Have you ever intentionally avoided receiving communion from an EMHC so as to receive from a priest or deacon?

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While at Mass, have you ever intentionally avoided receiving communion from an EMHC so as to receive from a priest or deacon?

If so, why?

Did you jump communion lines or go “far” out of your way?
 
lepanto said:
While at Mass, have you ever intentionally avoided receiving communion from an EMHC so as to receive from a priest or deacon?

If so, why?

Did you jump communion lines or go “far” out of your way?
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Yup, I do this all the time. Before it was because I thought it was odd to receive it from someone other than the priest. I didn’t even like to receive the Host from the deacon. So, on purpose I’d sit on the pews where the priest would go give the Eucharist. And I still do. I make sure I get to Mass early enough to get a seat on the pews the priest does.

Now I’m not sure why I do it still… maybe I feel as though I have to receive it from the priest?
 
I always try to sit on the side where the Priest will give communion. If I am wrong I will shift lines if at all possible. I believe the old piety is correct, we should receive on the tongue from a Priest. I don’t mind receiving from a Deacon; he is an ordinary minister of Holy Communion.

God Bless
 
There’s a line in the beautiful hymn of Thomas Aquinas, Tantum Ergo, that translates to, “He gave Himself with His own hand.” I just love the thought of receiving Our Lord from His own hand, and the way to accomplish this is to receive from the priest, who acts in the person of Christ. It’s my own private devotion, which I would never force upon someone else.

I sit in the section of the church that receives from the priest. If I end up sitting somewhere else for some reason, I don’t jump the line, unless I’m near the end and can switch without being obvious.

Betsy
 
Yes - I have done this before. There was one woman many years ago who would wear SO MUCH perfume that the Body of Christ tasted like it!!! :eek: I could actually taste that perfume taste in my mouth for a good half hour after Mass. I would always try to avoid her line if possible.

Most of all, I just prefer to receive from the priest. One of the main reasons for switching to our new parish - we now receive on our knees, at the communion rail, only from a priest or deacon, and by intinction.

I just absolutely love it!

~Liza
 
I tried once. We sat in a pew other than our regular place so as to receive from the priest. He ended up going to another isle. I’ve never seen any priest before or since go anywhere but the main isle. I took this as a sign from God and now sit in my normal pew. 🤷
 
Yes sometimes, if it does not impact the line behind me (e.g. EMHC free and 5 people in line for the priest). I do it because I really like our priests and deacons, I have a good relationship with them while I do not personally know most of the EMHCs. However, I do not attribute any special meaning to it.
 
I also sit in the section that receives from the priest whenever possible. My preference is to receive the Host kneeling and on the tongue. That’s so out of the norm at my new parish (even for our priest, who is incredibly reverent) that I’ve resigned myself to receiving in the hand, but at least I’m receiving from a priest in persona Christi.
 
lizaanne said:
One of the main reasons for switching to our new parish - we now receive on our knees, at the communion rail, only from a priest or deacon, and by intinction.

I just absolutely love it!

~Liza
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I LOVE intinction!! That’s how we received at our wedding.

Why don’t more parishes do this? It’s so much easier logistically than giving the chalice.

God Bless
 
At my parish, I sit where I normally receive from a deacon but if he isn’t there our priest sometimes switches to that side. I would much rather receive from a priest or deacon. Most of the parishes I’ve visited I’ve also been able to sit where I can receive from the priest, except for one where the interior was round and the altar was kind of in the middle of everyone so you really didn’t know where the priest was going to be. It was a parish on the coast so it was entirely glass all around so in case storm surge came through it wouldn’t destroy the entire building. It was really neat and still set up correctly. The altar was even higher than where the priest and altar boys were sitting, kind of by itself in the center. They also had a beautiful stained glass crucifix. Very interesting.
 
Wow.

I would never do that. Our Lord is Our Lord, whoever’s hand he comes from. Short of seeing an EMHC do something that concerned me health-wise, there is no difference to me at all.
 
I didn’t even like to receive the Host from the deacon.
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Even in the old rite and old piety…a deacon was considered fine, an ordinary minister. In fact, that was one of the main jobs of the early deacons; being the cleric who brought communion to the sick.

Avoiding the deacon to go to the priest…is unnecessary and represents a misguided piety or theology.

Don’t avoid the deacon, though it is preferable (when the cup is given) that the priest handle the hosts and the deacon handle the cup.

However, even in the old days…the deacon was a-okay for giving communion.

