EMHCs: what do you do when people approach you in the communion line for blessings?

[MusicMan]

Boy, sometimes I feel like it’s beat up on MusicMan week here at CAF. Some I have coming, some I don’t.

Can you prove your point? There are no authoritative documents from the Holy See legitimizing, let alone, allowing this practice. Therefore, if it is not in the rubrics, it is not to be done.

As such, I too would like KaziA to show me documentation that disproves my statement. Especially in light of the overwhelming plethora of evidence backing me up provided by posters like benedictgal and FrDavid96.

 

[zab]

Part of this problem of having an increasing number of small children and some adults approaching emHC’s is due to young children being told to go up for a blessing at school Masses. And encouragement comes at funerals, weddings, etc. when there are usually non-Catholics and lapsed Catholics present, when priests who mean well, give instruction of who may approach to receive Communion but add, others may come up for a blessing. So this creates a problem in that people have been instructed or invited to come forward and the question here is: what do you do when people approach you (the emHC)…?

If saying a simple “God bless you” , not making any motion with your hands, gets them move along, isn’t that better than just standing there when they can’t read your mind? After all, many of them were instructed to go forward. And I don’t think now is the time to instruct each of these individuals when they have approached you.

The only way to correct this problem is to stop it where it starts- instruct the teachers and priests not to invite people to go into the Communion line if they have not made their First Communion or they are not properly prepared to receive Communion.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

Can you prove your point? There are no authoritative documents from the Holy See legitimizing, let alone, allowing this practice. Therefore, if it is not in the rubrics, it is not to be done.

Our Judicial Vicar once told me that in Germany all that is not permitted is forbidden, but in Italy all that is not forbidden is permitted. He then pointed out that the Church is headquartered in Italy. He was only half kidding.

 

[Newbie2]

Perhaps you’re not aware of this, but the one-word sentence “Baloney” supersedes liturgical law. Did no one ever explain that to you?

But when the bishop is OK with such a practice…then what? Shrug it off or be a Pharisee?

 

[Lepanto]

Baloney.

Sorry, but that’s just not kosher!

 

[FrDavid96]

But when the bishop is OK with such a practice…then what? Shrug it off or be a Pharisee?

Show it to me in the Sacramentary and I will start doing it tomorrow, whether I like it or not. I can show document after document where the Church says that nothing may be added to the Mass on one’s own authority. This is a given.

The bit about the pharisees only illustrates the point that when someone cannot justify something legitimately, the next step is to attack the person making the argument. Hint: it isn’t working. I think Christ addressed this sort of thing in the Beatitudes.

 

[Newbie2]

Now, hold on a minute, Fr. D. Making a point is different from attacking someone; if I meant to attack someone personally, I’d have used their name…and I’m not…just using the term Pharisee to make a point. Please don’t misundestand or misrepresent my intent.

I can show document after document that we are to follow the direction of the bishop…so we’re stalemated in the battle of the documents.

You didn’t answer my question or address a previous poster who made the same point. What does an EMHC do if his or her priest and bishop is OK with it?

 

[zab]

There’s a fundamental problem here, and that is one of individual persons or groups deciding for themselves that they are going to make changes to the Mass.

We can all go back-and-forth all day about whether or not something should be done. The bottom line is that if it’s not in the Liturgical norms of the Church, which have been approved by Rome, it shouldn’t be done. It matters not what that “it” is.

It is simply not up to individual persons to decide to add ceremonies or rituals or anything else to the Mass. Unfortunately, we have all become so accustomed to this sort of thing, that we forget that the Sacramentary and the GIRM have the final say on what is appropriate in the Mass. Whether we like it or not, whether we feel that it’s theologically/pastorally/practically sound makes no difference.

The only valid argument that can be made in support of any actions in the Mass is to say “here it is in the Sacramentary.”

So what is the answer to the poster’s question- what should (EMHC) do when people approach you…? Regardless of what should or should not be the EMHC is faced with a problem at hand. What should they do?

Now, let’s say that you are an EMHC, (not a priest or the pastor) who has been instructed in their training to simply say, “God bless you” without making any movement of the hands so as not to give a wrong impression. Should you follow this direction, just stand there letting the person wonder why you are ignoring him/her, or should you give some sort of explantion that you do not have the power to give a blessing to each of the 15 or so people who approach you for a blessing?

 

[Dandelion_Wine]

I don’t remember if someone told me to do this or if I was listening to someone talk on Relevant Radio how an EMHC wasn’t suppose to give a blessing.

At any rate what I do is say something like “May Almighty God bless us in the Name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen” while making the sign of the cross on myself. That way I’m not giving a blessing but asking for a blessing from God for both of us.

 

[benedictgal]

Now, hold on a minute, Fr. D. Making a point is different from attacking someone; if I meant to attack someone personally, I’d have used their name…and I’m not…just using the term Pharisee to make a point. Please don’t misundestand or misrepresent my intent.

I can show document after document that we are to follow the direction of the bishop…so we’re stalemated in the battle of the documents.

You didn’t answer my question or address a previous poster who made the same point. What does an EMHC do if his or her priest and bishop is OK with it?

