What is the role of Ordinary and Extraordinary Ministers?
Catechism Meditation:
The redemptive sacrifice of Christ is unique, accomplished once for all; yet it is made present in the Eucharistic sacrifice of the Church. The same is true of the one priesthood of Christ; it is made present through the ministerial priesthood without diminishing the uniqueness of Christ’s priesthood: “Only Christ is the true priest, the others being only his ministers.” Christ, high priest and unique mediator, has made of the Church “a kingdom, priests for his God and Father.” The whole community of believers is, as such, priestly. The faithful exercise their baptismal priesthood through their participation, each according to his own vocation, in Christ’s mission as priest, prophet, and king. Through the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation the faithful are “consecrated to be . . . a holy priesthood.” ―No. 1545-1546
REFLECTION. The Catechism states: “Only Christ is the true priest, the others being only his ministers.” This means that while ordained priests act in the person of Christ during the Eucharist, their role is to serve as instruments of Christ’s unique priesthood rather than being priests in their own right. In the context of Christian ministry, ordinary ministers are typically bishops, priests, and deacons who are ordained to perform sacraments, while extraordinary ministers are laypeople who assist in distributing Holy Communion when necessary. This distinction emphasizes that only Christ is the true priest, with others serving in ministerial roles.
Ordinary ministers of Holy Communion are the bishop, the priest, and the deacon. Through the sacrament of Holy Orders, they receive ontological configuration to Christ the Head. They do not “assist” the Eucharist: they act in the name of Christ. Extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion (often wrongly referred to as Eucharistic ministers) are lay faithful ― men or women ― appointed for a specific service, when there is a true necessity such as; lack of ordained ministers, a very large number of faithful that would make the celebration excessively long, and care of the sick (or homebound) when no priest or deacon is available.
According to the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) and Redemptionis Sacramentum, the practice of Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (EMHCs) is intended to be just that ― extraordinary. Reading the GIRM makes this clear. In fact, there is no provision in Church documents to support the scheduling of EMHCs. The position is one created for the people of God when there is a clear need, not as a common weekly or even daily occurrence. The use of EMHCs is prescribed when extraordinary circumstances exist. Extraordinary pertains to unusual events, such as huge crowds or lack of sufficient Ordinary Ministers. The Church is clear: what is extraordinary must not become habitual.
The Church believes ― and proclaims ― that in the Eucharist, Christ is really, truly, and substantially present. It is not a symbol. It is not a memory. It is not blessed bread. “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life” (Jn 6:54). Therefore, they way it is distributed matters, who distributes it matters, and the interior and exterior attitude matters. When the extraordinary ministry is trivialized, the Eucharistic faith is trivialized ― even if unconsciously.
The spiritual consequences of abuse when the extraordinary becomes normalized such as: the difference between ministerial priesthood and the common priesthood is obscured, faith in the Real Presence is weakened, the sense of the sacred is lost, a “functional,” not adoring, liturgy is passed on to the young, and an unintended Protestantizing mentality is fostered. Moreover, other common abuses today are ministries of Communion at Masses where several priests are present, systematic use without necessity, replacement of the priest out of “convenience” or speed, distribution of Communion as a “functional distribution,” lack of doctrinal and spiritual formation, inappropriate dress or irrelevant attitudes, and self-perception as a “stable liturgical minister” as if it were a right. All of this is not a minor detail; it is a liturgical abuse.
In her article for Catholic Stand: Lay Ministers: Extraordinary For A Reason, Birgit Jones writes… “We, the people in the pew, are not in a rush. We attend Mass to worship God and to avail ourselves of the graces it brings. A few extra minutes taken, to receive from the priest, are not an extraordinary situation. If the pulse of people in the pew was taken, it might be surprising to learn how many prefer to receive from the priest. He is the ordinary minister, in persona Christi, whose vocation brings him to serve us the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Extraordinary service can be legitimate, useful, and holy. But only when it is truly extraordinary. The Church does not need more “functions” but adoring hearts. She does not need to multiply ministers, but to deepen the Mystery. She does not need speed, but reverence. May the Blessed Virgin Mary, The Eucharistic Woman par excellence, teach us to touch Christ with the soul before touching Him with the hands, and never to appropriate what belongs to God alone. Because before the Eucharist, we are not protagonists. We are adorers.
Sources: Catholicus.eu, CatholicStand.com, AscensionPress.com, EWTN
PRAYER. O God, Who in the most Blessed Sacrament has left us a memorial of Thy Passion, grant us the grace, we beseech Thee, so to venerate the sacred mysteries of Thy Body and Blood, that we may constantly experience within ourselves the fruit of Thy redemption. Who live and reign forever and ever. Amen.
Timeless Wisdom Quote:
“Pius XI answered in these words: “Participation in this priesthood and in the office of satisfying and sacrificing, is enjoyed not only by those whom our Pontiff, Jesus Christ, employs as ministers to offer up the clean oblation to God’s Name in every place from the rising to the setting of the sun; but the whole Christian people, rightly called by the Prince of the Apostles, ‘a chosen generation, a kingly priesthood’, offer sacrifice for sins, both for themselves and for the whole human race”. As our Lord said to St Catherine of Siena: “The more you forget yourself and your interests, the more will I have your interest at heart.” ― Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen