Eucharist Q&A

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Eucharist Q&A

Fr Jacob Legarda, Archbishop’s Chaplain

Given how important and frequent the Eucharist is for many Anglicans, the Episcopal Office often receives questions from clergy and laity about Holy Communion. The following Q&A represents some of the questions received and replies given, and is offered here to stimulate further discussion and study.

What does the Anglican Church of Australia believe and teach about the Eucharist?

According to the doctrinal formularies of the Anglican Church of Australia¹, the Eucharist (also called the Holy Communion and the Lord’s Supper) is one of two gospel sacraments or ‘effectual signs of grace’² instituted by Christ at his last supper to be ‘a perpetual memory of that his precious death, until his coming again’³. To this ‘one oblation of himself once offered’ the Church unites its ‘sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving’⁴. The Anglican Church also affirms that ‘the bread which we break is a partaking of the body of Christ⁵; and likewise the cup of blessing is a partaking of the blood of Christ’ so that feeding upon him by faith with thanksgiving ‘we may evermore dwell in him and he in us’⁶ . The rubrics of The Book of Common Prayer require that a bishop or priest presides over the Eucharist; and that the consecrated elements, which are administered in both kinds, are to be handled reverently and used only for the purposes of communion⁷. Within these parameters, the Anglican Church allows for a diversity of theological views and liturgical styles.

Why is this sacrament commonly called the ‘Eucharist’?

The term ‘Eucharist’ comes from the Greek word for ‘thanksgiving’. According to the Synoptic Gospels and St Paul’s first Letter to the Corinthians, Jesus ‘gave thanks’ (εύχαριστήσας) as he took bread and wine, and shared it with his disciples. Recognising the significance of this, the Early Church came to refer to the breaking of the bread as ‘Eucharist’. The Book of Homilies explains that ‘the godly fathers named it Eucharistia, that is thanksgiving’ because it is ‘the matter, the cause, the beginning and the end of all thanksgiving’⁸.

Given its scriptural roots and ancient usage, ‘Eucharist’ has become the preferred name for the sacrament of Christ’s body and blood in both Anglican and ecumenical circles; and for this reason it is the term used in all official documents produced by the Anglican Communion and the World Council of Churches.

How often must the Holy Communion be celebrated?

The canons instruct that ‘the Holy Communion or the Lord’s Supper should be celebrated sufficiently frequently and at appropriate times’⁹. Most parishes in this Diocese celebrate the Eucharist at least every Sunday.

Which parts of the Eucharist must be led/done by the priest, and which parts may be led/done by a lay minister?

The following sections of the Eucharist (APBA 119-144) are ‘presidential’ in nature and reserved for the presiding bishop or priest alone:

The Greeting #3
The Absolution #7
The Collect of the Day #11
The Greeting of Peace #24
The Great Thanksgiving #26-27
The Breaking of the Bread #28-29
The Prayer after Communion #30
The Blessing #33

It is the practice of this Diocese that the Gospel #16 is proclaimed by the presider or the liturgical deacon. Only licensed clergy or lay ministers authorised by the Archbishop may deliver the Sermon #17. All other parts of the service may be led/done by the Liturgical Assistant (LA) or Lay Pastoral Minister (LPM).

Who may receive communion?

Since the Lord’s Supper is a sign of Christian discipleship, the canons admit only the following persons to communion:

a baptised member of this Church who has been confirmed or desires to be confirmed¹⁰
a baptised and communicant member of another Christian church¹¹
a baptised child who is able to ask for the sacrament and understands its meaning¹²

A priest may not refuse communion to a member of the Church without the prior direction of the Archbishop¹³.

What elements are to be used for Holy Communion?

The Lambeth Quadrilateral commits Anglicans to administer the Eucharist ‘with unfailing use of Christ’s words of institution and of the elements ordained by him’ – namely, bread and wine¹⁴. The Book of Common Prayer requires that ‘the best and purest wheat bread’ be used and the canons of this Church instructs that ‘the wine must be of good quality’¹⁵.

What options are available to those who cannot consume gluten or alcohol?

