www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Reservation of the Holy Gifts

One of the posts regarding the unanswerable question, "When does the Consecration take place?" brought up the reservation of the Holy Gifts.

Someone mentioned that while the custom is to prepare them for reservation once a year (on Holy and Great Thursday) there is danger of them becoming corrupt (moldy). Also, it was mentioned that since Byz. Catholics have Divine Liturgy daily there is no need to bring the Holy Communion from the reserved Holy Gifts to the sick. Holy Communion could be brought from a daily Liturgy.

These are two situations that might be common in some places...

here is another situation...among the Eastern Orthodox, as well as many Eastern Catholics the reserved Eucharist is prepared as follows.

At the Divine Liturgy on Holy and Great Thursday two "Lambs" are prepared. One is used consecrated for Holy Communion at this Liturgy. The other is consecrated and left on the Altar. A small amount of the Precious Blood is left in the Chalice. After the Services of that day are finished the priest and other ministers return to the Altar and the priest, takes a few drops of the Precious Blood using the spoon and moistens the Lamb. Using the lance, he carefully divides the Body of the Lord into small particles ("pearls"). These are left on the covered diskos, on the Altar usually until Monday of Bright Week or until they have dried. In many years of preparing the reserved Holy Gifts in this manner I have never had any become corrupt. After Liturgy on Good and Great Friday and Holy and Great Saturday, I move the particles around on the diskos to make sure they "get air." When the Gifts are "dried" I place them in the artophorion.

If the reserved Gifts are depleted this procedure could be used to consecrate more of the Eucharist at any Liturgy.

The custom of why it is done on Holy and Great Thursday is obvious.

I bring Holy Communion to the sick from these Holy Gifts. In a home Communion kit there is a Chalice and a vial with unconsecrated wine. The particle of the Lord's Body is placed in the Chalice of unconsecrated wine. The sick are communed just as anyone would be at a Pre-Sanctified Liturgy.

We do this same thing (to supply the Consecrated Bread) in the Pre-Sanctified Liturgies of the Great Fast.

There an extra "Lamb" is consecrated on the previous Sunday for use at the Pre-Sanctified Liturgies during the following week.

We receive the Lord's Body which has be immersed in a Chalice of unconsecrated wine. (The question is often asked, "Is the wine consecrated by contact with the Lord's Body?" A good answer to this is, "We don't know, receive the Gift and don't worry about it!)

Some have likened the reserved particles as like �croutons.� Once they are immersed in the Chalice they are not like �croutons� but like the Holy Eucharist we would receive at any Liturgy.

While Eastern Catholics can have daily Liturgy many don't, not out of lack of devotion but so that certain days are celebrated as special feasts. Generally in the East Liturgy was served only on Sundays, Saturdays and great Feasts, other days were sanctified with the Prayer of the Hours.

To say that all Orthodox do not have daily Liturgy is incorrect as well; it is known in many monasteries. St. John of Kronstadt, St. Dimitri of Rostov and when possible St. Nectarios of Aegina served daily Liturgy.

Dear Batiushka,
I'm with you! And I've done this as you describe on Holy Thursday any number of times, without any particular problem. Likewise for the Divine Liturgy of Presanctified Gifts.
Describing the Holy Gifts as "croutons" is offensive beyond belief under any circumstances. When the person offering such a blasphemy is asserting that unlike himself, you and I and those who do as we do are lacking in proper adoration for the Eucharist, something is . . . ah . . . in need of explanation.
I rather wonder if Father Michael Sopoliga is accustomed to prostrate and adore the Holy Gifts as prescribed.

Incognitus

HERE, HERE! That comment was extremely offensive to me, and to other Orthodox! Croutons, indeed!

Gaudior, irked

Dear Friends,

I don't think that Father/Batushka meant any harm in repeating this description...note the word 'LIKE'-- croutons. It actually helped me better understand the process...something which I was not familiar with before being a female who never had access to the altar, and perhaps also due to me being a somewhat ignorant Orthodox on such matters.

Dear Batushka,

Thank you for an informative post.

Asking for your blessing,
In Christ,
Alice

Dear Friends,

For the matter of church decorum, I do not like to associate the Holy Eucharist in the same fashion as a salad topping. It kind of takes away from its importance. Rather it is dried, and with Its reintroduction into the chalice for the sick, it is given time to rehydrate. As a priest, I know what it feels like and looks like, but it always amazes me that the elements that have been consecrated and preserved properly last for a year, and yet when rehydrated is as fresh as the day it consecrated. You can't get the same results from a salad topping, especially in the life giving properties. The only thing the topping will give you is extra weight, and not around the soul.

In IC XC,
Father Anthony+

Dear Father Anthony,

Please forgive my acceptance of the correlation.

I am sure that you know that I meant no disrespect, and I am sure that Father/Batushka did not either...but come to think of it, dried cubes/particles sounds ALOT better.

Perhaps Batushka can suggest that more respectful and equally understood description as a language substitution from now on.

Kissing your right hand,
Alice

Alice and Batushka,

I know, and you know that no disrespect was intended . I am sure he was trying to break down the description for most to understand. But we also have some posters that might get a tad upset, when it was described as such, in a way almost appearing to desanctify the holy elements. No matter what, we have to keep in mind we are describing the Body and Blood of our Lord, and we should be aware of that so we do not set off a scandalized backlash among some of our more vocal traditional posters (not that we have any here in this forum :rolleyes: ).

