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| Feast of All Saints | |||
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| Feast of the Immaculate Conception | |||
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One idea to improve parish spirituality Sal DiNenna
The following is taken from Communion of the Sick (TheLiturgicalPress,
1984)
Thefaithfulwho are ill are deprived of their rightful and accustomedplacein the eucharistic community. In bringing communion to themtheminister of communion represents Christ and manifests faithandcharity on behalf of the whole community toward those whocannotbe present at the eucharist. For the sick the receptionof communionis not only a privilege but also a sign of supportand concernshown by the Christian community for its members whoare ill.
The links between the community's eucharistic celebration,especiallyon the Lord's Day, and the communion of the sick areintimate andmanifold. Besides remembering the sick in the generalintercessionsat Mass, those present should be reminded occasionallyof the significanceof communion in the lives of those who areill: union with Christin his struggle with evil, his prayer forthe world, and his lovefor the Father, and union with the communityfrom which they areseparated.
The obligation to visit and comfort those who cannot take partinthe eucharistic assembly may be clearly demonstrated by takingcommunionto them from the community's eucharistic celebration.This symbolof unity between the community and its sick membershas the deepestsignificance on the Lord's Day, the special dayof the eucharisticassembly.
In accordance with the instruction offered by the above, especiallyparagraph#2, I propose that after communion at Sunday massesthe celebrantsend forth the Eucharistic minister(s) who are bringingthe Eucharistto the sick. This a practice at several parishesincluding HolySaviour in Norristown where the following are recitedby the celebrantthroughout the year:
Go forth in peace to the sick and homebound of our community,bearingthe word of life and the body of Christ together withthe assuranceof our love and concern.
1. Be to our brothers and sisters heralds of glad tidingsandministers of Christ's abiding presence. (Advent)
2. Join their voices to our hymn in praise of God's gloryandin the name of this community share God's peace with themin thegift of Emmanuel. (Christmas/Epiphany)
3. May these gifts bring confidence to our brothers andsistersin the loving care of the Father and His Church. (OrdinaryTime)
4. May these gifts strengthen our absent brothers and sistersintheir communion with us through the pilgrimage of lent to thePaschalfeast of the kingdom. (Lent)
5. By your presence and the holy gifts you share, remindthemof
the communion that is ours in the risen Lord whose paschalmysteryhas
made us one body and one spirit, in the one baptismby whichwe
have been born to new life. (Easter time)
To theTopof
Rev. Robert A. McLaughlin's Web Page