However, I would highly encourage anyone to avoid EMHC’s. Vote with your feet. Especially stay away from the women.
My preference is to receive the Host kneeling and on the tongue. That’s so out of the norm at my new parish (even for our priest, who is incredibly reverent) that I’ve resigned myself to receiving in the hand, but at least I’m receiving from a priest in persona Christi.
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Don’t resign yourself to recieving on the hand!!

The kneeling…may indeed be a little much at a Novus Ordo mass, because in the Novus Ordo standing is normative and kneeling could only draw unnecessary attention to yourself.

But recieving on the tongue…is always and everywhere allowed and encouraged as the normative means!! On the hand is actually only by indult.

Of course…recieving on the tongue from an EMHC becomes a sort of moot point…because you are mixing the traditional with the incredibly untraditional…and the host has already, unfortunately, touched one pair of unconsecrated hands…

But the ideal thing for you to do is probably to recieve from the priest, on the tongue, but still standing…
 
batteddy said:
Don’t resign yourself to recieving on the hand!!

The kneeling…may indeed be a little much at a Novus Ordo mass, because in the Novus Ordo standing is normative and kneeling could only draw unnecessary attention to yourself.

But recieving on the tongue…is always and everywhere allowed and encouraged as the normative means!! On the hand is actually only by indult.
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Believe me, I haven’t tried to receive kneeling at my new parish. I was very fortunate to assist at a chapel at which the NO Mass was celebrated much like you might see on EWTN, and kneeling was the norm (but not required!). I don’t wear a veil at my new parish, nor do I attempt to receive kneeling because I don’t want to create a scene. I didn’t think receiving on the tongue would be a big deal, but my poor pastor looked so uncomfortable that first time, and so relieved when I received in the hand subsequently, that I thought it might be better just to receive in the hand until I know him well enough to talk to him about it.

Unfortunately, this new parish has one priest for 900 families, so it’s not easy at all to meet with him.
 
lepanto said:
While at Mass, have you ever intentionally avoided receiving communion from an EMHC so as to receive from a priest or deacon?

If so, why?
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The priest is in persona Christi. When one recieves the Eucharist from a priest, one recieves it from the hands of Christ Himself.

This is not true for an EMHC.
 
batteddy said:
The kneeling…may indeed be a little much at a Novus Ordo mass, because in the Novus Ordo standing is normative and kneeling could only draw unnecessary attention to yourself…
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At our NO parish, kneeling is the normal pracitce. We have communion rails at our parish. Standing would draw attention to oneself here 😉

And you are somewhat mistaken, standing is not the norm for the N.O., kneeling is the norm for the Roman Church.

The US had a particular norm approved, so that standing is ALSO normative in the US. I say also, because the universal norm of kneeling also applies to the US as well, in addition to the particular norm of kneeling.
 
I have, and will continue to do so. I seldom see Deacons distributing Holy Communion so that is not really an issue at my Parish. I do avoid the numerous Extraordinary Ministers though.
 
batteddy said:
Even in the old rite and old piety…a deacon was considered fine, an ordinary minister. In fact, that was one of the main jobs of the early deacons; being the cleric who brought communion to the sick.

Avoiding the deacon to go to the priest…is unnecessary and represents a misguided piety or theology.

Don’t avoid the deacon, though it is preferable (when the cup is given) that the priest handle the hosts and the deacon handle the cup.

However, even in the old days…the deacon was a-okay for giving communion.
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I really don’t avoid the deacon, I typed things wrong. I receive the Body/Host from the priest, and the Blood from the deacon.
 
Hmmmm… we do try to sit on the “Priest’s” side at our regular Mass, which we can attend all too infrequently. But I don’t think I’ve ever jumped the line to avoid receiving from an extraordinary minister when we were in a different church or had a visiting Priest who switched over to the other side-- seemed rude and uncharitable to the EM.

On those few times we ended up in the EM line, I have had to give my little boy a shove over to the Priest so for a blessings as he hasn’t had First Communion yet, and sometimes the EMs don’t know they aren’t supposed to bless him… Its sort of funny – I make sure his arms are firms crossed across his chest and give him a line-backer pass over to Father, smile apologetically at the EM, receive and then grab the kiddo before he takes off to parts unknown (he is developmentally delayed so there’s never a guarantee).

All in all, it’s a whole lot easier to receive from Father so I can keep a firm hand on the kiddo’s shoulders throughout.

sojo
 
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