EMHC - Mortal sin

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A little background,
Code:
 I attend a much larger parish in my neighboring city and am an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion there. Today, I was in a state of mortal sin and wanted to confess to another priest in this other neighboring city. I was planning on going to see him before mass, but he showed up late so I decided to go after mass. During the mass, however, someone asked me if I was an EMHC. I told them that I was for another parish and the guy told me that I was the only one who could be one because apparently their regular EMHC was in the hospital. I agreed and went up. I told the priest that I will be receiving only a blessing and he did such, and I took the chalice (without receiving), distributed, and put the chalice back on the altar for the priest to consume the rest.
I went to confession afterwards and told the priest I didn’t mean to be an EMHC. He understood and my soul was cleansed!

Did I do something wrong? Should I have done something else?
 
You didn’t receive yourself so I don’t see a problem.
👍

It is a problem for a priest, because they are required to receive. And I believe the rules for the priest in this situation are spelled out. But for an EMHC, these do not apply. Since you didn’t receive, I can see no problem.
 
A little background,
Code:
 I attend a much larger parish in my neighboring city and am an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion there. Today, I was in a state of mortal sin and wanted to confess to another priest in this other neighboring city. I was planning on going to see him before mass, but he showed up late so I decided to go after mass. During the mass, however, someone asked me if I was an EMHC. I told them that I was for another parish and the guy told me that I was the only one who could be one because apparently their regular EMHC was in the hospital. I agreed and went up. I told the priest that I will be receiving only a blessing and he did such, and I took the chalice (without receiving), distributed, and put the chalice back on the altar for the priest to consume the rest.
I went to confession afterwards and told the priest I didn’t mean to be an EMHC. He understood and my soul was cleansed!

Did I do something wrong? Should I have done something else?
I think this is a good question. I understand that you distributed the Chalice but lets say, for the sake of argument that you distributed the Body, which would entail physically touching the Sacrament. One of the beautiful parts of the Mass is when the priest cleanses himself in preparation for the sacrament. So, as a communicant, my question is this, would I want hands, that are not in a state of grace, distributing the Eucharist to those who are IN a state of grace. Certainly, in the cases of EMHC where one brings the Eucharist in a Pyx to an ill or homebound person this is probably not a requirement. BUT, when one is distributing at Mass (A mostly unnecessary practice in most cases in my opinion) Shouldn’t there be some sort of requirement requiring the person distributing Our Lord not be in danger of Hell at that very moment? Think about it. If you die in a state of Mortal sin, you go to hell. So, as a person (in mortal sin) is distributing communion, they have a heart attack and die. Hell. Odd to make the public profession of this is the Body/Blood of Christ and distribute to the clean before cleaning your own soul? Something about Physician heal thyself, etc. I suppose it is a lie to do so…?🤷 But then again, when it comes to EMHC, who knows what is going on or what should go on.🤷

Good for you though, for at least asking the question!
 
I don’t see any outright immorality in distributing Communion while in a state of mortal sin - a priest can do it in at least some circumstances without incurring any further sin, so the act is not intrinsically evil.

But I would say that it seems rather imprudent to do so, since there is no necessity that one be an official EMHC in order to distribute, and thus your declining to serve would not in fact have deprived anyone of the Eucharist - in a pinch, a priest can depute any suitable layman to distribute.
 
I don’t see any outright immorality in distributing Communion while in a state of mortal sin - a priest can do it in at least some circumstances without incurring any further sin, so the act is not intrinsically evil.

But I would say that it seems rather imprudent to do so, since there is no necessity that one be an official EMHC in order to distribute, and thus your declining to serve would not in fact have deprived anyone of the Eucharist - in a pinch,** a priest can depute any suitable layman to distribute.**
If this is true, then does he ask the congregation, “Anyone here without sin?” 🙂
 
If this is true, then does he ask the congregation, “Anyone here without sin?” 🙂
Of course not, but the answer to that should be that everyone receiving raises their hand… At least mortally,

I wonder if there is a theological parallel here to the man who touched the Ark unworthily.

Hmmmm something to think about for all of our consciences.

