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

[Leopard]

THurifer2:

…Extraordinary means RARELY

EMHCs aren’t even ‘extraordinary’ technically speaking, they are just lay people.

“Extraordinary” in this context does not mean “rarely”, it means “outside the state of ordination”. By definition, all laypersons and non-clerical religious are extraordinary, although not all are authorized to function as Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion.

The word extraordinary has no bearing as to the frequency with which Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion may exercise this ministry.

 

[Petergee]

Please show Church teaching that it is wrong to chose to receive from a priest over an EMHC. Another person talked about the *in persona Christi *aspect and it is a valid argument.

I didn’t say it is canonically illicit, I said it is morally wrong. Of course anyone is free choose to receive from any minister. And I have no way of knowing a person’s reasons for choosing a particular minister. Unless, like several have done here, they specifically state that their reason is because of the lay/priestly state of the minister. That is wrong. Especially when, as many here are proud to boast, they have done it at every Mass for years. Even if I know that a particular priest or minister is in a state of mortal sin, that is not a reason to avoid receiving from his/her hands.
Receiving from the EMHC is still receiving from the priest in persona Christi. The latter consecrated it and gave it to the EMHC to give to you.
It is absurd to refuse to receive from an EMHC just because the priest is the ordinary minister of Communion. The priest is also the ordinary minister of baptism, but if your unbaptised child was dying, would you baptise him/her, or would you refuse to do it because you are not a priest?

IMO neither is “wanting to receive a blessing for the children” a good reason to avoid EMHCs. EVERYBODY in the congregation receives a blessing from the priest just before the Dismissal. What’s the point of asking Father for an extra blessing on top of this? In fact historically the reason why the blessing of the congregation was introduced at the end of Mass was to discourage people from asking the priest to individually bless them during or immediately after Mass.
And IMO the practice of non-Catholics and young children receiving a blessing at Communion time undermines the attitude of sacredness and specialness of Communion. If these people think they can receive a “non-Catholic equivalent” or “children’s equivalent” of Communion, they will have less “hunger” to become Catholic and to receive their first Communion. This practice springs from the silly and widespread modern idea that the most important thing is that “everybody without exception must be equally included in everything and equally special in every way”. Communion is for Catholics, and the Communion procession is for those receiving Communion.

And I don’t and I think few do, “make a statement about it” in mass. I usually figure out where the priest is going to commune and sit there. On those few times I moved, I did so subtley that no one would notice unless they were looking at me the whole time, and if they are doing that, the focus of their attention is in the wrong place. Thanks.

Good, I’m glad their attention is where it should be. Now you just have to work on getting your attention on the Eucharist itself. IMO the ideal to strive for is to be able to say after Mass if someone asks me whom I received Communion from, “I’m so overwhelmed with having received Christ’s own real Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity that I don’t even remember who distributed it to me.”

 

[dulcissima]

I sit where I know I will receive from the priest. I don’t think I would purposely switch lines to avoid an EMHC though. It is funny because a few of the times where it has turned out that the priest was not the one that I would be approaching something has happened, either an usher has nudged me and suggested the other line or once the priest himself actually switched midway through.

 

[Edward62]

It does not bother me to recieve the Holy Eucharist from an EMHC, but I certainly do prefer to recieve Communion from a priest. It seems better that way… an EMHC might be sort of tepid in their faith, but a priest is going to have strong faith, and though I know that doesn’t change the fact that it is Jesus but I would prefer to receive from someone that really and truly believes.

 

[KatieD]

I prefer to receive from the priest, however, I won’t switch lines if the priest happens to not stand where I thought he’d stand. Having received the “training” in my parish to be an EMHC recently, I don’t believe we really receive much preparation for this important job. Mostly, we hear our Director of Liturgy’s personal opinions about Holy Communion - which are not the same as the Church’s (Protestant’s can receive, Father should never tell parishioners they should go to Confession regularly, etc.). We do have some wonderful EMHC’s, and we have some pretty irreverent ones too. We have Ministers of Care who bring the Eucharist to the homebound and ill, and they do a wonderful job.

 

[Scottgun]

Good, I’m glad their attention is where it should be. Now you just have to work on getting your attention on the Eucharist itself.

I ask that you retract this because it is thoroughly insulting as well as rash judgement. I haven’t made any personal digs in any of my posts. I am perfectly willing to listen and maybe even accept the possibility I am wrong in simply having a preference for receiving from a priest and acting on it in an unobtrusive way, but I shouldn’t have to endure implications that I am going to communion in bad faith.

Scott

 

[Brennan_Doherty]

I never receive from an EMHC, only a priest. I recognize EMHC’s are allowed; however, I don’t think laypeople have any business touching the consecrated host with their hands (which is why I don’t receive communion in the hand).

