The Holy
Communion
by
The Rev. Canon Dr. Robert
Crouse

an excerpt
from
Understanding the Prayer Book: A Commentary
The
Association for Common Prayer, 1989.
The service of Holy
Communion, instituted by our Lord himself at the last Supper to be a
memorial of his body broken and his blood shed for us, has always been
celebrated by Christians in response to his commandment that we should
"do this in remembrance" of him. There are many references to the
service in the New Testament (see especially I Cor. 11:23-29), and many
other early Christian writings give us explanations of the meaning of
the service, and examples of the forms of service actually used. It is
clear that from the very beginning, this service has been the central
act of Christian worship, in which, celebrating the Cross and Passion of
our Saviour, we find "means of grace and hope of glory". Because Jesus
'gave thanks' at the Last Supper, and because we join in thanksgiving
for the redemption through his Cross, we sometimes call the service by
its ancient Greek name, "Eucharist", which simply means "thanksgiving".
While the essence of
the service remains always the same, its form naturally varied
considerably in different times and places, and the form of the "Holy
Communion or Holy Eucharist" as we find it in our 1962 Canadian revision
of the Prayer Book is the result of many centuries of liturgical
development.
Archbishop Cranmer,
the chief architect of the first English rite of 1549, and his
colleagues had the delicate task of balancing the claims of ancient
catholic liturgical tradition with the ideals of the Reformation. That
is to say, the service had to be translated from Latin into English, and
revised, without unnecessary disruption, in such a way as to make it
understandable to the people, to ensure its conformity to the clear Word
of God in Holy Scripture, and to encourage devout participation,
edification, and more frequent communion. To many Reformers, including
Cranmer himself, the English Prayer Book of 1549 seemed too
conservative, and it was quickly followed by the Prayer Book of 1552.
Subsequent revisions (including our own of 1962) represent, in general,
modifications and enrichments of the 1552 service, tending generally in
the direction of the more traditional service of 1549. Thus, the
history of the Holy Communion service typifies the character of
Anglicanism as both Catholic and Reformed: preserving what is good in
the centuries old tradition of Christian witness, and at the same time
holding that tradition always in obedience to the Word of God in Holy
Scripture.
As we turn now to the
service of Holy Communion, as we have it in our Book of Common Prayer,
we should first notice the preliminary instructions (called "rubrics"
because they were traditionally printed in red) on page 66, which remind
us of our duty to participate frequently, "after due preparation", in
this sacrament. What is meant by "due preparation," is explained partly
in these rubrics, more fully in the Exhortation (p. 88, 92), and in the
Catechism, where we are told that those who come to the Lord's Supper
must
"examine
themselves, whether they truly repent of their former sins, steadfastly
purposing to lead the new life; have a living faith in God's mercy
through Christ, with a thankful remembrance of his death; and be in
charity with all men"
(p. 552)
The opening prayers of
the service, on page 67, were introduced in 1549, from the Sarum
Missal (medieval Latin service used in England), where they formed
part of the priest's private preparation for the service. The Lord's
Prayer here, together with its "Amen", is still said by the priest
alone; but the Collect for Purity has become a prayer of preparation for
the whole congregation, in which all join by saying the "Amen". The Ten
Commandments (introduced in 1552), for which we now usually substitute
our Lord's Summary of the Law (p. 69), remind us of the holiness of God,
into whose presence we have come, and of our duty of moral and spiritual
purity, in humble obedience to his will. We respond with the ancient
Christian litany, "Lord, have mercy upon us". Thus concludes our common
public preparation for the service: We come in humble obedience to God's
will, trusting in his mercy to purify our hearts and minds that we may
be fit partakers of the holy gifts he promises.
