A Workshop on the History of Change in the Eucharist

Eucharist A workshop on the history of change in the Eucharist

Prepared by Bernadette Gasslein Background for the leader

“This is my cousin, Gordie.” I watched the look of dismay flicker across my husband’s face. “Gordie” comes from a distant period of his life. Only certain people who knew him as a little kid get to call him that – and he certainly does not want to be introduced to people now by the diminutive that relatives and close friends used when he was a child. Not even I, his wife, get to use that name! The only good thing is that I can immediately identify anyone who uses it with a particular period in his life.

While I was growing up, no one dared call me anything but “Bernadette.” My mother was determined that there would be no “Bernie” in her household. After all, Bernie was the legendary Hamilton Tiger Cat quarterback, Bernie Faloney – not her daughter. But when I left home, things changed. A first group of friends called me Bernie – and do so to this day. Later another group in a different time and place adopted “Bern.” Both names point to distinctive moments in my personal history.

The link between names and history is a long-standing one in our Judaeo-Christian story. Abrahm becomes Abraham, his wife, Sarai becomes Sarah, and they become the parents of a people dear to God; Jacob is re-named Israel; Saul is re-named Paul; Simon is renamed Peter. Vocations and life-changing moments are attached to this name change. The change of name marks new relationships.

When we explore the history of our central liturgical celebration, the Eucharist, we find that it too has been known by a variety of names over the centuries: Eucharist, the Lord’s Supper; the breaking of bread; the Eucharistic assembly; the memorial of the Lord’s Passion and Resurrection, the Holy Sacrifice, the holy and divine liturgy, the sacred mysteries; holy communion; the holy things; holy Mass (for further comments on this list, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1328-1332). Of the names cited on this list, several have predominated over the centuries. The variety of names highlights different aspects of the mystery and the history of the Eucharist that we celebrate.

This suggests, of course, that over the centuries our ways of celebrating the Eucharist have changed. Catholics who are currently over 55 probably remember the pre-conciliar liturgy, even if the memories of those in their 50s may be limited since they were very young when the liturgical changes that emanated from Vatican II were introduced. However, our younger members have only known the liturgy of Vatican II. The upcoming changes in language will be, for them, their first experience of cross-the-board liturgical change. Their experience does not include, however, the uniformity that was one of the hallmarks of the pre-conciliar liturgy. The variety of options that the General Instruction of the Roman Missal and the Sacramentary make available in each Eucharistic celebration means that each community can, to a limited degree, shape a celebration rooted in its own life and culture.

There is a tendency in our ritual life to absolutize our current experience, to say that the way we know it is the way it’s always been. This is particularly true if we have not known any major liturgical change during our lifetimes. Those of us who do remember the pre-conciliar liturgy know that the changes that were introduced at the time of Vatican II were experienced by many people as bolts from the blue. Without any contact with the Liturgical Movement, either in Europe, Quebec, Ottawa, Toronto and Regina, or in the United States, they were unaware of the movement towards change that had been simmering in the Catholic liturgical world since the Council of Trent. The liturgy, as they knew it, was the way it had been since time immemorial. The 19th century recovery of historical method that allowed scholars to unearth the treasures of the liturgy of the earliest centuries was unfamiliar to most people – including most of the clergy, priests and bishops alike. The push for the vernacular at the Council of Trent, refused because it would have appeared to be giving in to the Protestant Reformers, had not died out entirely1 in the centuries between the implementation of the reforms of the Council of Trent and those of Vatican II, yet its existence is largely unknown outside scholarly circles. The movement to make the liturgy central to family life, so prominent in the American Midwest where it was anchored around the spheres of influence of the great Benedictine monasteries there, had little influence in Canada.

In this workshop, we will explore how the Eucharist has changed over the centuries, using some of the different names that it has acquired throughout the years as a way of identifying and summarizing these changes.

