Eucharistic minster

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arnoldmilton

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Hi, I have recently been asked to be a Eucharistic minister at my church. The pastor knows me well and said he was happy to have me. My problem is that I do not feel that I can perform this function while in a state of sin.
And are we not always in a state of sin? Yes I may go to confession and be absolved, but what if between then and the time I am called on to perform this duty I have an impure thought? Any ideas? I do not want to desecrate the Eucharist by my unworthy presence.😦
“Lord, I am not worthy to receive You but only say the word and I shall be healed.”
 
arnoldmilton said:
Hi, I have recently been asked to be a Eucharistic minister at my church. The pastor knows me well and said he was happy to have me. My problem is that I do not feel that I can perform this function while in a state of sin.
And are we not always in a state of sin? Yes I may go to confession and be absolved, but what if between then and the time I am called on to perform this duty I have an impure thought? Any ideas? I do not want to desecrate the Eucharist by my unworthy presence.😦
“Lord, I am not worthy to receive You but only say the word and I shall be healed.”
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I can empathise with the way that you feel. It is also admirable the respect you have for our Lord in the Blessed Eucharist. You need to remember that none of us are perfect. If sinners could not serve in the sacred and lay ministries we would have no ministers. You can work through this with regular confession; striving not to sin; examining your conscience regularly. You could choose not serve in this ministry on those occasions when you know yourself to be in a state of mortal sin. Alternatively go to confession to confess and receive absolution from any mortal sins. You should be able to fulfill this ministry when in a state of venial sin.
 
arnoldmilton said:
Hi, I have recently been asked to be a Eucharistic minister at my church. The pastor knows me well and said he was happy to have me. My problem is that I do not feel that I can perform this function while in a state of sin.
And are we not always in a state of sin? Yes I may go to confession and be absolved, but what if between then and the time I am called on to perform this duty I have an impure thought? Any ideas? I do not want to desecrate the Eucharist by my unworthy presence.😦
“Lord, I am not worthy to receive You but only say the word and I shall be healed.”
Click to expand...
Ok, first, only a priest can be a Eucharistic minister. A lay person may be an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion.

Second, your personal ‘state of sin’ has NO effect on the Eucharist. (And this goes for the priest, as well).

If your priest has asked you to serve and you are truly needed, your own personal ‘state of sin’ will have no detrimental effect on the Eucharist. you present to others. (Of course, you yourself if you KNOW you are in mortal sin should not receive the Eucharist yourself until sacramental confession.)
 
Ok, I don’t have a reference at least at this time but it’s sufficiently important that I want to get the idea out quickly. I was under the impression that it was sacrilege and a mortal sin to distribute communion (for example as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion) when in a state of mortal sin.

If this is true then someone regularly struggling with mortal sin, who can not be confident they will be in a state of grace at a mass they are scheduled to be a EMHC at, should presumably not accept the responsibility.

We’ll see if I or someone else can provide an authoritative source for this idea, or can refute it.
 
Ok, a real quick search revealed that this has been discussed many times on CAF and it looked as though no one was able to find Church documents backing up either position, so I’m guessing they are not out there.

Personally, I wouldn’t handle the Eucharist if I am in a state of sin and unable to receive the Eucharist. Also generally the EMHCs receive communion at or near the alter in view of everyone, so if in a state of mortal sin you would have to rather conspicuously refrain from receiving and then turn around and distribute communion to others. That’s not something I would want to do.
 
Like said:
That’s not very nice nor funny! :mad:
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No, it’s not. Confusing the terms “Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion” and “Eucharistic Minister” is a common mistake that many, many Catholics make. Even those in authority at many parishes misuse the terms. Someone already corrected the OP on his usage, so that comment was unnecessary.
 
arnoldmilton said:
Hi, I have recently been asked to be a Eucharistic minister at my church. The pastor knows me well and said he was happy to have me. My problem is that I do not feel that I can perform this function while in a state of sin.
And are we not always in a state of sin? Yes I may go to confession and be absolved, but what if between then and the time I am called on to perform this duty I have an impure thought? Any ideas? I do not want to desecrate the Eucharist by my unworthy presence.😦
“Lord, I am not worthy to receive You but only say the word and I shall be healed.”
Click to expand...
The thing here is that you cannot change Christ because of your unworthiness. He is still the same no matter what. We are all unworthy to perform any special action during Mass. I’m unworthy to be on the sanctuary when I serve or read. Nobody is worthy to stand before the presence of God, but someone has to do it. God Himself comes to dwell within us and before us during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. We are all unworthy. Also, I’m sure that venial sins are forgiven during Mass, so if you were to have an impure thought not on your own accord, then you are forgiven.
 
arnoldmilton said:
Hi, I have recently been asked to be a Eucharistic minister at my church. The pastor knows me well and said he was happy to have me. My problem is that I do not feel that I can perform this function while in a state of sin.
And are we not always in a state of sin? Yes I may go to confession and be absolved, but what if between then and the time I am called on to perform this duty I have an impure thought? Any ideas? I do not want to desecrate the Eucharist by my unworthy presence.😦
“Lord, I am not worthy to receive You but only say the word and I shall be healed.”
Click to expand...
If called on to serve, serve if possible.
All are unworthy, but we serve.
 
anp1215 said:
No, it’s not. Confusing the terms “Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion” and “Eucharistic Minister” is a common mistake that many, many Catholics make. Even those in authority at many parishes misuse the terms. Someone already corrected the OP on his usage, so that comment was unnecessary.
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Indeed. But you can practically set your watch by the poindexters who race to their keyboards to stamp out any errant usage of the phrase by brand-new forum members, usually with heavy doses of sarcasm, feigning surprise that a woman has become a priest, etc. I swear, they must have keyword alerts or something set up so that the opportunity does not escape them.

