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Serving at the Lord’s Banquet By Rita Ferrone
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arishioners who participate in Living the Eucharist during Lent will have high expectations when they come to the Sunday Mass. They will be prepared for fuller, more conscious and more active participation in the Eucharist. You can help to meet and exceed their expectations by bringing your very best to the ministry of Holy Communion. The following reflections are here to help you.
WHO ARE THE MINISTERS OF COMMUNION? You are one among many who are charged with the beautiful ministry of the distribution of Holy Communion. Bishops and presbyters, as priests, do this as part of their ordinary ministry. During much of the Mass they serve the congregation as a group, a corporate body. At the moment of the distribution of Communion, however, they minister to the faithful one by one. The people come forward together in procession, yet each individual—hands, face, heart, and soul—is an unrepeatable mystery, a unique child of God. Giving Communion is a special moment of encounter mediated by the ritual words and gestures of the Communion Rite.
Deacons are also charged with the ministry of distributing Communion as part of their ordinary ministry. For many it is a highlight of their service. Through their ordination as deacons they have special responsibility for the ministry of the cup in the liturgy, yet they also serve as ministers of Communion under the form of bread. Their liturgical role complements their diaconal gift and calling to service. Finally, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion are those lay persons who are called to assist the priest and deacon in the task and privilege of giving Holy Communion to the faithful. They serve as needed, which is why their ministry is called extraordinary rather than ordinary. Yet their service is imbued with the same love for Christ and for his people that characterizes every occasion when Communion is given and received in faith. The dignity of the extraordinary ministers, as members of the baptized faithful, shines for all to see as they approach the Eucharist with joy and reverence. Their baptismal dignity also is shown by the care with which they share the eucharistic elements with their brothers and sisters in Christ.
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One excellent general resource is Guide for Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion by Kenneth A. Riley and Paul Turner (Chicago: Liturgy Training Publications, 2007). There may also be specific guidelines issued by your diocese and/or your parish. CONSIDER: When was the last time you refreshed or updated your training in this ministry? What has stayed with you from that training? Are there “how to” questions that remain unanswered for you at the present time?
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THREE WORDS OF WISDOM Experience has shown that being an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion calls for more than simply knowing the rules and regulations, however. The following three “words of wisdom” can help you to perform this ministry fruitfully:
KNOWING HOW TO DO IT Because the Eucharist is so important to the Catholic Church, there are precise norms governing how it is to be given and received in the liturgy, including the gestures to be performed and the words to be spoken. When to approach the altar, how to handle the sacred vessels, what to do in specific instances—all of these matters are subject to careful thought. There are also norms governing how Communion is to be given to the sick and the dying. Some of the norms and expectations come from the universal Church, while others are local (from the diocese). There are also customs and practical applications of the wider rules that come into play in your particular parish and are governed by the pastor. It is not our purpose here to present or explain all of these detailed instructions, but merely to flag their importance. It is essential that you, as an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, receive appropriate training and periodically review the Church’s norms and guidelines as they apply to you. It is not enough to have good intentions and a willingness to serve. One must know how to do it, and be faithful to the Church’s guidance in carrying out the ministry that has been entrusted to you.
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Take Your Time
Haste is the enemy of effective ministry in the giving of Holy Communion. Extraordinary ministers need to take their time and allow time for their actions to unfold naturally. By taking your time, you model reverence, avoid mishaps, and encourage those around you to relax and attend to what is happening.
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Be Human
As Fr. Michael Kwatera, OSB, points out, “The ministry of communion is only for those who can look another person in the eye with comfort and touch another person with ease.” To be attentive and at ease with human contact is a must. He explains: “If you are gazing down the approaching line of people or scanning the congregation instead of giving full attention to the person before you, most of the encounter’s human value will be lost.” Fr. Kwatera’s book, The Ministry of Communion (Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 2004), is another excellent resource for further reading.
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Love Your Neighbor
St. Paul instructed the community at Corinth that love was the greatest of all gifts. Without love, our good works
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amount to nothing. We are but “a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal” (1 Corinthians 13:1). This is just as true when we minister in the liturgy as it is true outside
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it. We are called to love those with whom we worship, no matter the person’s appearance, dress, or deportment. If we present the Lord’s Body and Blood yet despise or judge our neighbor, we contradict the sign of the Eucharist in our hearts.
A LIFE OF FAITH AND PRAYER The ministry of Communion thrives when it flows from a life of faith and prayer. The minister of Communion who has a commitment to prayer and who internalizes the meaning of what is happening in Communion will be able to act out of a spiritual motivation and integrity that colors everything. The essence of Communion is simple. The risen Lord Jesus, who has given his life for us, is with us in the Eucharist. He desires to be with us. He wants to become so much a part of us that we ourselves will become the Body of Christ in our world. As each communicant takes part in the sacred meal, the promise is fulfilled again: “I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). REFLECT: There are many passages in the Bible that offer us images of Jesus and his love for us—such as the Good Shepherd, the vine and the branches, Jesus feeding the five thousand, and more. What image of Jesus from Scripture is your favorite? How does that image nourish your ministry? n
REFLECT: How do you cultivate prayer in your life? Do you set aside time for prayer? Do you pray before the Blessed Sacrament? Does your love for the Eucharist affect the way you pray and the way you live? n
Author n Rita Ferrone is an award-winning writer and speaker about issues of liturgy, catechesis, and renewal in the Roman Catholic Church. She lives in Mount Vernon, New York. Copyright © 2012 by Paulist Evangelization Ministries. Permission is granted to duplicate this article for educational purposes related to Living the Eucharist. Published by Paulist Evangelization Ministries, 3031 Fourth Street, NE, Washington, DC 20017, www.pemdc.org Ph otos: W.P. W it tm a n Li m ited, pages 2 a n d 3.