You will need: A room set up with tables of 5 Name tags A copy of the DVD A History of the Liturgy DVD player Copies of the blank History of the Eucharist chart Copies of the completed History of the Eucharist chart One of the following: Copies of the songs used or copies of CBW III Or Copies of the images used Or Copies of the excerpt from the GIRM 1970 on postures in the liturgy

1. Set up the room so that participants are seated at tables of 5. Since we recognize how important names are, invite participants to introduce themselves to the other people at their tables. If possible, try to make sure that an elder (someone 55+) is at each table.

2. Invite participants to either (a) question the elder(s) about their memories of the differences between the pre- and post-conciliar liturgies or (b) collect the memories/stories/legends that participants have heard about what liturgies used to be like before Vatican II. If you have no elders in your group, focus on the questions in (b).

You may want to use some of these questions to guide the discussion in (a): How old were you at the time of Vatican II? Don’t be shy about your age. If you were not born at the time of Vatican II, or were too young to remember it, team up with someone who was alive at that time! What changes in the liturgy do you remember? How did you experience them? What kind of information about or explanation of the “changes” did you receive at that time? What changes were explained? By whom? Did anyone explain the “why” we were changing or were the explanations simply “How to/what to”?

To guide the discussion in (b), these questions might be helpful: What stories have you heard about the changes in the liturgy after Vatican II? How did the person telling you about this evaluate this experience of change? If the group has heard few stories, use this question: When you worship in different parishes, what kinds of differences do you note between the liturgies?

(20 minutes)

Be sure to have someone note the stories, response and memories for sharing with the large group. Some of the changes/events that people might remember include: Prior to the Council Early first communion and frequent communion (Pope Pius X) The promotion of the notion of the body of Christ (Pope Pius XII) The 1955 reform of the Easter Triduum (Pope Pius XII) Experiments with the use of the vernacular in the liturgy (1950s) The “sung Mass” Emanating from the Council The use of the vernacular Singing hymns Rubrics for the people Proclamation of the scriptures; three readings, and all in the vernacular Orientation of the priest towards the people Distribution of communion only during the celebration of the Eucharist, except when distributed to the sick Participation by the people in the prayers through listening, speaking, singing, standing, sitting No more praying of private devotions (such as the rosary, novenas, etc) during the liturgy (15 minutes)

3. When the sharing and discussion are complete, prepare to show the 40-minute DVD, A History of the Mass. First, distribute Handout 1, the blank history chart to participants. Note that the historical divisions of the chart differ slightly from those of the DVD; the chart is more detailed. The advantages of the DVD include the visual and aural aspects of the topic, which allow the participants to see and hear some aspects of the liturgy of a particular historical period. Stop the DVD after each of the segments and invite participants, working in their groups, to fill in as many of the columns as they can. The blank chart clearly indicates the relationship between the periods outlined on this chart and the DVD.

Background for the Leader: Liturgical history: the brief, scaled-down version I divided the history of eucharist into six periods:

• the NT/Early Christian period (till about 300) • the Patristic period (300-700) • the Early Middle Ages (700-1200) • the late Middle Ages (1200-1517) • reform/reaction (1517-1900) • recovery and reform (1900-)

The NT/Early Christian period (till about 300)  reaction to the Temple: a time of self-definition  meal aspects predominate in earliest times  loses connection with meal (100)  ritual context remains  led by community leader (episkopos)  thanksgiving  connection with Passover: sacrificial element  close connection between communion/communion in the body of Christ  bathed in singing of psalms: psalmody used during communion: Ps 34 and 22.  “presence”: koinonia – communion; word; Spirit; breaking of bread; sacrament reserved for sick  meeting in homes, later in homes remodeled for meeting: ekklesia shifts from people to place  Greek influence in the whole of the Middle East/Roman empire  meeting in secret (persecutions)  flourishing of initiation rites  rise of Sunday as the feast (instead of Sabbath)  7 million adherents by 300  New Testament canon defined  basic outline for worship (scripture/homily/ prayers/ presentation of gifts/thanksgiving/Amen/ communion (Justin Martyr)

