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Jennifer Bried
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Hi, guys —
I used to go to Mass frequently. I recently stopped going after something strange happened.
While receiving Communion, the Priest did not say Body of Christ and he gave me a communion wafer (host) that was not round with the cross on it, like the others. It was more like a triscuit wafer; it was square and made of horizontal and vertical lines of bread, woven together, and was of a darker color.
It bothered me and after that priest went on a month-long vacation I returned to Mass. Then after a couple of weeks, the other priest did the same thing. I looked him in the eye to ask why and he was very cold to me so I just said, Amen, and returned to the pew. Since then, I have never been back to that Church.
- Why would a Priest do that?
- What does it mean?
I found it too offensive to even ask the Priest for an explanation. I kind of took it as a sign that I was no longer welcome in that Church.
- Is there a hidden meaning to this?
I have not found another church either. I do not feel comfortable going to Church anymore, instead I:
- say the Rosary twice daily
- pray other prayers
- pray a few hours every day, and
- do a 15-decade Rosary on Sundays.
Jennifer
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Why would a priest omit these words and give me a communion (host) like this at Communion? }
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Bob replied:
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Jennifer,
I can't answer for exactly what is going on there, but it does seem strange. The omission of the words is especially troubling.
With respect to the host, sometimes priests will break up the large host that they elevate for the congregation because they do not want to consume it all themselves. This can happen at peril inasmuch as broken edges tend to crumble more, thus putting particles at greater risk.
If this was not your situation, perhaps they are using some locally produced unleavened bread — I have seen this before though again it has problems and is generally not allowed. Too many priests try to do something to try to make Communion cool as if receiving Our Lord wasn't cool enough. Most often priests who tamper with the Mass like that are modernists who have embraced heresy. I would worry about that here.
I can't say for sure what is really happening, but whenever your antennae goes up and says that something is wrong it is best to find another parish.
If you generally find everything else normal with the parish perhaps a talk with the priest is merited because it could all be a misunderstanding.
Sorry I can't give you much more than that; this will really come down to your discernment.
Peace,
Bob Kirby
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Mike replied:
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Hi, Jenn—
I just wanted to add to Bob's answer.
You said:
I have not found another church either. I do not feel comfortable going to Church anymore, instead I:
- say the Rosary twice daily
- pray other prayers
- pray a few hours every day, and
- do a 15-decade Rosary on Sundays.
Though I agree with my colleague Bob, I would encourage you to go to Mass for at least 2 reasons:
- We are obliged as Catholic Christians to renew our Covenant (meaning go to Sunday Mass), and
- Even, if we are not properly disposed to receive Communion or the priest is doing something wrong, it is important to go so we will receive the graces Our Lord gave us by His Death on the Cross at Calvary.
At Mass, we enter into that one Sacrifice of Christ on Calvary and are present at Calvary. To the finite human mind, this makes no sense but because Jesus (was/is) the Divine Person (outside of time) that Sacrifice of Calvary and the graces that come with it, are perpetuated throughout history until the Second Coming.
So the point: Don't miss out on graces you can receive to make good Christian choices for each week.
In no way am I discouraging the Rosary as I'm a big Rosary fan and highly recommend praying it on a daily basis.
P.S. If you think the priest is doing something in the Mass that he shouldn't be doing and have tried to first talk to him about the issue, bring it to the bishop.
I'm 90 percent sure that if you go to a bishop with a concern, the first question from him will be:
- Have you talked to your pastors and priests about this?
Just my two cents,
Mike
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