Monitoring Holy Communion

You may have noticed that ministers of hospitality are now monitoring the reception of Holy Communion. This is being done because in the past, there have been several instances of us finding consecrated hosts in the pews. Apparently, people have taken the hosts and not consumed them. Likely, this has been non-Catholics or non-practicing Catholics who should not be receiving Holy Communion anyways. Or, it may be small children who have not been properly instructed. Of course, it a sacrilege to treat the Body of our Lord with such disregard, although I do not know the thinking of the people responsible for this.

As a reminder to all, please make sure to consume the host before turning back to go to your seats. Otherwise, you will be stopped by the minister of Communion, or the hospitality minister, and be told to consume the host. Also, when you bring guests to Mass, you should have a conversation with them about our beliefs regarding holy Communion. Only believing and practicing Catholics should receive. If you are bringing a Catholic guest who has not been to Mass in awhile, you should ask them to go to confession prior to returning to Communion. We believe that holy Communion is only for Catholics because of our belief in the Real Presence and that receiving Communion indicates shared beliefs and submission to shared authority. In addition, one must be properly disposed spiritually, which means having confessed any mortal sins. Missing Mass without a serious reason is a mortal sin and should be confessed before returning to Communion.