The Patristic period (313-750)  peace of Constantine: Christianity becomes the official religion of the Empire in 313  Constantine moves government to Constantinople leading to the eventual fall of Rome as political centre  mingling of symbols of secular honour with religious honour (basilica = “hall of the king”)  language of priesthood/ sacrifice become much more predominant as the church no longer has to worry about distinguishing itself from the Temple. The time of self- definition is over.  time of heresies: profound debates about Christology and trinitarian theology  philosophical influence of Plato  time of the golden-tongued bishops: Augustine, Ambrose, etc.  disintegration of the Roman empire, and the rise of the church as a moral and political force of unification  invasion by neighbouring tribes/  initiation rites begin to fall apart: too many people, process can’t be sustained. “Christian identity becomes more an accident of birth than a result of conversion.” (Foley, p. 43)  transition from household vessels to liturgical vessels  reduction of people’s role/professionalisation of the liturgy

Middle Ages (700-1517)  Church’s cozy relationship with Rome declined; replaced by relationship with Franks (modern day France)  Charlemagne’s (d. 814) influence in spreading Roman rite throughout the empire (but always was revised locally); it went back to Rome revised –> predominant liturgy of the Latin church during the late Middle Ages  no longer in language of people  new emphasis on standardization of the liturgy  9th C: use of unleavened bread became customary  increased emphasis on unworthiness of the people meant fewer communions; no offertory procession; unleavened bread of Jewish sacrifice; visual aspects of liturgy become very important: “Ocular communion” (“the gaze that saves”/ Corpus Christi processions  people virtually excluded from participation by music or responses parallels the rise of Eucharistic devotions outside of liturgy  1st systematic treatise on the Eucharist  increased localization of the presence of Christ in the bread and wine: debates about the kind of presence, “gross realism”: scratch the host, scratch Jesus”  “beautiful chalices and patens came to replace the community as the primary vessels of the presence of Christ.” (Foley, 86)  influence of Artistotelian philosophy  1215: Fourth Lateran Council uses transubstantiation  Thomas Aquinas, rise of the universities, battles over ideas  increasing emphasis on sacrificial aspects of Eucharist  emergence of church as society, with hierarchy, land, etc.  “Watching took precedence over hearing. In the process, eucharist became a thing, not an event—an object, not a relationship. The objectification of eucharist,—that is, its reduction to bread without communion—contributed to a perspective that eventually allowed the sacrament to be both used and abused.” (Foley, 92).  rise of prayer books  Mass seen as providing grace that could be applied to particular individuals, which led to the selling of Masses, one of the triggers of the Reformation  the major vessel: the monstrance; seeing becomes high point of Eucharistic devotion

“Seeing is believing” a good summary of this period.

Revolt, reform, rigidity (1517-1900)  time of incredible political and moral corruption in the Church  Luther: asking for restoration of vernacular; restoration of people to understanding of church; return of the cup; communal song; preaching from scripture; revolt against the seeling of indulgences.  Catholic reform movement: triumphalist  still highly focused on visual  Reforms of the Council of Trent resulted in: - absolute standardization of liturgy - seminaries to educate the clergy - intermittent but unsuccessful attempts at reform in Italy and France (Jansenist)

Current century  Influence of Prosper Guéranger (late 19th C): Abbey of Solesmes; recovery of Roman Rite, study of texts of early Christianity; going beyond the mediaeval to re-discover the Fathers (first 5 centuries)  1909 – Lambert Beaudoin; considered to be identifiable beginning to liturgical mov’t; paper on active involvement of laity  scriptural movements from the mid-19th C.  1903: Call for people’s active participation in the liturgy in Pius X’s apostolic letter, Tra le Sollicitudini  Mediator Dei 1947 – affirmed the liturgical movement for Catholics  Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy: 1963, Vatican II: Full, conscious, active participation of laity goal of the renewal of the liturgy

Summary: we have moved from an intense piety centred on the Blessed Sacrament and derived from a context in which “seeing is believing” (Mediaeval vision) to a renewed understanding of the eucharist as the source and summit of our Christian life, an action in which the whole body of Christ participates, which brings us into solidarity with the whole body of Christ and the whole of creation.

