Coming to the Lord's Table - #5

The Invitation to Communion

How the assembly ritually does the communion rite indicates how it understands the action of coming to the Lord's Table. Ritual enactment teaches a lived and practical meaning. So here is an example of a ritual action that deforms the assembly and conveys an inaccurate meaning. Suppose each person rushed up to receive communion and totally ignored other communicants. Suppose the person bumped and elbowed others and got to the front of the line first, then received and raced back to one's seat. What would this action convey? The action would manifest that communion is a competitive, rude, and private act. It would say, I receive my Lord without reference to my fellow communicants who make up the church, the body of Christ. If this ritual action were repeated week after week, it would eventually convey an undesired meaning. It would convey that receiving the Eucharist is individualistic and meant to nourish only that person's soul. This would diminish awareness that receiving the Eucharist is a communal action which unites everyone with the Lord and with one another. What we do ritually conveys meaning.

"Faithful to the Lord's command to his disciples to 'Take and eat' and 'Take and drink,' the assembly completes the eucharistic action by eating and drinking together the body and blood of Christ consecrated during the celebration. The very nature of our prayer together and our sharing in the sacrifice offered teach us that the assembly receives bread consecrated at the liturgy in which they are participating and that all are invited to receive under both kinds. Drinking at the eucharist is a sharing in the sign of the new covenant, a foretaste of the heavenly banquet, and a sign of sharing in the suffering of Christ (Service at the Table of the Lord, p. 7)."

The presiding priest invites the assembly to receive the Eucharistic bread and cup, unless a significant medical reason would suggest foregoing the bread or the cup. The assembly says, "Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed." Then a personal ritual exchange take place. Someone ministers the Eucharistic bread to us and says, "The body of Christ." We do not self-serve. We respond in two ways: by saying Amen and by doing the action of taking and eating. Similarly someone ministers the Eucharistic cup to us. Someone presents the cup and says, "The blood of Christ." We respond by saying Amen and by taking the proffered cup and drinking.

As the assembly comes forward to receive communion, the minister shows a piece of the eucharistic bread to each communicant and says, 'the body of Christ.' Another minister presents the cup to each communicant, saying, 'the blood of Christ.' In each case, the communicant responds, 'Amen.' These are the only phrases to be used when distributing communion.

Care must be taken when ministering the Precious Blood. After each communicant has received from the cup, the minister carefully wipes both the outside and inside rim with a clean part of the purificator. The minister rotates the cup before the next communicant (Service at the Table of the Lord, p. 7)."