Midnight Mass Issue

[Booter]

I am a EMHC at our church…my brothers both CE Catholics…one who was drinking some before Mass though technically didn’t break the Communion fast…I don’t feel like I did anything wrong, my mother told them they shouldn’t receive but they did…I know as a EMHC I cannot deny Communion to anyone unless the priest says so or some unusual circumstance…Now I am in no position to judge the state of anyone’s soul but objectively speaking they are living in grave sin…Particularly for other EMHC on here…I did the right thing correct?

 

[catholictiger]

I am a EMHC at our church…my brothers both CE Catholics…one who was drinking some before Mass though technically didn’t break the Communion fast…I don’t feel like I did anything wrong, my mother told them they shouldn’t receive but they did…I know as a EMHC I cannot deny Communion to anyone unless the priest says so or some unusual circumstance…Now I am in no position to judge the state of anyone’s soul but objectively speaking they are living in grave sin…Particularly for other EMHC on here…I did the right thing correct?

Never ever as a EMHC deny someone common ONLY IF the priest specifically tells you not to give communion to this person. Even as a priest he must know beyond a reasonable doubt that a person is in mortal sin and that is a very rare thing. I guess the only way a priest could know if someone was in mortal sin would be if he heard a confession before mass a person refused to be sorry of living in adultery and he couldn’t give absolution. Or if somehow he know someone was living in adultery after a divorce, but you have to be certain. It should only be up to the priest to make those decisions though.

 

[muncha1]

I too was an EMHC at my midnight mass. And while I find there to be few greater honours, I couldn’t shake the thought in the back of my mind. Obviously the church was packed, and my city is a relatively small one and the Catholic community is even smaller and there were numerous people who I had a great suspicions shouldn’t be receiving. But what I did do was focus not on the people, but on the Blood of Christ. Not even looking at the people as they came up the aisle, focussing only on the Blood and only looking up when I saw someone in my peripheral vision come to me. Amazing what adoring and focussing on the Blood alone can do to my mindset.

 

[Booter]

These answers make sense I just hope everyone realizes who and what they are receiving when the come forward…Merry Christmas!

 

[maltmom]

You didn’t do anything wrong. Receiving inappropriately is on the person receiving, not on the person distributing communion.

We had an EMHC meeting a couple of weeks ago. We were told the only time to refuse someone is if we are 100% sure they are not Catholic. Then we are to ask if they would like a blessing…no touching the person…just say “May the Lord be with you”…if they refuse that then just move on to the next person without making a scene. He did say that he will ask the person if they want to become Catholic and that once they receive they will be b/c HC is an initiation rite. That usually makes them walk off.

 

[twoangels]

People are supposed to refrain from receiving the Eucharist if they are not in a State of grace. The rationale for priests denying communion is that the nature of a public sin and how it may lead others to believe “Oh well, that politician is a devout Catholic and votes for pro abortion laws. He’s going up to communion showing he’s in communion with the Church. Abortion must not be a big issue in the Church.” When a priest or bishop refrains from distributing communion to a public sinner, he is attempting to use his position as pastor (the shepherd guiding his flock) to be clear about the truth.

As an extraordinary minister of holy communion, you are neither the ordinary minister nor the shepherd. Canon law gives a provision to allow laity to act as EMHC in order to deal with the practical matters of distributing communion. A Church could be overcrowded to the point that without EMHC, it would take an insanely large portion of time for one priest to distribute communion. The priest may be elderly or handicaped and thus may find it difficult to distrubute communion. As such, the EMHC comes to the rescue. However, the EMHC is not the ordinary minister of holy communion. It is not a way of becoming more important in the parish or a level above the laity in the pews. The training is there to ensure respect toward the eucharist.

So from the purpose behind denying communion and an adequate understanding of your role, its inappropriate. You’d be proclaiming private sin publically, and you’d be claiming a pastorial authority you do not have.

 

[Hmgbrd]

You didn’t do anything wrong. Receiving inappropriately is on the person receiving, not on the person distributing communion.

We had an EMHC meeting a couple of weeks ago. We were told the only time to refuse someone is if we are 100% sure they are not Catholic. Then we are to ask if they would like a blessing.…no touching the person…just say “May the Lord be with you”…if they refuse that then just move on to the next person without making a scene. He did say that he will ask the person if they want to become Catholic and that once they receive they will be b/c HC is an initiation rite. That usually makes them walk off.

Excuse me maltmom if I am wrong, but I believe that only Priests can give a blessing, and that is at the end of the Mass. EMHC are only authorized to distribute as far as I know. I believe that this topic has been covered in CAF numerous times already regarding giving “Blessings” instead of the Eucharist during the Eucharistic procession. I don’t mean to derail the thread, but felt that I should mention it.
Merry Christmas anyway!

 

[maltmom]

Excuse me maltmom if I am wrong, but I believe that only Priests can give a blessing, and that is at the end of the Mass. EMHC are only authorized to distribute as far as I know. I believe that this topic has been covered in CAF numerous times already regarding giving “Blessings” instead of the Eucharist during the Eucharistic procession. I don’t mean to derail the thread, but felt that I should mention it.
Merry Christmas anyway!

You are correct and I agree with you. I was surprised that he said this. He doesn’t like it either. What he’d dislike even more is a commotion at the front of the church. Even if an announcement was made at the end of the homily people would still come up. I think this issue is one where he has relented b/c he wants to pick his battles. He is very conservative in every other way and is a wonderful Priest. I am an EMHC for the sick and home bound therefore I won’t be put in this position.

 

[Qoeleth]

I am a EMHC at our church…my brothers both CE Catholics…one who was drinking some before Mass though technically didn’t break the Communion fast…I don’t feel like I did anything wrong, my mother told them they shouldn’t receive but they did…I know as a EMHC I cannot deny Communion to anyone unless the priest says so or some unusual circumstance…Now I am in no position to judge the state of anyone’s soul but objectively speaking they are living in grave sin…Particularly for other EMHC on here…I did the right thing correct?

The ‘communion fast’ is dependent upon the health of the individual. Another should never presume to judge that matter.