Have the souls in Purgatory commented on extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist?
Maria Simma:
Yes. Under normal circumstances, only the consecrated hands of priests can distribute Communion. Church law says that this must be done unless there are “extraordinary circumstances,” such as the priest being sick in bed. “Extraordinary” does not mean that the faithful must wait two minutes instead of ten to receive Communion. We must always prepare ourselves in prayer to receive Jesus, and people who insist on doing everything as quickly as possible do not realize the enormous privilege and source of grace and protection we obtain by receiving Jesus.
If anyone needs proof that God does not like the haphazard way in which extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist are used today, I can tell the following story about something that happened very close to here not long ago.
Not long ago, a woman who used to distribute Communion and who had induced many other women to do the same passed away. I didn't know her very well, but I had heard a lot about her. Before the funeral, the casket was open so that family and friends could say goodbye. At the appointed time, the casket was closed. But before an hour had passed, a close relative arrived late and asked the priest to please open it briefly so that he could say goodbye to the deceased like the rest.
The priest agreed and, with one or two people present, lifted the lid and looked inside. They witnessed something that was not what they had seen a moment before. The woman's hands had turned black. This sign, for me, as for the rest, was a confirmation from God that unconsecrated hands cannot distribute Jesus during Communion.
On the other hand, the so-called “people's altar” is also something that delights Satan. Jesus present in the tabernacle should always be at the center of the Church. When the altar was turned around, several things happened. To begin with, the concentration of the faithful on Jesus was dissipated by now having the priest's face in between, and the face, as everyone knows, is the strongest point of communication between people. Only during the homily should the faithful focus on the pastor, his words, and his face. Turning around the altar left Jesus in a secondary place, which resulted in him being left aside and then, finally, as happens today in many churches, totally separated, in a different wing or even in a totally separate room. This is precisely what Satan had in mind from the beginning: to get rid of Jesus!
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Translated with DeepL.com (free version)