The Story of the Lemon Merengue Pie

This is the story of the Lemon Merengue Pie.

Every special occasion, usually Thanksgiving and Christmas, my mom would make sure each of us kids had our own favorite pie. My brother Charles and I loved cherry pie. I honestly don’t remember my other brother’s favorite pies but I know we always had Pecan pie, apple pie, pumpkin pie and my cherry pie. And mom did this every Thanksgiving and every Christmas. Our Christmas feast was a repeat of Thanksgiving since we usually received several turkeys from kind Samaritans. Oh, and there was always a third turkey that was saved for Easter.

But for my dad it was always lemon merengue pie. As we got older, she would usually let us help make “our” pie. And I remember that she always fretted until Daddy’s pie was made. I remember being in the store with her helping to find the ingredients for Daddy’s favorite pie. And when his pie was ready, she would carry it out to him and he would make a big production, hug her and smack his lips. She would blush and smile. Geesh, they were cute.

When I was twenty-four, my mom passed away after a two year battle fighting breast cancer. That was in March. We made it through Easter that year and my sister-in-law, Michelle, and I figured out the Easter feast.

As my Dad’s birthday started to approach in August, I began to fret, like my mom, about making sure Dad had a lemon merengue pie for his Birthday. See, Daddy never had a birthday cake on his birthday. He had lemon merengue pie. And he would smile, smack his lips, make a big deal out of eating his pie and give Mom her hug. And she would blush.

I found a recipe for lemon meringue pie. I headed to the grocery store to find the ingredients. I looked up and down every aisle trying to find lemon peel. I headed back to my apartment and called my Aunt Kay (no cell phones back in those days!).

Me: “Aunt Kay, where do I find lemon peel?”

Aunt Kay: “Honey, you have to buy a lemon and then scrape some of the peel off.”

So, back to the store I went and home again with my lemon.

I accomplished the lemon part of the pie with no further problems. Of course, I used the frozen pie crusts in the foil pans. What twenty-four year old single girl do you know that owns a nice pie pan? This one didn’t! And then I was moving onto the merengue part and my first attempt was not very successful. Can I just say how thankful I was that my Aunt Kay kept answering her phone that day? Did you know that you are supposed to beat the egg whites for a long, long time? Until they form stiff peaks? So, after another conversation with my Aunt Kay, I headed back to the grocery store and found a tin of cream of tartar.

My second attempt at the merengue produced a beautiful and lovely pie and I was quite proud of my handiwork!

A little bit later, I made a way to my Dad’s house and unveiled the loveliest pie I had ever made. Well, it was my first pie. And my Dad gave me a hug. It was just me and him sitting on the front porch with our slices of heavenly lemon merengue pie. And as he is digging into his slice:

Dad: “You know, your momma always used to make me a lemon merengue pie. And I never really did care for lemon merengue pie!”

Oh. My. Word!! It turns out that my Daddy really loved Vanilla crème pie but Mom had made a lemon merengue pie for him at some point and he’d made a big deal out of it and she’d thought that meant he loved lemon merengue. This my friends, is true love.

And that’s the story of the lemon merengue pie.

Me and my Daddy a few years after the Lemon Merengue pie incident. I have, on occasion, made him a Vanilla Crème pie.

EME or EMHC?

What term do you use in your community?

I'm not an expert on this topic but I do remember my priest, Father Dynek, in 2003 informing our community that EME refers to the priest. Eucharistic Minister is the name used to designate the priest. Those lay people who distribute communion should be referred to as EMHC (Extraordinary Ministers of the Holy Communion) since they are extra-ordinary not part of the ordinary distribution of the Communion.

So, for 10 years now, I've continued to say EMHC and everyone else still continues to say EME's. Most likely because it's easier to say EME's over EMHC's. Maybe instead of saying the "Eucharist Ministers" we should say the "Extraordinary Ministers".


But this is what the Pope said:

This is incorrect termniology. The Vatican has repeatedly made statements that the correct wording should be used.


