The Bread and Wine?

Discussion in 'Liturgy, and Book of Common Prayer' started by UK Anglican, Mar 31, 2013.

  1. UK Anglican

    UK Anglican Member

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    I was watching an Easter Service on T.V. and I noticed that during Communion some people took both bread and wine and some people took either one or the other, so I was wondering why?

    Are there Anglicans who believe that if you take the Bread during Communion you don't need to take the wine or the other way round, if you take wine you don't need to take the bread? If there is, is this valid in the eyes of the church?

    I have never heard of this happening in an Anglican church, but seeing what I did today made me wonder, which is why I ask.
     
  2. Toma

    Toma Well-Known Member Anglican

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    It is said that there was a Medieval "heresy" identified by the Roman Church as Utraquism. This heresy said that Christ was only half-present in the Bread and half-present in the Wine, and that a communicant needed to receive both to receive the Whole Christ. In this debate, Rome slowly (over several centuries) developed their doctrine that Christ is present "Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity" in the Bread fully and in the Wine fully. In order to combat the heresy, Rome restricted the Chalice to the priest.

    During the Reformation of the Church of England, Cranmer was one of the most vigorous opponents of restricting the Wine to the priest. Both Kinds were administered in the Church of England for 300 years. Anglicans who have tried to return to the Roman practice & piety of the Middle Ages (and the Tridentine era) generally don't seem to restrict the precious Blood, regardless of how "High" their ritual is. I've seen very ritualist churches which still give the wine to the laity. :)

    The Lord said: "take and eat; take and drink; DO THIS in remembrance of me." Anything else is blasphemy and sacrilege.
     
  3. Old Christendom

    Old Christendom Well-Known Member

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    Holy Communion consists of both kinds or species: bread and wine. In any normal circumstances, the communicants should consume both. It's Christ's plain ordinance, as registered in the gospels.

    However, in special circumstances, I believe that only the bread may be consumed lawfully. The early Christians in times of persecution could bring the consecrated bread to other Christians who hid in their homes or catacombs.
     
  4. UK Anglican

    UK Anglican Member

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    Out of Interest, what is put in place for someone who is an Alcoholic or wheat/Gluten intolerant?
    This is not something my parish needs to worry about.
     
  5. Symphorian

    Symphorian Well-Known Member

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    Yes. In cases of necessity Holy Communion may be received in one kind only, either bread or wine. In the CofE, part 8 of the Sacrament Act of 1547 is still in force and is mandatory.

    "...the said most blessed Sacrament be hereafter...commonly delivered and ministered unto the people of the Church of England...under both kinds, that is to say, of bread and wine except necessity otherwise require..."

    The exceptional practice of intinction was recognised in a statement on 'Hygiene and the Chalice' issued by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York in 1969. Intinction is now standard practice in male prisons where the President intincts. This is legal in the CofE.

    Intinction is also legal in the circumstance of a pandemic, e.g. swine flu etc.

    The doctrine of necessity is recognized within canon law and within English Common Law. The responsibility for deciding whether a necessity exists rests with the discretion of the President but they are not supposed to deviate from the general law except in cases of genuine necessity.

    Examples would be in the case of alcoholics who would only receive under the form of bread or where no gluten-free wafer is available for a coeliac sufferer in which case they would only receive under the form of wine.
     
  6. Symphorian

    Symphorian Well-Known Member

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    An alcoholic who couldn't even take a sip of wine could just receive under the form of bread.

    In the Church of Rome, mustum (raw grape juice) is sometimes used in exceptional circumstances in the cases of alcoholic Priests although I'm not aware of it being used in the CofE.

    A gluten intolerant would have a gluten-free wafer provided or they would just receive under the form of wine.
     
    Thomas Didymus and Toma like this.
  7. Gordon

    Gordon Well-Known Member

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    As sacristan of my local church I ensure there is both gluten free and regular bread available if I am aware we have a communicant who is gluten intolerant.