That was my only concern, and the rest of Father's post was quite enlightening. This happens to be a good topic thread and look forward to seeing some equally good posts.

In IC XC,
Father Anthony+

Your post and explantion shows your love and the grace you receive from the gift of holding Christ in your hands.

It puzzles me how or why anyone would be afraid that the Eucharist would become corrupt. How can the Body and Blood of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ ever become corrupt. The prayer of the priest which states '...divided, always eaten, but never consumed...' - I know that isn't exactly right wording, says it is the same Eucharist that Christ gave the Church at the Last Supper. How could it possibly be corrupt if it is already over 2,000 years old.

Pani Rose

I have witnessed mold growing on the Eucharist. I have seen the Holy Body and Blood of Jesus accidentally spilled on the ground. And Satanists report no difficulty in their deliberate desecration and corruption of His Body. Why Our Lord submits His Body to these sufferings is mysterious. Perhaps for the same reason He submitted to the cross?

Dear Friends,

Certainly, the point must be made that the Orthodox East does indeed adore Christ in the Holy Eucharist, but within the context of the Divine Liturgy for the most part.

The service of Suplicatsia in the EC churches was an imitation of the Latin Benediction service, with monstrance (with apologies again to djs for my earlier play on the word) at a time when EC's were simply going to Latin churches for these and other devotional services.

The thinking of the EC hierarchs at the time was that it was better to have a (slavish) imitation of the Latin paraliturgical devotion as a way to prevent the EC faithful from frequenting RC churches - especially given the social pressures to change one's baptismal certificate from "GC" to "RC" (as discussed by Myron Fedoriw of the parish of Sts Volodymyr and Olha in Chicago).

In fact, later RC theologians and liturgists saw that the Eastern liturgies brilliantly linked the dynamic aspect of the Holy Eucharist with the blessing of the people with the chalice (we have always had it in our tradition, but again within the context of the liturgy).

The problems associated with paraliturgical Eucharistic devotions were not lost on RC bishops and liturgists - they came to disconnect the laity from the Sacrifice of the Mass, adoration of the Eucharist was seen as an end in itself, etc.

The best form of Eucharistic Adoration Eastern Christians can and do fulfill is when they properly prepare for Holy Communion and for the experience of the Divine Liturgy.

Alex

I agree wholeheartedly. Very well said!

In Christ,
Alice

Message to Gaudior, Incognitus, and Batushka,
Are you starting the new Byzantine Inquisition?
You're on a roll if you are.
No wonder priests distance themselves from this forum.
Hurling accusations of blasphemy against me is offensive for what I believe was a rather innocuos description for illustrative purposes.
And who are you to question my liturgical rubrics?
If you are priests, (you seem to lead people to believe that you are by your alledged know it all posts) then why don't you post as a priest as I have.
If not, then you should seek the advice of your Father confessor.
Having said that, I will not validate your inflamatory, defaming, and accusatory rhetoric with a further response.

Signed, with pride,
Fr. Michael J Sopoliga, priest and sinner

Dear Father Michael,

You are in the wrong here. You speak ill of our Orthodox brothers and sisters and falsely accuse them of being in a state of �confusion and awakening� with regards to their theology of the Eucharist and then you expect people not to question you when you refer to the Eucharist as �crunchy croutons�? Are you advocating a double standard whereby you can say nasty and untrue things about the Orthodox and then expect an extra measure of charity for yourself when you make a poor choice of words? No, if you ask to be treated with charity you must first treat others with charity.

John Vernoski, Administrator of the Byzantine Forum

Dear Father Michael,

I was quite confused to the origins on the reference about the Holy Eucharist in which it is likened to a food item for a salad. I had to actually look for the reference on another thread. One should not cast "stones" when looks upon the Eucharist so irreverently. You should practice what you preach, and believe that it is the Eucharist, and not refer to it in such non-chalant terms.

As far as Orthodox being non-chalant and not believing the real presence on the altar, you are definitely wrong. My entire training has always stated when crossing the church, to bless myself, along with the other disciplines that you described. The reserved Eucharist is to be always treated with respect, fear and love.

I find it outrageous that you lack "charity" towards your Orthodox brothers and sister by inferring misinformation, and then cry as a martyr when you are called to account not only for misinformation, but a seemingly blasphemous statement regarding the Body and Blood of our Lord. I believe that all that has been stated as an outrage is your due, and that maybe you should be the one examining it, along with your self-proclaimed pride.

Father Anthony+

LORD JESUS CHRIST, SON OF THE LIVING GOD, HAVE MERCY ON US SINNERS!

We love you Lord and we lift your name on high, we thank you and adore you that true to your word, you have not left us orphan. You not only sent your Holy Spirit to us, but you, who became man for our sake, has remained with us in the flesh. Thank you almighty God for your grace and mercy given us in this Holy Meal for it is not mere bread and wine, but truly the Body and Blood of your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Abba we love you, for truly, you have not left us orphaned. In the flesh you come to us through our blessed priests - men who have laid down their lives for the sake of your Gospel. Bless them in every need, physical and spiritual for your sake Lord, the sake of your kingdom. Abba we glorify you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and in your mighty name Jesus I pray, Amen.