Ceremonies.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume XIII, Issue 1, 1 July 1922, Page 389

Ceremonies.

The Eucharistic Blessing is pronounced by the Celebrant, who turns himself towards thee people as he pronounces it, and, usually, raises his right hand. If a bishop is " present"' (that is, of course, not as a member of the congregation but among the officiating clergy) the bishop pronounces the ' Messinjg. ' '-Without contradiction the less is blessed of the better." "A similar rule prevails with regard to the Absolution .m the Eucharisti.c office. Thie Ceremony of Blessing, is perhaps the most ancient m the world and belongs' to all gi'eat religions The Sixth rubric at the end of the

Communion office directs, "If any of the bread and ; wine remain Unconsecrated, the curate shall have it to Ms own use; but'if any remain of that which was consecrated, it shall not be carried '• Out of the church, but the priest and such other of the. communicants as he shall then call unto him, shall, immediately after the Blessing, reverently eat and drink the same.." .The "curate" is, of course, : the priest" who has the cure of souls m the; parish. A sharp distjnetibri is drawn between lincbiisecrat'ed. bread and; wine and that which" has been consecrated. 1n. 1662, when this: Rubric was inserted, puritianism was rampant m the Church and priests were to be found who had so little sense of reverence, and so little belief m the Real Presence of our Lord m the Consecrated Gifts, that they deliberately consecrated more than was required and took home what remained after Communion, or even invited their friends to eat and drink it "m profane and common manner at the Lord's Table m the House of God." To prevent this sacrilege the priest is ordered to "reverently eat and drink the same" (calling upon communicants to assist him if necessary) before leaving- the altar. Although the rubric is not aimed at the most ancient custom of reserving the Sacrament for sacred use . (e.g., the communion of the sick) the strict observation of it makes reservation impossible. Many bishops, however, of the. present day allow the setting apart of a, certain -portion to be carried to the sick either immediately after the service or within a reasonable time. Various restrictions are placed on this privilege m • different dioceses. There is a strong movement m the Church for the restoration of the "Tabernacle" (a small cupboard over the altar) or the "Pyx" (a box hanging before the altar) m which the Reserved Sacrament may be kept, not merely for the purpose of communicating the sick, but m order that worshippers iriay be helped m their devotions by making them m the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. Anything that promotes devotion to our Blessed Lord, or strengthens our faith m His presence, is, for obvious reasons, to be encouraged, but it is difficult, if reservation m this way is allowed, to prevent the growth of ]>raetices such as the modern Roman rite of ' ' Benediction, ' ' and the carrying of the Eucharist m procession. Although these would seem a natural corollary of reservation, yet their tendency is to overshadow the" proper use of the "Blessed Sacrament" for the purpose of Communion, and to expose It to the risk of irreverence arid sacrilege on the part of unbelievers. The question of reservation

and of the restrictions necessary "with regard to it is receiving a great deal of discussion at the present time. , In hospitals and m thickly populated slum parishes ■■• reservation seenxsi an absolute necessity, if the sick and dying are to have the inestimable benefit of receiving the Sacrament of Christ's Body and Mood "to their great and endless comfort."

When a very large member .of people are present, including some who intend to communicate arid some who do not, it is extremely difficult for the celebrant to , estimatb 7 'the amount of bread and wine that ji. will be necessary to consecrate, and if any large quantity is; left over after the Communion he must, call m the assistance of other coinhiunicants. Communicants, especially those m the choir or m the front of the church, should always be ready to respond to the call of the celebrant if required.

When the consecrated species have been consumed the celebrant cleanses the Chalice and Paten ,by "making the ablutions" to. ensure that nothing is left of the consecrated' species. It is customary to sing' a ; hymii or to say or sing the Nunc Duriittis; before the priest leaves the altar. No one should leave the church till the celebrant and choir have returned to the vestry. -

In these articles on Ceremonies 1 which have been very irregular' for lack of space, we have endeavored to explain all those about which our readers are likely to require information. We shall welcome questions on this or other subjects.

We propose m a succeeding issue to begin a" series of articles on the use of music m Divine worship.

We take this opportunity of thanking several readers for letters of appreciation.