Up until around 20 years ago, many priests found it difficult to explain why women were allowed to distribute the body and blood of Christ, but young women (i.e., girls) were excluded from being servers and handing the priest cruets filled with water and wine. Many priests today are likewise having a hard time explaining why Curia officials and the pope are insisting that extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist, many of whom are women, can distribute the body and blood of Christ, but are unworthy of cleaning the chalices. If priests believed this regulation made theological sense, they would support the revised General Instruction of the Roman Missal 2000 that allows only men (i.e., priests, deacons and instituted acolytes) to purify sacred vessels after Mass. However, most priests cannot rationally explain why women are worthy of distributing the Body and Blood of Christ, but, at the same time, are excluded from helping the priest “do the dishes.” Instead of addressing the fact that the median age of priests in the U.S. is over 60 and there are more and more parishes without a resident priest, we have men in Curia offices publishing decrees reminiscent of the Pharisees who were preoccupied about “the washing of cups and pots and vessels of bronze.” (Mark 7:4) Why do you think some Curia officials want only men to cleanse the chalices? To what degree are women excluded from playing an important role in the Church based upon discriminatory theological formulations that “teach as doctrines the precepts of men”? (Mark 7:7)
Up until 40 years ago, only the priest could distribute communion and then, only on the tongue. The invention of EMHCs began a slippery slope towards where we now have women who ask why they should not be allowed ordination as deacons and priests. It led to confusion. The answer, of course, is obvious, but not to them.
In my Maronite parish, communion is by intinction, distributed by only the priest and, for obvious reasons, only on the tongue. There are NO exceptions.
To what degree are women excluded from playing an important role in the Church based upon discriminatory theological formulations that “teach as doctrines the precepts of men”? (Mark 7:7)
Christ entrusted the teaching authority to men, not women. Had He desired it to be otherwise, He would also have chosen women, especially His blessed mother.