Eucharist and the Coronavirus

Regarding the continued increase of COVID-19 cases in the United Kingdom, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York have written to clergy to update on this guidance:

It is now necessary to suspend the administration of the chalice as well as physical contact during the sharing of the peace, blessing or "laying on of hands".

We therefore advise that all priests should:

• Offer Communion in one kind only to all communicants i.e. the consecrated bread/wafer/host, with the priest alone taking the wine;

• suspend handshaking or other direct physical contact during the sharing of the peace;

• suspend direct physical contact as part of a blessing or ‘laying on of hands’.

There are a number of considerations at play here - and in not particular order of importance here they are to juggle with:

a. The issue of canonical obedience - The archbishops have spoken and the diocesan bishop have agreed and so we are told:

i. One kind only,

ii. No tinctures,

iii. No using shot glasses or other vessels (yes; there's always one barrack room lawyer who will try to be smart) to deliver individual measures. The Methodists and others do that because they don't do alcohol - but we have a 'one cup' policy. (more on this shortly):

So, if this is a question of obedience and not a conscience issue - then I guess it's something we should be doing. But, if from wherever you are approaching this issue from it is a 'die in the ditch' obedience versus conscience/belief thing, then could it be that perhaps you've set the bar far too low and need to get out a little more ???

b. We do have some interesting theological and liturgical considerations with the 'one kind' practice now embarked upon with the coronavirus epidemic. By which I refer to Article 30 (of the 39 Articles fame) with the heading: “Of both kinds” which states:

"THE Cup of the Lord is not to be denied to the Lay-people: for both the parts of the Lord's Sacrament, by Christ's ordinance and commandment, ought to be ministered to all Christian men alike."

BUT the above notwithstanding - and taking the line, "what does it profit us to offer the Communion such that people may be put at risk?"

Granted some will point to scripture and claim protection and tell us how, "No weapon formed against us... and the like," only opens us a new way whereby we need to start handing rattlers and other venomous reptiles because we are covered by the protection and Grace of God!!!

Folly and foolishness collide with the guidance about, "Not putting the Lord our God to test!"

So there is a common sense stance to be taken here (But what great headlines, "Local idiot Ceric kills congregation!").

c. Given that at the Eucharist in a cathedral I attended were most definitely using multiple chalices (five or six) then surely the matter (and principle) of 'multiple cups' vs the 'One Cup' has been paraded, engaged with brought down to nothing more than a question of scale. i.e. Six cups good, thirsty-six cups bad.

To quote an authoritative liturgical source MP (and Holy Grail): 

And the Lord spake, saying, "First shalt thou take out the Holy Cup. Then, shalt thou count to one. No more. No less. one shalt be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be one. Two, three, four or even more shalt thou not count, but shalt count thou only the number One! Other numbers are right out."

The problem here is the congregation member on the Clapham omnibus can't tell the difference between 'more than one' and 'one each'! All they know is that they ain't getting communion!

d. A tome I read on the liturgy of the Eucharist and its origins speaks of the 'cup' as being nothing more than 'same original source or substance' (is this homovinous?) and states that the cup was the substance (that is the wine)and not the chalice. 

It goes on to say that the use of the once chalice denotes unity and equity - wood or lead for the pleas and silver or gold for the knobs and nobles (for I am led to believe that they are different).

But it is in the statement of unity that one cup is favoured. As I've stated elsewhere - if you don't do alcohol then you can do a common cup anyway - it's the liturgical form of Russian (orthodox) roulette!

e. I am enjoying the variations of the peace I have encountered thus far:

1. touching elbows,
2. signing the word in BSL
3. a hearty wave accompanied by the word 'namaste'
4. crossing one's arms across the chest (corpse-like) and looking the other way. 

     Feel free to add any that you've seen/used and I have missed.

Hope this scribble raises questions, helps address some and salves (or staves off) the niggles some are having. It's a bit of a raised eyebrow  mingled with some serious thinking and s bit of less serious stuff too. And now, having returned from the morning Eucharist and with the cup of tea (and the scribbles) now done and I'm off out to infect (and annoy) others (with my humour).

Pax

Happy Wednesday :-)