Low-gluten wafers are made of wheat starch and generally contain only 0.0001 percent gluten¹⁶ making them suitable for most people with gluten intolerance or sensitivity. Completely gluten-free wafers are somewhat problematic because they are made of potato, rice or tapioca which means that they are not strictly ‘wheat bread’ as required by The Book of Common Prayer.

Mustum wine (which is a type of grape juice that has been allowed to ferment up to a certain point to keep its natural alcoholic content under 1.0 percent) is suitable for use with those who cannot consume a detectable amount of alcohol.

Within the Anglican Communion, there is also a view that it is not necessary to define ‘bread’ or ‘wine’ in precise detail and that ‘it is enough that the elements should be realistically capable of being called ‘bread’ and ‘wine’ in the context of the celebration of the Eucharist’¹⁷. Even if, with this in mind, appropriate alternatives are made available to those who are unable to consume any amount of gluten or alcohol – the presider is still to use wheat bread and fortified wine at the consecration and for the rest of the congregation.

Is it preferable that the priest receive communion last after serving the congregation first?

While a dinner host would ordinarily serve their guests first before sitting down to eat, this does not apply to the administration of communion because the priest ‘is to be seen by the assembly to receive communion as an example to be followed – the further visible expression of ‘Do this in remembrance of me’¹⁸. The canons and The Book of Common Prayer require that the presider ‘first receive the Communion in both kinds himself [or herself] and then proceed to deliver the same to the Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, in like manner, if any be present, and after that to the people’¹⁹.

Why is intinction discouraged?

According to the canons, ‘the sacrament must normally be offered separately in both kinds to every communicant’²⁰ – intinction (or dipping the host in the chalice) is therefore an unwarranted practice which crept into churches during the 1980’s AIDS outbreak in the belief that it was a safer way to partake of the common cup. Recent studies indicate that the opposite is true given that intinction introduces more pathogens to the wine than saliva alone²¹. When the host is placed in the palm of each communicant, it absorbs infectious agents that are present on the hand from touching collection money, or sharing the peace, or covering a sneeze or a cough. That host (and quite often the communicant’s fingertips too) is then dipped in the chalice, directly transferring the infectious agents to the wine. Intinction is therefore a risky practice, and more so during a pandemic.

Is witholding the chalice in the time of a pandemic contrary to Christ’s command and Anglican teaching (Article XXX)?

Anglicanism has always held that the sacrament is to be administered in both kinds (i.e. bread and wine) as Christ has commanded – ‘except when necessity otherwise require’²². This caveat acknowledges the possibility of exceptional circumstances when administering the sacrament in both kinds is not feasible or advisable, such as a pandemic.

May the priest refrain from consecrating the wine or consuming the chalice in solidarity with the congregation when they are unable to share the common cup?

The example of Christ, The Book of Common Prayer and the canons of this Church require the twofold consecration of both bread and wine at the Holy Communion²³. ‘The minister as leader has a representative character, to act as ‘the one on behalf of many’… he [or she] does not act in his [or her] own name, but in the name of Christ and in the name of the whole body of Christ’²⁴. So, first and foremost, the priest is called to act in solidarity with Christ by taking and giving thanks for both the bread and the wine. In consuming the chalice, the priest also expresses his or her solidarity with God’s people by modelling what the Church is ordinarily commanded to do.

What happens if the consecrated bread or wine runs out during the distribution of communion?

If extra bread or wine are needed, they must be consecrated by the priest before being administered²⁵. It is sufficient for the priest to pray:

Over the bread

On the night he was betrayed Jesus took bread;
and when he had given you thanks
he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying,
‘Take, eat. This is my body given for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.’

Over the wine

After supper, Jesus took the cup,
and again giving you thanks
he gave it to his disciples, saying,
‘Drink from this, all of you.
This is my blood of the new covenant
shed for you and for many
for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this, as often as you drink it,
in remembrance of me.’

What happens to consecrated bread or wine that cannot be consumed?