We proceed to what are
called the "Propers of the Day", that is to say, the Collect, Epistle,
and Gospel especially appointed for the particular Sunday or Holy Day we
are celebrating. The origin of the term "collect" is uncertain; it may
mean the prayer that takes place when the congregation has gathered
together (i.e. "collected"), or it may mean the prayer which gathers our
intercessions, or the theme of the day, in one common prayer. Some of
these collects are relatively modern compositions, but they are mostly
very ancient prayers, known as early as the fifth or sixth century, or
even earlier. They came into the Prayer Book from the Sarum Missal,
as did the similarly ancient selection of Scripture readings for the
Epistle and Gospel. From time to time (e.g. in our 1962 revision), a
few of the readings have been altered, by lengthening or shortening a
lesson or occasionally substituting a new one for an old one, but
basically, the pattern is still the ancient one. These "Propers"
present the Church's message from the Scriptures for the particular day,
and should be studied thoughtfully, in order to understand their common
theme. Arranged according to the Christian Year (from Advent through
Trinity Season), they set before us the pattern of Christian truth, and
instruct us in the development of moral and spiritual life.
Our service treats the
reading of the Gospel lesson with special reverence, because it
proclaims the words and deeds of Christ himself. Therefore, we are
directed to stand when it is read, and make the joyful acclamation,
"Glory be to thee, O Lord", and "Praise be to thee, O Christ".
Sometimes, there is a hymn, or psalm (see pages l-liv for proper psalms)
between the Epistle and Gospel. It is called the "Gradual", because
traditionally it was sung as the Deacon went to the step (Latin: gradus)
to read the Gospel.
Now, having been
instructed by the Word of God in Holy Scripture, we make an affirmation
of our faith, in the Nicene Creed (p. 71). The word "creed" comes from
the Latin "credo", which means "I believe". This statement of Christian
faith, a summary of essential truths revealed to us in Holy Scripture,
comes from ancient councils of the Church (Nicea, 325 AD; Constantinople
381 AD). It is carefully, and sometimes very technically worded,
because it was originally a defence against subtle and dangerous
heresies. For instance, its precise statements about Jesus as the
"only-begotten Son of God", etc., were a refutation of the "Arian
heresy", which said that Jesus was "like" God, but less than God and
therefore not really God at all. The Creed insists that Jesus is "of
one substance with the Father". These precise statements of Christian
doctrine, although not always easy to understand, are still vitally
important, because the false opinions are still prevalent in the modern
world.
After the Creed comes
the Sermon, in which the preacher seeks to help us understand more fully
the Scripture lessons we have heard, and the faith we have affirmed.
The sermon should also help us to relate those truths to our own
personal circumstances, and thus help us to grow in our own moral and
spiritual life. The sermon concludes the "instructional" part of the
service (sometimes called the "Liturgy of the Word"), and encourages our
"living faith", as we now go on to celebrate the Sacrament.
The Offertory (p.
72-74) has two elements: our "oblations", or offerings of bread and wine
to be consecrated; and our "alms", which are our charitable gifts for
the relief of the poor, and generally for the financial support of the
Church's work. Associated with the Offertory is the Prayer for Christ's
Holy Catholic Church (p. 75-76). Together with our gifts ("alms and
oblations") which represent our life and work, we offer our
intercessions for the universal Church, praying that God will inspire it
with "the spirit of unity, peace, and concord". The prayer is
comprehensive: First, the universal Church, all God's people, all
nations and their rulers, (especially Elizabeth our Queen); then, all
Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, (especially our Bishop), and all
congregations (especially this congregation here present"); all in
special need; remembering finally the faithful departed, praying that
the whole Church (we with them) may be partakers of God's heavenly
kingdom. Originally, this prayer came later in the service, as part of
the Prayer of Consecration, (as in the old Latin service in the Sarum
Missal), and was moved to its present position, in 1552. In this
position, it corresponds to the "Great Intercession", a feature of some
ancient Christian liturgies.
The first part of the
Holy Communion service, then, consists of instruction in the Christian
faith, by way of the Epistle and Gospel lessons and the sermon, and the
affirmation of that faith in the Creed and the prayers. Now, in the
second part of the service, we proceed to the actual celebration of the
sacrament which our Lord himself ordained and commanded us to continue.
In the early centuries of Christianity, there was a very clear division
between these two parts of the service: Those who were preparing to
become Christians would be present for the first part, receiving
instruction, while only those already baptised and confirmed would
remain for the second part. In later centuries, when it was assumed
that the whole community was fully Christian, that division in the
service tended to disappear.
