Eucharistic ministers/Lay Readers

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Was the practice of Eucharistic ministers and having lay readers common place in the early church? Were post Vatican II changes to the liturgy in part returning to early church practices?
 
How early is “early”? The last few chapters in Justin Martyr’s First Apology (link below) are regarded, I believe, as the oldest extant description of Christian worship. He was writing around the middle of the second century. The celebrant, for Justin, is “the president of the brethren” or just “the president”, while there are “deacons” who distribute Holy Communion. The last sentence in Chap. 65 reads:

And when the president has given thanks, and all the people have expressed their assent, those who are called by us deacons give to each of those present to partake of the bread and wine mixed with water over which the thanksgiving was pronounced, and to those who are absent they carry away a portion.

I would guess the “president” and the “deacons” were ordained clergy, but can we be sure? The terms that Paul most commonly uses in the Epistles for the clergy in his churches are “presbyteros” (elder) and “episkopos” (overseer), but neither of these words occurs, as far as I can see, in Justin’s Apology.

http://newadvent.com/fathers/0126.htm
 
Catholic21 said:
Was the practice of Eucharistic ministers and having lay readers common place in the early church?
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In the first couple of centuries, yes. Soon after the Faith was made legal by Constantine, though, lay participation of any sort was sharply curtailed, and the liturgy became a highly clericalized and sequestered affair, with a proliferation of clerical minor orders to assist either in the sanctuary or in the choir. It would remain so until after Trent, when lay altar servers and congregational singing became more common.
 
Until Trent, future priests and other clerics trained “on the job”, generally in their home parishes. Trent declared that they would henceforth have to be trained in seminaries. An unintended consequence was that there was then a sudden shortage of minor clerics in churches. Manpower losses during the Wars of Religion greatly aggravated the problem. There really was no option but to rely on lay altar servers in place of clerical acolytes and deacons.

Another factor was the removal of chancel and altar screens right after Trent. For the first time in over a thousand years, the congregation had an unhindered view into the chancel and sanctuary. The psychological distance between the priest and the congregation was considerably lessened.
 
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Lay Eucharistic ministers is one of two things that jarred with me when converting from the Anglican Church (the other is the cheesy “modern” [read 1970s] music -it’s awful).

I still find it difficult to reconcile lay Eucharistic ministers with Catholic reverence for the Host.

Now I go to the EF mass. Sublime music and the greatest possible reverence for the Eucharist. It’s a “no brainer”.
 
A Minister of a Sacrament is the one who confects the Sacrament.

A Minister of the Eucharist, or Eucharistic Minister, can therefore only be a priest with Valid Holy Orders.

The term that the Church calls us to use is “Minister of Holy Communion”. That act of Communion, bringing about the sharing of the Eucharist, is a different act than being the Minister of the Sacrament itself.

The Church ( Redemptionis Sacramentum #154) has formally restricted that title to the priest.
 
David_Catholic said:
Lay “Eucharistic Ministers” were not the norm in the early Church, but they were more prevalent than in later centuries due to persecuation and the need for people to be brought the Eucharist when there wasn’t a Priest available.
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Well, to clarify, in the early Church, there WERE many Lay Extraordinary Ministers who brought the Hosts to people at home.

But they really didn’t perform it at mass.
 
Do not expect the primitive, nascent Church to exactly resemble the modern Church. I think that is unreasonable. Rather, look at the ancient liturgy, such as in the Didache, and compare that complicated (scripture-less) rite with the modern rite.

In all things - all things - remember that only the Catholic Church has the power of binding and loosing.
 
sj1611 said:
Now I go to the EF mass. Sublime music and the greatest possible reverence for the Eucharist. It’s a “no brainer”.
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I would attend the EF Mass too, except here locally, many act severe, even strident at that Mass. I also don’t particularly care for the Low Mass either. Both of these matters impact attendance at that Mass.
 
Given your other threads about the Ordinary Form, I have to ask:

Is any Mass good enough for you? You complain about the OF because your pastor isn’t doing enough about people act. You complain about the EF because of how people act. Maybe the problem is what you’re focusing on at Mass.

-Fr ACEGC
 
Catholic21 said:
Roughly from the time after Pentecost until before 1000 A.D. I would say.
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Can do better than that…

Jesus was a lay reader, as they said in Nazareth, when they asked, “Where did he get such wisdom?” He’d even been doing it since he was 13… so… probably existed before Pentecost…

After 1000 AD… ehhh… St Francis of Assisi was a lay speaker… Researchers think he may have become a Deacon, but a lot of his early work was likely that of a laymen, as many clergy thought he was crazy at first…
 
15Whoever has ears ought to hear.

16g “To what shall I compare this generation?* It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another, 17‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance, we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.’ 18For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said, ‘He is possessed by a demon.’h 19The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said, ‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is vindicated by her works.”i

Matthew 11:17
 
edward_george1 said:
You complain about the OF because your pastor isn’t doing enough about people act.
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I NEVER complained about the form of the Mass. There are a number of things pertaining to the celebration of the Mass at my parish that my pastor is very remiss about.
edward_george1 said:
You complain about the EF because of how people act.
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Again, I didn’t complain about the form of the Mass. I complain about the people who staked out their turf when the EF began locally after the promulgation of SP and now keep it from growing due to their terrible individual behavior.

I don’t care for the Low Mass. I’m more a bells & smells sort of Catholic.

I just wish that more Catholic pastors dealt with real problems (not simply personal preferences) when they have the ability to do so.
 
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