Were more pyxes to be of this quality, it would be far less likely to find them lying around, unpurified, in places where they don’t belong. Just a thought.
From a reader….
QUAERITUR:
I frequently find communion pyxes lying on the organ in the choir loft. They seem to be left there from a prior Mass where they were used to bring Holy Communion to the choir by an extraordinary minister.
Should the pyxes just be left in the loft? Aren’t they supposed to be purified?
Goodness gracious.
Of course they should be purified!
Take them all to the priest, as soon as possible. Tell him where you found those unpurified pyxes!
Care of the Blessed Sacrament, as the center of parish life, is among the most solemn responsibilities that every pastor must account for before God.
Pyxes should be properly used, which means also properly cleansed after use.
Furthermore, they ought to be of a dignified material. They should be treated with the respect due to a vessel that carries our Eucharistic Lord.
Leaving them lying about unpurified is not how to show them respect.
Respect for sacred liturgical vessels, such as chalices, monstrances and pyxes, both flows from and also influences faith in the Eucharist. Treating the vessels with dignity and care, helps to foster faith and reverence for the Eucharist. Misuse and negligence, on the other hand, both reveals weakness of faith and understanding and erodes further the little there is.
