Posted on 08/23/2008 1:35:13 PM PDT by Gamecock
Question:
What is the proper way to dispose of the communion elements? Is it okay to eat the bread after the service?
Answer:
Thank you for your question to the OPC Q & A Web page.
For the OPC, the elements which we use in our communion service are but ordinary bread and wine. In other words, there is nothing sacred about them outside of the service. During the communion service, however, they are set apart for the special task of celebrating the sacrament of our Lord. Our Confession explains it this way:
Westminster Confession of Faith 29.3: "The Lord Jesus has, in [the Lord's Supper], appointed his ministers to declare his word of institution to the people; to pray, and bless the elements of bread and wine, and thereby to set them apart from a common to an holy use...."
Westminster Confession of Faith 29.5: "The outward elements in [the Lord's Supper], duly set apart to the uses ordained by Christ ... albeit, in substance and nature, they still remain truly and only bread and wine, as they were before...."
But after the service, those elements are ordinary bread and wine. Therefore, it seems to me, they may be put to common use. Certainly, we do not believe that the elements ever change in nature—as if the bread and the wine become the body and blood of Christ—so as to lead to a superstitious use (or non-use) of them outside of the communion service.
I hope this helps. Please feel free to follow up with me, should you need further clarification.
What is your collective take on this?
Many years ago, the priest in the Episcopal church would finish up the remaining wine in the communion cup after all had taken communion.
I know that Lutherans don’t share our view of the elements, and thus they have a ritual for disposing of them.
As for us, dump them in the garbage. They aren’t even held over for use at the next service that morning. And the wafers have the consistency and flavor of cardboard, so I can’t imagine anyone wanting to snack on them. But there is no theological reason not to do so.
My 2 cents . . .
Whatever reverence TO THE LORD
is felt by those in charge of it . . . as long as it’s not some sort of silly idolatry of tangible objects . . .
is fine with me.
I’ve done both.
I’ve consumed them all as dedicated as a memorial to The Lord as at the time, I didn’t want to think of something dedicated as a memorial to The Lord becoming common, so to speak, again.
I’ve put them away for use next time.
I’ve put them away for use as crackers and juice with no great association.
So I’ve done the range of options, more or less, myself.
I think it’s a personal conscience and personal attitude of the heart TOWARD THE LORD thing.
According to one’s faith, so be it, imho.
Thx.
Considering that the Lord notes in the NT that David and crew ate the Shewbread . . .
I suspect from God’s perspective, it’s one of those . . .
HAVE SOME COMMON SENSE ALREADY YET!
DO GOOD ON THE SABBATH.
DO GOOD TO BELIEVERS AND OTHERS.
etc.
Sounds like a good approach to me.
Where I use to fellowship we have used baked bread and crackers unsalted and grape juice. Generally the bread was a whole loaf and you tore a small piece off and got a dixie cup with a little grape juice in it. I have no idea what happened the remaining bread.
My church takes whatever communion bread is left and crumbles it and scatters it for the birds to eat.
Eating and drinking the elements is fine. Feeding the birds of the air is fine. Pouring out the wine onto the ground before the Lord is fine.
Out of respect, I would not trash or flush anything.
Is this testifying that a physiological change has happened to the elements. No, but we do believe that the Lord is present in communion, and that makes the remembrance of it holy.
“Many years ago, the priest in the Episcopal church would finish up the remaining wine in the communion cup after all had taken communion”
and still do - the Anglican Communion which still includes the Episcopal Church, consecrate the elements with words asking that by the power of the Holy Spirit make them Holy and the “Real Presence” of Christ. They don’t try to explain the action simply calling it a Paschal Mystery. Following Communion the wine and bread are consumed or returned to nature, likewise the water used to clean the vessels..
don’t forget manna from Heaven
My detailed knowledge only goes back to the 1298 prayer book, but then the priest could ask lay people to help him consume the leftovers. So in the next prayer book, which was the first in the US to make explicit provision for reservation (putting consecrated bread and wine in a special place). Those provisions specified that reservation was for ONLY the purpose of making provision for communion of the sick or of others who for weighty cause could not be present at the celebration.
It got my attention that few priests knew or cared what the rubric said.
If you read carefully through the various canons I think you will find that the "real presence" is possibly in the believer or possibly in the bread and wine (or what once was bread and wine).
The position of "Real presence in the believer" is thought by many to be Hookers position and it has a lot to commend it.
The rubirc I refer to above, however, does not refer to the "Sacred Body" or "Precious Blood", as we Papists do, but instead says "consecrated Bread and Wine." I think the capitalization is a nice touch.
There is a kind of process of division or dilution. I'm not as familiar with the RC details as I am with High Church Episcopal details.
From the earliest moment consecration might have taken place the priest keeps thumb and index finger joined and uses them only to handle the host.
After communion is done the priest drinks (maybe with help) what's left and then a little more win is poured in the chalice. It is swirled around in consumed.
Then using fingers 3,4,& 5 of both hands to hold the chalice, the priest holds conjoined thumb and forefingers of both hands over the chalice.
A server pours a little wine and a lot of water over the conjoined thumb and fingers.
We interrupt this program to mention that earlier the priest used his forefinger to sort of sweep the vessel which held the consecrated bread into the chalice. What we're about here is crumbs.
Okay, continuing, the priest the consumes that water and wine, wipes thumb and forefinger with the cloth used to wipe the chalice, and also wipes the chalice carefully.
After the Mass the priest snatches the cloth (called a "purificator") from the altar guild and rinses it with many waters into a sink which is drained directly into the soil.
Let the ridicule begin. But seriously, You asked, I tried to give a complete answer. How can knowledge be bad, even if it's of vomehting you may disagree with?
Your description of the high church Anglican system sounds similar to what I understand the Lutherans to do.
Thanks for your kind words.
Have been in many services like that.
What a lovely ‘solution’ given Father’s knowing when a sparrow falls.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.