The English Reformers,
concerned to encourage more frequent communion of the people, and more
serious preparation for its worthy reception, reintroduced such a
division in the service. They provided (in 1552) that if there were
none to receive the sacrament with the priest, the service should end
after the Prayer for the Church (in which case, the service is usually
called "Ante Communion"). Only if there were to be communicants would
the second (sacramental) part of the service be said, and it would
include a corporate, penitential preparation of the communicants. Thus,
they introduced the Exhortations (p. 88, 92), which, shortened and
revised, are still directed to be used at certain times.
These Exhortations
speak of the importance of receiving the sacrament, and of what is
required for worthy reception. The Reformers also introduced the
Invitation. ("Ye that do truly and earnestly repent"), the Confession
and Absolution, and the "Comfortable Words" (p. 76, 78), as a
penitential preparation for Communion.
The Medieval service
included confession and absolution, but only as a part of the
preparation of the ministers; members of the congregation communicated
rarely, and when they did so, were required to make a private confession
beforehand. The Reformers (first in 1548, in the Latin service, and
then in the 1549 English Prayer Book) provided for public confession and
absolution (and the Prayer of Humble Access, p.83), at the time of
Communion. In the 1552 Prayer Book, the Confession and Absolution, and
the "Comfortable Words" (giving scriptural assurance of forgiveness)
were moved to their present position, as a preparation for all who
intend to participate in the sacramental part of the service. This
penitential element in our Prayer Book service is very emphatic, echoing
St. Paul's solemn warning (I Cor. 11:28, 29):
Let
a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of
that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and
drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
Our common preparation
(in faith and repentance) now completed, with our hearts lightened by
assurance of God's forgiveness of our sins, we move on to the
Thanksgiving and Consecration (p. 78, 83). The Sursum Corda
("Lift up your hearts"), the Proper Preface (relating our thanksgiving
to special occasions in the Christian Year), the Sanctus ("Holy,
Holy, Holy") and the Benedictus ("Blessed is he that cometh") are
very ancient elements of the service. We are reminded that as we draw
near the sacramental Presence of our Lord, in thankful adoration of the
great work which God has wrought for our redemption, we are joined with
the whole Church, in heaven and earth, "in all times, and in all
places", "with Angels and Archangels, and with all the company of
heaven". The Benedictus is, of course, the cry of the Hebrew
multitude on Palm Sunday (St. Matt. 21:9), welcoming the promised King,
who goes on to the sacrifice of Calvary. Thus, it is a fitting
anticipation of the consecration of the Sacrament ordained, as the
Catechism says (p. 551), "for the continual remembrance of the sacrifice
of the death of Christ". The glory of God fills heaven and earth, but
is manifest, above all, in the Cross.
The great climax of
the whole service is the Consecration Prayer (p. 82, 83). The original
form of this prayer (in 1549) followed quite clearly the old Latin form,
but in 1552 it was much shortened and simplified, by moving the
intercessions to the Prayer for the Church, and moving the latter part
of the prayer ("Prayer of Oblation ") to a position after the
Communion. The intention of the Reformers, in reducing the complexity
of the old Consecration Prayer, was to emphasise as directly and
forcefully as possible the meaning of the Sacrament as a commemoration
of the Sacrifice of Christ: "His one oblation of himself once offered, a
full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction, for
the sins of the whole world." They wished to focus as sharply as
possible on the essential meaning, and to remove anything which might
seem to distract from that focus. Archbishop Cranmer expressed the
point very clearly:
The priest should
declare the death and passion of Christ, and all the people should look
upon the cross in the mount of Calvary...And this is the priest and
people's sacrifice, not to be propitiators for sin...but to worship
continually in mystery what was once offered for the price of sin.