Chronicles 13:9-10
9When they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzza put out his hand to hold the ark, because the oxen nearly upset it. 10The anger of the LORD burned against Uzza, so He struck him down because he put out his hand to the ark; and he died there before God. 11Then David became angry because of the LORD’S outburst against Uzza; and he called that place Perez-uzza to this day.
 
Of course not, but the answer to that should be that everyone receiving raises their hand… At least mortally,
And since there is an absolution of venial sin after the Penitential Rite, those without mortal sin really are sinless.

👍

(unless, of course, they committed a sin between the Penitential Rite and the distribution of Holy Communion 😉 )
 
(unless, of course, they committed a sin between the Penitential Rite and the distribution of Holy Communion 😉 )
Sadly, more often than not, I would have to put myself in this category. With 5 kids, a parish that for some reason detests the rubrics, and annoying people in the pews, I probably venially sin often…

:(:o
 
I think this is a good question. I understand that you distributed the Chalice but lets say, for the sake of argument that you distributed the Body, which would entail physically touching the Sacrament. One of the beautiful parts of the Mass is when the priest cleanses himself in preparation for the sacrament. So, as a communicant, my question is this, would I want hands, that are not in a state of grace, distributing the Eucharist to those who are IN a state of grace. Certainly, in the cases of EMHC where one brings the Eucharist in a Pyx to an ill or homebound person this is probably not a requirement. BUT, when one is distributing at Mass (A mostly unnecessary practice in most cases in my opinion) Shouldn’t there be some sort of requirement requiring the person distributing Our Lord not be in danger of Hell at that very moment? Think about it. If you die in a state of Mortal sin, you go to hell. So, as a person (in mortal sin) is distributing communion, they have a heart attack and die. Hell. Odd to make the public profession of this is the Body/Blood of Christ and distribute to the clean before cleaning your own soul? Something about Physician heal thyself, etc. I suppose it is a lie to do so…?🤷 But then again, when it comes to EMHC, who knows what is going on or what should go on.🤷

Good for you though, for at least asking the question!
But even a priest in mortal sin, if he celebrates Mass, it is still a valid Mass.
 
Many moons ago I was told by whoever trained EMHCs at my parish that you have to be in the state of grace to distribute. You may want to take this question to the Ask the Apologist forum here for a definitive answer.
 
I would really invite everyone to stop and think about this for a moment.

First, we ought not make up rules that do not exist. That is simply being pharisaical. The first person to do this was Eve when Satan asked her, “Did God REALLY say you couldn’t eat of any tree in the garden?” Her response was, “It’s only the tree in the center of the garden from which God forbade us to eat, or even to touch it, lest we die.” The only problem is that God DID NOT forbid them to touch the fruit.

The ancient rabbis did this as well. They knew the law, and they reasoned that if they took the law to the next level, then no one could break it. But, we all know that our Lord had some rather harsh words for the Pharisees.

I think we can apply the same logic to this question. The only thing that the Church has said with respect to mortal sin is that we should not receive any of the five sacraments of the living without prior sacramental Confession, WHEN WE ARE CONSCIOUS OF NOT BEING IN A STATE OF GRACE. The sacraments of the living are, for those who may not know,: Confirmation, Eucharist, Anointing of the Sick, Matrimony, and Holy Orders. The Church has not said anything about serving as an EMHC, a lector, a greeter, an acolyte, an altar server, etc.

Priests are forbidden from celebrating Mass if they know they are not in a state of grace, UNLESS there is no opportunity for sacramental confession and there is really no other choice. For instance, let’s say a priest succumbs to temptation on Saturday night and has a few too many drinks. He knows he must celebrate Mass on Sunday morning and he is in a rural parish, with the closest priest too far to meet for Confession and still be back in time for Mass. He can’t NOT celebrate Mass, due to the people having an obligation and the harsh burden of otherwise requiring something of him that the Church requires of no one else: public confession of sins. Can you imagine a priest standing up on Sunday morning and saying, “Sorry everybody, but there is no Mass today. I had a few too many last night.”

However, consider a different example. Suppose it’s the priest’s day off, and he has a desire to celebrate Mass in his own private chapel, with none of the faithful present. But, in examining his conscience, he also realizes that he is not in a state of grace. Since he doesn’t HAVE TO celebrate this Mass, he should approach a brother priest for confession prior to offering the Holy Sacrifice.

