Since receiving the Ministry of Acolyte I have been having some rather beautiful experiences. I first exercised my Ministry the night I received it by exposing the Blessed Sacrament for the first time. Usually I sit in the chapel glancing at the monstrance every now and them but spending most of the time looking at anything else but. That evening, however, I could not take my eyes off the Sacred Host spending the entire hour in disbelief of what I had just done. When I reposed the Blessed Sacrament I went into the sacristy trying to hold back the tears.
Since coming back to the parish I have been busy because the Parish Priest is away at the moment so I have been doing everything but say Mass. This has included exposing and reposing the Blessed Sacrament, leading the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, Sacristy duties, opening and closing the church, answering the phone and door and on Wednesday I will have my first Eucharistic Service under my belt (I swore I would never do this but it was either me or a Pastoral Lay Assistant - tough choice). The most beautiful experience I have had was today when I took Communion to a man in his home. Apparently he had wanted someone to take Communion to him for ages but word hadn't got to the parish until last week so I said I would take it to him. When I got there I was greeted so warmly both by him and his non-Catholic wife. I went through the Rite hoping I wasn't going too fast or getting anything wrong and he spent the entire time looking at the pyx and the smile that appeared on his face when I opened it up was incredible. Afterwards he thanked me over and over and over again. I went home thanking God for this wonderful opportunity to bring Him into that man's home and give him the Communion he had been wanting for so long. That was the first time I had ever done that without shadowing a priest, what a beautiful first time it was.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Gosh; you leave me quite speechless. :)
Once I was received into the Church, I went to Benediction - I had been before, but it did not seem the same - at that time I could not take my eyes of the monstrance, so I know what you mean.
Re your other post, I will, I will! But pray for us. :)
I've just discovered your blog today, and I'm delighted to hear that we can hope to have some more good priests in the coming years.
This may sound like a small quibble, but I don't think it is unimportant. When you speak of "Eucharistic Service" don't you mean a "Holy Communion Service"?
My understanding was that few parishes are now holding such Holy Communion Services. At least, they shouldn't be if they are following Redemptionis Sacramentum (2004): "..the diocesan Bishop...must not easily grant permission for such celebrations [without a priest at which Holy Communion is distributed] to be held on weekdays, especially in places where it was possible or would be possible to have the celebration of Mass on the preceding or the following Sunday" (n. 166). I hear that even in Plymouth Diocese where used to take all the time, Bishop Christopher Budd has issued a directive prohibiting them.
Post a Comment