Third Wednesday after the Epiphany
Your new word for the day is patten. The patten is the vessel that holds the bread for communion. Your second new word is host. The host is not a male hostess. It is the large disc of unleavened bread that the priest (or minister) breaks during the communion liturgy. When the priest (minister) breaks the host, it is called the fracture. I can imagine some priest telling someone, "I fractured my host at 11:45 this morning," and the person responding, "Did you go to the Emergency Room?"
Whereas it's easy to say what's high church and what's low church in regard to the wine--wine is high church; grape juice is low church. I don't whether such a distinction applies to the bread. High church denominations tend to use unleavened wafers. Low church denominations tend to use bread, although there are more exceptions than there is the rule (I guess that makes it not a rule).
I was once in a class that was dealing with the theology of the eucharist. Only the one Catholic in the class argued for the truth of transubstantiation (that the substance of the bread/wine becomes the substance of the body/blood of Christ). He said that it was easier for him to believe that bread could be the body of Christ than that those little plastic looking wafers could be bread.
I have been in churches that used little pellet looking pieces of alleged bread. I've also been in a church that had slices of Merita white torn into small pieces. I grew up on the plastic wafers
A popular gift to give ministers is a "Communion Kit." I have two of them. Their purpose is for the minister to take them for communion with homebound members or with hospital patients. They have a little vial for juice, a little container for wafers, a little patten, and two little cups, one for the patient and one for the pastor. All this is in a small case, sometimes with a strap on it, so you can carry it over your soldier. I once had a hospital patient, who when I took the case out and opened it up, she said, "Oh, how cute!"
There is a whole series of pastors' jokes about a fictional "Beverly Hills Presbyterian." The pastors' communion kits are made by Prada. Upon entering the church on communion Sundays each person receives a bulletin and a wine list. Etc.
So what should you use for communion. I may have mentioned before Hoyt Hickman's
"Principle of Authenticity." Use a loaf of real bread. Let the server tear off pieces from the loaf and present them to the palms open hands of the parishioners. Before the servers are about to serve, let them wash their hands thoroughly in a basin and with soap. Grape juice may not be totally authentic, but it is the "fruit of the vine." That's close enough.
"Principle of Authenticity." Use a loaf of real bread. Let the server tear off pieces from the loaf and present them to the palms open hands of the parishioners. Before the servers are about to serve, let them wash their hands thoroughly in a basin and with soap. Grape juice may not be totally authentic, but it is the "fruit of the vine." That's close enough.
Faithfully,
Christian
1 comment:
I love this one! For any of you medical people out there: Is there an ICD-10 code for "fractured the host?"
I remember how when my mother was a very young pastor one of her church members liked to bake the bread. Unfortunately, the bread was often very, very hard. Mom tells the story of how at one point she had to somewhat bang the bread on the altar to get it to break.
I've always wanted to use pumpernickel bread because it is my favorite, and it also brings up questions about the absurd assumption that Jesus had European style white skin. What if Jesus was pumpernickel?
My mom always uses really good bread for communion. She was the pastor of a tiny church in rural Pennsylvania for several years, and she got to buy the bread at places that sold Amish baked goods. When I lived with her for two years, one of my favorite activities was eating the leftover communion bread. The body of Christ is delicious with hummus. Very Middle Eastern.
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