All that being said though, there is nothing to preclude a member of the lay faithful from serving as an EMHC, even when not in a state of grace. Perhaps out of prudence it might not be the best thing to do, and I sympathize with the OP, who was put in a difficult position on two fronts: the state of his/her soul, and not being a deputed EMHC in that particular parish (that permission is only good in the person’s home parish, not even extending throughout a diocese, unless the individual is an instituted acolyte, but that’s a different topic).
 
Yes, that does not mean that it is ok for a priest in mortal sin to do that… And it would depend on the sin…
Is not a mortal sin - Mortal? There are not grades of mortal sin, I thought that a mortal sin is absolute.
 
Is not a mortal sin - Mortal? There are not grades of mortal sin, I thought that a mortal sin is absolute.
Mortal sin is absolute in the sense that it deprives one of sanctifying grace, but there are degrees of gravity. Murdering an innocent is graver than stealing from a rich man. Committing adultery is graver than simple fornication. The consequences of mortal sins can vary both in this life and in the next. Even the pains of hell are not equal but are according to the gravity of the sins committed and the culpability of the individual.
 
No. What may be no sin to one may be a venial sin to another or may be mortal to still another. Need to go to confession to remove the doubt.
This is a good point, but I would add one thing, and it pertains to the second sentence. Confession really isn’t about removing doubt about sin. That’s more appropriate to spiritual direction, per se. Confession isn’t about “feeling better.” Let me give you an example. Suppose a young couple has been chaste their entire life, and really lived out a true Christian courtship. The night of their wedding, they unite sexually for the first time. And, let’s say that both have a hard time getting over the negative feelings they have towards the sexual act. Now, I realize there would be more at play here, but just for the sake of example, let’s just say this couple has lived out the Church’s teachings, but perhaps out of a motivation of fear and/or legalism, and not necessarily genuine love of the Lord and respect for sex an sexuality. This legalism doesn’t magically disappear on the wedding night. So, it’s common for young couples in this situation to feel a certain amount of shame at being seen naked by their spouse and in engaging in marital intercourse. Have they objectively sinned? No. But do they subjectively feel as though they have? Yes.

If such a person came to confession, and assuming they confessed to no other sin, then there would be no sin to absolve. A certain amount of counseling and spiritual direction might need to take place, to be sure, but you can’t absolve what is objectively not there.

Put another way, could the Blessed Virgin Mary go to Confession? No. Why? Because she never sinned. There would be nothing to absolve.

As it pertains to your first point though, you are absolutely correct, and this is often times lost on us. This is why it is vital to have at least a basic grounding in moral theology. Different circumstances can change the gravity of a sin. For instance, if an alcoholic is truly struggling to overcome his addiction, and falls one day and gets drunk, can we really say that he has full consent of his will? Only God knows, but due to the individual’s addiction, this may very well be a venial sin for him. On the other hand, a person who has never struggled with alcohol abuse and has no family history of alcoholism may commit the same sin, objectively. But, due to the fact that he has the full capacity to choose to get drunk in a way that a recovering alcoholic may not, his sin is more grave.

An individual’s state in life may also mean an action is not a sin at all for one person, but a grave sin for another. For instance, two men walk into a hospital and proceed to celebrate the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick with two different sick people. One of the two men is a validly ordained priest; the other is in the habit of impersonating a priest. One of these two men has committed a serious sin called sacrilege, the other has celebrated a life-giving sacrament, even though they both have done objectively the same actions and said the same words.
 
Mortal sin is absolute in the sense that it deprives one of sanctifying grace, but there are degrees of gravity. Murdering an innocent is graver than stealing from a rich man. Committing adultery is graver than simple fornication. The consequences of mortal sins can vary both in this life and in the next. Even the pains of hell are not equal but are according to the gravity of the sins committed and the culpability of the individual.
I believe the best thing to do in this situation is to make a perfect act of love and sorrow to Jesus while thinking of his crucifixion. And then to tell Jesus that it will not happen again.

In that way grace is restored, and tho you still are required to go to confession before communion, nevertheless, you are worthy to distribute.

The next best thing IMO is to forego being an Emhc at that Mass by saying you are not well, which is the truth.
 
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