According to The Book of Common Prayer, any excess consecrated elements must be reverently consumed²⁶. Since no alternative methods of disposal are offered or envisioned, every effort should be made to ascertain the necessary quantity of bread and wine to be consecrated; and if the sacrament is to be reserved, it should be frequently replenished to avoid spoilage. If too much wine has been consecrated, the priest may invite others to assist with its consumption.

How does the practice of reserving the sacrament sit with Article XXVIII which states that ‘the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper was not by Christ’s ordinance reserved, carried about, lifted up, or worshipped’?

The practice of reserving the sacrament for the sick and housebound goes back to the time of the Early Church: ‘And when the presider has given thanks and all the people say ‘Amen’ those who are called deacons give to each of those present the bread and wine mixed with water over which the thanksgiving was pronounced, and to those who are absent they carry away a portion’ (Justin Martyr, 153AD). At the Reformation, reservation was discontinued in the Church of England to counter the erroneous belief that worshipping or gazing upon the sacrament was a substitute for communion. The Book of Common Prayer’s requirement that the priest celebrate the Eucharist at the bedside of the sick or dying person often proved to be impractical, especially as Anglicans became more accustomed to weekly communion. In the nineteenth century, the reservation of the sacrament was revived with the proviso that everything reserved is to be eventually consumed as Christ has ordained. Canonically, ‘the sacrament may be reserved for the sick and housebound, those dying or in special need, and for devotional services, with the lawful permission of the bishop’²⁷.

What are the current guidelines around communion by extension?

The consecrated bread may be reserved and shared with those who are unable to attend the celebration of the Eucharist due to illness, infirmity or confinement. This practice of sharing ‘communion by extension’ may only take place with the written permission of the Archbishop and according to the authorised rite of administration. When communion by extension takes place on a regular basis at an aged care facility, hospital, prison, etc. the parish priest or chaplain need only apply once for ongoing permission from the current Archbishop. The reserved sacrament is to be stored in an aumbry, transported in a pyx and regularly replenished.

^{1. Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion and The Book of Common Prayer with The Ordinal (1662).^}
^{2. Article XXV, Of the Sacraments. (1662).^}
^{3. BCP, Holy Communion service.^}
^{4. BCP, Holy Communion service.^}
^{5. Article XXVIII, Of the Lord’s Supper.^}
^{6. BCP, Holy Communion service.^}
^{7. See Holy Communion service.^}
^{8. Homily XV – On the worthy receiving of the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ.^}
^{9. Holy Communion Canon 2001.^}
^{10. Admission to Holy Communion Canon 1973.^}
^{11. Admission to Holy Communion Canon 1973.^}
^{12. Canon for the Admission of Children to Holy Communion 1981.^}
^{13. Holy Communion Canon 2001.^}
^{14. Resolution 11, Lambeth Conference 1888.^}
^{15. Holy Communion Canon 2001.^}
^{16. The Australian Food Standards code requires that food labelled as ‘gluten-free’ must not contain more than 0.0003 percent detectable gluten. Low-gluten wafers fall within this threshold.^}
^{17. Eucharistic Food and Drink: A report of the Inter-Anglican Liturgical Commission to the Anglican Consultative Council, 2005.^}
^{18. Celebrating the Eucharist, Alcuin Liturgy Guides: SPCK, 2005.^}
^{19. BCP Holy Communion service; see also, Holy Communion Canon 2001.^}
^{20. Holy Communion Canon 2001.^}
^{21. Eucharistic Practice and the Risk of Infection: A medical report commissioned by the Anglican Church of Canada, 2014.^}
^{22. Sacrament Act 1547, Church of England.^}
^{23. Holy Communion Canon 2001.^}
^{24. ‘God’s Reign and Our Unity’ Report of the Anglican-Reformed international commission, 1981-1984. World Alliance of Reformed Churches and The Anglican Consultative Council.^}
^{25. See BCP Holy Communion service.^}
^{26. BCP Holy Communion service.^}
^{27. Principle 67. Reservation of the Sacrament, ‘The Principles of Canon Law Common to the Churches of the Anglican Communion’, The Anglican Consultative Council 2008.^}