Thus it wouldn’t make much sense in principle to receive communion on the tongue only and then get in line with a layperson who is distributing with the hand.

As far as Deacons go it’s usually not an issue, but I don’t receive from them either. Even though they have an official position I don’t see them as one of the ordained like the Priest.

I don’t know what level of ordination a Deacon had years ago or if a Deacon was someone on his way to being ordained.

 

[Orionthehunter]

I never receive from an EMHC, only a priest. I recognize EMHC’s are allowed; however, I don’t think laypeople have any business touching the consecrated host with their hands (which is why I don’t receive communion in the hand).

Thus it wouldn’t make much sense in principle to receive communion on the tongue only and then get in line with a layperson who is distributing with the hand.

As far as Deacons go it’s usually not an issue, but I don’t receive from them either. **Even though they have an official position I don’t see them as one of the ordained like the Priest. **
I don’t know what level of ordination a Deacon had years ago or if a Deacon was someone on his way to being ordained.

Deacons are ordained in the Sacrament of Holy Orders. Like a Priest, they don’t have fullness of the Sacrament of Holy Orders. Only Bishops have that. And Deacons are elgible to recieve certain faculties (all of the Priestly faculties primarily except consecrating the Eucharist, Confession, and Annointing. I also do not think they can be given the faculty to confirm.

While you don’t see them as ordained, Holy Mother Church does.

While you think that laity have no business distributing Communion, Holy Mother Church does.

Which other views of the Church do you arbitrarily choose to dissent from?

 

[Petergee]

It does not bother me to recieve the Holy Eucharist from an EMHC, but I certainly do prefer to recieve Communion from a priest. It seems better that way… an EMHC might be sort of tepid in their faith, but a priest is going to have strong faith, and though I know that doesn’t change the fact that it is Jesus but I would prefer to receive from someone that really and truly believes.

That is preposterous. ANYBODY “might be sort of tepid in their faith”, and unfortunately that goes for priests as well as EMHCs. For all you know, the EMHC you avoid might have faith as strong as steel and might one day be canonised a Saint, and the priest you seek out might have totally lost his faith and be about to leave the Church the next day, or only staying on and going through the motions out of inertia or cultural attachment. And I repeat, the state of the priest’s or minister’s soul, even if you knew what it was, has NO effect on the goodness of the Communion they distribute.

 

[Petergee]

Having received the “training” in my parish to be an EMHC recently, I don’t believe we really receive much preparation for this important job. Mostly, we hear our Director of Liturgy’s personal opinions about Holy Communion - which are not the same as the Church’s (Protestant’s can receive, Father should never tell parishioners they should go to Confession regularly, etc.). We do have some wonderful EMHC’s, and we have some pretty irreverent ones too.

I suggest you immediately go to your priest and ask him to order the DoL to stop teaching these falsehoods, and to ensure that EMHCs are properly trained.

 

[Petergee]

I ask that you retract this because it is thoroughly insulting as well as rash judgement. I haven’t made any personal digs in any of my posts. I am perfectly willing to listen and maybe even accept the possibility I am wrong in simply having a preference for receiving from a priest and acting on it in an unobtrusive way, but I shouldn’t have to endure implications that I am going to communion in bad faith.

Scott

I’m sorry if you inferred that I think you are going to communion in bad faith. I did not imply that at all, and I have no idea of your state of grace. I only mentioned that your attention during communion was on a matter other than the Eucharist itself - something which you had already told us yourself.

 

[estesbob]

It does not bother me to recieve the Holy Eucharist from an EMHC, but I certainly do prefer to recieve Communion from a priest. It seems better that way… an EMHC might be sort of tepid in their faith, but a priest is going to have strong faith, and though I know that doesn’t change the fact that it is Jesus but I would prefer to receive from someone that really and truly believes.

Does the faith of the one distributing Communion make Our Lord any less present ? It seems that when one is more concerend about about how they can scramble about to avoid EMCHs than they are about the fact they are about to recieve our Lord and Savior their faith could also be considered “tepid”’

 

[Scottgun]

I’m sorry if you inferred that I think you are going to communion in bad faith. I did not imply that at all, and I have no idea of your state of grace. I only mentioned that your attention during communion was on a matter other than the Eucharist itself - something which you had already told us yourself.

My attention is no more off the Eucharist by getting in line to receive from the priest than it is when I fumble with the kneeler or watch my pace so I don’t bump into the person in front of me. If it is ever complicated or distracting to do so, I just receive from the EMHC because I have no issue with that. I’ll accept that you didn’t mean to imply it, but you did, and apologizing (which I have not asked for by the way) for my inference is not an apology, so if you are going to do that, don’t bother. I’m a big boy and can take it.

