Thursday, March 9, 2017

Why is the communion not always offered under both forms (bread and wine) at Mass?

Answer:
Many Catholic churches serve bread AND wine, in fact most do, but some do not serve the wine (to the congregation) at all Masses. At every Mass in every Catholic Church in the world the Priest eats the bread AND drinks the wine.
Both the Bread and the wine are fully and completely the sacrifice of Christ. So if I take only the bread I get the entire body of Christ or if I get the wine only, I get the entire body of Christ...The basic practical reason why some churches don't serve wine is because some people are afraid of sharing germs and also sometimes there are not enough assistants to serve both. But the bottom line is that the bread is the full deal. It’s the full sacrifice and there is nothing morally or theologically wrong with only having the bread in the congregation, as long as the priest has both.

- http://www.catholicbridge.com/catholic/mass.php#topbanner

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Additional thoughts and ramblings:
I've known a few people who felt that unless they received both the Eucharistic bread and wine, that they weren't receiving all of Jesus. This is obviously not true as is noted above. So why then do we have both some may ask. It's because the Mass is a sacrifice. It's THE sacrifice of the cross, not done again, but rather extending through time with graces for all. Just as in the unperfect sacrifices of Old Testament times, blood being shed and offered is a significant part of that and Jesus recognized this. He is the perfect Lamb who's sacrifice once and for all takes away our sins and opens heaven to us. Not only does Jesus become truly present in every Mass for us, but the Mass then goes a step further and connects us with His perfect sacrifice on Calvary. That's why bread and wine are consecrated at every Mass but we do not need to receive both to receive all of Jesus.



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