Quote:
Need for an Appropriate Terminology

In his address to participants at the Symposium on "Collaboration of the Lay Faithful with the Priestly Ministry", the Holy Father emphasised the need to clarify and distinguish the various meanings which have accrued to the term "ministry" in theological and canonical language.(53)

§ 1. "For some time now, it has been customary to use the word ministries not only for the officia (officies) and non-ordained (functions) munera exercised by Pastors in virtue of the sacrament of Orders, but also for those exercised by the lay faithful in virtue of their baptismal priesthood. The terminological question becomes even more complex and delicate when all the faithful are recognized as having the possibility of supplying-by official deputation given by the Pastors-certain functions more proper to clerics, which, nevertheless, do not require the character of Orders. It must be admitted that the language becomes doubtful, confused, and hence not helpful for expressing the doctrine of the faith whenever the difference 'of essence and not merely of degree' between the baptismal priesthood and the ordained priesthood is in any way obscured".(54)

§ 2. "In some cases, the extension of the term "ministry" to the munera belonging to the lay faithful has been permitted by the fact that the latter, to their own degree, are a participation in the one priesthood of Christ. The officia temporarily entrusted to them, however, are exclusively the result of a deputation by the Church. Only with constant reference to the one source, the 'ministry of Christ' (...) may the term ministry be applied to a certain extent and without ambiguity to the lay faithful: that is, without it being perceived and lived as an undue aspiration to the ordained ministry or as a progressive erosion of its specific nature.

In this original sense the term ministry (servitium) expresses only the work by which the Church's members continue the mission and ministry of Christ within her and the whole world. However, when the term is distinguished from and compared with the various munera and officia, then it should be clearly noted that only in virtue of sacred ordination does the work obtain that full, univocal meaning that tradition has attributed to it." (55)

§ 3. The non-ordained faithful may be generically designated "extraordinary ministers" when deputed by competent authority to discharge, solely by way of supply, those offices mentioned in Canon 230, § 3(56) and in Canons 943 and 1112. Naturally, the concrete term may be applied to those to whom functions are canonically entrusted e.g. catechists, acolytes, lectors etc.

Temporary deputation for liturgical purposes — mentioned in Canon 230, § 2 — does not confer any special or permanent title on the non-ordained faithful.(57)

It is unlawful for the non-ordained faithful to assume titles such as "pastor", "chaplain", "coordinator", " moderator" or other such similar titles which can confuse their role and that of the Pastor, who is always a Bishop or Priest.(58)


This specifically applies to an EMHC:


Quote:
§ 1. The canonical discipline concerning extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion must be correctly applied so as to avoid generating confusion. The same discipline establishes that the ordinary minister of Holy Communion is the Bishop, the Priest and the the Deacon.(96) Extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion are those instituted as acolytes and the faithful so deputed in accordance with Canon 230, § 3.(97)

A non-ordained member of the faithful, in cases of true necessity, may be deputed by the diocesan bishop, using the appropriate form of blessing for these situation, to act as an extraordinary minister to distribute Holy Communion outside of liturgical celebrations ad actum vel ad tempus or for a more stable period. In exceptional cases or in un foreseen circumstances, the priest presiding at the liturgy may authorize such ad actum.(98)

§ 2. Extraordinary ministers may distribute Holy Communion at eucharistic celebrations only when there are no ordained ministers present or when those ordained ministers present at a liturgical celebration are truly unable to distribute Holy Communion.(99) They may also exercise this function at eucharistic celebrations where there are particularly large numbers of the faithful and which would be excessively prolonged because of an insufficient number of ordained ministers to distribute Holy Communion. (100)

This function is supplementary and extraordinary (101) and must be exercised in accordance with the norm of law. It is thus useful for the diocesan bishop to issue particular norms concerning extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion which, in complete harmony with the universal law of the Church, should regulate the exercise of this function in his diocese. Such norms should provide, amongst other things, for matters such as the instruction in eucharistic doctrine of those chosen to be extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, the meaning of the service they provide, the rubrics to be observed, the reverence to be shown for such an august Sacrament and instruction concerning the discipline on admission to Holy Communion.


Therefore, precise language is very important to the Church. She wouldn't have issued several documents on the subject if it weren't.

Blessings

4. Season one Happy Days reruns on Hallmark.

5. Three hour naps after being up all night.

6. A kid who gets herself up this morning and gets ready for school without me yelling at her!

Blessings

1. Mass twice today.

2. Mk's sleepover buddy who makes us all laugh.

3. Cool, breezy weather.