Modern Anglican Prayer
Book revisers have generally felt that the 1552 Consecration Prayer was
too stark and abrupt (ending with the Words of Institution) and have
replaced the "Prayer of Oblation" (revised) as part of the Consecration
Prayer (as in our 1962 Canadian Prayer Book; the part beginning,
"Wherefore a Father", p. 82). Nevertheless, the emphasis still clearly
remains upon Christ's sacrifice for us, and upon his own words and
actions at the Last Supper, which He commanded us to continue. As St.
Paul says, we "show forth his death until He come". The meaning of the
commemoration is beautifully expressed in William Bright's well-known
communion hymn:
And now, a Father,
mindful of the love
That bought us,
once for all, on Calvary's Tree,
And having with us
him that pleads above,
We here present, we
here spread forth to thee
That only Offering
perfect in thine eyes,
The one true, pure,
immortal Sacrifice.
The Pax ("the peace of
the Lord", p. 83) naturally follows the consecration, because it is
Christ's sacrifice alone which makes our peace with God. The Prayer of
Humble Access ("we do not presume", p. 83), which was already part of
the "Communion devotions" added to the Latin service in 1548, allows us
one final moment of spiritual preparation before we receive the holy
sacrament of our Lord's Body given for us, and his Blood shed for us on
Calvary.
At the time of
Communion, the traditional hymn, the Agnus Dei ("O Lamb of God"),
and other appropriate hymns may be sung.
The Sacrament is
administered with a form of words which is actually double: The first
part, "The Body of our Lord Jesus Christ...", "The Blood of our Lord
Jesus Christ...", was a traditional form, used in the 1549 Prayer Book;
the second part, "Take and eat this...", "Drink this...", was the form
substituted in 1552. In the Prayer Book of 1559, the two forms were
simply joined together, combining two Anglican emphases: First, the
objective reality of Christ's presence in the Sacrament; second, the
importance of our spiritual reception of the Sacrament, "by faith, with
thanksgiving".
"Communion" means, in
the first place, our union with our Lord in this Sacrament; and it also
implies our union with one another, as members of Christ's Body.
Archbishop Cranmer expressed the thought beautifully:
For like as bread
is made of a great number of grains of corn, ground, baken, and so
joined together, that thereof is made one loaf; and an infinite number
of grapes be pressed together in one vessel, and thereof is made wine;
likewise is the whole multitude of true Christian people spiritually
joined, first to Christ, and then among themselves together in one
faith, one baptism, one Holy Spirit, one knot and bond of love...As
bread and wine which we do eat be turned into our flesh and blood, even
so be all faithful Christians spiritually turned into the body of
Christ, and so be joined unto Christ and also together among themselves,
that they do make one mystical body of Christ, as St. Paul saith: "We be
one bread and one body, as many as be partakers of one bread and one
body, as many as be partakers of one bread and one cup."
The Communion is
appropriately followed by prayers of thanksgiving. The Lord's Prayer,
which traditionally preceded the Communion, was placed here in 1552,
with its "doxology" ("For thine is the kingdom...") added; and it is
followed by the Prayer of Thanksgiving (p. 85), in which, giving thanks
for "spiritual food", we offer ourselves, as members of Christ's Body,
"to be a reasonable, holy and living sacrifice". This
prayer is followed by
the ancient hymn of thanksgiving, Gloria in Excelsis (p. 86).
The traditional place for this hymn was at the beginning of the service,
but there can be no doubt that it serves also as a magnificent
conclusion. Perhaps the Reformers, in placing it here, were thinking of
the "hymn" which concluded the Last Supper (St. Matt. 26:30).
The service concludes
with the Blessing, which speaks of the peace, knowledge and love which
must fill the hearts and minds of all who faithfully share in this holy
sacrament. For, as Archbishop Cranmer expressed it,
In the receiving of
the holy supper of our Lord, we be put in remembrance of his death, and
of the whole mystery of our redemption... Wherefore, in this sacrament
(if it be rightly received with a true faith) we be assured that our
sins be forgiven, and the league of peace and the testament of God is
confirmed between him and us, so that whoever by a true faith doth eat
Christ's flesh and drink his blood, hath everlasting life by him.
+++

At that day ye
shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. He that
hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it
is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father,
and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
John 14:20-21