Newbie, the bishop, on his own, has limited authority. He cannot invent something and tack it on to the Mass. The national episcopal conference can submit something to Rome for the necessary recogitio, but, not an individual bishop. He has to, first and foremost, implement and follow the established norms and rubrics of the Sacred liturgy. He can’t cut and paste and do as he pleases. His authority does not go that far.

The only one with universal authority is the Supreme Ponitiff.

 

[benedictgal]

I don’t remember if someone told me to do this or if I was listening to someone talk on Relevant Radio how an EMHC wasn’t suppose to give a blessing.

At any rate what I do is say something like “May Almighty God bless us in the Name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen” while making the sign of the cross on myself. That way I’m not giving a blessing but asking for a blessing from God for both of us.

Danedlion, this is absolutely forbidden. We cannot say anything or do anything that is remotely simoilar to what the celebrant is doing. Please read this from the Congregation for Clergy:

1. To promote the proper identity (of various roles) in this area, those abuses which are contrary to the provisions of canon 907 are to be eradicated. In eucharistic celebrations deacons and non-ordained members of the faithful may not pronounce prayers — e.g. especially the eucharistic prayer, with its concluding doxology — or any other parts of the liturgy reserved to the celebrant priest. Neither may deacons or non-ordained members of the faithful use gestures or actions which are proper to the same priest celebrant. It is a grave abuse for any member of the non-ordained faithful to “quasi preside” at the Mass while leaving only that minimal participation to the priest which is necessary to secure validity.

It is not appropriate at all for an EMHC to do something during the Mass that does not fall under his legitimate duty. All we have been commissioned to do is assist in the distribution of Holy Communion when there is a legitimate need, nothing more.

 

[zab]

Several people have said that blessings should not be given at Communion time and that the EMHC cannot give a blessing, but what is the answer to the poster’s question? You have people coming before you for a blessing -what does and EMHC do?

 

[FrDavid96]

Now, hold on a minute, Fr. D. Making a point is different from attacking someone; if I meant to attack someone personally, I’d have used their name…and I’m not…just using the term Pharisee to make a point. Please don’t misundestand or misrepresent my intent.

I can show document after document that we are to follow the direction of the bishop…so we’re stalemated in the battle of the documents.

You didn’t answer my question or address a previous poster who made the same point. What does an EMHC do if his or her priest and bishop is OK with it?

While the bishop has broad authority to dispense, he is still bound by the liturgical laws of the Church. It’s not a stalemate, it’s a checkmate because “pope takes bishop”.

An EMHC who is approached by someone asking for a “blessing” should not try to impart a blessing. There are a lot of different ways of handling this, but an EMHC cannot impart a blessing to begin with, so the question is rather moot.

 

[zab]

There are a lot of different ways of handling this, but an EMHC cannot impart a blessing to begin with, so the question is rather moot.

What are the different ways of handling it?

 

[benedictgal]

Several people have said that blessings should not be given at Communion time and that the EMHC cannot give a blessing, but what is the answer to the poster’s question? You have people coming before you for a blessing -what does and EMHC do?

Smiply and charitably state that you are not authorized to do this. It is not approved by Rome. It’s the honest answer. Charity also means thath you have to be honest.

 

[Newbie2]

While the bishop has broad authority to dispense, he is still bound by the liturgical laws of the Church. It’s not a stalemate, it’s a checkmate because “pope takes bishop”.

An EMHC who is approached by someone asking for a “blessing” should not try to impart a blessing. There are a lot of different ways of handling this, but an EMHC cannot impart a blessing to begin with, so the question is rather moot.

The reality of the situation is that they do.

You seem to be avoiding the question; If the Bishop and the Priest are OK with it, and in fact encourage it, what’s an EMHC to do?

 

[FrDavid96]

Several people have said that blessings should not be given at Communion time and that the EMHC cannot give a blessing, but what is the answer to the poster’s question? You have people coming before you for a blessing -what does and EMHC do?

Here’s what I do. Quietly ask the person “are you receiving?” if the answer is yes, give Communion. If the answer is no, I find some very polite and kind way of asking the person to move along depending on the circumstances. If the person asks for a blessing, I say “that’s not part of the Mass.”

 

[FrDavid96]

The reality of the situation is that they do.

You seem to be avoiding the question; If the Bishop and the Priest are OK with it, and in fact encourage it, what’s an EMHC to do?

The reality is that they do not bless; what they do is simulate giving a blessing. There is a difference.

I’m not trying to avoid the question, I’m sincerely trying to answer it.

 

[Newbie2]

OK, lemme rephrase by saying “simulating a blessing”.

So if it isn’t really a blessing, why all the fuss?

 

[benedictgal]

OK, lemme rephrase by saying “simulating a blessing”.

So if it isn’t really a blessing, why all the fuss?

Don’t be confused. The bottom line is that an EMHC is not supposed to be blessing nor simulating a blessing. All we have been authorized to do is distribute Holy Communion. What is so complicated about that, especially since the authoritative documents of the Holy See has already spoken on that matter?

Please read the section that I quoted from the Congregation for Clergy… It spells out what we can and cannot do.