This movement includes:

• from individual to ecclesial sense • from communion with one person to communion with many • from sense of body of Christ sacramental to body of Christ sacramental and ecclesial • expanding the sense of the real presence • definition of eucharistic life in each instance

4. When you have worked through the first handout, distribute Handout II, “A Brief History of the Eucharist.” Invite participants to compare their own charts with the completed chart. Point out that the completed chart offers more detail than the video. What surprises them in either the video or in the chart?

(55 minutes)

5. Then invite the participants to identify which theology of the Eucharist, as outlined in the completed chart, is closest to their own understanding of the Eucharist, and to speak about this with their table mates.

(10 minutes)

Break (15 minutes)

6. When you have completed this part of the workshop, select one of the following options to help participants deepen their appreciation and recognition of the changing understandings of the Eucharist.

A) The Lens of Hymns

Christians sing their theology; all hymns are marked by a particular understanding of the sacred mysteries that they extol. Singing has accompanied the sharing in the body and blood of Christ from the earliest celebrations of the Eucharist. Each of these hymns represents a particular period. Distribute Handout III; invite participants to sing through or read each hymn, and reflect on them from the perspective of these questions:

What does each of these texts say about: 1. the presence of Christ 2. the ministers of the celebration 3. the Church 4. communion under both kinds 5. thanksgiving

• What are the dominant verbs? • What are the dominant emotions? • What kind of relationships are described?

Once participants have reflected on the texts, draw participants’ attention to differences such as: • philosophical language or the language of scripture • an individual sense of communion or a sense of ecclesial communion • communion with one person or communion with many • a sense of body of Christ sacramental or of the body of Christ sacramental and ecclesial

When you have finished this segment, remind participants that they can reflect in the same way on their own favourite Eucharistic hymns, as well as on the repertoire of communion songs that their parish sings.

Background for the leader 1. Psalms Two psalms, Psalm 23 and Psalm 34, were originally associated with the communion rite. We sing them today in a variety of settings, from the beloved Gelineau setting of Psalm 23 to James Moore’s setting of Psalm 34 that we sing as “Taste and See.” Examine the two psalms texts. Why do you think the earliest community found them so appropriate for the communion rite?

Psalm 23 you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. all the days of my life, He makes me lie down in green pastures; and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord he leads me beside still waters; my whole life long. he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff— they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; Psalm 34 The face of the Lord is against evildoers,

I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.

I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. Look to him, and be radiant; so your faces shall never be ashamed. This poor soul cried, and was heard by the Lord, and was saved from every trouble. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. O taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in him. O fear the Lord, you his holy ones, for those who fear him have no want. The young lions suffer want and hunger, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Which of you desires life, and covets many days to enjoy good? Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.

The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their cry. to cut off the remembrance of them from the but the Lord rescues them from them all. earth. He keeps all their bones; When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears, not one of them will be broken. and rescues them from all their troubles. Evil brings death to the wicked, The Lord is near to the broken-hearted, and those who hate the righteous will be and saves the crushed in spirit. condemned. The Lord redeems the life of his servants; Many are the afflictions of the righteous, none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

(NRSV)

2. The Didache (c. 110)

Father, We Give You Thanks (CBW 528) is a musical setting of a text based on the early 2nd century text, The Didache. Although it is mentioned in 4th century writings, its manuscripts were lost until the late 19th century, when they were rediscovered. Here is a translation of the original text on which it was based:

