I went to receive ashes the other night and a funny thing struck me. There were no lay ministers smudging people’s foreheads and telling them they’d return to dust. Now, the church was at least as filled as a regular Sunday but everyone still got their ashes within ten minutes or so from the two priests on the altar.
And then compare this with Communion which occured about ten minutes later. Just before communion a stampede of Eucharistic Ministers stormed the altar “to help out.”
Us regular folk, we positively zoomed up towards the altar and had Jesus all but thrown at us by any number of “eucharistic ministers.” I literally hardly got out my “Amen” before the man in a sweater vest threw the eucharist in my hand.
If I were just someone who showed up at Church for the first time I would’ve thought those ashes were extraordinarily sacred while the piece of bread was something we all found a tad boring.
SO we either need to start getting lots and lots of “Ash ministers” or maybe…just maybe we could show a little reverence for the Eucharist.
February 8, 2008 at 7:14 am
You receive in the hand?
February 8, 2008 at 12:11 pm
An excellent point, Sir. The office of the Extraordinary minister is well abused.
February 8, 2008 at 3:51 pm
Not to worry, you may get your wish. We had two Extraordinary Ministers of the Holy Ash help the priest and deacon at our service.
So don’t protest too much, the outcome may differ from what you expect.
February 8, 2008 at 4:35 pm
They’d stop using extraordinary ministers at Mass if we, the ranks in the pews, simply refused to get in their line.
February 8, 2008 at 6:36 pm
Jim,
I am with you! I circumnavigate the church with 5 little ones it tow to receive from the priest only. Lately, I have noticed that I am not the only one who does it.
I believe that this is a perfect licit response to to this illicit practice.
February 8, 2008 at 6:38 pm
Please note I have no objection to Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion when they are used properly.
February 8, 2008 at 9:58 pm
We have just one priest at our parish. I assume an EMoHC is appropriate?
February 9, 2008 at 12:54 am
Those stampedes of Eucharistic ministers is truly a sight to behold sometimes. And afterwards those EMs who did not get their choice spots are really peeved. The situation is resolved by attending masses at churches like Saint John Cantius in Chicago where they don’t have lay Eucharistic ministers to begin with. Strangely all goes as smoothly and well without blitzkrieg rush to get to the altar.
Some years ago, while attending mass at a prestigious downtown Catholic parish — the Franscisan friar who was celebrating the mass threw an absolute fit of pique that some folks left the communion line of a lay “minister” for his own. I worried that he would start banging his sandal on the lectern if this horrid practice didn’t cease.
February 9, 2008 at 1:44 am
I too, circumnavigate the church to receive only from a priest. And I insist on kneeling and sticking out my tongue.
BTW, not wishing to be pedantic, but Redemptoris Sacramentum repudiated the term “Eucharistic Ministers” as giving excessive and unhelpful dignity to that particular lay ministry. The correct term is “Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion”.
February 9, 2008 at 3:12 am
Lord but I must be dense. Never even thought about circumnavigating the church in order to avoid the EM’s. Thanks for the idea.