Strengthen Your Brethren, Eucharistic Ministry - September 10, 2006
In my homilies, presentations, and writings I often wonder if I am making any sense to anyone other than myself! Thanks to those who commented that this column’s five-part series on the Sacrament of Baptism was of help to them. Your feedback is appreciated. It is always good to know what things are useful (and what are not!). OK, back to Baptism! After having focused our attention on the responsibilities of the parents and godparents in presenting a child for Baptism, we cannot forget that the “whole ecclesial community bears some responsibility for the development and safeguarding of the grace of Baptism” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1255). Thus, every individual member of Saint Peter, each family of our parish, as well as the parish family as a whole, must examine his or her – our – conscience in this regard. What am I – what are we – doing to develop and safeguard the baptismal grace of fellow parishioners and family members? At this point we are going to take a break from Baptism, but at a future date will resume the series with a focus on the Rite of Baptism and its meaning.
During the first nine years of my priestly ministry, the bishops of La Crosse deliberately assigned me to parishes with a parochial grade school giving me the mandate to spend a significant portion of my time teaching the children. I so thoroughly enjoyed time spent with those little ones talking about Christ and His Church! Entertaining questions the kids raised kept me on my toes! From the children at the Cathedral School in La Crosse to those in Plum City as well as those at Saint Mary’s Ridge and Cashton, the question that was asked of me by every age group was “What is your favorite thing about being a priest?” My answer has never changed in these 17 years as a priest! The top three things I love about being a priest are: (1) Celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for the worship of God and the spiritual nourishment of His people; (2) Communicating God’s mercy to sinners in the Sacrament of Penance; and (3) Working with children. Of course the list could go on and on, but those are tops!
“It is in the Eucharistic cult or in the Eucharistic assembly of the faithful (synaxis) that (priests) exercise in a supreme degree their sacred office; there, acting in the person of Christ and proclaiming His mystery, they unite the votive offerings of the faithful to the sacrifice of Christ their Head, and in the sacrifice of the Mass they make present again and apply, until the coming of the Lord, the unique sacrifice of the New Testament, that namely of Christ offering Himself once for all a spotless victim to the Father” (Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 28). What a great honor and privilege to be able to celebrate the Mass each day and distribute Holy Communion as well as, by extension, to bring the Eucharistic Lord to those who are not able to take part in the Mass – those in the hospital or confined to the home or an institution.
Have you ever noticed that your reception of Holy Communion requires the mediation of a minister? You do not give yourself Communion – that is, you do not self-communicate the Host or the Precious Blood. This manner of the distribution of Holy Communion makes it clear that a gift is being received. Under normal conditions it is only those who are sacramentally configured to Christ, Head and Shepherd of the Church, and who thereby act in His person – namely, priests and bishops – take the Eucharist for themselves directly from the altar of sacrifice. The “Amen” that the communicant says is a profession of faith in the form of a response to a dialogue involving another: “The Body of Christ” and “The Blood of Christ.” Noted scholar A.G. Martimort observes that “all of the Christian liturgies bear witness, in their age-old practices, to these two modes of receiving Communion” (The Church at Prayer, II, 217). It is clear, then, that the ordinary ministers of Holy Communion are those who have received the Sacrament of Holy Orders – bishops and priests, as well as deacons (who have been sacramentally configured to Christ, Lord and servant of all, and who collaborate with the bishops and priests in the exercise of ministry). It can happen, however, that there may not be sufficient ordinary ministers for the task of distributing Communion during or outside of Mass. In such circumstances, rather than doing without ministers and allowing the faithful to take Holy Communion for themselves, the Church prefers to make use of extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion. Martimort notes that “this makes it possible for the brethren to receive Holy Communion . . . and to say their ‘Amen’ in response to a human voice that tells them that the bread and the cup are the Body and Blood of Christ” (The Church at Prayer, II, 217). To be continued!
Saint Peter, pray for us! Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us!