THE THANKSGIVING SACRAMENT 1) Now concerning the Thanksgiving meal, give thanks in this manner. 2) First, concerning the cup: We thank You, our Father, For the Holy Vine of David Your servant, Whom You made known to us through Your Servant; May the glory be Yours forever. 3) Concerning the broken bread: We thank You, our Father, For the life and knowledge Which You made known to us through Your Servant; May the glory be Yours forever. As this broken bread was scattered over the mountains, And was gathered together to become one, So let Your Body of Faithful be gathered together From the ends of the earth into Your kingdom; for the glory and power are Yours forever. 5) But let no one eat or drink of your Thanksgiving, unless they have been baptized; for concerning this is taught, "Do not give what is holy to dogs." CHAPTER 10 PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION 1) After the meal, give thanks in this manner: 2) We offer thanks, Holy Father, For Your Holy Name which fills our hearts, And for the knowledge, faith and eternal life, You made known to us through Your Servant; Yours is the glory forever. 3) Almighty Master, You created all things for Your own purpose; You gave men food and drink to enjoy, That they might give You thanks; But to us You freely give spiritual food and drink, And eternal life through Your Servant. 4) Foremost, we thank You because You are mighty; Yours is the glory forever. 5) Remember Your Body of Servants, To deliver it from everything evil And perfect it according to Your love, And gather it from the four winds, Sanctified for Your kingdom which You have prepared for it; For the power and glory are Yours forever. 6) Let Your grace come, And let this world pass away. Hosanna to the God of David! May all who are holy, come; Let those who are not, repent. Maranatha. Amen.

Of particular interest here for facilitators is the image of the bread whose broken grains are gathered into one loaf, an image which reflects the Church as the gathering in of the scattered members of the Church, the body of Christ.

3. Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence 596 in Catholic Book of Worship, Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence, is based on the 5th century Liturgy of St. James. Compare the understanding of the Eucharist here with that of the Didache, written 300 years earlier. Here is the original text on which it is based:

Let all mortal flesh keep silent, and with fear and trembling stand. Ponder nothing earthly-minded, Let all mortal flesh keep silent, and with fear and trembling stand. Ponder nothing earthly-minded, for the King of kings and Lord of lords advances to be slain and given as food to the faithful. Before him go the choirs of Angels, with every rule and authority, the many-eyed Cherubim and the six-winged Seraphim, veiling their sight and crying out the hymn: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia. … Truly it is right and fitting, proper and necessary, to praise you, to hymn you, to bless you, to worship you, to glorify you, to give thanks to you, Fashioner of every creature, visible and invisible, the Treasury of the eternal good things, the Source of life and immortality, the God and Master of all, whose praise is sung by the heavens and the heavens of heavens and all their powers, the sun and the moon and the whole choir of stars, earth, sea and all that they contain; the heavenly Jerusalem, festival of the chosen, church of the first-born, who are inscribed in heaven; spirits of the Just and of Prophets, souls of Martyrs and Apostles; Angels, Archangels, Thrones, Dominions, Principalities, Authorities and dread Powers, the many-eyed Cherubim and the six-winged Seraphim, that with two wings cover their faces, with two their feet and with two they fly, as they cry out to one another with unceasing voices and with never silent hymns of glory,

(found at http://web.ukonline.co.uk/ephrem/lit-james.htm; "Divine Liturgy of James the Apostle and Brother of God": brief introduction and e-text as translated by Archimandrite Ephrem Lash; accessed 03.02.10)

Facilitators can point out several characteristics here: (a) the marked increase in sacrificial language, particularly evident in the original text; (b) the contrast between the Christ of glory and the incarnate Christ, articulated in the use of vertical images; (c) the call to “fear and trembling” in the face of the arrival of the King of Kings. This language is typical of the vision of the Eastern Church in which the Eucharistic liturgy is seen clearly as a participation in the heavenly liturgy.

4. Pange Lingua (Hail Our Saviour’s Glorious Body) This hymn, usually used today for the procession with the Blessed Sacrament at the conclusion of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, was written in the 13th century by St. Thomas Aquinas. It is found in English translation in the CBW at 68B, and in Latin, at 68.