Never mind, of course, that “Eucharistic minister,” in the restricted sense in which it means only a person capable of confecting the Eucharist, is an absolutely pointless phrase which has never used by anyone for any purpose outside the context of saying “Well, actually, you’re not a true Eucharistic minister because . . . .” You see, we already have a perfectly good term for people capable of confecting the Eucharist: “priest.” Why it is that people think the world will come to an end if “Eucharistic minister” is used the way 95+% of the English-speaking world uses it is beyond me. 🙂
 
FatHead said:
I’m so glad you are getting ordained a priest! What a big commitment for you!
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fall fox

I think that most Catholics, especially those that are trying to strengthen their faith by discussing different topics on this web site, we can assume that they know the difference between an Ordinary Minister of the Eucharist and an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion. I think we can just let it go if they refer to themselves as an EM and assume they know. You can usually tell in a few sentences if they are mixed up about the terms. W H Y ? Why would you say something as you did?
 
MarkThompson said:
**Indeed. But you can practically set your watch by the poindexters who race to their keyboards to stamp out any errant usage of the phrase by brand-new forum members, usually with heavy doses of sarcasm, feigning surprise that a woman has become a priest, etc. I swear, they must have keyword alerts or something set up so that the opportunity does not escape them. **

Never mind, of course, that “Eucharistic minister,” in the restricted sense in which it means only a person capable of confecting the Eucharist, is an absolutely pointless phrase which has never used by anyone for any purpose outside the context of saying “Well, actually, you’re not a true Eucharistic minister because . . . .” You see, we already have a perfectly good term for people capable of confecting the Eucharist: “priest.” Why it is that people think the world will come to an end if “Eucharistic minister” is used the way 95+% of the English-speaking world uses it is beyond me. 🙂
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Drives me absolutely insane. I was actually going to post “<insert comment correcting the OP on the term ‘Eucharistic Minister’ here>” but of course, I didn’t get a chance. Now, I don’t mind a correction, but as you said, all too often they offered with a sarcastic, snarky tone. Honestly, if I didn’t participate in CAF, I probably wouldn’t know the term “Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion” either. We can’t expect people to know that term if their own pastor doesn’t use it!
 
fall fox

I am gratified that your Pastor asked you, that is the proper way a person should become an EMHC. You say your Pastor knows you and is happy for you to serve God this way. What an honor! As an EMHC myself I feel that all the time, especially being an older person and knowing how strict the Church was prior to Vatican ll. It was forbidden for a lay person to even touch the Chalice, maybe the Sacristan could, I don’t remember.
There is a sin of scrupulosity and that can lead to the unforgivable sin of Despair. Unforgivable because the person won’t ask for forgiveness because of being unworthy to ask. Please don’t let yourself get into this trap. You really sound like a good person
.
WE ARE NOT WORTHY, NONE OF US, TO SERVE CHRIST THIS WAY ! ! !

Never, never, never, serve as a EMHC if you KNOW you are in the state of mortal sin.
Whether a Priest or an EMHC that is in a state of mortal would not effect the Eucharist that someone is receiving, but I think it would be a sin of sacrilege on top of the mortal sin you already have. If you are in sin and you are to serve, just tell another EMHC that your not up to serving today. No explanations are necessary.
You mentioned the possibility of having an impure thought, we cannot control what thoughts pop into our minds so far it’s not a sin, the sin comes when you dwell on those thoughts.
Please look up scrupulosity so that you know exactly what I’m talking about.
 
I agree some people go too far in insisting on accurate terminology regarding this especially when the other person can be presumed to be simply ignorant of the issue and using terms common in their own parish, but at the same time I think those who label this a pointless word-fight aren’t thinking with the mind of the Church, if only again out of ignorance.

This terminological controversy is a big enough issue that the Vatican has gotten involved. Redemptionis Sacramentum stated:
[156.] This function is to be understood strictly according to the name by which it is known, that is to say, that of extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, and not “special minister of Holy Communion” nor “extraordinary minister of the Eucharist” nor “special minister of the Eucharist”, by which names the meaning of this function is unnecessarily and improperly broadened.
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vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccdds/documents/rc_con_ccdds_doc_20040423_redemptionis-sacramentum_en.html

I think it’s worth it to correct people when they use an inappropriate term for this ministry, but it should be done in charity and without any judgmental assumptions about the other person.
 
Tantum_ergo said:
Ok, first, only a priest can be a Eucharistic minister. A lay person may be an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion.

Second, your personal ‘state of sin’ has NO effect on the Eucharist. (And this goes for the priest, as well).

If your priest has asked you to serve and you are truly needed, your own personal ‘state of sin’ will have no detrimental effect on the Eucharist. you present to others. (Of course, you yourself if you KNOW you are in mortal sin should not receive the Eucharist yourself until sacramental confession.)
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I think Bishops and Deacons are also Eucharistic Ministers
 
None of us are worthy. Priests included. Personally, I Do my best to make sure i’ve recently gone to confession before I serve. The rest is up to God. He takes what is imperfect that we offer him and perfects it.
 
When I was commissioned, the analogy of the Christmas donkey was used.
 
eamonnroma said:
I think Bishops and Deacons are also Eucharistic Ministers
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Bishops, like priests, are Eucharistic ministers; deacons are not. Eucharistic ministers are those who can confect the Eucharist, i.e. celebrate the Mass. Bishops, priests, and deacons are the ordinary ministers of Communion.
 
Thank you all who have posted an answer to my question. I am truly sorry if my inadvertent misuse of a term has caused anyone offense. I shall go away now, and spend much time in prayer, asking for discernment and mercy. God bless all of you.
 
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