 

[KatieD]

Petergee, I am planning to do just that. He is a new pastor, hasn’t even been installed yet, and our DoL has been there for 25 years. This is just one of several problems that he is going to have to tackle at the parish. It makes me shudder to think how many EMHC’s she has trained in this way. When she said it to me and the other woman being trained, we looked at her in amazement. I should have asked her why anyone would bother going through RCIA if they can just pretend to be Catholic?

 

[Sheeniac]

Petergee, I am planning to do just that. He is a new pastor, hasn’t even been installed yet, and our DoL has been there for 25 years. This is just one of several problems that he is going to have to tackle at the parish. It makes me shudder to think how many EMHC’s she has trained in this way. When she said it to me and the other woman being trained, we looked at her in amazement. I should have asked her why anyone would bother going through RCIA if they can just pretend to be Catholic?

My Pastoral Associate who trained me said something about at her parish a Lutheran will receive. She saw nothing wrong with it. Good grief. And the booklet given was entitled “Special Ministers of Holy Communion”. Luckily, I know the faith well enough. I doubt anything would change if I complained. Overall, it’s a borderline orthodox parish, so I’m lucky. She said something about how a lot of the parishoners are really old-fashioned. I had to keep from laughing, thinking… ‘oh if you only knew…’.

 

[Lepanto]

My whole problem with this discussion is that I have difficulty sorting out any reason for a preference which doesn’t indicate some disproportionate focus on the vehicle as opposed to the Gift itself.

No problem at all. Having a preference to receive from ordained hands does not distract one iota from having one’s focus on the Eucharist. They vehicle and the Gift are not mutually exclusive–rather, they are complementary.

 

[Lepanto]

EVERYBODY in the congregation receives a blessing from the priest just before the Dismissal. What’s the point of asking Father for an extra blessing on top of this? In fact historically the reason why the blessing of the congregation was introduced at the end of Mass was to discourage people from asking the priest to individually bless them during or immediately after Mass.
And IMO the practice of non-Catholics and young children receiving a blessing at Communion time undermines the attitude of sacredness and specialness of Communion. If these people think they can receive a “non-Catholic equivalent” or “children’s equivalent” of Communion, they will have less “hunger” to become Catholic and to receive their first Communion. This practice springs from the silly and widespread modern idea that the most important thing is that “everybody without exception must be equally included in everything and equally special in every way”. Communion is for Catholics, and the Communion procession is for those receiving Communion.

Well said!

 

[lak611]

“they especially have no ability to bless people”- This is a good point and a good reason for one who can’t recieve to always be in the line of the Priest. However, I have a question. Can we as lay people give a “lay blessing”? I know it isn’t the same or have the same efficacy of a Priest’s blessing. Is this something which the Church allows faculties to be given to the laity such that it is as efficacious?

My parish priests do not do blessings in the Communion line. Everybody gets a blessing before the end of Mass, whether they received Communion or not.

 

[Lepanto]

Mostly, we hear our Director of Liturgy’s personal opinions about Holy Communion - which are not the same as the Church’s (Protestant’s can receive, Father should never tell parishioners they should go to Confession regularly, etc.).

Hmmm…sorry to read about these problems in your parish.

First of all, only the pastor is rightly the “Director of Liturgy.” That’s his main function!

Secondly, if the “Director of Liturgy” is espousing the ideas you mentioned, that person needs to be educated immediately or replaced.

 

[captaincoog]

When I used to serve at my local NO, the Priest would carefully rinse his fingers during the Lavabo after Communion was finished. He made sure no visible particle of the Host was left on his hands, the patten, the ciborium.

The EMHC’s would come up to the Altar and put their ciborium(s) there and walk back to their seats. What happened to all the visible particles of the Host on their unconsecrated fingers? They would wipe them on their shirt, wipe their hands together, or forget all about it.

I remember one devout EMHC would rinse his fingers in the little water bowl, the same one the priest would use in the Lavabo. The contents of this bowl were/are emptied into the Sacrarium after Mass.

We have the Catholic Faith! It has both an internal and external dimension, and each must be properly expressed to develop the other. We are corporate beings, and what we see on the outside affects what we believe on the inside. It can only help the faith of the next generation to do away with all the things that do not lead to a greater reverence for Christ in the Eucharist.

I am thinking here of my young children, who ask me, why this, and why that, at Mass. They are very observant, and for 2000 years the faith has been taught largely by what was able to be seen. I would rather my boys did not see junk at Mass, as it will do NOTHING to foster and cultivate the true Catholic faith in their little hearts and minds. I want them to have every chance to love and learn the Faith and thereby save their souls.