Facilitators can note here the predominance of the language of adoration, which is why this hymn is not recommended today for the communion procession at Eucharist, where we eat Christ’s body and drink his blood. Facilitators can also point out how Aquinas answers the burning mediaeval question of how Christ is present in the sacrament of the altar: “By his word the Word almighty makes of bread his flesh indeed” and tells us how we perceive this transformation, “Faith alone may safely guide us Where the senses cannot lead! … Faith alone may see his face.”

5. Sweet Sacrament Divine This hymn appeared in the St. Basil’s Hymnal and other hymnals prior to Vatican II. Interestingly enough, there are no communion hymns in this hymnal, only hymns for the Blessed Sacrament. Leaders can point out how the first two lines of the text set up the context of prayer at the tabernacle (“hid in thine earthly home”, “ ’round Thy lowly shrine”.) Note the absence of any reference to actually consuming the Eucharist or to the liturgical action. Eucharistic piety for laity is divorced from the liturgy.

The text, by Father F. Stanfield, follows.

1. Sweet Sacrament divine! Hid in Thine earthly home, Lo! ’round Thy lowly shrine, With suppliant hearts we come. Dear Lord, to Thee our voice we raise, In songs of love and heartfelt praise, Sweet Sacrament divine! 2. Sweet Sacrament of Peace! Dear Home of ev’ry heart, Where restless yearnings cease, And sorrows all depart. There in Thine ear, all trustfully, We tell our tale of misery, Sweet Sacrament of Peace!

3. Sweet Sacrament of Rest! Ark from the ocean’s roar, Within Thy shelter blest Soon may we reach the shore. Save us, for still the tempest raves; Save, lest we sink beneath the waves; Sweet Sacrament of Rest!

4. Sweet Sacrament divine! Earth’s Light and Jubilee, In Thy far depths doth shine Thy Godhead’s Majesty. Sweet Light, so shine on us, we pray, That earthly joys may fade away, Sweet Sacrament divine. From Westminster Hymnal

(The Preface acknowledges permission to use copyright materials from the proprietors of the Westminster Hymnal; the St. Basil’s Hymnal (40th edition) was published by The Basilian Press, 68 St. Nicholas St., Toronto 5, ON. It received the imprimatur from Archbishop Neil McNeil on the Feast of St. Basil, 1925, and is marked “Copyright, U.S., 1935 by The Basilian Fathers.)

6. Bread of Life (1987) The British composer Bernadette Farrell has produced some of our generation’s most beloved liturgical songs. The refrain of her “Bread of Life” entwines a number of themes of the understanding of the Eucharist that has emerged from the reforms of Vatican II: a) sharing in the Eucharist is an encounter with the living Christ, who is our brother b) sharing in the Eucharist is effective in a number of ways: it nourishes, gives life and leads us closer to each other. This anticipates Pope Benedict’s statement in Sacramentun Caritatis, “In all those I meet I recognize brothers or sisters for whom the Lord have his life, loving them ‘to the end’ (Jn 13.1). Our communities, when they celebrate the Eucharist, must become ever more conscious that the sacrifice of Christ is for all and that the Eucharist thus compels all who believe in him to become ‘bread that is broken’ for others and to work for the building of a more just and fraternal world.” The verses themselves pick up a number of elements of the Tradition: the Pauline writing on the Eucharist, the Didache (which we explored above), and emphasizes the Eucharist as the sacrament of unity: when we share in the Lord’s Body and Blood, the second epiclesis (prayer to the Holy Spirit prayed by the priest in the Eucharistic Prayer) is fulfilled. The Spirit transforms us, drawing us closer to each other, making us more fully the Body of Christ because we have shared in Christ’s body.

