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CHAPTER 13
The
Communion
The
people and presiding priest share the gifts of
God
The rubrics make clear that the Invitation takes place
before any (including the presider) have received
communion. For the Invitation the presider may hold the
bread in one hand and the cup in the other, or the deacon
may hold the cup and the presider the bread.
If necessary the invitation could be expanded to, for
example, "All who are baptised, whether you are Anglican or
not, whether you are an infant, youth or adult, all are
welcome to draw near and receive ..."
When the invitation to communion has been made, the
congregation begins to move forward immediately. While the
congregation moves forward the presider and assistants
receive communion as unostentatiously as other members of
the assembly would be expected to do. Those at the altar
receive standing.
When the presider and assistant(s) communicate each other
all are seen to be given communion by someone else. Those
assisting with administering communion can themselves take
the vessels from the altar rather than needing to be handed
them by the presider. It is convenient to have two persons
administering chalices for each person distributing the
bread.
When there is a small gathering, communicants may
administer the sacrament to one another (page 517). In this
case the presider could receive last.
The whole congregation moving forward to receive, referred
to as the "communion procession," is an ancient element of
the liturgy. It may be accompanied by the singing of a
simple, memorable refrain. Such corporate singing heightens
the sense of unity evoked by a procession of the whole
people of God. Alternatively, a cantor or choir could lead
singing, with the congregation joining the refrain. Ushers
are generally unnecessary to help such a procession. If
ushers are used they should encourage people forward rather
than give the appearance of holding people back. There
needs to be sensitivity to any in the congregation who are
not coming forward to receive communion.
To facilitate the smooth movement of the procession several
people need to assist in distributing communion when
numbers are large (at least one person administering bread
for every hundred communicants). Even in small
congregations someone assisting the presider to distribute
communion is desirable. Whenever possible, lay people
assist in administering communion. While traditionally the
presider is one of those who administers the bread,
reserving administration of the consecrated bread to the
ordained while the laity administer the chalice has no
theological rationale.
Those receiving communion do so either standing or kneeling
(page 517). Communion rails, originally there to protect
the altar, are being used less and less. Either receiving
around the holy table (as much as the architecture will
allow!) or receiving from "stations" is now more common.
When "stations" are used, care needs be taken that the
distance between the altar and those distributing communion
is not so great that the sense of meal and the relationship
between table and communion is lost. In any case a space
between the person distributing the bread and the one
distributing the wine allows time to chew the bread before
receiving the wine.
The Prayer Book instructs that the bread and the cup are
given into the hands of the people (page 517). Four
different sentences of administration are provided (pages
427, 472, 489). Their brevity has been designed so that the
communicant is able to respond "Amen" before receiving
communion in every case. There was a practice, sometimes
seen in the past, of a communicant receiving only part of
the sentence of administration as the priest moved from
communicant to communicant. The rubrics clearly see this as
not acceptable.
The bread is received with one hand on top of the other.
This avoids crumbs falling between cupped hands, or the
bread crumbling if received between the thumb and
forefingers.
When administering the bread, gestures such as signs of the
cross, squeezing of hands, or breaking the wafer in the
communicant's hands can detract from and confuse the
primary symbolism of receiving.
Young children can receive communion in the same manner as
adults. Some children will wish to receive only the bread.
Babies not yet on solids might receive a little wine from
the tip of a finger, or from bread intincted in the
chalice. Infants can receive a small piece of bread (which
may have been intincted in the wine). Parents may normally
be the appropriate persons to administer communion to their
infants. The words of administration of the sacrament are
the same for children as for adults.
In the event of there being insufficient bread and/or wine
for the number of communicants, the presider consecrates
more using the form provided on page 428 (see also page
516). In this form, as the word "also" indicates, this is
not a "separate" consecration but includes the additional
bread and wine with that over which the Great Thanksgiving
was offered. Hence the rubrics make clear that this
supplementary consecration also occurs at the altar (and
not, for example, at the credence) and is to be done by the
presider and not by a concelebrating presbyter. The form
need be said only loud enough for an assistant to pronounce
the concluding "Amen." It is not necessary that
distribution of communion by others be interrupted. The
Prayer Book anticipates that all will receive bread and
wine consecrated at that celebration of the Eucharist
rather than from the reserved sacrament.
After communion the deacon(s) and lay persons who take
communion to those ill or housebound can receive the
consecrated bread and wine to take with them. They may be
sent with words such as: "N and N who are not able to be
with us are one with us in the Body of Christ. Therefore we
send you to take them the sacrament which we have shared."
Some
Questions
In your experience is it possible to have both a strong
sense of reverence and of community at communion time?
Which suggestions in this chapter would you like to see
introduced in your community and which would you be
uncomfortable with and why?
Are there other suggestions that you
have?
