucharist twice a day. The priest never approached me for correction but that doesn’t make it right/wrong. Oops, but lesson learned I guess.

:twocents: One EMHC “correcting” another on the basis that something “looks funny” looks “funny” to me. :twocents:

In general, the only person obliged to receive at any given Mass is a celebrating priest. “Next time”, if you are properly disposed, you may receive Communion or not, at your discretion – No one else’s.

tee

 

[Brendan]

Your priest may have thought you were avoiding communion because you were in a state of mortal sin.

Or simply that you had missed the Eucharistic Fast.

The other EMHC was correct in that you may recieve twice in one day ( see the above post on the relevant Canon’s)

But the person errer in counsuling you to recieve Communion when you chose not to. It doesn’t matter if it ‘looks funny’.

But you should clarify the role of the EMHC in your parish. It might be better if you did not serve if you are not in a position to recieve. Several of the duties of the EMCH involve assisting the priest or deacon with the consumtion of any remaining species of wine.