A Call to Service

Originally posted on September 29, 2008 via Multiply.com
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(Published in the Annual Fiesta 2007 Souvenir)

We see them at Holy Masses, in their white barong and liturgical hood, depending on the liturgical color of the day.  They are the Extra Ordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, or just simply called Lay Ministers of the Parish of the Five Wounds of Our Lord, in Las Pinas City.

They are men with a mission; their vocation is a Call to Service. And, they live up to their ministry, , from the Latin word  "ministerium", which means service. Their main duties are to assist the priest in the Parish and the community in other ways that help strengthen  the local Church.

After Vatican II, the Church has given the laity more participation in various ministries previously reserved for priests or ordained ministers.  One of these ministries is that of assisting priests and deacons in the distribution of the Holy Communion in Holy Masses or  other times when the Eucharist is brought to the sick at home or the hospitals.

Lay Ministers need to undergo strict screening and proper formation before they are commissioned to serve.  They are expected to distinguish themselves at all times by their Catholic Christian life, faith and morals, and strive to be worthy of their great office or ministry, cultivate devotion to the Holy Eucharist and show themselves as examples to others by their piety and reverence for the most Holy Eucharist of the Altar.

It is important for Lay Ministers to constantly live their Catholic faith in their daily lives.  People expect that of them and to be deeply committed to their ministry.  Lay Ministers must believe what the Church believes, that when we receive Holy Communion, we take into our bodies the Body and Blood, the person of Jesus Christ.  For Lay Ministers, the Eucharist is not food that merely represents Christ or food to make us remember Him.  The Holy Eucharist is Christ Himself. It is the Risen Lord who at His final Passover meal gave us His gift to be continually shared among those who keep faith in Him.

In the Parish of the Five Wounds of our Lord, Lay Ministers have the following vision and mission to help them draw inspirations and enlightenment, grace and fidelity to persevere in their ministry and increase within them love and reverence for the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.

(i)  To undergo regular formation and deepen their commitment to the Ministry, enhance discipline and promote brotherhood among themselves in order to heighten their awareness of the local Church.

(ii)  To make themselves available for service at a specified time and date during Sunday Masses in the Parish, and bring Holy Communion to the sick.

(iii)  To participate in retreats and recollections organized by the Ministry and the Parish as part of their regular spiritual formation.

(iv)  To continue to strive to deepen their devotion to the Holy Eucharist.

So in the journey to the Father's House, Lay Ministers of the Parish of the Five Wounds commit themselves to live the Ministry of the Eucharist  in their everyday lives at home, in the office and wherever they are called to be and to live with.  They must always be  Extra Ordinary Ministers of the Holy Communion on the altar and everywhere, responding to their mission at all times.... A Call to Service for God and neighbors.