B) The standing posture during the communion rite: A case study

The 1970 General Instruction of the Roman Missal gives this direction for postures during the celebration of the Eucharist: “The uniformity in standing, kneeling, or sitting to be observed by all taking part is a sign of the community and the unity of the assembly; it both expresses and fosters the spiritual attitude of those taking part. … Unless other provision is made, at every Mass the people should stand from the beginning of the entrance song or when the priest enters until the end of the opening prayer or collect, for the signing of the Alleluia before the gospel, while the gospel is proclaimed, during the profession of faith and the general intercessions, from the prayer over the gifts to the end of the Mass, except at the places indicated later in this paragraph. They should sit during the readings before the gospel and during the responsorial psalm, for the homily and the presentation of the gifts, and, if this seems helpful, during the period of silence after communion. They should kneel at the consecration unless prevented by the lack of space, the number of people present, or some other good reason.” (20-21)

Distribute Handout IV. If you examine this list carefully, you will note that the assembly is expected to stand during the communion rite. Now re-read the list of postures. Which ones do we observe? In most places, all but the posture during the Eucharistic prayer and the communion rite. The question of whether we should stand during these two parts of the Eucharistic liturgy has engendered much debate, some of it quite nasty. Looking over the completed history chart, identify the different understandings of the Eucharist that are clashing in this debate over posture.

Background for leaders The standing posture has a venerable history in the Church’s liturgy, although for many today it would not reflect their own experience of the liturgy. The practice of kneeling during much of the liturgy originated in the piety of the Middle Ages; people were invited to kneel whenever they saw the Lord’s body. Moreover, standing was reserved to those who were full participants, that is, those who received holy communion. As lay people communicated less and less frequently, they knelt more and more.

The Council of Nicea (325) included, as a rule, this prohibition against kneeling on Sunday: “Since there are some persons who kneel on the Lord’s Day and in the days of Pentecost, in order that all things may be observed in like manner in every church, the holy synod has decreed that all should at those times offer up their prayers to God standing.” St. Augustine notes that we pray standing in the image of the resurrection, as does Venerable Bede, who died in 735. Standing also had a special connection with the Easter season: “Those who have been raised up pray standing.”

The standing posture here is the posture of full participation. It acknowledges that sharing in Holy Communion is an action in which Christ “gives himself to us and continually builds us up as his body” (SC, 14). By standing while all our sisters and brothers are sharing Holy Communion, we are acknowledging the communal aspect of this encounter, recognizing that all of us, together, are being transformed more deeply into Christ’s body as Christ draws us into himself (SC, 10). This is true communion: for as our communion with Christ deepens, so does our communion with the Trinity, in which we participate through, with and in Christ. “Communion,” writes Pope Benedict, “always and inseparably has both a vertical and a horizontal sense: It is communion with God and communion with our brothers and sisters” (SC, 76).

This rubric about posture during the Eucharistic prayer invites us into this understanding and spirituality of the Eucharist, an understanding that differs significantly from the mediaeval and Tridentine emphases that we have examined, where, if a person actually shared in Holy Communion, it was an individual encounter in which the primary response was adoration. In fact, the whole communion rite points to coming into union”: the Lord’s Prayer, which addresses our one Father; the sign of peace; the communion procession; the communion hymn whose function is to “express outwardly the communicants’ union in spirit by means of the unity of their voices … and to make the procession to receive Christ’s body more fully and act of communion” (GIRM 1970, 56i). Because the standing posture invites us into a changed understanding through a change of ritual behaviour – a change of posture from what many people were/are accustomed to – it challenges, not just our minds, but our bodies as well to accept a new set of relationships in the act of sharing in Holy Communion: a communal relationship, rather than a private one; a deepened experience of being the Body of Christ ecclesial because of receiving the Body and Blood of Christ sacramental; an active encounter in which the Holy Spirit changes us as well as the bread and wine. If we don’t understand these relationships, the ritual behaviour will be experienced as non-sense, disrespectful or distracting.

7. Complete the workshop by singing One Bread, One Body (John Foley, SJ). 1 See Keith Pecklers