Taking communion to the homebound

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There’s a balance which needs to be struck here. Taking the Eucharist to the home-bound isn’t just about them receiving the sacrament, it’s also about them being included and remembered as part of the parish community - which is why it should normally be somebody from their parish who visits them. At the same time, the Eucharist is of course an integral part of the visit and so shouldn’t be relegated to an after thought or incidental act. What’s important to remember though is that this is a human interaction (as indeed is the Eucharist generally) in that communion is about community. While I’d of course agree with Fr Z that “nothing is to be preferred above the love of Christ”, I’d also say that this can be taken too far, at the expense of pastoral care. Many of the housebound I come across are lonely and don’t get too many visitors / opportunities for conversation and so enjoy the interaction that comes with a communion visit. So, when I visit someone, I usually start by asking how they are and things along those lines - I don’t launch straight way into the sign of the cross but, at the same time, I also don’t go for tea and biscuits and always ensure that reception of the Eucharist is a distinct and sacred part of the visit.

As an aside, it’s much the same when I get called to anoint someone. I don’t just launch into the sacrament but take the time to first introduce myself and find out who those present are (e.g. sisters / daughter/s etc).
 
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Precisely what I was thinking 😃

(I wish the Church was in a state where such a thing would be unthinkable, but alas)
 
Maximilian75 said:
Precisely what I was thinking 😃

(I wish the Church was in a state where such a thing would be unthinkable, but alas)
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I didn’t think people pretending to be Priests was the problem; rather, priests attempting to live as if they’re not.
 
InThePew said:
So, when I visit someone, I usually start by asking how they are and things along those lines - I don’t launch straight way into the sign of the cross
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The liturgical books do not begin this ceremony with the Sign of the Cross. This is something that distinguishes the Mass from other ways of giving Holy Communion.

(See Holy Communion and the Worship of the Eucharist Outside of Mass, n. 27, 43, 56, and 68. Pastoral Care of the Sick, n. 81 and 93. The Introductory Rites begin with a greeting and do not include the Sign of the Cross.)

Something else that supports the “no conversation” position is this part of Pastoral Care of the Sick:

“75. If the sick wish to celebrate the sacrament of penance, it is preferable that the priest make himself available for this during a previous visit.
76. If it is necessary to celebrate the sacrament of penance during the rite of communion, it takes the place of the penitential rite.”

And under the heading “Communion in a Hospital or Institution”

“78 … When it is not possible to celebrate the full rite, the rite for communion in a hospital or institution may be used. If it is convenient, however, the minister may add elements from the rite for ordinary circumstances, for example, a Scripture reading.
79. The rite begins with the recitation of the eucharistic antiphon in the church, the hospital chapel, or the first room visited. Then the minister gives communion to the sick in their individual rooms.
80. Then concluding prayer may be said in the church, the hospital chapel, or the last room visited. No blessing is given.”

It can seem a harsh instruction: “No blessing is given.” But there it is. Perhaps the logic is that if there is not time to do the full rite, then there is not time for the blessing. And so it would follow that there is not time for a conversation.

[Excerpts from the English translation of Pastoral Care of the Sick, © 1982, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.]
 
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The same Rite also provides that “the minister may be accompanied by a person carrying a lighted candle” - sometimes I wonder whether the drafters of liturgical texts appreciate that there’s a real world outside of where they work!

I start with the Sign of the Cross because it’s fitting to do so - after all, when we pray we typically begin with it and reception of the Eucharist is a particularly significant time of prayer. Then there’s the “Rite for Exceptional Circumstances of Penance, Anointing and Viaticum”, intended for when “circumstances are extreme” and “the danger of death is imminent”. This Rite includes: a sprinkling with Holy Water (by the priest or, curiously, deacon), a Litany of Penance, and Baptismal Profession of Faith - all before we get to the anointing (assuming the sick person is still alive by this point). Clearly, the drafters have a different concept of “imminent” to me! If anything, many times when I’m called to anoint someone urgently, they’ don’t tend to be conscious, let alone able to respond to questions in a Baptismal Profession of Faith!

Logically, yes - if there’s no time for a blessing then there’s no time for conversation but, even with a hospital of patients to see I’ve always found time for a brief “hello, I’m Father InThePew, how are you feeling today?” and so always found time for a blessing at the end. Sacraments are for people not people for the sacraments. That’s not to encourage a minimalist or “anything goes” approach, but intended as a reminder that at the heart of every sacrament is, first and foremost, a human relationship.
 
I’ve taken communion to many people at hospital and nursing home. Some of them haven’t had so much as a handshake in quite some time. And the list can be about 30 people on a Sunday, all seen separately.

Some of them want and need to talk. Some of them launch when they make eye contact. Some of them want to talk after reception for quite a while. Some of them grab your hand and don’t let go easily.
You do the best you can, reverently. But these people are needy, and if they want to talk, I’m going to talk. Reverently.
 
Reading this almost makes me well up. Thank you for your ministry. God bless you and keep you, Father.
 
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