Reserved Sacrament
This week, I want to break from our current series about thin places and encountering a sacramental world. The reason is that I need to address a change in our Morning Prayer service. Perhaps you have noticed a couple of announcements about "Morning Prayer with Reserved Sacrament." It is this Reserved Sacrament part that I want to talk about.
As Anglicans, we believe, according to our catechism, that the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is for the "continual remembrance of the sacrifice of the death of Christ, and of the benefits which we receive thereby." And it is in the Sacrament that we receive the benefits of the "strengthening and refreshing of our souls by the Body and Blood of Christ." Now, I don't have the space to get into a complete fleshing out of Eucharistic theology, and I am sure Fr. Ian has taught you well. What I want to emphasize is that the Lord's Supper is to be a continual act of worship and is necessary for our souls. As Clement of Alexandria wrote, the elements in the Eucharist are the “intimate nutrients” for God’s children, by which nothing is lacking. Holy Eucharist is the spiritual nutrients that we need for the Christian life. Someone on a journey can't march along well if they are undernourished. Just as any farmer, athlete, or soldier (to reference St. Paul's metaphors/similes in 2 Timothy) needs to be fed to perform, so Christians must be fed spiritually and physically if they are to do the work of God. I have also been informed by Bishop Peter that a while back there was a push to encourage churches to celebrate Holy Communion every Sunday. This, at least in part, stems from the reasons listed above. There is an essential importance to receiving Christ in the sacrament for the Christian life.
However, there is also a long history within Anglicanism, especially in the South of having Morning Prayer as the primary service on a Sunday. Anglicanism has historically held three services on Sunday morning: Morning Prayer followed by the Litany and culminating in Holy Eucharist. For different reasons and different theologies, there were times when Morning Prayer was the one service retained from week to week. Morning and Evening Prayer is one of the great gifts given to the Anglican Church stemming as far back as the Old Testament--a fuller recounting of the history of daily prayer might be a good future article. However, the practice of the daily offices has decreased over the years and there are many Anglicans who have never experienced Morning and Evening prayer as part of the services of the Church.
So, this is the question that I have been wrestling with in my mind for some time now: how do emphasize the need for Holy Communion, how do I help to nourish the parishioners of All Saints with the mystical Body and Blood of our Lord so that they may go forth to do the work of God they have been called to do; while also recognizing the history, tradition, and gift offered to the Church today within the service of Morning Prayer? My answer to this question, which has been approved by the bishop, is to hold Morning Prayer and then, before we process out, offer the Sacrament to all from the reserved Sacrament. The form used is from "A Manual for Priests", which has a short form for administering Communion to those who missed the Mass held earlier. Ideally, parishioners will come to the 8 AM Mass and then stay (or return) for Morning Prayer, however, this is not always possible. So as not to deprive anyone of the Blessed Sacrament this form is given so as not to add a whole service. After Morning Prayer, I will grab the ciborium containing the Reserved Sacrament and administer it in one kind (the host only)—there is still the Gluten-Free option available. Afterward, we will say the Prayer of Thanksgiving and the Benediction and then process out as usual.
I know this is different, but I believe it is important. I wanted to broach the subject here for all to see, though I know the space doesn't allow for a thorough handling of the topic in one article. Please, if you have any questions or would like to know more about the theology behind this decision, feel free to contact me and I would be happy to talk with you about it.
I am praying for you all.
Fr. Aaron