smith_c@ncsatl.uucp (Spawn of a Jewish Carpenter) (10/23/89)
I seem to recall someone mentioning a Moderator. I'm relatively new to the Net
and don't know who this might be. [I'll send him a response to this under
separate cover. --clh]
I looked up transubstantiation. A highly technical definition: The complete
change of the substance of bread and wine into the substance of Christ's body
and blood by a validly ordained priest during the consecration at Mass, so that
only the accidents of bread and wine remain. [Other technical stuff/history
deleted]. This comes from an abridged edition of Modern Catholic Dictionary,
by John A. Hardon, a Jesuit.
I found the Catechism in the Book of Common Prayer much more illuminating.
Q: Why is the Eucharist called a sacrifice?
A: Because the Eucharist, the Church's sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving,
is the way by which the sacrifice of Christ is made present, and in which
he unites us to his one offering of himself.
Q: What is the outward and visible sign in the Eucharist?
A: The outward and visible sign in the Eucharist is bread and wine, given
and received according to Christ's command.
Q: What is the inward and spiritual grace given in the Eucharist?
A: The inward and spiritual grace in the Holy Communion is the Body and Blood
of Christ given to his people, and received by faith.
Q: What are the benefits which we receive in the Lord's Supper?
A: The benefits we receive are the forgiveness of our sins, the strengthening
of our union with Christ and one another, and the foretaste of the heavenly
banquet which is our nourishment in eternal life.
END OF QUOTE from the Book of Common Prayer, pages 859-860, some deletions.
I'm originally a Roman Catholic but I was received into the Anglican Catholic
Communion. I remember during my Confirmation class (for people desiring to
be confirmed, received, or reaffirm their baptismal vows; the Episcopal Church
recognizes the validity of Roman Catholic confirmations)....During my
Confirmation class, our priest brought up the debate within the Anglican
communion regarding this subject, the nature of the Eucharist. He was formerly
a Roman Catholic priest; he transferred his ordination to the Anglican Catholic
Communion. At any rate, he said the Church of England came up with what's
basically a compromise in the liturgy: The words of Christ are quoted
directly ("Take, eat: This my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the
remembrance of me.....Drink this, all of you: This is my Blood of the new
Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me." The celebrant also
says, "We celebrate the memorial of our redemption, O Father, in this sacrifice
of praise and thanksgiving. Recalling his death, resurrection, and ascension,
we offer you these gifts. Sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for your
people the Body and Blood of your Son, the holy food and drink of new and
undending life in him....etc." The big compromise, I seem to recall, were
these words: "The Gifts of God for the People of God. Take them in
remembrance that Christ died for you, and feed on him in your hearts by faith,
with thanksgiving." These pretty much leaves it up to the individual to decide
what it means when we say Christ is really present in the bread and wine.
Also, in our Church, and many churches, we have two candles hanging down from
the ceiling on either side of the altar. The candle on the right hangs over
the box where the consecrated bread and wine are kept, signifying the true
presence of Christ. Our priest fought hard with the Vestry to have a second
candle placed on the left side of the altar, under which is the lectern (I
think is the right word) where the Bible is kept open. This is to signify the
real presence of Christ in the Word of God also.
Hope y'all find this interesting. Thank you for your attention.
| Transfiguration of Christ: When Scotty used the wrong
| coordinates and almost
IN|RI beamed up Jesus!
|
------------
| DUNGEON error message: He who puts his hand to the plow
| and looks back isn't fit for the
| Kingdom of Heaven. At any rate,
| 'back' doesn't work.
|
******************************************
** Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori **
******************************************
******************** -- Star Trek ENDGAME message when the Klingons
* Offspring of a * manage to blow the Enterprise to smithereens
* Jewish Carpenter *
********************
"Mankind has no need for gods anymore. We find the One quite sufficient."
-- Captain James Tiberius Kirk
WHO MOURNS FOR ADONAIS?